Bilo bi zanimljivo da sacinimo listu filmova koje najvise iscekujemo u predstojecoj sezoni. Takodje, mislim da ubacene liste ne moraju biti konacne, vec da cak i sporadicni film moze biti ubacen ukoliko vam stvara dovoljno veliku erekciju...
Moja lista je za sada jako kratka:
Dark Blue
Matrix Reloaded
Kill Bill
The Hunted
The Box
The Flicker
Second Name/Pact of the Fathers
The Cypher
Hmmm... Odlična tema.
Da vidimo.
SF filmovi= (gotovi, ili bar započeti)
MATRIX 2 &3, definitivno najočekivaniji filmovi. Moj hunch mi kaže da reč REVOLUCIJA u naslovu jednog od ovih nije slučajna...
LOTR; RETURN OF THE KING – sa ovakvim build-upom od prva 2 filma, treći ima da ima punch koji će da boli!
CYPHER (V. Natali + paranoja + sf triler horror...)
SF- najavljeni, ali sa sumnjivom budućnošću
ABELCAIN – JODOROWSKI!
RANDEZVOUS WITH RAMA
WAR OF THE WORLDS
I, ROBOT (OK, ovaj je kao greenlit, ali dok snimanje nije gotovo ja sam skeptik!)
ALIEN 5 (ovo niko nije ozbiljno ni najavio, ali me to ne sprečava da maštam... i čekam... Ako ništa drugo, i R. Scott i S. Weaver su voljni, samo još da se zvezde poklope...)
HORROR, (gotovi ili bar započeti)
ALIVE – RYUEI KITAMURA!
HELLBOY – this one will kick so much ass!!!
MAY – sve se zna, samo još i da ga pogledamo!!!
DARK WATER – NAKATA!
THE GRUDGE (novo čudo iz Japana... Novi RING?)
EXORCIST, THE BEGINNING (ipak je to Schrader, ne bi smeo da zasere...)
FREDY VS JASON (samo zbog režisera, Ronnie Yua – biće ovo eye candy & mindless fun)
UNDERWORLD (Matrix style + vukodlaci i vampiri? I'm there!)
BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR (zar treba pojašnjenje? prvi je remek delo, drugi je odličan, a J. Combs kao Herberts West je BESKRAJNO zabavan!)
BUBBA-HO-TEP (pirati, šta čekate više???!!!)
CABIN FEVER (pirati, gde ste kad ste najpotrebniji???!!!)
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2003 (ne očekujem da ovo priđe i na kilometar originalu, ali opet... zanima me na šta će ovo da liči)
DARKNESS (kritika se uglavnom posrala po ovome, ali tema i režiser – J. Balaguero- me i dalje veoma intrigiraju...)
DEATHWATCH (monstrumi/duhovi u rovovima iz I sv. rata...)
GINGER SNAPS 2 and 3
MY LITTLE EYE
THE UNDEAD (mnogohvaljeni australijski zombi film)
JEEPERS CREEPERS 2
Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary
House of 1,000 Corpses (svi su ga popljuvali, ali hoću lično da se uverim...)
HORROR (najavljeni, u pripremi...)
PAINKILLERS – CRONENBERG!!!!!!!!
AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS – del Toro + genijalni Lovecraftov roman + veliki budžet...
SICK IN THE HEAD (novi HENELOTTER, posle skoro 10 godina pauze! can't wait, such a huge fan!)
THE BOX (ako samo pola najave ispune...)
SNUFF (Bernard –CANDYMAN- Rose se vraća horroru! Još samo kad bi Phillip Glass opet radio muziku!)
ALICE
CURSED – Craven + Williamson + vukodlaci... could be shit, could be lotsa fun...
VAN HELSING – ovo će bar da izgleda moćno... a i zbog pojedinih momenata u DEEP RISING i prvoj MUMIJI čini mi se da je ovo kao stvoreno za Sommersa
THE BROTHERS GRIMM (Fucking Terry Gilliam radi nešto što liči na Frightenersovski horor!!!)
THE CARD DEALER (dok god je Argento živ i radi filmove ja ću ih gledati, makar odavno izgubio nadu da će se on ikad više približiti delirijumu SUSPIRIJE, DEEP REDA i INFERNA)
Recimo, za pocetak...
BASIC, John McTiernan, Otac nas, gospodar sudbine,...
MINDHUNTERS, Renny Harlin, sta vise reci...
MATRIX 2 & 3, mislim da ce Braca Wachowski u ova dva da izmuzu fransizu do kraja, sto i nije tako lose...
A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES, novi Joe Carnahan, autor instant klasika NARC
LXG, Norrington is back in action
DARK BLUE, Ellroy i Kurt Russell kao plus, Ayer kao minus, Shelton kao garancija racunice u koj se nista nece dodati ali ni zakinuti...
FREDDY VS. JASON, Ronny Yu, jedan od primera cudnog odnosa Argento-Soavi odnosno Woo-Leung
pet filmova Takashi Miikea
RETURN OF THE KING, mozda neko raspise referendum o monarhiji. Inace, mislim da je Jakcson kalkulantsko kopile a da su filmovi po Tolkienu slikovnice...
EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING
TREMORS 4
BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR, Jeffrey `Puffy` Combs kao Yuznina marioneta
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, Nispel misli da je Kubrick. I like that!
KILL BILL, Tarantino pravi filmove u kojima se govori o legendarnim filmovima, da vidimo da li ce se o njegovom filmu nekada govoriti kao o legendarnom
THE HUNTED, Friedkin radi Italo
THE MATCHSTICK MEN, jedan od autora na koje se ne lozim ali ih postujem (stariji brat jednog koga obozavam, Ridley) snima film u produkciji mog heroja Bob Z-a
GOTHIKA, Matthieu Kassovitz radi hack za Silvera i Bob Z-a
TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES, bice cool, nece biti grandiozno jer smo omatorili ali ce biti cool jer tu su Mario i Andy a oni ne grese...
OLD SCHOOL, Todd Philips 1
STARSKY & HUTCH, Todd Philips 2
RIDING GLOCK, najavljeni buddy cop flick sa Eddie Murphyjem i Arniejem...
THE PASSION, Mel Gibson in Hebrew
DUPLEX, Danny De Vito radi Ben Stillera i Drew B. Ko nije gledao DEATH TO SMOOCHY, neka se kazni sam...
ENVY, Ben Stiller vs. Jack Black. Jack Black rules...
THE SCHOOL OF ROCK, Jack Black sa decom. Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Obavezno pogledajte SAVING SILVERMAN! OBAVEZNO (razdvojio bih na slogove u Caps Lock da malo bolje znam gramatiku)
DADDY DAY CARE & HAUNTED MASION, Eddie Murphy se nikad ne propusta...
amandmani:
jebote, kako li sam samo uspeo da smetnem s uma HULKA?
HULK, HULK, HULK!
HULK SMASH!
Tu je i najavljeni MAD MAX 4: THE FURY ROAD
BATTLE ROYALE 2
21 GRAMS
THE WOODS – novi film Lucky Mc Kee-a, režisera MAY
CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK
plus neimenovani novi filmovi koje spremaju
RICHARD STANLEY, MICHELE SOAVI i DAVID LYNCH...
plus horor triler koji BRIAN DE PALMA planira da snima u Veneciji (trenutno ne mogu da prizovem naslov....)
i naravno, da ne zaboravimo TITO I JA 2: THE CRIPPLE REVENGE !
O da.
Duplex. Jos jedna crna komedija u reziji i/ili produkciji De Vitta koje glupi Ameri opet nece razumeti (Smoochy anyone?).
Dark Waters. Isto tako me zanima i Glazerov rimejk Nakatinog
Chaosa. (kad vec tesko da cemo videti original).
Return of the King, mada to ne moram da cekam, to ce doci samo.
avenger, zasto je Ayers minus u Dark Blue kombinaciji? Ako nista drugo, imace solidne dijaloge.
Randezvous with Rama? Zar to nije jedan od Fincherovih abandoned production-hell projekata? Zar on sad ne snima nesto o skate-kulturi osamdesetih or something? Ako bi isao tom logikom, mnogo pre bih naveo Black Dahliu u njegovoj reziji, sa sve Brian Dennehyem, Michael Rookerom i sinom Gary Buseya. Or any James Ellroy novel, come to that. Ili, mozda jos bolje, Aronofskjev
Fountain, koji nikada nece biti napravljen, courtesy of Brad Pitt.
Alien 5. Samo se salim. Moralo bi da to reziraju/pisu neke velike face da bih bacio pogled na to.
Ako Paul Schrader rezira prequel Exorcista, I say, bice sranje. Schrader nije snimio posten film dosta dugo, a nama ostaje da gledamo majstora (Friedkin) kroz Hunted.
Bubba Ho-Tep se verovatno nikad nece pojaviti ovde. Tough brake for us, Lansdale/Bruce Campbell lovers.
QuoteDEATHWATCH (monstrumi/duhovi u rovovima iz I sv. rata...)
Samo da nije jadan kao The Bunker.
Ako je Cronenberg dobio neke pare od Spidera, jos da se nadam tom Painkilleru u sledece dve godine. Ako ne, 2006. it is.
prequeli me nesto ne zanimaju (Ginger Snaps/Jeepers Creepers, sic!), a od adaptacija stripova ocekujem samo i iskljucivo nastavak poseravanja na iste. To narocito vazi za Ligu Izvanrednih Dzentlmena i za Hulk-a.
X-Men 2 moze biti relativno zabavan, sa druge strane, a ako Hellboy bude sranje uprkos odlicnom timu, onda nam ostaje da zvacemo Spideya/Daredevila 2 dok ne pocne da nam se, actually, svidja.
I da.
De Palma radi italo ;) ("Toyer")
To se nece propustiti. But then again, kog de palmu ja propustim?
Pored dosta navedenih filmova, samo bih dodao:
Gothika, izlazi 24.10.
rezija: Mathieu Kassovitz,
uloge: Halle Berry, Penelope Cruz, Robert Downey Jr
summary: A female psychiatrist (Berry) wakes up as a patient in the asylum for the criminally insane where she works and finds that she is being charged with a murder she has no memory of committing. As she wrestles to regain her memory, she finds that she is the pawn of a vengeful spirit.
Tek sada vidim da ga je crippled_avenger spomenuo ali nvm :)
QuoteRIDING GLOCK, najavljeni buddy cop flick sa Eddie Murphyjem i Arniejem...
Da, i ja dosta cekam ovaj film. Dugo je bio u production hellu, ali najzad je greenlightovan, i ubedjen sam da ce ovaj legendarni buddy-cop movie jednom za svagda potvrditi Murphyja kao "karakternog glumca", i najzad uzneti Arnijevu karijeru (ono sto T3 verovatno nece uspeti da uradi) preko njegove ultimativne hard-boiled ozbiljne uloge za koju je najmanje sto ocekujem Oskar nominacija.
Naslov, posle svega, ne obecava nista manje. Nista me nece vise obradovati nego da vidim Arnija i Edija, side by side, kako vezbaju gadjanje u streljani. Bice ovo Yet Another 48 Hours spinned sa prvih pola sata Red Heat-a, I tell ya!
QuoteEXORCIST: THE BEGINNING
U sta da ce Schreder ovo da usere kao i prethodnih svojih pet filmova? Covek se zestoko raspada od droge, i tesko da halucinira o ljudima-mackama.
Quote
MATRIX 2 &3, definitivno najocekivaniji filmovi. Moj hunch mi kaže da rec REVOLUCIJA u naslovu jednog od ovih nije slucajna...
Honest to goodness question. Sem bombasticne retorike ovde, sta ce to treci instalment Matrixa moci da revolucionarise??
QuoteABELCAIN – JODOROWSKI!
Ovo nikada necemo videti.
QuoteRANDEZVOUS WITH RAMA
Ovo nikada nece biti napravljeno.
QuoteWAR OF THE WORLDS
Another day, another remake...
God help us all.
QuoteI, ROBOT (OK, ovaj je kao greenlit, ali dok snimanje nije gotovo ja sam skeptik!)
Otkad navijas za Willa Smitha? Mozda otkad je uz Arnija upropastio grinlajtovanje za jedan od najboljih action-packed-with-emotional-weight scenarija u poslednje vreme koji ti se nije bas doimao?
QuoteHELLBOY – this one will kick so much ass!!!
Sa PG-13 rejtingom, tesko. U najboljem slucaju ce biti gledljiv.
QuoteTHE GRUDGE (novo cudo iz Japana... Novi RING?)
Zar ovaj film nije iz '97.?
QuoteUNDERWORLD (Matrix style + vukodlaci i vampiri? I'm there!)
This is gonna suck SO much ASS!
QuoteTHE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2003 (ne ocekujem da ovo pride i na kilometar originalu, ali opet... zanima me na šta ce ovo da lici)
Uz Nispela helming it, ovo moze da bude i vise nego solidno.
QuoteGINGER SNAPS 2 and 3
Auuuuuuuuu, Mile....
QuoteJEEPERS CREEPERS 2
O, Bogo...
QuoteDracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary
Ne znam sta je ovo. Neki Full Moon Productions?
QuoteHouse of 1,000 Corpses (svi su ga popljuvali, ali hocu licno da se uverim...)
Ocekujem low-low-low-low-fi hard "R" splatter galore, a malo nostalgije prema 80s exploatationu nije naodmet. Valjda.
Quotejebote, kako li sam samo uspeo da smetnem s uma HULKA?
HULK, HULK, HULK!
HULK SMASH!
...koji ti je kurac? :P
QuoteMAD MAX 4: THE FURY ROAD
Oh, lovely. Posle ovoga treci deo nece biti najgori.
QuoteBATTLE ROYALE 2
Zar reziser nije umro? Ko sada radi na ovome?
I zasto?
Quote21 GRAMS
Intrigantan, narkoticni naslov. Sta je ovo?
QuoteCHRONICLES OF RIDDICK
Kapiram da ce xXx2 biti manji abortus od ovoga, al' ajde, zivi bili pa ispljuvali.
Da li je radni naslov novog Lyncha i dalje "The Darkened Room"?
Da li znas sta Stanley radi sad?
Quotepet filmova Takashi Miikea
Sve dok ne resi da napravi Dead or Alive 4, he'll be just fi i i i ine.
QuoteTREMORS 4
Oh, YES! I just gotta see this.... not.
QuoteKILL BILL, Tarantino pravi filmove u kojima se govori o legendarnim filmovima, da vidimo da li ce se o njegovom filmu nekada govoriti kao o legendarnom
Ima ljudi kojima je Reservoir Dogs vec danas legendaran. A Kill Bill ce zasigurno biti "instant-klasik". Scenario je fenomenalan, a po onome sto sam procitao o tome ciju ce (hongkong a nije woo, nego nesto mnogo starije, i mnogo kul. 70s) reziju da krade, this is gonna RULE!
Ima cak i DePalma Blow-Out exposition kind of split-screens in it.
QuoteRIDING GLOCK, najavljeni buddy cop flick sa Eddie Murphyjem i Arniejem...
Da, i ja dosta cekam ovaj film. Dugo je bio u production hellu, ali najzad je greenlightovan, i ubedjen sam da ce ovaj pravednicki rivajvl buddy-cop movie-a jednom za svagda potvrditi Murphyja kao "karakternog glumca", i najzad uzneti Arnijevu karijeru (ono sto T3 verovatno nece uspeti da uradi) preko njegove ultimativne hard-boiled ozbiljne uloge za koju je najmanje sto ocekujem Oskar nominacija.
Naslov, posle svega, ne obecava nista manje. Nista me nece vise obradovati nego da vidim Arnija i Edija, side by side, kako vezbaju gadjanje u streljani. Bice ovo Yet Another 48 Hours spinned sa prvih pola sata Red Heat-a, I tell ya!
QuoteEXORCIST: THE BEGINNING
U sta da ce Schreder ovo da usere kao i prethodnih svojih pet filmova? Covek se zestoko raspada od droge, i tesko da halucinira o ljudima-mackama.
Quote
MATRIX 2 &3, definitivno najocekivaniji filmovi. Moj hunch mi kaže da rec REVOLUCIJA u naslovu jednog od ovih nije slucajna...
Honest to goodness question. Sem bombasticne retorike ovde, sta ce to treci instalment Matrixa moci da revolucionarise??
QuoteABELCAIN – JODOROWSKI!
Ovo nikada necemo videti.
QuoteRANDEZVOUS WITH RAMA
Ovo nikada nece biti napravljeno.
QuoteWAR OF THE WORLDS
Another day, another remake...
God help us all.
QuoteI, ROBOT (OK, ovaj je kao greenlit, ali dok snimanje nije gotovo ja sam skeptik!)
Otkad navijas za Willa Smitha? Mozda otkad je uz Arnija upropastio grinlajtovanje za jedan od najboljih action-packed-with-emotional-weight scenarija u poslednje vreme koji ti se nije bas doimao?
QuoteHELLBOY – this one will kick so much ass!!!
Sa PG-13 rejtingom, tesko. U najboljem slucaju ce biti gledljiv.
QuoteTHE GRUDGE (novo cudo iz Japana... Novi RING?)
Zar ovaj film nije iz '97.?
QuoteUNDERWORLD (Matrix style + vukodlaci i vampiri? I'm there!)
This is gonna suck SO much ASS!
QuoteTHE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2003 (ne ocekujem da ovo pride i na kilometar originalu, ali opet... zanima me na šta ce ovo da lici)
Uz Nispela helming it, ovo moze da bude i vise nego solidno.
QuoteGINGER SNAPS 2 and 3
Auuuuuuuuu, Mile....
QuoteJEEPERS CREEPERS 2
O, Bogo...
QuoteDracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary
Ne znam sta je ovo. Neki Full Moon Productions?
QuoteHouse of 1,000 Corpses (svi su ga popljuvali, ali hocu licno da se uverim...)
Ocekujem low-low-low-low-fi hard "R" splatter galore, a malo nostalgije prema 80s exploatationu nije naodmet. Valjda.
Quotejebote, kako li sam samo uspeo da smetnem s uma HULKA?
HULK, HULK, HULK!
HULK SMASH!
...koji ti je kurac? :P
QuoteMAD MAX 4: THE FURY ROAD
Oh, lovely. Posle ovoga treci deo nece biti najgori.
QuoteBATTLE ROYALE 2
Zar reziser nije umro? Ko sada radi na ovome?
I zasto?
Quote21 GRAMS
Intrigantan, narkoticni naslov. Sta je ovo?
QuoteCHRONICLES OF RIDDICK
Kapiram da ce xXx2 biti manji abortus od ovoga, al' ajde, zivi bili pa ispljuvali.
Da li je radni naslov novog Lyncha i dalje "The Darkened Room"?
Da li znas sta Stanley radi sad?
Quotepet filmova Takashi Miikea
Sve dok ne resi da napravi Dead or Alive 4, he'll be just fi i i i ine.
QuoteTREMORS 4
Oh, YES! I just gotta see this.... not.
QuoteKILL BILL, Tarantino pravi filmove u kojima se govori o legendarnim filmovima, da vidimo da li ce se o njegovom filmu nekada govoriti kao o legendarnom
Ima ljudi kojima je Reservoir Dogs vec danas legendaran. A Kill Bill ce zasigurno biti "instant-klasik". Scenario je fenomenalan, a po onome sto sam procitao o tome ciju ce (hongkong a nije woo, nego nesto mnogo starije, i mnogo kul. 70s) reziju da krade, this is gonna RULE!
Ima cak i DePalma Blow-Out exposition kind of split-screens in it.
QuoteTERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES, bice cool, nece biti grandiozno jer smo omatorili ali ce biti cool jer tu su Mario i Andy a oni ne grese...
Ako bude hard "R", mozda bude zabavno. Mada imam gut-feeling da ce rezija biti ...is it now safe to say:... Derdevilichna?
QuoteTHE PASSION, Mel Gibson in Hebrew
Ovo ce biti veliki Iracki film :)
QuoteTHE SCHOOL OF ROCK, Jack Black sa decom. Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
...neeeeeeee. I'm getting Kindergarten-Cop vibes here. Samo sto ce ovo biti Tenacious D vibe.
Quote from: "Spider Jerusalem"
QuoteBATTLE ROYALE 2
Zar reziser nije umro? Ko sada radi na ovome?
I zasto?
Preuzeo njegov sin koji je ucestvovao u pisanju oba dela.
Izlazi pocetkom jula..
QuotePreuzeo njegov sin koji je ucestvovao u pisanju oba dela.
Izlazi pocetkom jula..
Auuuuuuu, Mile...
Mozda ce, ako Kusta umre jednog dana (Dun be thuh gloreey!), njegov rahmetli sin, Stribor, poceti da snima filmove.
Samo zamislite.
"Underground 2"! Ovaj put iznad zemlje. Ali niz reku.
"Otac na sabatu sa Sejtanom"
"Arizona Scream" (VI)
"Kupina u Merkatoru"
Navodno ce mozda Silver rezirati RIDING GLOCK. Mislim da je development hell toliko i trajao samo zato sto je Silver namstao stvar za sebe. A nekako sad izgleda da svi hardlineri imaju svoje projekte u developmentu i on ima argument da sam zasedne u stolicu. Ako Silver bude radio, mislim da ce imati dobrog 2nd unit reditelja, recimo Dan Bradleya ili mozda cak Stuart Bairda tako da bi akcija trebalo da bude kompetentna. Jedino se plasim intonacije dramskih scena, da ne ode u neki in-joke humor.
Imam super ideju za nastavak `120 dana Sodome`. Zvao bi se `Jos 120 dana Sodome`.
A sta kazes na
"120 Days of Sod All"?
'Ovo nikada necemo videti.'
'Ovo nikada nece biti napravljeno.'
Čak I da ova bombastična retorika ima neko utemeljenje u prekognitivnim moćima svog autora, niko ne brani da o njima maštam na topiku koji glasi 'the most anticipated...'.
Ja ih anticipujem, pa ako ih naprave – naprave... Sem toga, ima najava da je Jodorowski već počeo da radi ABELCAINA, samo trebalo bi da znaš da je on filmove oduvek radio van svakog sistema (sem SANTA SANGRE), i da je to 1 od onih naslova koji mogu da prođu ispod svakog radara jer neće imati u sebi nikakve zvezde niti će se snimati praćen saopštenjima za javnost, pres konferencijama itsl.
WAR OF THE WORLDS
Another day, another remake...
God help us all.
Informiši se malo o OVOM KONKRETNOM filmu da bi shvatio zašto sam ga naveo kao nešto od čega očekujem mnogo.
Otkad navijas za Willa Smitha?
Navijam za ALEXA PROYASA, dječače. Kad on režira, može gl. Ulogu da igra I Martin Lawrence!
'
THE GRUDGE (novo cudo iz Japana... Novi RING?)
Zar ovaj film nije iz '97.?'
Opet, informiši se bolje. Postoje 2 direct to video naslova, I 1 prošlogodišnji, bioskopski, čijeg autora je Sem Reimi već unajmio da u USA radi rimejk, a Lions Gate će original distribuirati...
'Auuuuuuuuu, Mile....'
'O, Bogo...'
Pošto si očigledno de-evoluirao na nivo onih koji skaču sa svojim poklicima kad god nešto ne znaju ili ne razumeju, ostaviću te u neznanju.
This one is for ghoul:
Moram da napravim jednu napomenu vezanu za nametanje recnika na ovom Forumu.
Cinjenica da imate priliku da besplatno citate misli (i poklice) jednog od najtalentovanijih mladih srpskih kriticara (potpisanog kao Spider Jerusalem) treba da vas ostavi razjapljenih celjusti. A ne da ulazite u neke half-cocked komentare o njegovom recniku i uvredljive zakljucke o faktografiji. Kakav je to nacin da se opusteni poklici koji su pravi hit i simbol prisnosti medju prestonickom intelektualnom elitom nazivaju de-evoluiranjem. O kakvom to neznaju ghoul govori? ghoul verovatno ne zna da se profiji obavestavaju na need - to - know bazi. Oni u glavi ne nose podatke o japanskim direct - to- video filmovima, oni u glavi nose estetski sistem a o filmovima saznaju onda kada im dati podatak treba.
To je slicno pocetku svakog dobrog Guys on a Mission flicka. Kriticari su kao komandosi. Oni dolaze na lice mesta. Praznih ruku. U civilu. Saznaju koje su opasnosti i za koje vreme treba da obave zadatak. We need guns. Lost of guns - situacija. Osmisle kojim se oruzjem koriste za dati posao. Popricaju o tome zasto su neke zadatke odbili. Da li su rescue team ili assassins. I obave ga. Ne kilave se noseci bazuke po ceo dan. Bazuke nose nosaci. Radnici u fabrici bazuka. Ali ne i profiji. Pritom samo amateri ubijaju velikim kalibrom. Vrhunski profiji ubijaju iz blizine - nozem. Pogledajte naseg najveceg kriticara - on je prosao od bazuke do noza.
Metafora je suvise vulgarna. Ali je jasna.
Malo vise postovanja za Spidera. Jednom ce vam biti cast sto ga poznajete.
Dragi kljakasti osvetniče (or should I call you Ethan?), ja već imam čast da lično, i vrlo dobro, poznajem osobu koja se ovde naziva S. Jerusalemom, a i obrnuto.
To je jedini razlog što se s njim, i jedino s njim, ovde upuštam u vrstu prijateljskog podjebavanja, cepidlačenja i dr. formi razgovora koje su neobaveštenoj osobi naoružanoj hladnim oružjem možda delovali ... drugačije nego onima koji znaju koji diskurs nas dvojica koristima u međusobnom razgovoru, i zašto.
Dakle, tvoja odbrana lika i dela te osobe nije potrebna, barem ne od mene.
Ja jos uvek ne koristim noz.
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"Ja jos uvek ne koristim noz.
well, mislim da je red da ga finaly iskoristis i das nam uzorak krvi ili sperme da ti konacno poverujemo da ti ipak nisi spider jerusalem. :!:
Identitet crippled avengera je raskrinkan od strane ghoula vec dvaput, samo na ovoj stranici, i ne, no relations to me. Ko je provalio, provalio je. Ko nije, nek' se malo raspita pre nego sto krene da se pravi pametan.
Licno ne znam ni sta te je kod njega podsetilo na mene. Iz prilozenog se moze videti da covek gleda dosta drugacije filmove od mene, recimo, a i ne delimo potpuno isti ukus.
avenger je, naime, vec major pimp na domacoj filmskoj sceni sto ce se ubrzo i potvrditi ako krenete da citate credits domacih filmova koji ce se ubrzo snimiti. Cast mi je poznavati ga, i kamo lepe srece da sam ja on.
P.S. Avengeru, licno me i zabavlja i jako mi laska sto me branis od ghoula, ali za to nema neke potrebe, buduci da smo on i ja na prst u dupe, te se ne vredjamo kad se vredjamo ;)
Izmedju nas, crippled avenger je zapravo Vesna Petrovic-Jovic, poznata kao Ruby, maskirani osvetnik koji svoje frustracije prenosi iz politickog miljea na kulturu otkad je Nacional zabranjen :wink: :wink: :wink:
QuotePored dosta navedenih filmova, samo bih dodao:
Gothika, izlazi 24.10.
rezija: Mathieu Kassovitz,
uloge: Halle Berry, Penelope Cruz, Robert Downey Jr
summary: A female psychiatrist (Berry) wakes up as a patient in the asylum for the criminally insane where she works and finds that she is being charged with a murder she has no memory of committing. As she wrestles to regain her memory, she finds that she is the pawn of a vengeful spirit.
This is gonna suck :(
Posle Monster's Balla, vise ne zelim da vidim Halle Berry ikada (isto vazi za Meryl Streep posle "Adaptacije"), Penelopu Cruz jos manje, a Downey Jr-a bih voleo da vidim u nekom filmu ciji plot ne smrdi na deseti ripoff desetog ripoffa Abre Los Ojos.
Ovo mozda nije lose vreme da se malo uporede From Hell, i onoga sto iz unetih parametara u nasu pre-kognitivnu masinu mozemo da dobijemo kao end-result predstojece Lige Izvanrednih Dzentlmena, ili, kako je skracen u abismalno idiotsku, nepotrebnu skracenicu koja lazno poziva da se radi o nekom b-cyberpunk direct-to-video flicku, LXG. (brrr)
Takodje, nije ni los trenutak da malo mnogo promenim svoje misljenje u vezi Lige, odnosno da kazem da mislim da postoje sanse da film ne smrdi previse: sve preko par novih "parametara" za koje sam saznao.
Naime, ajde da malo vagamo.
Film pise James Robinson. Ako se radi o Jamesu Robinsonu koji pise stripove, ...sacuvaj nas boze. Nedvoljno talentovan, nedovoljno dobar pisac, nedovoljno iz sveta filma da bi bar bio dobar hack. Ali, ajde. Reziser moze da pogura da se scenario malo izmeni, i naravno, da intonacijom nekako zaseni lose dramaturske postavke.
Dakle, reziser. Stephen Norrington. Covek koji je radio Blade-a. Prilicno dobar reziser. Ono sto prosto nisam imao na umu jeste da covek nije pet godina snimio film. (Hvala prijatelju koji mi je na sledece cinjenice skrenuo paznju.) Naime, kad u Holivudu imate jedan uspesan film, fora je da ga vrlo brzo ispratite sa sledecim. Kad neko kao Norrington ima dosta uspesni, a prvi siroko zapazeni film (Blade), logicno bi bilo da dobije posao vrlo brzo. I Norringtonu jesu nudjeni poslovi, ali ih je on sve odbijao, zbog nedovoljne slobode na projektima. Sto valjda treba da znaci da covek ima integriteta. I kad se prihvatio adaptacije genijalnog Moore-ovog stripa, zapao je u dosta svadji i problema sto sa producentima, sto sa fucking Sean Conneryjem koji treba da igra jednog od "Dzentlmena". Nedavna vest je da je on izgurao svoje. Hajd' da vidimo.
E sad. Jos par pluseva. Fotografiju radi tip koji je radio fotografiju za Dimensionove Nightwatch (preko rezisera koji je Nightwatchom uradio rimejk sopstvenog stranog filma je i dosao da radi u Holivudu) i Mimic, oba dosta solidno slikana filma. Muziku, pored Marka Ishama (koji je tako... nista narocito), radi genijalni Trevor Jones ("Angel Heart"). Casting nije toliko los, mada mi je ideja Seana Conneryja kao Alana Quatermaina i dalje dosta trula i predvidljiva (jedna od lepih stvari koje su braca Hughes uspeli da izbegnu u From Hellu jeste i ta da kraljevskog doktora Sir Willliama Whiteya Gulla nije igrao Anthony Hopkins - sto je onako odvratan, predictable, fanovski izbor - vec uvek-fenomenalni Ian Holm).
Ali, sad bitno.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen je prica smestena u alternativnu viktorijansku englesku, dosta je SF-icna na Wellesovski predivni retro-nacin, a medju glavnim junacima su razni fiktivni junaci sa stranica zanrovskih romana u to vreme. Tu je Doktor Dzekil/Gospodin Hajd, Nevidljivi Covek, Nina Harken (iz Drakule), Alan Quatermain i Kapetan Nemo, a svi se bore protiv Fu Manchu-a, dok tim sastavlja misteriozna osoba "M" (possibly Mycroft, brat Sherlocka Holmes-a, iako se posle ispostavlja da things are not what they seem). Dakle, postmodernly witty a la glavni romani Filipa Hozea Farmera, a sve zaokruzeno, sa gomilom uzasno saljivih referenci skrivenih za one koji poznaju ove likove, i sa jednim potpuno novim tretiranjem svih likova redom. (Lik Nevidljivog je potpuno genijalno napravljen, recimo, a tek Kapetan Nemo...).
Dakle, STA ZA BOGA MILOGA I U IME SVEGA SVETOG A NAROCITO PRESVETOG ALANA MOORE-A OVDE RADE TOM FUCKING SAWYER I DORIAN GRAY SA SUPER-MOCIMA I LASERSKIM ZRAKOVIMA KOJE VEROVATNO ISPALJUJE IZ OCIJU, SUPERMAN-STYLE?!
Odgovor je potpuno nevidjen: zato da bi se plasirali likovi koji su poznatiji Americkoj publici. E, pa jebiga.
Pored toga, gomile drugih cinjenica su izmenjene, prica je "dopunjena" (sacuvaj me boze), a Alan Moore je dosta pizdeo, iako su se i njemu i Kevinu O'Neillu (fenomenalnom crtacu ovog serijala) svideli setovi koje su imali prilike da posete.
Ali, opet, Moore-u su se svidelo kako je From Hell trebalo da izgleda, pa je opet film, iako odlicno reziran, sasvim gledljiv, mogao samo da ima drugi naslov i da niko ni ne nadje neke velike veze sa Mooreovim remek-delom.
Dakle, dosta malih pluseva, par velikih minuseva. Ako Norrington ovo izgura kako treba i ako to funkcionise i zadrzi "duh" predloska, ovo ipak ima velike sanse da bude odlican film. Sa druge strane, ako samo scenario ne bude valjan, ode sve u pizdu materinu.
Ima neko jos neko misljenje?
Ja cu film ipak pogledati, i kao, pokusacu da ne idem sa nekim vecim rezervama. Za sada mislim da ce film biti gledljiv i reziran a la From Hell, ali da ce nam svasta faliti. Sto je, kad pogledate, veliki rezultat. Sve je veliki rezultat ako ne uspeva da vas vredja svakim kadrom.
Zato je From Hell jedan sasvim dobar film.
kada sve izvagas ima sanse mada sve to ne mora da znaci ista ako na kraju neki genije iz produkcije odluci da malo premontira stvar pa Norington dovizi srcani udar na premijeri.
Jesi li video promo slicice za film Van Helsing? Ima ih na netu.
Universal dao 160miliona Somersu za ovaj pastis (Van se bori protiv Vukodlaka, Drakule i Frankensteinovog cudovista(?). :x
Toga se i plasim. Jebes ti sto Norrington (koji je, cisto for the record sa moje strane, velika faca) rezira kad neki roshavi klinac moze da dobije a go ahead od nekog bean countera da ga malo izmakazi dve noci pre motanja u rolne.
Za Helsinga mi sve deluje bljutavo, narocito size, a cak i budzet. Scorpion King je tezak shit, a ja sam jedan od retkih kome ni Mumija nesto nije bila interesantna (svi hats-off ideji ka retru i pastisarenju, i narocito ka castingu Brendana Frasiera, coveka koji je oduvek bio odlican glumac, ali ce uvek biti zapamcen kao neki tamo airheading djordje iz dzungle :P ).
Promo fotke ne gledam, jer u stvari nista ne kazu. Promo fotke Daredevila su bile DO JAJA. nuff said.
E jebem mu, ne znam da izdvojim sliku sa url-a. Hteo sam da postiram jako kul poster za Undead, ali jebi ga. Ko zna, nek' ode na
http://linux10985.dn.net/display.cgi?id=14772
pa nek' proba nekako da je izdvoji. i'm just too stupid to do so myself.
Yay!
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Flinux10985.dn.net%2Fimage%2FUNDEAD1.jpg&hash=0f662350e88c688e0d11556723f439bbed4e29b9)
"Megalopolis" - Frensis Ford Kopola radi SF film.
Kako vam zvuči?
zvuci vrlo MEGALO.
he he.
kidding.
naravno da se to mora videti kad-ako ikad nastane.
Zvuci kao nova nocna mora, naravno. Kad je to Coppola snimio poslednji dobar film? Jel' ima tri decenije?
Inace, apsolutno SVE recenzije za Dreamcatchera su ekstremno negativne. Vidim novi "Hearts in Atlantis".
Lep casting, doduse:
Nicolas Cage, Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Robert De Niro, Paul Newman i Parker Posey.
Neko kaze da je Coppola (koji ovo i pise) resio da malo "rethink"uje script u svetlu 11. Septembra. Ma divno! :x Jedva cekam :P
Novi veliki SF film, a? Pa jos SF-drama.
Vidim ja, gledacemo mi za par godina na Sodenberghov Solaris potpuno novim ocima.
Gattaca je vec paradigma dobre SF-drame.
NE DIRAJ MI GATAKU!!! UZ STARSHIP TROOPERS VEROVATNO NAJBOLJI SF 90-TIH!!!
Mozda sam lose poentirao. Meni je Gataka jedan od najboljih SF filmova devedesetih i pored ovoga. Samo kazem da postaje paradigma. Uz Donija, ne znam SF iz devedesetih koji vredi dva trza kurca mrtvog psa.
Dobro, Starship Troopers je svakako zabavan, i nadasve subverzivan. Licno ga jako volim.
90s are over my man...
ili se ni za tebe nikada nece zavrsiti?
Da, my bad. Donnie i to. Hteo da se nadovezem na ovo tvoje. Da.
kada čitam vaše postove uvijek sam tužan
jer shvatim koliko ne znam :cry:
ja očekujem
Terminatora 3
Matrikse
A "Pirates of the Careebean"? (al' sam ga odspelovao... - ma Karipski pirati bre!)
Beše Legolas i Mekonahi? Kao, mrtvi pirat protiv živih, kosturi marširaju po dnu mora i slično...
Moram da pomenem i "Little Nemo" - novi Piksarov animirani, ribice u moru itd...
A zar se ne radi Supermen sa Džoš Harnetom?
E da nova vest, Tobi Megvajer ušinuo leđa, ne glumi u Amazing Spiderman.
Ne tako nova, ali divna vest. Spidermana nece igrati Toby-You-Could-Get-Stomped-By-Obi. Igrace ga genijalni klinac koji je igrao Donija, sto ne znam koliko je dobra vest.
Supermana ne rezira Rattner, sto je vec lepa vest. Nije da me nesto boli kurac, ali eto, bar nije RushHourRedDragonMan...
nadaj se spideru, tobey ce igrati, a jake gugenhail samo gostuje jer Raimi gotivi Donnija.
a u pirates igraju legolas i johnny depp 8)
Jes' tačno. Depp bogamu. A ustvari se radi o filmskoj verziji jedne od najpopularnijih tematskih vožnji i lokacija u Diznilendu?!
Valjda kao tamo možeš da se igraš pirata šta li?
Inače najave su tipa: "baš odavno nismo imali dobar piratski film"
Kad smo to pa imali dobar piratski film (mislim, imali smo mi u Srbijici... nego ovi što znaju pirate samo po papagajima i povezu preko oka).
Valjda još do Erola Flina?
Znaci, Jake igra Venoma. Cool, tako ce se videti koliki je Toby a wuss. A i nece uzeti Jakea za franshizu, taman ce malo da bude spazen, pa ce dobijati uloge u pravim, mozda cak i dobrim, filmovima. Moram priznati, ovome se nisam ni nadao, a najbolja je kombinacija.
Raimi - taj glupak - treba da producira adaptaciju jednog prilicno dobrog stripa, 30 Days of Night. U pitanju je top-notch vampirski horror (ultra-ozbiljan) koji se desava u nekoj americkoj zabiti blizu pola tako da noc, je li, traje 30 dana, a vampire pack dolazi da se hrani. Odlican siege story, fenomenalan artwork, jako solidno pisanje, ali ono sto je odlicno jeste da sam sve vreme dok sam ga citao imao utisak da bi bolje funkcionisao kao film. A tada mi jos nije ni padalo na pamet da bi ikada mogao biti optioned kao feature film.
K'o hoce da procita strip (prilicno je kratak, tri mesecne sveske od po 30-tak strana) moze da mi se javi pa mozemo nesto urediti (naravno, strip je na engleskom).
CUTTHROAT ISLAND!
Renny Harlin do smrti!
Joj!
Kakav fundamentalizam, kakva istrajnost.
Voleo bih da vidim nastavak pod imenom
CUTTTHROAT MAINLAND
Sto kaze moj veliki junak, Alf:
"Some things are far better left to imagination."
Ja bih samo da dodam:
Boondock Saints II aka Boondock II: All Saints Day...
Inace snimanje MAD MAX-a 4 je odlozeno zbog rata u Iraku.
Trebalo je da se snima, cini mi se, u Etiopiji ili nekoj drugoj istocnoafrickoj zemlji.
Bog nas je spasio jos jednog Signs-a.
Leba ti, kakve to ima veze?
Ja oduvek mislio da je Mad Max prvo akcija pa sve ostalo...
A Signs ni nije ni akcija...ni ostalo...
Evo ga još 1 za anticipovanje:
THE DARK
Fango's Canadian correspondent Scott Rollans has been busy on the set of the GINGER SNAPS sequels, getting all kinds of exclusive coverage for FANGORIA. Among the people he talked to was John Fawcett, director of the original GINGER and executive producer on the follow-ups, who gave us the scoop on his next directorial project, the British chiller THE DARK.
"THE DARK tells the story of an American family who have moved to Wales to fix up a house," Fawcett tells Fango. "They encounter a sort of nasty 'tragedy of the land.' There is an evil there that comes from a kind of disease of the animals that somehow makes its way into the humans. The movie is based on a British book called SHEEP [by Simon Maginn], and this evil has infected the sheep of this farming community. Now the people are slaughtering them because they think they're sick, but in fact this disease is not a parasite, it's not medical, it can't be explained. It's something else. It's a disease of the mind.
"It's a nice little psychological horror tale," Fawcett continues. "It has the feel of a ghost story, although it's not a ghost story. I really wanted to do a smaller film, with a small cast. I love movies in that vein, like THE SHINING, THE OTHERS, THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE—that kind of vibe is what I'm trying to get from THE DARK. It's a pretty creepy, sick little story."
While Fawcett has been closely involved with the new GINGER SNAPS films—working with the scriptwriters, hiring the directors (both of whom were part of the original's team) and helping with casting—he opted not to take the helm again himself. "I had other movies that I wanted to do," he explains. "Making films takes an enormous amount of time and energy, and I didn't see myself dedicating another year of my life to trying to get a sequel to GINGER SNAPS made. Now, in hindsight, I think, 'Hmm, maybe it would have been fun to direct it,' but at the time I said, 'Great, I'm interested in being creatively involved, but I don't want to be the director.' "
PS: u G. SNAPS 2 igraju obe one curice iz originala, a efekte rade momci iz KNB. Ako to, uz involvement orig. režisera, nije dovoljno za očekivanje onda... fuck.
Ima tu i par filmova iz 2002, ali nema veze...
Sto se mene tice ubedljivo najvise cekam da vidim:
1.The Cypher
2.HellBoy
3.Cabin Fever
:D
...i ostali bez nekog posebnog redosleda, vec kako mi je koji padao na pamet:
Kill Bill
Matrix - Reloaded, Revolutions
Willard
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
LOTR - Return of the King
Below
May
Mindhunters
LXG
Great Raid
Intolerable Cruelty
Garage Days
The Hunted
The Matchstick Men
Exorcist 4
Bubba-Ho-Tep
Deathwatch
Darkness
Re-Animator 4
My Little Eye
Freddy vs. Jason
Suspect Zero
Identity
Gothika
Blackout
Order (Sin Eater)
House of 1000 Corpses
Intacto
Undead
Ja mogu da dodam, i hvala Milosu na podsetkama :) :
Once Upon a Time in Mexico (novi Rodriguez, sa Deppom)
Intolerable Cruelty (Koeni)
Below (ako vec nisam; uprkos kritikama)
Darkness (ako vec nisam; uprkos kritikama)
My Little Eye kopija vec kruzi gradom.
Suspect Zero cu gledati da se nateram da preskocim, posto su toliko unistili odlican scenario da je to samo za plakat'.
I naravno, a good chunk of Rob Zombie is always welcomed :lol:
QuoteRe-Animator 4
Ovo je greska u kucanju. Htedoh napisati Re-Animator 3 tj. Beyond Re-Animator.
Inace, pogledao sam kratki trailer za The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen i deluje obecavajuce...
najnovija anticipacija:
KING KONG, by fucking Peter Jackson!
2005 is so far away...
ja bih da dodam:
Batman: Year One, by Darren Aronofsky
e ako ovo ne bude bilo remek delo, onda vise necu da gledam filmove :)
to se nikad nece snimiti. nisi cuo vest od pre sest meseci?
a aronofsky sad radi flickera.
QuoteWhere is He/She Now?
* (December 2002) Currently working on Batman: Year One with Frank
Miller.
zbunise me, al' nema veze...
Krivo mi je sto nista nije bilo ni od "Fountain"-a...
Citao sam malo o "Flickeru", conspiracy thriller, interesantno zvuci..
Nadam se da nece da prodje isto kao i prethodna dva projekta.
Flicker je jedan od najneverovatnijih romana ikada napisanih. Nema osobe koja ga je citala i to mislim cisto na ljude koje licno poznajem a da se nije PRESRALA od straha. Uzasno je zajebana stvar u pitanju, potpuno transcenduje knjizevnu realnost, i ako bi se od toga napravio SAMO odlican film a ne remek delo, nista nisu uradili.
Lepa vest je da glavnu ulogu igra Guy Pearce. To je dobar kasting.
Quote from: "Spider Jerusalem"Flicker je jedan od najneverovatnijih romana ikada napisanih. Nema osobe koja ga je citala i to mislim cisto na ljude koje licno poznajem a da se nije PRESRALA od straha. Uzasno je zajebana stvar u pitanju, potpuno transcenduje knjizevnu realnost, i ako bi se od toga napravio SAMO odlican film a ne remek delo, nista nisu uradili.
Gde ima kod nas da se nadje? I ako je slucajno prevedena, pod kojim nazivom?
Quote
Lepa vest je da glavnu ulogu igra Guy Pearce. To je dobar kasting.
A evo kako sam malopre procitao, izgleda da ce Nolan da preuzme Batmana...:)
Jos samo da ubace i Carrie-Anne Moss ;)
Flicker je postojao jedan izvakani paperback komad tipa na vencu, ili zaturen u nekoj knjizari, pa ga je moj dobar prijatelj kupio kad je procitao size za nesto tipa 100 dinara, relativno nedavno (knjiga ima preko 700 strana). otada knjiga ide iz ruke u ruku, samo iniciranima... ;)
tja. nije mi nolan za betmena. doduse, ne vidim sta bi on uopste vise mogao da radi a da to ispadne stvarno dobro.
Ajjeeee...Veceras je pusten finalni trailer za The Matrix - Reloaded. Posle vise od dva sata downloadovanja uspeo sam da ga skinem (doduse verziju u najslabijoj rezoluciji) i znate sta... :?:
Vredelo je! :!: :!: :!:
The Matrix - Reloaded (and Revolutions) will kick soooo much ass!!! :|
Evo linkova pa ko ima zivaca da skida trailer neka uziva:
http://progressive1.stream.aol.com/wb/gl/wbonline/progressive/thematrix/us/med/trailer_final_1000_dl.zip
http://progressive1.stream.aol.com/wb/gl/wbonline/progressive/thematrix/us/med/trailer_final_640_dl.zip
http://progressive1.stream.aol.com/wb/gl/wbonline/progressive/thematrix/us/med/trailer_final_480_dl.zip
http://progressive1.stream.aol.com/wb/gl/wbonline/progressive/thematrix/us/med/trailer_final_320_dl.zip
e jebi ga, sada ste me primili na Flickera, bio sam na netu i izgoreo od preporuka.
Preporucio sam Papicu iz Lagune da vidi da li bi ga objavio.
Quote from: "Spider Jerusalem"Mozda sam lose poentirao. Meni je Gataka jedan od najboljih SF filmova devedesetih i pored ovoga. Samo kazem da postaje paradigma. Uz Donija, ne znam SF iz devedesetih koji vredi dva trza kurca mrtvog psa.
Dobro, Starship Troopers je svakako zabavan, i nadasve subverzivan. Licno ga jako volim.
Videh ovo slucajno, pa da kazem koju.
Gataka se u devedesetim godinama ne istice toliko po ideji, koliko po svedenosti. Umesto jebenih efekata (gotovo da ih nema!), u prvi plan su gurnuti PRICA, GLUMA i STIL. Zbog toga taj film u DEVEDESETIM godinama jeste izuzetan. Da nema neuverljivo uvedenog (i LOSE drpljenog) motiva suprotstavljene brache (videti pod
Veliko plavetnilo), i pomalo pateticnog kraja (oh, ta zagledanost kroz prozor svemirskog broda u svetliju buduchnost), Gataka bi se mogla smatrati izuzetnim delom. A da je najbolji SF film devedesetih - jeste. Za mene je Matriks solidno ali izvikano ostvarenje. Jednostavno mu nedostaje suptilnost velikih SF filmova iz prethodnih decenija.
Neki me cudno gledaju kad im kazem da je eXistenZ bolji i
hrabriji film od Matriksa (obradjuju slicne motive). Kazu: Matriks ima pricu. eXistenZ, kao, nema? Pre che biti da Kronenbergovom filmu "fale" kung-fu-karate fore na koje se klinci pale i zare.
Starship Troopers jeste genijalan, provokativan i bezobrazno potcenjen film, ali Gataka mi vise lezi.
Eto, opisah tri filma u devedesetim godinama koja zestoko tuku Matriksa.
Doni Darko, koji pripada ovoj deceniji, tuce medjutim svaki film u devedesetim godinama.
'Ajd sad da se vratim na temu. Najaveeeee...
Zivo me zanima na sta ce liciti nastavci Matriksa, s obzirom da prica originalnog filma deluje sasvim zaokruzeno.
Na Flickera ste me napalili. Cekam da se pojavi. Pogotovu sto se Aronofsky dokazao kao reziser koji UME. Steta bi bilo da se takav autor pretvori u "holivudskog izvrsioca materijala". Ko producira Flickera? Samo da nije Holivud. O mili boze samo da nije Holivud!
Milijus se sprema da radi Konana 3. Nacrt scenarija je vise nego solidan. Ne znam da li che bracha Vacovski definitivno rezirati stvar. Ima li novih vesti o tome? Cuo sam u novembru-decembru da bi produkcija trebala da krene najesen.
Posto je rat u Iraku pri kraju, od odlaganja MAD MAX-a 4 garant nema nista. (Usput,
Mad Max nije "samo" akcija. I debelo, debelo, debelo, debelo je bolji film od
Signsa. Uporedjivati to govance sa (originalnim) Maksom - cija je "nedorecena" sociologija milion puta ubedljivija od Shlajmaranove eksplicitne nedotupavnosti - bilo bi mnogo vise od pukog brkanja baba i zaba. A razlika u kvalitetu glume - narocito glavnog glumca - je neopisiva. Zato i jesam napisao da nas je bog spasio jos jednog Signsa (Gibson se zesche usmrkao lovom, a mozda uz indijsku vutru propevao harehareeeeharehareee). Ko hoche da se podseti pravog Gibsona, a da ne gleda Maksa, neka pogleda Virovu
Godinu opasnog zivljenja.
Cuo sam za KING KONGA. Je l' to Dzekson svojevremeno izjavio da posle
Gospodara prstenova nece snimati filmove? Stara, Bouvijevska lazovcina. :)
Kupih
My Little Eye. Che ga pogledam i izvestim siroooke narodne mase o utiscima. Pola omota zauzimaju pohvale do neba. Plasim se da, u skladu sa Marfijevim zakonom, film ne bude sraaanje do neba.
Freddy Vs Jason. Neka Fredi pobedi, a potom nek' se nose u tri lepe materine svi ovakvi pokusaji kesiranja. Jedna od najnakaznijih ideja u americkom superherojskom stripu jesu produkti tipa ALIENS vs PREDATOR (doduse, igra je genijalna - posebno drugi deo - jer ima dobru pricu!!!), ALIENS vs TARZAN, SUPERMAN vs BATMAN, BATMAN vs TARZAN, ALIENS vs everybloodymotherfuckin' djoka s potoka koji ima masku superheroja ili bar mishiche... Ako je to next big thing u bioskopima, jebali smo jeza u ledja. Doduse, pozdravio bih projekat OSAMABINLADENMAN vs superheroji. Ja znam za koga bih navijao, al' mu skotovi ne bi dali da pobedi.
Terminator 3. Prvo sam cuo da je radnja trebala da bude prequel - da se dogadja u 2029. godini, i opisuje dogadjaje koje su robote naterale da upute dva terminatora u proslost. Delovalo je zanimljivo. Ali biche da su se producenti setili one ruke koja je (ponovo) ostala od terminatora. Biche zanimljivo objasnjenje (ako nas toga uopste budu udostojili) zbog cega i trechi terminator ima Svarcenegerovu facu. Hehehehe...
Vidim da je postalo moderno citirati "dane" u naslovima filmova.
28 Days,
28 Days Later,
30 Days Of Night,
1002 Days Of Ada Kara's Sexy Harem...
Dzejk igra Spajdermena. Da li che i film zbog toga biti bolji? Ja licno vise ocekujem nastavak X-Mena.
QuoteGataka se u devedesetim godinama ne istice toliko po ideji, koliko po svedenosti. Umesto jebenih efekata (gotovo da ih nema!), u prvi plan su gurnuti PRICA, GLUMA i STIL. Zbog toga taj film u DEVEDESETIM godinama jeste izuzetan. Da nema neuverljivo uvedenog (i LOSE drpljenog) motiva suprotstavljene brache (videti pod Veliko plavetnilo), i pomalo pateticnog kraja (oh, ta zagledanost kroz prozor svemirskog broda u svetliju buduchnost), Gataka bi se mogla smatrati izuzetnim delom. A da je najbolji SF film devedesetih - jeste. Za mene je Matriks solidno ali izvikano ostvarenje. Jednostavno mu nedostaje suptilnost velikih SF filmova iz prethodnih decenija.
Neki me cudno gledaju kad im kazem da je eXistenZ bolji i hrabriji film od Matriksa (obradjuju slicne motive). Kazu: Matriks ima pricu. eXistenZ, kao, nema? Pre che biti da Kronenbergovom filmu "fale" kung-fu-karate fore na koje se klinci pale i zare.
Starship Troopers jeste genijalan, provokativan i bezobrazno potcenjen film, ali Gataka mi vise lezi.
Eto, opisah tri filma u devedesetim godinama koja zestoko tuku Matriksa.
Doni Darko, koji pripada ovoj deceniji, tuce medjutim svaki film u devedesetim godinama.
Gattaca je izuzetan film, ali ne i savrsen (slazem se sa Jorovim zamerkama).
Ali ipak, najbolji SF devedesetih za mene je 12 Monkeys, ubedljivo. :!:
Volim Matrix, volim i eXistenZ (zar je iko i sumnjao?), ali moram da pomenem i Dark City, izuzetan film na slicnu temu koji je meni jaci od oba gore pomenuta (kraj je malo slabiji, ali sta da se radi... :roll: ).
Starship Troopers je potpuno neshvacen film. I subverzivan i nevidjeno zabavan istovremeno. :twisted:
Cube je i SF i horor i jos mnogo toga, ako i njega uzmemo u obzir broj filmova koji siju Matrix raste. :lol:
Dakle...
Najbolji SF filmovi devedesetih (potpuno subjektivan izbor):
1. 12 Monkeys
2. Cube
3. Gattaca
4. Dark City
5. eXistenZ
6. The Matrix
7. Starship Troopers
Ali zato je Donnie Darko najbolji SF od 1985-e (tj. od Brazila) pa do sada.
Nego da se sada i ja vratim na temu...
Nisam pominjao Flickera do sada, jer sam se plasio (i jos uvek se plasim) da i ovaj film ne dozivi sudbinu The Fountaina. Medjutim, ako se to stvarno snimi, i to u reziji Arronofskog, bice to jedan od filmova koji ce obeleziti ovu deceniju. 8)
Samo da ga ne ureknem... :x
Uuuu! Dobro si me podsetio na 12 majmuna!
Taj film po kvalitetu tuce i Gataku. Mada mi je po stilu Gataka nekako posebnija.
Prilazem svoju listu i menjam glavnog favorita.
Usput, 12 majmuna razbijaju oba Terminatora po pitanju upotrebe motiva putovanja kroz vreme. Terminator je na tom planu prostodusan.
Dark City takodje nije los. Dobar izbor.
Cube je solidan, ali vene ne bih rezao.
Sa tvojom listom se slazem, premda ne sa rasporedom. Ali to je vech stvar ukusa. Bitno je da smo dosli do liste u najmanju ruku pristojnih filmova.
Kad se tvoja lista pogleda, ispade da devedesete i nisu bile toliko ocajne. Samo je dobrih filmova u totalu bilo jako malo.
Moja lista (prva dva filma dele prvo mesto)
1. 12 majmuna
2. Gataka
3. eXistenZ
4. Starship Troopers
5. Dark City
6. Matrix
7. Terminator 2
8. Pi*
9. Pitch Black*
10. Cube
(*ja sam jedan od onih za koje je novi milenijum poceo 1. januara 2001, a ova dva filma snimljena su 2000.)
Spajderu, evo 10 filmova iz devedesetih koji vrede vise od dva trza kurca mrtvog psa.
Nije neka velika tajna da se u T3 Svarci bije sa zenskim terminatorom, kao i da postoji replika "She'll bi back". O nekim pobrkanim loncicima malo kasnije.
Quote(*ja sam jedan od onih za koje je novi milenijum poceo 1. januara 2001, a ova dva filma snimljena su 2000.)
Hmmm...dobro si primetio. Doduse, kako IMDB kaze Pi je snimljen jos 1998-e, i stvarno ne znam zasto sam ga zaboravio, mozda zato sto je tu pomesano toliko zanrova da je SF samo jedan od njih, ali u svakom slucaju odlican film; na mojoj listi bi zauzeo visoko cetvrto mesto. :)
Pitch Black i Terminator 2 su mi takodje dragi filmovi, ali ne bih rekao da su bolji od ostalih navedenih. Uostalom, ako je devedesetih snimljeno bar deset jako dobrih SF filmova, to i nije tako lose. :wink:
Pitam se na sta ce nam liciti ova decenija. Pocelo je da bolje ne moze biti sa Donnie Darkom, a onda dodjose Signs, Solaris... :cry:
Valjda ce Vincenzo Natali da osvetla obraz sa Cypher-om, od tog filma dosta ocekujem. :D
Zaboravismo na Abre los Ojos, kakav propust! :?
Trece mesto, odmah posle 12 Monkeys i Cube. :)
Nego, interesantno je koliko SF filmova devedesetih se bavilo temom virtuelne odnosno izmenjene realnosti: Abre los Ojos kao prvi na tu temu, na koga se posle nadovezuju Matrix i eXistenZ (tu je i 13th Floor koji i nije nesto posebno), odnosno Cube na koga se nadovezuje Dark City.
Vise se ne ide u daleku buducnost, vec se oneobicavanje realnosti izvodi u vremenu sadasnjem (Abre los Ojos, Cube), ili bliskoj buducnosti (eXistenZ), ili je ta komponenta potpuno ukinuta (moze li neko sa sigurnoscu da kaze, kada se desava radnja filma Dark City?).
Da li nam realnost toliko pocinje liciti na antiutopijski film da se vremenski odmak polako smanjuje? Ja mislim da je Kubrick sa Paklenom Pomorandzom prvi na to ukazao, i da je taj film mnogo manje SF nego sto to izgleda, a mnogo vise savremen (za to vreme, a dobro se drzi i danas) i da bi mu danasnji ekvivalent (ne doslovno, naravno) bio Fincherov Fight Club. Zato ja Paklenu Pomorandzu i ne svrstavam u antiutopiju (iako nominalno spada u SF).
I jos nesto, ne cini li vam se da mi dobijamo najbolje "ekranizacije" Dick-ovih romana upravo preko ovih gore navedenih filmova koji bar zvanicno sa Dick-om nemaju nikakve veze. Pre Matrixa je bio Abre los Ojos, ali i pre toga je bio Ubik.
Sta mislite o svemu tome?
Možda bi istorija filma '80ih i '90ih izgledala drugačije da je Kronenberg uspeo u nameri da po svom scenariju napravi TOTAL RECALL (napisao 2-3 drafta... usput, da li je neko od ovde nazočnih negde na netu iskopao neki od njih?), sa Richard Dreyfusom u gl. ulozi...
Jedan od filmova za koje bih sve dao da ih vidim je upravo UBIK (inače, moj najdraži SF roman uopšte) u režiji Kronenberga (moj by far najomiljeniji režiser) – ali on se temom izmenjenih stvarnosti bavi još od VIDEODROMA, pa sve do SPAJDERA, i bojim se da on danas više ne bi ni video izazov u priči čije je mnoge implikacije na svoj način već razradio kroz druge svoje filmove...
Moja lista najboljih SF filmova 90ih bi izgledala ovako nekako:
1. ABRE LOS OJOS
2. STARSHIP TROOPERS
3. MATRIX
4. 12 MONKEYS
5. DARK CITY
6. EXISTENZ
7. TERMINATOR 2
8. ROBOCOP 2
9. ACCION MUTANTE
10. GATTACA
(Nisam baš siguran da li bih PI uopšte smatrao SF-om, jer u tom filmu ne videh ništa fantastično. Odličan je, ali žanrovski je pre triler ili šta ja znam...)
Ono sto u Pi jeste fantastika - i to naucna - jeste racunar kojim se junak sluzi. Ostalo je suva realnost.
Imam ja pitanje za vas, postovani ljubitelji Gilijama (ovo bez ironije). Kako to moze da se desi da zaboravite film koji treba da bude "najbolji" ili bilo sta drugo "naj". U mom sistemu vrednosti kada je nesto "naj" onda je "naj" - sveprisutno, nezaboravno i upecatljivo.
Da ne bude zabune, ja sam Brazil OBOZAVAO, gledao ga beskonacno, citao, mislio, sanjao o tom filmu, celu kasetu sam snimio raznim verzijama pesme Brazil i slusao do iznemoglosti, ali...sto rece omiljeni reziser nekih ovde individua "vreme leci (ili nesto drugo) sve".
Ne volim vise taj film. Mislim, ne mrzim ga, ali evo desetak godina kasnije gledam ga sasvim drugim ocima.
Nije mi se misljenje potpuno preokrenulo kao kod Kjubrika, ali definitvno ne bih vise tom filmu davao bilo kakav epitet "naj". 12 majmuna je takodje odlican film, vredan, ali zaista sad - razmisljam kako bi izgledala neka buduca relevantna istorija SF filma i da li bi Majmuni imali tu mesto nekog medjasa ili samo velike preporuke za dobar film...
Samo sto se tice Matrixa - toliko smo ovde pricali o mesanju zanrova da mi sada nije jasno zasto se ovde, da tako kazem, tako sistematski previdja da je i taj film mesana salata: SF/akcija.
Ili ste filmski cistunci koji akciju ne smatraju za zanr? Ja mislim da je taj film prvenstveno akcija u SF miljeu, koji ima dovoljno dobru pricu da se ljudi ne bi bacakali bezveze. Mislim da je ime Juen vu-pinga dovoljan pokazatelj toga.
Znaci, prvo akcija, pa SF, ali nikako jedno bez drugoga.
12 majmuna sam gledao pre manje od pola godine, a ja nisam sklon da se setim onog sto sam pogledao relativno skoro - i to samo jednom. Vecinu filmova sa liste pogledao sam bar dvaput, pa mi tako i lakse padaju na pamet.
U devedesetim kamena medjasa NEMA. Filmovi koje sam naveo prosto su najbolji u deceniji, i nista vise.
Ja ne mislim ni da je BRAZIL kamen medjas. A da se radi o odlicnom filmu - radi se.
Sto se filma Below tice, anticipaciji je kraj. Pojavio se na DivX-u. :!:
Najvise cu cekati ovaj film. Sve ostalo je pure shit in comparison to this!
Moj omiljeni scenarista, covek koji je napisao neke od najboljih one-linera svih vremena, BOG buddy-cop moviea (Lethal Weapon 1&2, The Last Boy Scout, The Long Kiss Goodnight, scriptdoctoring The Last Action Hero), dobio je $20 miliona da napravi svoj take on the noir. REJOICE!
Naravno, ima najbolji hardboiled naslov za crime roman/film svih vremena:
Title: You'll Never Die in This Town Again
Log Line: Set on a movie shoot in L.A., a murder mystery unfolds that involves Hollywood agents, actresses and private eyes.
Writer: Shane Black
Agent: Endeavor
Buyer: Warner Brothers
Price: n/a
Genre: Drama
Logged: 5/2/03
More: Black will make his directorial debut. Joel Silver will produce.
- (while muff diving)"GEE, YOU GOT A BIG PUSSY! (GEE, YOU GOT A BIG PUSSY!)"
- "Why'd you say it twice??
- "I didn't."
Jos jedan projekat kome se radujem kada vidim plot, ime, i sve to vezano za TAJ studio.
Title: Let Me Take You Down
Log Line: A young "bagger" for the L.A. coroner's office finds strong similarities between the murder of a young woman and the notorious 1947 Black Dahlia case. When he can't get the police to reopen the case, he recruits the help of a prostitute. His obsession with the case endangers his life and those around him.
Writer: John Ridley
Agent: ICM
Buyer: Lions Gate Films
Price: n/a
Genre: Thriller
Logged: 5/7/03
More: International Famous Players Radio Picture Corporation John Ridley and Urban Entertainment's Michael Jenkinson will produce. Ridley will direct will also direct.
hehehe, zanimljivo je da je ovo 'ladno proslo!
Title: House of 1000 Corpses II
Log Line: Follows the same cast of characters who are set upon by a bizarre family of psychotics.
Writer: Rob Zombie
Agent: Mngr. Andy Gould
Buyer: Lions Gate Films
Price: n/a
Genre: Horror
Logged: 5/8/03
More: Sequel. Zombie will direct. Andy Gould and The Firm's Beau Flynn will produce.
Upravo downloadujem trailer za toliko (barem od mene) iscekivani Cypher.
Film je vec pusten u distribuciju u Japanu i Francuskoj, a u julu krece u UK.
Kada ce u Americi, to niko ne zna. Ja se samo nadam da ce neko nekako od necega da napravi DivX, pa da ga i mi vidimo.
Na IMDB-u je dobro ocenjen (7.0), a dobro je prosao i po raznim festivalima - Golden Raven na festivalu u Brusselu, nagrada za glavnu musku ulogu na festivalu u Kataloniji, i International Fantasy Film Award za glavnu musku ulogu i specijalne efekte na festivalu Fantasporto, kao i specijalna nagrada zirija na istom festivalu.
Evo linka za trailer: http://a335.g.akamai.net/7/335/7515/v1/video-ak.allocine.net/nmedia/00/02/53/17/18350859_fa_vost.mov
Quotehehehe, zanimljivo je da je ovo 'ladno proslo!
Title: House of 1000 Corpses II
Log Line: Follows the same cast of characters who are set upon by a bizarre family of psychotics.
Writer: Rob Zombie
Agent: Mngr. Andy Gould
Buyer: Lions Gate Films
Price: n/a
Genre: Horror
Logged: 5/8/03
More: Sequel. Zombie will direct. Andy Gould and The Firm's Beau Flynn will produce.
Nista cudno Spajderu, s obzirom da je original, na opste iznenadjenje i uprkos pljuvackim kritikama, zaradio cirka 12 miliona $! :? :evil:
Ima nade.
Kako se godina priblizava kraju a mnoge anticipaciju su vec materijalizovane na divxima i/ili u bioskopima, mogli bi da pocnemo da onako u kratkim crtama svodimo racune.
Dakle:
Cypher - upravo nabavio, sutra ga gledam, ali onako na prvi pogled deluje ultra slick cool, valjda je i prica dobra...
HellBoy
Cabin Fever
Kill Bill
Matrix - Reloaded, Revolutions - nisam dobio ono sto sam ocekivao, ali sam i pored toga jako zadovoljan i radujem se zavrsnom poglavlju.
Willard - nabavio, uskoro cu da pogledam.
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
LOTR - Return of the King
Below - sjajan, old fashion horor film.
May - iako je premijeru imao 2002, limited release je imao u 2003. Ovo je ubedljivo najbolji film koji sam video ove godine - remek-delo!
Mindhunters - hoce li ovo uopste stici ove godine?
LXG - pogledacu ga uskoro, bioskop ili divx...
Great Raid
Intolerable Cruelty
Garage Days
The Hunted
The Matchstick Men - uskoro u bioskopu...
Exorcist 4 - naknadno su mi ubili sva ocekivanja sa onim sranjima u postprodukciji, do djavola!
Bubba-Ho-Tep - neka neko nekako napravi divx vec jednom, hocu da gledam!
Deathwatch
Darkness - ovde sam u nedoumici. Balaguero je zeznuo stvar na nivou price, ali je rezija prokleto fenomenalna. Ipak sam onako ukupno ocekivao vise.
Re-Animator 4 - upravo se pojavio na divxu...
My Little Eye - odlican film.
Freddy vs. Jason - ovo hocu da gledam u bioskopu, ali se iskreno nadam da ce ga tuck prikazati do kraja godine. Ubi me neizvesnost!
Suspect Zero
Identity - za ovaj film cu da otvorim zasebni topik. Ko misli da je pohvatao sve fore i da ga nijedan film vise ne moze da ga iznenadi neka pogleda identity. Genijalno!
Gothika
Blackout
Order (Sin Eater) - kritike su sve odreda lose, ali ipak cu ga pogledati kada se pojavi...
House of 1000 Corpses - film je u stvari odlicna zajebancija Rob Zombie-a gde je na jednom mestu stopio mitologiju americkih serial killer-a sa fanovskim omazima filmovima Tobe Hooper-a - TCM, ali jos vise TCM 2, The Funhouse itd. - i sa estetikom iz sopstvenih video spotova. Scenario je doduse poprilicno proizvoljan ali film je i pored toga dobra zabava.
Intacto
Undead
I da dodam jos nekoliko filmova koje ranije nisam pomenuo:
Knowing - novi film Richard Kelly-a! Premisa je sjajna. Sta vise da kazem.
The Card Dealer - ne mogu da verujem da sam zaboravio da pomenem Argenta, ali anyway kao sto Ghoul kaze dok Argento snima filmove ja cu biti tu da ih gledam.
In the Cut - ovo lako moze da bude sranje, ali iz onoga sto znam o knjizi koja se ekranizuje ako Jane Campion ne zezne stvar moze da ispadne zestok i edgy triler.
Underworld - dakle, kritike se uglavnom slazu da je na nivou price film poprilicno plitak, ali da je na vizuelnom nivou napravljen vrhunski eye-candy. Dovoljno za mene.
Alien vs. Predator - Jedna stvar se mora priznati Paul Andersonu - a to je da zna da napravi savrseno zabavan film koji sa svim svojim nedostacima mogu da gledam vise puta - a to se pored sjajnog Event Horizon-a odnosi i na Resident Evil.
Resident Evil - Apocalypse - prvi film je bio solidni popcorn fun, isto ocekujem i od nastavka.
King-Kong - Peter Jackson rezira, a po poslednjim vestima Naomi Watts igra jednu od glavnih uloga. Jedva cekam!
Chronicles of Ridick - sa Twohy-em nema greske, a Vin Diesel mi je i dalje odlican u toj ulozi, uprkos svom naknadnom xxx-kind-of-shit koji je snimio.
TCM (remake) - kako vreme prolazi i ja sam sve zainteresovaniji...
21 Grams - od ovog filma ocekujem bas puno.
The Woods (McKee) - posto mi je May omiljen film iz 2003 ovo mi je u top 5 najvecih prioriteta za pogledati sledece godine.
The Toolbox Murders - ocajnicki pokusaj Tobe Hooper-a da povrati staru slavu u godini kada rimejkuju njegovo remek-delo. Angela Bettis u glavnoj ulozi je veliki plus a za ostalo videcemo...
Wrong Turn - sudeci po mnogim kritikama ovaj film je jedno od prijatnijih iznenadjenja ove horor sezone. upravo sam ga nabavio, pa cu i licno da se uverim.
A sada odoh na IMDB da vidim sta sam zaboravio da pomenem, sta se novo najavljuje, snima...
to be continued :!:
Hmmm, da nabacim ponesto o onome sto sam gledao, a nisam reviewovao...
Quote from: "Milosh"Below - sjajan, old fashion horor film.
Well paint me purple and call me Betty, ali ja ne razumem cemu toliki hype oko ovog filma, osim cinjenice da je autor Twohy, notable po Pitch Black-u koji je, za mene, nekoliko duzina ispred Below. Sjajnu creepy atmosferu sa pocetka na pola filma covek jednostavno ugasi i posle toga se muche i mrche da dospeju do kraja potpuno izgubivsi moju paznju i dovevsi dotle da likovi za koje sam se vezao u prvom delu filma postanu sasvim irelevantni, na nivou teen slasher zhrtava, u drugom delu. Rez na sredini je simpatican, ali toliko, toliko kliseiziran.
Quote from: "Milosh"May - iako je premijeru imao 2002, limited release je imao u 2003. Ovo je ubedljivo najbolji film koji sam video ove godine - remek-delo!
Remek-delo da, ali da je najbolji film, ne bih se slozio. Ima svoje probleme, od kojih je meni najproblematicniji kraj i, na momente, razvucenost koja nigde ne vodi, vec samo umara gledaoca.
Quote from: "Milosh"LXG - pogledacu ga uskoro, bioskop ili divx...
Hmm, ovo je, vrlo verovatno, isto sto i Underworld - eye candy. Lots of it.
Quote from: "Milosh"Identity - za ovaj film cu da otvorim zasebni topik. Ko misli da je pohvatao sve fore i da ga nijedan film vise ne moze da ga iznenadi neka pogleda identity. Genijalno!
Paaaa, onako. Dobar je film, i simpatican je twist, ali ga je odtelegrafisao jako rano. Bar meni. Posle prvog twista, pricu dalje vodi manje-vise prosecno, da bi zavrsni re-twist bio potpuno nepotreban i neinventivan, da ne spominjemo deus-exovski. Sto je lose kad se film toliko oslanja na twistove.
Quote from: "Milosh"Undead
Me want. Me want. Me want. Me want. Me want. Yesyes. Me want.
Quote from: "Milosh"Wrong Turn - sudeci po mnogim kritikama ovaj film je jedno od prijatnijih iznenadjenja ove horor sezone. upravo sam ga nabavio, pa cu i licno da se uverim.
Yep. Valjano, vrlo valjano odradjen cross izmedju Deliverance i TCM-olikih filmova. On je otprilike jedini sa ove liste koji mi je prebacio ocekivanja.
The Hunted je odavno bio na vhs piratima. Dobra rezija, ima 70s quality, ali nista zanimljivo. Plus, svako ko je sablaznjiv i ne zna da gleda filmove ce posle prologa koji ukljucuje 'zlocine Srba' razbiti kasetu/disk o zid.
Miki, mislim da je Suspect Zero takodje otisao u kurac sa raznim scriptdoctorovanjima. Na isti nacin su mi ubili ocekivanja i nadu u covecanstvo sa izmenama (i dopunama; i sranjima...) Protoshevichevog drafta I Am Legend. (JEDNOG SCENARIJA KOJI MI JE BOLJI OD KNJIGE KOJU ADAPTIRA!)
Mislim da ce nas 21 Grams razocarati. Gut feeling, proseravanje, call it what you want.
Wrong Turn = fucking masterpiece.
Mnogi mi kazu da se prava vrednost May-a uvidja tek nakon drugog gledanja. Skeptican sam (iako mi se jaaako svidza), ali mozda phuzzy i ja treba da se stavimo u 'ponavljace'.
Hm, kraj leta je ravo vreme za svodjenje racuna.
Osvrnuo bih se na dva precenjena naslova.
Mislim da je IDENTITY precenjen film i da predstavlja simbol totalnog raspada Holivuda. Naime, meni je taj film bio ekstremno rutinski i ekstremno dosadan dok se nije desio obrt koji me je prenuo, ali me i dalje nije obradovao. Sustina je u tome sto je kultura velikih obrta, derivirana iz USUAL SUSPECTS (koji je pritom dobar film) dovela do toga da se prosecno, krajnje neupecatljivo, filmsko gradivo osvesti obrtom i onda kao dobije smisao. Primeri su brojni od SIXTH SENSE pa da ne nabrajam.
Medjutim, svi ti filmovi su laz jer u njima izuzev obrta nema niceg dragocenog i fuck it, priznali to ili ne obrt se rtu koristi samo da bi eufemisao gledanje dva sata rutinskog materijala.
BELOW mi je isto prilican promasaj, a ne priznajem mu cak ni tezu da pocinje dobro. Buduci da svi filmovi pocinju dobro. Poznato je da se ni na jednom filmu (izuzev SJAJA U OCIMA koji preporucujem svima onima koji zele da se podsete zasto ne valja srpski film) ne zgrazavas na pocetku. Pocetak se uvek a priori prihvata kao datost, kao iznosenje pravila igre. Tako i BELOW, prihvatio sam pravila igre ali me je sama utakmica razocarala...
I osvrnuo bih se na jedan zanemaren naslov:
WRONG TURN-opak film, gospodo. Opak film. Fancy pants Hollywood for the Grindhouse Crew! Pogledajte ga na nekom kucnom formatu. Nazalost, koliko sam cuo, Tuck ga je kupio u Kanu, ali samo za video jer smatraju da nema potencijala za bioskopski release...
I na jos jedan zanemaren naslov:
BAD BOYS 2- prokleto bestidan prljav crnacki buddy cop exploatation koji se ni u jednom momentu ne pravi da je konsekventan film. Hard-R. Ponavljam Hard-R. Vraca mi veru u dva projekta. Rimejk TCM, o da, Bay ga poducira i ako je ovo rasdio u major studio filmu, verovatno ce cudo traziti od Nispela. A zatim i I AM LEGEND, u kome upravo Bayova vulgarnost moze da relaksira pretencioznost Protoshevichevog odlicnog skripta...
P.S. Sudeci po ghoulovom komentaru i prizemnim Eli Rothovim izjavama, lici da ce CABIN FEVER biti sviranje kurcu.
Hej, zaboravio sam da pomenem Lost in Translation. Novi film Sofije Kopole. Posto mi je The Virgin Suicides u top 5 filmova iz 1999, ocekujem puno.
Nego, zanima me sta mislite da ce biti sa In the Cut. Hoce li Meg Ryan ovim ocajnickim potezom spasti karijeru koja tone ili ce udariti o dno.
Kazu da joj je pre deset godina nudjena uloga u Niskim Strastima ali je odbila, cini se da je sada malo kasno za popravni, ili nije?
I jedno pitanje za avengera posto je film do sada sigurno pogledao. Kakav je McTirnanov Basic, kritike su ga uglavnom popljuvale ali bih da cujem jos neko misljenje.
Miloshe,
Najteze je pitati sakate za McTa.
Ja sam nekriticki fan i u svakom njegoom filmu pronalazim po trunku neke ezoterije. Cak i u ROLERBALLu.
Kad je rec o BASICu, ako ti se dopao IDENTITY, odlepices na ovo.
Film je izgradjen na bazi gimmick scenarija with ten twists too many. Ali, kljuc je u tome da McT ostavlja skript da se razvija sam a on ga savladava na kinestetickom nivou. Dakle, rezija je briljantna i odavno nisam video autora koji tako dominira nad materijalom.
Gneralno, kao sto i sam vidis iz ovog komentara i BASIC potpada pod novi trnd ameruickih filmova koji su prijatni na parce. No ipak, na nivou ciste anatomije filma;it`s enjoyable all the way.
One ostrascene kritike mi nisu jasne. Medjutim, kada sam procitao Stephen Hunterovu u kojoj kritikuje zvucni efekat elise ispod koga se ne cuje dijalog, sve mi je bilo jasno-u toj sceni ni ne treba da se cuje dijalog. A Hunter umislja da treba da bi pljunuo film...
Kljuc je u tome sto su americki kriticari filmski neobrazovani i njihov nivo percepcije filma je narativ. BASIC je triler u kome ti je apsolutno jasno sta se desava, mada ti na kraju nikako nece biti jasno sta se desilo, no narativno je konsekventan. Medjutim, posto im misterija nije nacrtana, odmah su napali film kako je nerazumljiv. A to i jeste kljuc, BASIC je tour de force, osveta McTa koji kaze hteli ste obrte-evo vam obrti...
U to ime, pogledaj ga. Film je maestralno reziran, ekstremno je zabavan i definitivno ces uzivati makar posle mislio da nije bas estetski vredan.
Malo sam konfuzan. Izvini. Uvek se uzbudim kad pomislim na McTa. Odoh da se smirim...
Da pomenem i film The Twins Effect. Istocnjacka akciono-vampirska-komedija sa sve Jackie Chan-om u jednoj od sporednih uloga! :evil:
A kad smo vec kod Chan-a je li neko pogledao The Medallion? Vidim da stoji poster u tuckwood-u. Dolazi li to skoro i treba li ga overiti na velikom platnu ili je dovoljan i divx? Film ima fantasy elemenata a pored Chan-a igra i Claire Forlani (jos dva plusa, sto se mene tice).l
:?:
Sad se sjetih... Izgleda da se za sljedeću godinu sprema The Last Unicorn, sa Kristoferom Lijem. Ako se dobro sjećam istoimenog crtića (koji sam gledao kad sam bio mali), ovaj film bi mogao opako da priprijeti Gospodaru prstenova.
Quote from: "Harvester"ovaj film bi mogao opako da priprijeti Gospodaru prstenova.
*NIKO* ne moze da pripreti Gospodaru prstenova!
trejler za treci LOTR fucking rrrules!
Texas chainsaw rimejk pada s trona, i titulu najboljeg trejlera uzima LOTR:3
cista jeza... vrhunsko manipulisanje emocijama... ona muzika... onaj editing= pitam se da li je Jackson himself uradio trejler ili to radi neko drugi u firmi?
[usput, trejler za MATRIX 3 me jezivo podseca na jos vise onoga sto mi se nije svidjalo u drugom delu...]
Quote from: "ghoul"Quote from: "Harvester"ovaj film bi mogao opako da priprijeti Gospodaru prstenova.
*NIKO* ne moze da pripreti Gospodaru prstenova!
Osim možda istoimenog crtanog filma Ralpha Bakshija :)
Ne, bez zezanja, ovaj Last Unicorn bi trebalo da ima krasnu priču i dijaloge, a neće im biti neophodan ni neki veliki budžet pošto nema nekih bijesnih bitaka, specijalnih efekata ili tako nešto. Ali, živi bili pa vidjeli...
King Conan: Crown of Iron: John Milius definitely plans to go forward with 'Conan 3' without the newly-elected California Governor according to Page Six.
THIS IS JUST ABOUT ALL I WANTED TO KNOW!
[PITY 'BOUT THE CRUSADES, THOUGH...]
Gore Verbinski has agreed to direct Pirates of the Caribbean 2 :!: , for Walt Disney Pictures and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl writers Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott are back on board to pen the sequel :!: .
Johnny Depp will also reprise his starring role in pic :!: :!: :!: . Disney had already made sequel arrangements with key cast such as Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley :lol: :!: :lol: , though it is uncertain which other cast members will return.
No start date has been set for the follow-up to the film which has grossed $621 million worldwide.
Dark Castle Entertainment has tapped Danny Kuchuck and John Weiner to script a redo of the William Castle horror film I SAW WHAT YOU DID. The original film told the story of two teenagers who make a series of prank phone calls to strangers, whispering 'I saw what you did, and I know who you are.' In the film, the fun stops when they randomly ring a man who has just murdered his wife.
The Black Dahlia: Josh Hartnett is in talks for the long-troubled adaptation of James Ellroy's classic noir novel "The Black Dahlia". The story is a fictional take on the story of two cops obsessed with the notorious unsolved murder case in 1947 of Elizabeth Short, an aspiring actress found dead and mutilated in a vacant LA lot where she was dumped after apparent days of torture. The police officers in question are both ex-boxers who are in love with the same woman - a bisexual woman who may have slept with the 'Dahlia' herself. Brian De Palma is currently attached to direct according to Production Weekly, DePalma replaces"Fight Club" helmer David Fincher who has long been a part of the production in question which has been stuck in 'development hell' for years now. Thanks to 'FanHalen'.
HOT DAMN! :D
Luc Besson is working on a sequel to "The Professional" which would be about Mathilda
:!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!:
FLAMIN' SURFER FROM THE SKIES
naslov je nastavka
DARK STAR-a u reziji
Lee Hayayo Miyazaki
NEEEEMO' DA SEEEE****SH!??? :!: :!: :!:
de to pise? ocu detalje!
Dan O'Bennon i ekipa prave manga nastavak a rezira sin od onog japanca.
Quote from: "Spider Jerusalem"Title: You'll Never Die in This Town Again
U mile, vec ga vidim u svojim snovima
e da. izmislio sam onaj flaming surfer in the skies jer mi bilo dosadno tu noc, izvinjavam se ako sam nekog, eto, navuk'o.
Quote from: "johnson bronson"Dan O'Bennon i ekipa prave manga nastavak a rezira sin od onog japanca.
What the fuck?
A 'oche li opet da bude pravljen u garazi? :lol:
Dobra fora u svakom slucaju.
DARK STAR mi je omiljeni film.
hvala jore. bilo je mnogo dosadno tu noc, a migrena je los saputnik.
inace DARK STAR, CITIZEN KANE i MALTESE FALCON su mi omiljeni filmovi zato sto su jaki i DEBITANTSKI.
Uh, umalo da zaboravim the most anticipated movie of the year 4 me:
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind
by Michel Gondry
posto je covek jebeni genije :)
ma ja bi samo voleo da neko snimi dobar film pa makar bio i domaci.
Quote from: "johnson bronson"ma ja bi samo voleo da neko snimi dobar film pa makar bio i domaci.
pa makar i ti licno morao da ga reziras!
yeah el primero destinacione de la light, el professore di wicked savoire faire!
not destinacione of, but the arch-nemesis of Light, el direttore della Alan Smithee opus
scuzzato ilustrissime signore de la obscuritatea y profondo mulj de la kal di wickedness of malaise
yep that sounds like me alright
bang bang, I`ll shoot you down
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cinemaemcena.com.br%2Fcinemacena%2Ffiguras%2Ffotos%2Fkillbill2_01.jpg&hash=4a92e2a3e5d5fbd1ee51df9b357fab4ed90b2967)
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cinemaemcena.com.br%2Fcinemacena%2Ffiguras%2Ffotos%2Fkillbill2_04.jpg&hash=4b2d96cec7a3af32caa75cd73632fe27a84f6a58)
Kad vec spominjete Kill Bill, zanima me kako se zove instrumental koji se cuje kada The Bride dobija katanu od Hattori Hanzo-a?
Tipujem na Morriconea i gledao sam neki soundtrack listing gde ima "Da Uomo a Uomo", ali to nije to, skinuo sam...
Most anticipated for me:
- Alien 3 (extended cut) - na DVD-u od 12. decembra (u devetostrukom DVD izdanju Alien Quadrology)
- The Return Of The King (ovo narocito posle daleko bolje, produzene DVD verzije The Two Towers).
- Indiana Jones and His Old Bones
Quote from: "iNCUBUs"Kad vec spominjete Kill Bill, zanima me kako se zove instrumental koji se cuje kada The Bride dobija katanu od Hattori Hanzo-a?
Tipujem na Morriconea i gledao sam neki soundtrack listing gde ima "Da Uomo a Uomo", ali to nije to, skinuo sam...
Zamfir - The Lonely Shepherd
master of the pan-flute, jedan od mojih omiljenih instrumenata... stara, ali stvarno predivna melodija, unosi Spaghetti Western emocije. neki je nazvase "duboko-mislenom melodijom" skoro sa yoga kapacitetima ....
Quote from: "Black Mamba"
Zamfir - The Lonely Shepherd
master of the pan-flute, jedan od mojih omiljenih instrumenata... stara, ali stvarno predivna melodija, unosi Spaghetti Western emocije. neki je nazvase "duboko-mislenom melodijom" skoro sa yoga kapacitetima ....
Hvala najlepse, evo vec se skida, 16% so far, 192kbps kvalitet... Ovaj bi mogao da se uortaci sa Borom Dugicem pa da u duetu kidaju :))
hmmmm.... zar "The Lonely Shepherd" ne ide u zavrsnoj sceni na aerodromu? doduse, postoji mali Hattori Hanzo flashback...
ICUBUS-e, mozda ovo trazis? nema na soundtracku
"Wound that heals" (Kaihukusuru kizu or Kaifukusuru Kizu )
Written by: Takeshi Kobayashi
Performed by: Lily Chou-Chou
This song plays when the Bride looks at all the swords in the attic
Quote from: "SANdMAN"
ICUBUS-e, mozda ovo trazis? nema na soundtracku
"Wound that heals" (Kaihukusuru kizu or Kaifukusuru Kizu )
Written by: Takeshi Kobayashi
Performed by: Lily Chou-Chou
This song plays when the Bride looks at all the swords in the attic
Ne, nisam mislio na scenu kada gleda katane, vec kada je dobija...
I bio je Zamfir, skinuta je cela pesma :)
Quote from: "iNCUBUs"Quote from: "SANdMAN"
ICUBUS-e, mozda ovo trazis? nema na soundtracku
"Wound that heals" (Kaihukusuru kizu or Kaifukusuru Kizu )
Written by: Takeshi Kobayashi
Performed by: Lily Chou-Chou
This song plays when the Bride looks at all the swords in the attic
Ne, nisam mislio na scenu kada gleda katane, vec kada je dobija...
I bio je Zamfir, skinuta je cela pesma :)
vidi stvarno, ide Zamfir DVA PUTA! :? :? :?
svaka cast crnoj mambici, stvarno s pravom nosi to ime...
inache iNCUBUS, mogu ti poslati po burazeru citav soundtrack, ne moras i ti da skidas....
Quote from: "SANdMAN"inache iNCUBUS, mogu ti poslati po burazeru citav soundtrack, ne moras i ti da skidas....
E vidis to ne bi bilo lose, ionako on i ja imamo showdown ove nedelje, da vidimo ko trenutno poseduje vise tudjih diskova :)
znas, sto se tice tih diskova kojima se gadjate u principu sam radoznao da vidim postoje li neki naslovi iz tvoje vast enduring kolekcije a da u naslovu nemaju war, battle, mayhem, annihilation, destruction i slicne kljucne reci. mozda imam predrasuda prema coveku ali nesto mi govori da upravo i samo takvi naslovi zavrsavaju kod mog brata.. ;)
anyway, ako imas sveobuhvatan i pregledan katalog kao ja, mogao bi da ga bacis na sandman@net.yu, bice ti uzvraceno
Quote from: "SANdMAN"znas, sto se tice tih diskova kojima se gadjate u principu sam radoznao da vidim postoje li neki naslovi iz tvoje vast enduring kolekcije a da u naslovu nemaju war, battle, mayhem, annihilation, destruction i slicne kljucne reci. mozda imam predrasuda prema coveku ali nesto mi govori da upravo i samo takvi naslovi zavrsavaju kod mog brata.. ;)
anyway, ako imas sveobuhvatan i pregledan katalog kao ja, mogao bi da ga bacis na sandman@net.yu, bice ti uzvraceno
Ne bih rekao bas da imam takve naslove. Imam doduse "Battle" ali je rec o "Battle Royale"...
Inace ako si mislio na bilo sta drugo osim filmova, to nemam u katalogu a nemam bas ni igre :)
U stvari mp3ke imam... 'ajd saljem ti filmove prvo...
A NICE PIECE OF NEWZ TO START YOUR DAY!
[QUEL COINCIDENCE= BAS DOK PISEM ENCIKLOPEDIJU ITALIJANSKOG HORORA ZA ZNAK SAGITE!]
"I'm working on the script for THE THIRD MOTHER now," Argento reveals to Jones. "I originally planned to direct OCCHIALI NERI/BLACK GLASSES [a giallo in the CAT O'NINE TAILS mode] next, but that is now dead. I will start shooting THE THIRD MOTHER in August 2004, and a major Hollywood studio may possibly get involved in the financing. It will revolve around mysticism, alchemy, terrorism and Gnosticism [a religious movement believing in intuitive spiritual knowledge= ZANEMARITE OVO IMBECILNO OBJASNJENJE]. So many people were tortured because the Church said Gnosticism was heresy, and that will be the starting point for the story."
ARGENTO JE MOZDA ISPUCAO SVE STO ZNA U GIALLO FILMOVIMA, AL DA GA JE**M AKO MI OVA VEST NE BUDI NADE DA CE DA URADI BAR JOS 1 VELIKU STVAR PRE NO STO ODE U OKRILJE MATER TENEBRARUM...
AND THIS COULD BE *IT*! :!:
A, IMA I JOS:
KAZE DARIO:
"It will be set in Rome where we will first see the Mother of Tears/Mater Lachrymorum in medieval times. [I DROOL :!: ] Because she is the most beautiful and cruel of the three mothers, I'm currently looking at Russian models to play that part. Ana Pieroni (who played the cat-stroking mother in Inferno) will not be reappearing as she now has five kids :P ! It's been over 20 years since I left the Three Mothers behind and it's good to go back and explore the story from a retrospective perspective. I'm discovering more about witchcraft than ever before". :D
MEDJUTIM:
jedina vest koja zvuci jos anticipicipatornija od argentovih Zlih Majki jeste sledeca:
ne samo sto *neko* pravi film po ultradragom mi stripu RANXEROXU [sto je po sebi dovoljno za drooool]
NEGO=
TAJ FILM REZIRA, KONACNO, NAJZAD, NAPOKON, AT LAST, POSLE MILIJUN GODINA ISPOLJAVANJA SVOG MEGATALENTA U VIDEO SPOTOVIMA=
:!: *CHRIS CUNNINGHAM* :!:
HOT DAMN!
[bilo bi jos bolje da su mu dali pare da vec jednom napravi jebenog NEUROMANSERA, ali ovo je saaaasvim dovoljno za moju antipicipaciju.]
eto, HELLBOY jos nije ni gotov, a vec se javlja potencijalni borac za titulu najboljeg filma po stripu ikada! :D
Quote from: "ghoul"
NEGO=
TAJ FILM REZIRA, KONACNO, NAJZAD, NAPOKON, AT LAST, POSLE MILIJUN GODINA ISPOLJAVANJA SVOG MEGATALENTA U VIDEO SPOTOVIMA=
:!: *CHRIS CUNNINGHAM* :!:
HOT DAMN!
[
mmm.. come to daddy...
Highwaymen (2004)
rezija - Robert Harmon
Znaci Harmon se vraca svojim korenima, nazad na drum da snimi jos jedan action packed horor/triler. Bez obzira na razocaravajuci They ja i dalje imam poverenja u coveka koji je mogao da snimi neprevazidjeno transzanrovsko remek-delo i jedan od najvecih filmova osamdesetih - The Hitcher.
Quote from: "Milosh"Highwaymen (2004)
rezija - Robert Harmon
Znaci Harmon se vraca svojim korenima, nazad na drum da snimi jos jedan action packed horor/triler. Bez obzira na razocaravajuci They ja i dalje imam poverenja u coveka koji je mogao da snimi neprevazidjeno transzanrovsko remek-delo i jedan od najvecih filmova osamdesetih - The Hitcher.
Amin.
The Ring by Uli Edel (negde tokom 2004.)
Prema Wagnerovoj operi "Der Ring der Nibelungen"... can't wait...
(ako neko slucajno ne zna, inspiracija Tolkinu za LOTR)
2004 MOST CONSTIPATED [I.E. ANTICIPATICIPATED]
1. hellboy =EKRANIZACIJA NAJBOLJEG HOROR STRIPA IKADA, od strane jedinog coveka kompetentnog da to uradi kako treba
2. RANXEROX= ekranizacija super punk sf stripa od strane retko talentovanog coveka
3. LA TERZA MADRE =argento, nastavak suspirije i inferna...
4. "Izô: Kaosu mataha fujôri no kijin" =takashi miike + takeshi kitano + samurai movie =???
5. ZATOICHI= kitano=blind samurai [glumi + rezira =a ni u jednom od ovih poslova nije slepac]
6. A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT (aka Un long dimanche de fiançailles) =j. pierre jeunet, jedini covek koji uspeva da pravi odlicne filmove o snazi ljubavi i ljuplkim zenskim likovima, a da to ne bude bljutavo
7. KILL BILL VOL 2 =da li ce uma ubiti bila? i kako? i jos koliko njih pre toga?
8. TROY= spektakl
9. SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW =retro pulp sf sa odlicnim glumcima i nadahnutim dizajnom
10. ALEXANDER= jos spektakla
11. ALIEN VS PREDATOR= verovatno nece da valja, ali alieni i predatori na velikom platnu... ehhh... kad nema scott/camerona, dobar je i pol anderson
12. KING ARTHUR= josa malo spektakla [brukhajmerizovano to, nece prici excaliburu, ali bice lepo za oko - narocito ona carobnica ]
13. I, ROBOT= ko zna na sta ce ovo da lici, ali kad je nigerizovana verzija asimova jedini 'ozbiljni' sf u konkurenciji... daj sta das
Quote from: "ghoul"
5. ZATOICHI= kitano=blind samurai [glumi + rezira =a ni u jednom od ovih poslova nije slepac]
joj ala je sklepao onaj flashback u Brotheru!
nije slepac al' nije ni ni jebac... sporo vuce kameru, kadrovi daleko od perfekcionistickih, ide na suvo serviranje krvi i iznutrica
inache, u zatoichiju igra i Asano Tadanobu (vidi avatar! :lol: ), koji je sa Takeshijem vec saradjivao na Gohatto aka. Taboo
http://office-kitano.co.jp/zatoichi/
Auuu, ovo sam tek danas video!
Izvor je http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=3289
Want to make a movie? Go read a book and base something on it, everyone else is. I think this our third or fourth story in the past few days to deal with novels finding their way to the big screen. This time around it's James Ellroy's crime novel, THE BLACK DAHLIA that's scored a pretty impressive trio to tell the story with moving pictures. Brian DePalma will direct Mark Wahlberg and Josh Hartnet as two Los Angeles cops investigating the murder of an aspiring actress. The partners/best friends get in over their heads when they fall in love with the same chick and get knee deep in corruption and deceit from those they least expect. The film version is being written by Josh Friedman. This isn't the first Hollywood treatment for Ellroy either, way back when he dished out the rights to his novel L.A. CONFIDENTIAL we got a fantastic adaptation from Curtis Hanson, Russell Crowe and the bunch. Hopefully this works out as well. Here's the details from the book itself:
On January 15, 1947, the tortured body of a beautiful young woman was found in a vacant lot in Hollywood. Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia, a young Hollywood hopeful, had been brutally murdered. Her murder sparked one of the greatest manhunts in California history. In this fictionalized treatment of a real case, Bucky Bleichert and Lee Blanchard, both LA cops obsessed with the Black Dahlia, journey through the seamy underside of Hollywood to the core of the dead girl's twisted life.
Ovu vest o De Palmi sam odavno objavio bas na ovom forumu...
Producer Andrew Gaty (Heart of Midnight), Director George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead) and Composer Richard Hartley (The Rocky Horror Picture Show) are working to bring The Diamond Dead (a rock/horror/comedy) to the screen. What makes this project any different from any other project in the works right now? It's simple; their foresight to involve Cameron Multimedia, Inc. to launch what is becoming a tremendous internet success story.
Visitors to the site will have the opportunity to see and be a part of the entire filmmaking process. Regularly updated diary entries from the makers, live chats. Q&A along with contests and downloadable goodies will help to make this open forum style of filmmaking a success.
DiamondDead.com went live with their first revision on Dec. 1, 2003 and received such overwhelming attention that an entirely new engine had to be built to accommodate the traffic. A.G. Productions and Cameron Multimedia are offering viewers of the website the opportunity to see the REAL process of getting a film made by allowing fans to cast their votes for casting decisions, read excerpts from the screenplay as well as director and producer script notes and even read actual production emails via the "Mail Crypt."
Team Xbox has also gotten involved in the project and is helping to drive the Open Source development of the Diamond Dead video game for major gaming platforms. This project will be open to the same types of suggestive development ideas via the official DiamondDead.com site as well as TeamXbox.com.
In addition, Final Draft is going to be an official sponsor of "The Script" (a portion of the site dedicated to screenwriting and the process of writing a movie).
In short, DiamondDead.com may stand up and be counted as one of the most unique entertainment projects to ever go online!
Of particular "News" interest is Romero's Diary entry from the 7th, where he discusses his other film projects in addition to this one. Check it out!
samo za kripla: you're gonna love this!
Leprechaun: Pimpin' In Da Hood
"The script involves a pimp stealing the Leprechauns gold so the Leprechaun goes after him, gets to his hoes and has sex with them all. The hoes gives birth to baby Leprechauns creating an army of Lep Whores. The Leprechaun gets his gold back and starts his own pimping business for more gold. The other pimps get pissed off and try to take out the Leprechaun and his Lep Whores. The last forty minutes promises to be a battle between Lep Whores and Whores and the Leprechaun and the pimps."
pimpin` ain`t easy-someone`s gotta do it...
Novi Yuzna! :D
Fango has learned that Brian Yuzna and Julio Fernández's Fantastic Factory arm of Filmax International is forging ahead with its slate of new horror films, with ROTTWEILER slated to start shooting this month. Brian Yuzna directs this story (based on Alberto Vázquez Figueroa's novel) of a group of thrill-seeking teenagers terrorized by the titular canine, one bearing "fangs and jaws of steel and a single-minded bloodlust. Reinforced with modern technology and possessed of an ancient evil that will not die." Paul Naschy stars as the murderous dog's owner, and the script was written by Miguel (BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR) Tejada-Flores and Angel Sala. The latter is the president of Spain's famed Sitges Film Festival, making his scriptwriting debut; Sala is also adapting BENEATH STILL WATERS, based on Matthew Costello's novel about a long-flooded town inhabited by a deadly supernatural presence, for producers Yuzna and Fernández. Both these movies, along with Fantastic Factory's recently completed, Paco Plaza-directed werewolf film ROMASANTA, will be released in the U.S. by Lions Gate.
jel video neko trailer za Kill Bill 2? ....kakva fora ...hmm...... ipak mi se ne svidja .......za razliku od mojih ocekivanja filma ...jedva cekam :!: .....i`m gonna kill Bill xjap
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ne znam da li je neko vec pomenuo, ali novi film Davida Mameta 'Spartan' za koji dan krece u USA...
odlican intervju sa Mametom: http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=17143
whohoooo ...ovo cu da overim samo zbog Val Kilmera :lol: ....ali drugi dan, posto je premijera filma Secret Window istog dana 8)
Quote from: "Black Mamba"
.....i`m gonna kill Bill xjap
you, manga girl... :wink:
posto je neki majmun za koga niko nikad nije cuo ispao iz reziserske stolice za RING 2 = SAD SE PREGOVARA DA U ISTU SMESTE HIDEO NAKATU, onog istog koji je [do perfekcije] odradio japanski original.
wow!
ako njega dovedu, ovo automatski postaje top-priority expectation!
[otherwise, I do not care for that much]
mada, meni i ta varijanta samorimejkovanja zvuci budalasto, ali posto je Ringu 2 ionako osrednji film, tu bi Nakata itekako imao sta da unapredi.
ja znam za dve slicne varijante: George Sluizer - Spoorloos=Vanishing i Ole Bornedal - Nattevagten=Nightwatch, ali posto u oba slucaja nisam gledao izvornike ne mogu da sudim koliko je to uspesno/smisleno izvedeno.
originalni VANISHING je znatno bolji; za orig. NIGHTWATCH ne mogu da tvrdim iz 1. ruke [gledacu ga za nedelju-dve], ali je opsti konsenzus krtitika koje sam citao da je on takodje znatno bolji od rimejka.
ne vidim sta je lose da autor radi rimejk svog filma, ako ima sta da doda/popravi/razvije. kao sto i sam kazes, RING 2 je daleko od savrsenog, ali USA rimejk nece slediti taj storyline, dakle ovo cak i nije rimejk, vec ga treba gledati kao RINGU 3A [ako mu daju odreshene ruke].
Quote from: "Milosh"ja znam za dve slicne varijante: George Sluizer - Spoorloos=Vanishing i Ole Bornedal - Nattevagten=Nightwatch, ali posto u oba slucaja nisam gledao izvornike ne mogu da sudim koliko je to uspesno/smisleno izvedeno.
A sećaš se i Majkla Mana i onog zlodela alpaćinorobertdenirooh!wow! i istog tog samo 10 godina pre.
:!: http://www.vanhelsing.net :!: ...mada sam tek juce videla reklamu :oops: ....ali/i rekla bih da ce film biti oooooopasan 8)
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ovo da vidim pa da se umire...
Other than sounding like a description of how I expected all my dates in high school to play out, KISS KISS, BANG BANG feels like it just might be the next worthwhile buddy flick. LETHAL WEAPON veteran and screenwriter Shane Black will make his directorial debut with producer Joel Silver. Toping the cast list will be Val Kilmer, Robert Downey, and Michelle Monaghan of television's Boston Public and the upcoming CONSTANTINE. Warner Bros. sent out the following plot summary: a breezy take on Black's trademark buddy action/comedy oeuvre, a petty thief (Downey) is brought to Los Angeles for an unlikely audition and finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation along with his high school dream girl (Monaghan) and a detective (Kilmer) who has been training him for his upcoming role. Silver, who has loaded his plate post MATRIX with films such as ALIEN VS. PREDATOR, HOUSE OF WAX, and YOU'LL NEVER DIE IN THIS TOWN AGAIN, is confident in Black's directing abilities. "I'm thrilled to be back in business with Shane," Silver said. "He's written a terrific script that attracted this stellar cast, and I believe his work as a director will prove to be as distinctive as the blockbuster screenplays he's known for." Production starts on March 2nd in Los Angeles.
E, da. Kako sam mogao da zaboravim. Zahvaljujući faziju i ostatku Porodice, kao i njihovom vanrednom trudu i u svakom smislu sjajnom proizvodu, za koji sam, sramno, previše lenj da ga nahvalim na pravom mestu, apsolutno najočekivaniji film za mene je Worst case scenario. Kakva muzika, kakva ideja! Kakvo ludilo od foršpana!
nisam imao pojma da ovaj film uopste postoji dok nisam procitao ovu prilicno pozitivnu kritiku...
Open Water (2003)
High-concept movie descriptions that combine two previously successful titles are always applied at the new feature's own risk, as the immediate suspicion is that it won't live up to either of its two cited forebears. It also suggests that there isn't much in the way of originality going on. So don't be put off when you hear (which you will, if you haven't already) that OPEN WATER is "JAWS meets THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT"—not just because, well, it's kinda true, but because OPEN WATER manages to capture and combine the best elements of both. And if that doesn't work for you, here's another simple phrase you're bound to hear repeatedly applied to OPEN WATER as it nears its August release by Lions Gate: It's the get-under-your-skin scariest movie in years.
Like BLAIR WITCH, this is a vérité-style digital-video project (albeit with a much cleaner and more colorful look) that exploits a very basic human fear. Instead of being lost in the woods, OPEN WATER's protagonists, young couple Daniel (Daniel Travis) and Susan (Blanchard Ryan), become stranded well out to sea after their diving-excursion boat leaves without them. (Those who felt hoodwinked by the "it really happened!" BLAIR WITCH hype may be unnerved to learn that this story is based on a true incident.) Part of what makes OPEN WATER so effective is the matter-of-fact way writer/director Chris Kentis presents the banal human errors that leave Daniel and Susan adrift, and the similarly composed manner in which the two first react to the situation. It's just a mistake, they think. They can't have been abandoned—the situation will be made right soon. Then the sharks show up.
Because it's a movie, of course, we know from the moment those errors begin that a terrible predicament awaits Daniel and Susan, and OPEN WATER builds a dreadful anticipation even before the boat departs. Once Daniel and Susan are left alone, Kentis lets us see the slowly gathering sharks only as they do—a quick glimpse of a fin here, a tail suddenly slashing the surface there. And these predators aren't the rogue marauding monster of JAWS, or the recently prevalent CGI critters of the species Cablepremierus northamericanus. They're the real thing, actually circling and cruising beneath the couple, not always seen clearly (or at all) but contributing throughout to Daniel and Susan's gradually building, perfectly acted terror.
What could have amounted to a stunt (actors in the water with real sharks!) becomes a harrowing viewing experience because Kentis allows us to get to know Daniel and Susan before they take the plunge, and thus we always relate to their dramatic experience, rather than the performers'. Kentis doesn't overburden them with too much "characterization," either; they're just a pair of likable, overworked folks who, as the movie opens, have been in desperate need of a vacation for a while. Their reactions to their plight are basic and human as they alternate between clinging to each other, succumbing to panic and inevitably blaming each other for the dire straits they're in. Neither one ever loses sympathy, and while it couldn't have been hard for Ryan and Travis to feign terror while bobbing amongst the carnivorous fish, their reactions remain in character throughout.
Kentis takes advantage of the physical freedom of digital moviemaking by getting the camera up close to the actors' faces, shooting from surface level to put the audience right in the drink with them. He and his wife/co-cinematographer Laura Lau occasionally drop beneath the water to show us more than the couple know (or want to know) and once in a while he cuts back to the resort where Daniel and Susan were staying, as life goes on without awareness of their situation. Yet Kentis is not one for easy ironies—his focus is on primal emotions, and he stirs them up with a simplicity and directness that many filmmakers with much greater means at their disposal can only dream about.
He also leaves one wondering just how much danger his lead couple were actually in during the shoot, though speaking personally, that wasn't an issue while I was watching OPEN WATER. I didn't know before sitting down to see the movie what precautions had been taken to ensure the actors' safety, and I didn't want to know. I simply assumed everyone came out all right and submerged myself in the experience, and got a serious case of the chills. OPEN WATER debuts in New York and Los Angeles August 6 before going nationwide on the 20th—and the fact that it's hitting theaters late in the summer is something for which the diving/tourism industry can only be grateful.
zna li neko nesto vise o ovom filmu?
a sta ces vise od ovoga?
drmao je zestoko na Sandensu, zimus, citao sam nekoliko odlicnih kritika [ne znam kako ranije nisi cuo za njega, hvalili su ga i na creature-corneru, i na aicn-u...], i zvuci zanimljivo; na zalost, imace premijeru nakon mog odlaska, pa ko zna da li cu ga, i kada, videti u Srbiji...
a ja se taman ponadao da si to nekako, negde pogledao, pa da cujem iz prve ruke...
nista, doci ce i to na divx, jednog lepog dana.
Quote from: "Milosh"
James Ellroy's crime novel, THE BLACK DAHLIA that's scored a pretty impressive trio to tell the story with moving pictures. Brian DePalma will direct Mark Wahlberg and Josh Hartnet as two Los Angeles cops investigating the murder of an aspiring actress.
JOSH HARTNET :D to mi reci, kad ce film?
Quote from: "otaku"JOSH HARTNET :D to mi reci, kad ce film?
najavljen za 2005, mada, oni koji su citali knjigu uglavnom nisu odusevljeni izborom glumaca. videcemo...
Quote from: "Milosh"Quote from: "otaku"JOSH HARTNET :D to mi reci, kad ce film?
najavljen za 2005, mada, oni koji su citali knjigu uglavnom nisu odusevljeni izborom glumaca. videcemo...
zar uopste treba da citas knjigu da bi video da je Josh losh? :shock:
ne znam da li je neko vec pominjao ali u USA je cini mi se vec krenuo da se daje 'The Ladykillers'. ja sam prilicno rastrzan po pitanju ovog filma, sa jedne strane to su braca Coen koji, sto se mene tice, ne grese; a opet, originalna verzija mi je jedan od omiljenijih filmova uopste, i ne bih rekao da mu je potreban update. stvarno ne znam sta da mislim...
jeste, krenuo je danas da se daje, ali to je vrsta filma koju mogu vrlo strpljivo da docekam na divxu.
so many greater priorities... :)
Kad je rec o Ellroyevom romanu BLACK DAHLIA, meni je to najdraza knjiga koju sam procitao. Mislim da je u tom romanu Ellroy savrseno iskombinovao svoj hardboiled stil, cinizam, mocnu melodramu i opake twistove. To je njegov veliki burbon roman. Za razliku od ostalih koji su cist krek.
Kad je rec o castingu za De Palmin film BLACK DAHLIA, mislim da su Josh i Mark savrsen cast. Meni je Josh zaista jedan od najboljih glumaca svoje generacije i mislim da savrseno odgovara ulozi. U svakom novom filmu je sazrevao i znatno je napredovao od THE FACULTY. Takodje, vidi se da je decko pametan po onome sto je birao sa mainstream menija. Konacno, jedno od mojih near death iskustava se vezuje za njegov film 40 DAYS & 40 NIGHTS. S druge strane Mark je igrao u nekoliko od mojih Top-100 filmova i mislim da ce on odlicno odraditi posao.
Naravno, tesko je zamisljati Ellroya izvan Guy Pearce-Russell Crowe podele, ili nove Shane Blackove Val Kilmer-Robert Downey Jr. podele, ali Josh i Mark su po meni savrsen izbor. Mislim da ce oni doneti jednu svedenu, brzu glumu, da ce napraviti pravi bioskop. Mnogi ljudi ne umeju da cene tu vrstu efikasne glume. Medjutim, kad pogledas 21 GRAMS, u kome Benicio Del Toro baulja po parkingu i glasno dise, naucis da cenis tu vrstu iluzionizma kojoj te priblizavaju generic holivudski filmovi. WAY TO GO, BOYS!
heh, siguran sam da ce neko biti zainteresovan za ovaj film. :lol: :wink:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374933/
overite ovaj film, Sagita all-stars, mali leviathan
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0399503/combined
...pa uz ovakav naslov, ko bi mogao da odoli? :lol:
p.s. a sta je bilo sa ostatkom omnibusa?
Dakle, to je bio omnibus koji smo napisali Tripp, Otaku i ja, za jedan konkurs. To su bile tri poevzane polu-samostalne price koje se okrecu oko istih desavanja. Na tom konkursu nismo prosli i tu je propustena prva prilika da se omnibus spakuje. U medjuvremenu sam ja preradio svoju pricu u radio-dramu. I sa njom polozio ispit i prodao je Radio Beogradu gde je izvedena 14. januara. No, kako je izvedena bolje da nije.
U medjuvremenu se Zlatko attachovao na Otakin scenario dok je moj skript od tarta kruzo oko Koste Djordjevica. Trippov skript, koji je meni najdrazi je bio najveci problem. Naime, u njemu glavne uloge igraju deca. A deca su velika muka za rad. No, krajem prosle godina, Trippov scenario pronalazi dom kod naseg kolege Miroslava Stamatova i CHUBBY RAIN, nas omnibus staje na noge. Medjutim, Darko Bajic opstruira ideju da se snima omnibus. I na kraju je snimljen samo PORNO TELETABIS kao one shot.
The Diving Bell and The Butterfly
...jel citao neko ovo?
elem, ako niste znali ...
:!: Johnny Depp :!: has signed on to do "The Diving Bell and The Butterfly", set to be released in 2006. :!:
Johnny Depp portrays Elle France editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, who, in 1995 at the age of 43, suffered a stroke that paralyzed his entire body, save his left eye. Using that eye to blink out his memoir, Bauby eloquently described the aspects of his interior world, from the psychological torment of being trapped inside his body to his imagined stories from lands he'd only visited in his mind.
Depp u filmu sa PARALITICARIMA, najzad. Pitao sam se kada ce uraditi dobar, socan, film o paraliticima. I moram priznati da je imao ukusa, odabrao je film u kome junak moze da pomera samo LEVO OKO. Tako i film moze po uzoru na MOJE LEVO STOPALO da se zove MOJE LEVO OKO...
ne znam kakav je trenutno status jos prosle godine najavljenog filma Necropolis koji bi trebao da radi Vincenzo Natali, ali posle Cyphera sta god da on snima sledece ja sam tu. :!:
a u medjuvremenu tu je film iz 2003 ingenioznog naziva Nothing koga iscekujem na divxu... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298482/
Cellular. David R. Ellis rezira, a Eric Bress i Larry Cohen rade scenario.
King of the Ants by Stuart Gordon.
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OK, now it's official:
top 1 place at my most-eagarly awaited list=
SHAUN OF THE DEAD.
vec smo ga pominjali, Miki je nedavno okachio poster, svi sve znaju o filmu, ali posto je prethodnog vikenda imao premijeru u Engleskoj, i dobio straobalno dobre kritike cak i od ustogljenih Guardiana, Observera i BBC-a = OK, I'M BUYING IT!
A side-splitting, head-smashing, gloriously gory horror comedy, Shaun Of The Dead is hilarious. From the brains behind the superb sitcom Spaced, it's a knockabout caper that will amuse casual viewers and delight genre fans, paying knowing tribute to George A Romero's zombie classic Trilogy Of The Dead. Co-writer Simon Pegg stars as Shaun, an ambition-starved shop assistant freshly dumped by his girlfriend (Kate Ashfield). "It's not the end of the world," says his best mate, Ed (Nick Frost). Only it is. The dead start coming back to life and Shaun and friends must fight for survival.
ala je movie-business prevrtljiva i nepouzdana stvar:
nema ni mesec dana otkako mi Huper licno reko da sprema BREW, kad ono: ispalo da nema para za to, nego ce da radi nesto sasvim drugacije.
e, sad- ispade da je tako jos bolje, jer novonajavljena stvar zvuci daleko bolje:
Tobe Hooper's next outing, The Mortuary from one who would know; the script's co-writer, Adam Gierasch.
"It's not not a zombie movie, but it isn't a zombie movie in the traditional sense of the word either...There are zombies in it, but it's based more on the Cthulhu mythos. It's a Lovecraftian horror tale, based on his writings but not any specific story. It's about a family whose dad buys a cemetery/mortuary in Arkham, Massachusetts, and spooky hijinx ensue."
E, jedino me malo brine boldovana fraza gore: taj sto, kao, treba da 'zna' je autor scenarija za CROCODILE 1 & 2, kao i za TOOLBOX; tulboks je OK film, ali nikako ne zbog scenarija.
dakle, oprez, ali i nejasna nada da covek ipak 'svakog dana u svakom pogledu napreduje'...
GOD TO EARTH: "YOU'RE ALL WET"
The Flood II: This time it's personal.
Back in Biblical days, God could wipe out the human race with a flood. Not just because he felt like it, but also because the human race was a bunch of dumb sons of bitches who hadn't developed flight, rocketry or nuke-proof bunkers hundreds of feet below the ground. Not to mention nuclear submarines.
Today one assumes that wiping out the human race with a flood would be a lot harder. That doesn't mean that ornery bitch Yaweh isn't going to make a go at it in the movie The Passion of the Ark. No, the film doesn't involve a detailed, two hour long version of the face melting scenes from the end of Raiders. It's about a guy who gets chosen to be the new Noah when God lets him in on his plans to sink humanity in a watery grave.
It's still a script at the moment, but it's been sold to Columbia based Original Films. The screenplay is by two first timers, Bobby Florsheim (love his shoes!) and Josh Stolberg, and it raised the interests of all the major studios. It's not known if the script addresses just what would make Morgan Freeman mad enough to take such drastic actions.
e, svaka ti dala, majstore! :D
Sissy Spacek in RING 2.
directed by Hideo Nakata.
How could it go wrong?
Quote from: "ghoul"Sissy Spacek in RING 2.
kao Sadako?
ne se znaje.
ali ako ne igra neki creepy lik [recimo, sadako-mamu] ne znam sto bi je zvali.
carrie je mama na sadako. in more senses than one.
http://www.herothemovie.com/ xjap 8)
The Crow: Wicked Prayer 8)
Release Date: TBA 2004
Studio: Dimension Films
Director: Lance Mungia
Screenwriter: Jeff Most, Lance Mungia, Sean Hood
Starring: Edward Furlong, Tara Reid, David Borianaz, Dennis Hopper, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Marcus Chong, Tito Ortiz, Rena Owen, Danny Trejo, Macy Gray
Genre: Action, Horror, Romance
Official Website: Not available
Review: Not available
DVD/VHS: Not available
Movie Poster: Not available
Plot Summary: When Jimmy and his half Native American girlfriend Lily are murdered by a rampaging satanic cult led by Luc Crash and his demonic bride, he is traumatised to find himself reincarnated as 'The Crow', an immortal being of Native American folk law and the 'killer of killers'. With revenge burning in his broken heart, and whilst he tries to come to terms with his new dark powers, Jimmy comes to realise what he can do, and what he must do - as he confronts the onslaught of gang members Famine, Pestilence, War and Death in this epic action battle of good and extreme evil.There is no rest without vengeance.
Trailer:
Coming Soon!
Fox options the rights to video game TETRIS, with Josh Hartnett attached as a rogue cop who discovers aliens have infiltrated a building site
PS: this is a joke [for now]
ghoul, molio bih da se ne sprdas sa mojim omiljenim glumcem... nije on s tobom piksija gledao da ga tako ismevas...
ghoul, molio bih da se ne sprdas sa mojim omiljenim glumcem...
glumac? :?
razumem da je on sladak dechkic ciji poster drzis na zidu svoje sobe [ili mozda kupatila], ali.. glumac?
gde je on to... glumio?
Joshovo ovladavanje ekranom se naziva i glumom. Medjutim, jasno mi je da ti nisi mogao da primetis da on negde GLUMI posto on kad interpretira lik, to cini bez napora. Poput Cary Granta, recimo...
Ti ocigledno vise volis Deppa ili Benicio Del Tora i ove sto toliko preteruju sa mimikom da se vidi trud u GLUMI. Sean Penna ne pominjem jer on ima i svetlu eighties fazu u svojoj karijeri... Josh naprosto samo realizuje svoj lik.
Inace, o Joshovim angazmanima i karijeri se mozes obavestiti na sajtu www.imdb.com
no, za ghoula je jasno da on za velike glumce i autore smatra one koji to prethodno kazu za sebe. najave se kao veliki. neki se najavljuju time sto zive sa sirotinjom Treceg Sveta, neki se najave kroz svoje izjave.
najbolji primer je slucaj u kome je ghoul pohitao da vidi KILL BILLove na vikend premijere dok Tony Scotta, zbog koga smo BTW i zavoleli Tarantina, koliko preko TRUE ROMANCE toliko i preko CRIMSON TIDE, ceka na piratskoj kopiji kad se vrati u Srbiju...
posle Black Dahlie ce valjda postati jasnije koliko je Josh dobar/los glumac. ja sam i dalje skeptican, no videcemo...
a kad smo vec kod vengeance flickova, ghoule, jesi li uhvatio na nekom festivalu [dvdu, ako je izasao] Gordonov King of the Ants?
king of the ants cu, naravno, pogledati PRVOM prilikom koja mi se ukaze jer imam velika ocekivanja od tog filma [a i gordon se odavno sam najavio kao 'auteur', pa ajd da mu poverujem :wink: ] =na zalost, jos uvek mi nije pao shaka...
HMMM: QUEL COINCIDENCE!
USA 27 April 2004 (video premiere)
:!: PA TO JE SUTRA!
:!: he he he
Da, i ja sam siguran da ce Joshi pokazati koliko vredi u Daliji.
Siguran sam da ce Bakija, jednog od najkompleksnijih likova u krajm literaturi koje sam upoznao, odraditi vrlo "efikasno".
Toliko efikasno da cu sledecih deset godina pljuvati po De Palmi i bicevati se po ledjima svaki put kad se setim da mi je momak bio simpatican u The Faculty.
O scene-stealingu i karizmi Markija Marka neki drugi put.
Nemoj da mi je neko dirao Josha xuzi
novi film Brajana Yuzne, ROTTWEILER: NA SLICI, NASLOVNI JUNAK=
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Garage Days - Alex Proyas. iz 2002e, prikazan 2003e. u USA je igrao u bioskopima samo jedan vikend. :( prvi trejler je stvarno odlican [izmontiran na Add it Up - Violent Femmes 8) ]. izgleda da se za neku siru distribuciju ceka na premijeru filma I, Robot, koji opet nimalo ne obecava [grozan kasting, jos gori trejler...] i pored Proyasa u rediteljskoj stolici. kako god, nadam se da ce se Garage Days uskoro pojaviti na divxu... :)
bio sam suzdrzan prema novom Romeru; coveka obozavam, ali horor mjuzikl bas i nije moja ideja toga cime bi ovaj chcicha trebalo da trosi poslednje svoje kreativne dane pred penziju.
no, nakon novih vesti, ovaj naslov se penje sa lestvice 'OK, pogledacu film jer postujem coveka' na 'hot damn! ovo mora da se vidi!'
a vesti [za sada samo glasine] glase:
otkako su skotovi, ridli i toni, resili da produciraju romerov film [god bless them for that!], romero je poceo da razmatra ideju da u film ukljuci najidelanije zive ljude za uloge zombi-rokera: Ozzy Ozbourne, Marilyn Manson, & David Bowie ! Pretpostavljam da je Jaggerov check suvise debeo za ovu produkciju, a Rob Zombie je zauzet svojim sopstvenim mrtvacima, ali ako pomenuti trio stvarno bude ukljucen u film = DAMN!
u tom lucaju ni u ludilu necemo imati BRUISER 2!
Braca Scott ce pomoci Romeru do te mere, da ako film bude los, oni mogu i da ga izreziraju umesto njega... To mi uliva izvesni optimizam.
A opet s druge strane, zasto cekati da Romero snimi los film, zasto ga oni odmah ne izreziraju?
Ghoul, da li ces posle ove informacije otici da pogledas MAN ON FIRE?
Variety reports that the latest project from the Raw Nerve company, set up by Eli Roth, Boaz Yakin and Scott Spiegel to produce modestly budgeted horror fare, is ABRAHAM'S DAUGHTER. Antonia (RAVENOUS) Bird has been attached to direct the movie, which is about a recently widowed woman who begins having visions of murdered children. In the course of investigating where the visions are coming from, she uncovers horrible secrets in her small home town. Yakin and Edward Ricourt wrote the script, and Lauren Moews, one of the producers on Roth's CABIN FEVER, will join the Raw Nerve principals to serve the same function on DAUGHTER.
According to Moviehole, director John McTiernan and actress Rebecca Romijn-Stamos may come aboard the Myriad Pictures thriller The Tenth Victim, starring Brendan Fraser. Dominic Sena had been attached to direct. McTiernan and Romijn-Stamos previously worked together on the remake of Rollerball.
The Tenth Victim is a remake of the 1965 film La Decima Vittima directed by Elio Petri and starring Ursula Andress, Elsa Martinelli and Marcello Mastroianni. Both versions are adaptations of the original short story The Seventh Victim by Robert Scheckley.
Brendan Fraser himself reportedly advised Australian Empire magazine that McTiernan and Romijn-Stamos were poised to join his next project. Moviehole says that Romijn-Stamos would star as "a lovely TV actress, living in a world of legalized murder hunts. She's been assigned her tenth hit, the one that will ultimately lead to material success."
The Hollywood Reporter has described the film as a futuristic tale where "contract killing is a sport. A woman is searching for her 10th victim in order to achieve the highest possible score and sets her sights on a particular man [Fraser] who turns out not to be such an innocent victim since he's out to get her first. Things get even more complicated when they fall in love."
ovo bi vise moglo da bude nesto kao filmske vesti, al kad vec nema takvog topika, moze i ovde...
The "Kill Bill" director wants to make a James Bond film.
CANNES, France (Reuters) - After four years of filming and editing his "Kill Bill" revenge saga, American director Quentin Tarantino feels like he's climbed a cinematic mountain but instead of a much-desired rest he wants to tackle the Everest of film genres: James Bond.
Once Tarantino finishes worldwide promotion for his "Kill Bill - Volume 2" sequel, which stars Uma Thurman as a bride bent on finding the man who tried to kill her, he plans to approach the producers of the big-budget Bond series.
"I've always wanted to do it. I bumped into Pierce Brosnan and we talked about it. He liked the idea," he said.
Tarantino is a lifelong fan of the British spy saga, now starring the Irish actor Brosnan.
"I would like to do the original book 'Casino Royale' and do it more or less the way the Ian Fleming book is," Tarantino told Reuters in an interview in Cannes, where he is president of this year's film festival jury.
"Casino Royale" was made in 1967 as an ill-fated spoof starring David Niven as an aging 007.
"I don't know if they're going to go for it or not, but I'm letting them know I'm interested," he said.
Only weeks ago, an exhausted Tarantino said he felt like he had already climbed the world's highest peak and would probably pick a smaller-scale production for his next picture.
That was before he received some words of advice from Eleanor Coppola, wife of legendary director Francis Ford Coppola and mother of Sofia Coppola ("Lost in Translation"), who is rumored to be dating Tarantino.
Eleanor Coppola, who documented the disaster-ridden making of her husband's 1979 classic "Apocalypse Now," told Tarantino to tackle ambitious projects while he still had youth and energy on his side.
"It was actually quite profound advice that she gave. Not to say that you can't make a small movie in between, but now is not the time to do a left-handed project," Tarantino said. "Now is the time to climb Mount Everest."
The "Reservoir Dogs" director sounds like he has no intention of slowing down. He has completed a script for a World War II project and is also toying with plans for a horror film.
Though he is handing out the honors this year, Tarantino has every intention of returning to Cannes, where he won the Palme d'Or best film award in 1994 with "Pulp Fiction."
"I guess at the end of the day it would be nice if my crowning achievement was the fact that I won more Palme d'Ors than any filmmaker who ever lived. That would be great, that's something to aspire to," he said.
Novi filmski studiji
Kompanija ,,Pink Films International" (PFI) će biti koproducent pet fimova čije snimanje se planira za početak jeseni 2004, objavljeno je na pres-konferenciji u Kanu. PFI se sastoji od srpske najpopularnije TV kuće ,,Pink", kompanije ,,Grosvenor Park" iz Londona i firme ,,OCo. International" iz Vašingtona. Ove informacije su objavili osnivač i vlasnik ,,Pinka" Željko Mitrović, Donald Star, ispred firme ,,Grosvenor Park" i Greg Stivens iz ,,OCo. International".
Vrh PFI-ja je takođe najavio izgradnju filmskih studija u Beogradu ,,Pink Film Studios", nedaleko od aerodroma ,,Surčin", a izgradnja studija će koštati 20 miliona dolara.
Prvi projekat je snimanje pet filmova koji će zajedno nositi naziv ,,Midnight Mayhem", a inspiracija će im biti horor filmovi iz pedesetih i šezdesetih godina kakve je snimao Sem Arkof za kompaniju ,,American International Pictures".
Projekat ,,Midnight Mayhem" obuhvataće sledeće filmove, a određen je budžet od pet miliona dolara za svaki film: ,,Voodoo Women", ,,The Undead", ,,The She Creature", ,,Blood of Dracula" i ,,The Brain Eaters". Producent će biti ,,Grosvenor Park", kao i producenti kompanije ,,Midnight Mayhem Production" Kreg Baumgarten, Majk Markus, Badi Epštajn i Lu Arkof, sin Sema Arkofa.
Ova vest se tice NOVOG izdanja STAROG filma na DVD-u - ali *kakvog* filma! I sa kakvim DODACIMA!
Criterion is planning a 2-disc release of Videodrome this August. And a collective shout of "About fuckin' time!" was heard [Ghoul included]. Check out the planned features:
Audio commentary by Cronenberg and cinematographer Mark Irwin
Audio commentary by stars James Woods and Deborah Harry
Cronenberg's short film Camera, created for the Toronto Film Festival in 2000 and starring VIDEODROME's Les Carlson
A new 30-minute documentary by VIDEODROME video FX artist Michael Lennick about the movie's landmark makeup and special FX
Fear on Film, a half-hour roundtable discussion from 1982 between Cronenberg, John Carpenter and John Landis (all of whom were working on Universal horror films at the time), hosted by director-to-be Mick Garris
Short promotional featurette from 1982, also created by Garris
Trailers
Extensive galleries with makeup test shots, behind-the-scenes photos, publicity stills, marketing materials, etc.
Samurai Dreams—the fake Japanese soft-porn film seen in the movie, presented in its entirety
And more!
:!: :!: :!:
DAMN, SAYS I!
ROMASANTA: THE WEREWOLF HUNT
Let it be said right away that Paco Plaza's ROMASANTA: THE WEREWOLF HUNT (which opened this month in Spain) is, in every respect, light years ahead of the half-dozen films previously produced by Brian Yuzna and Julio Fernández's Fantastic Factory. Indeed, it's one of the best werewolf movies ever made. It hits all the right buttons and delivers what discerning horror/fantasy fans crave: mystery, suspense, shocks, blood 'n' guts, tons of Gothic atmosphere and a pervading sense of dread. This is a tense, edgy, chillingly macabre tale, graced by passionate and credible performances from a fine cast of actors. The film packs a real punch, and the impact is heightened by the knowledge that it's based on true events.
Elena Serra and Alberto Marini's script is adapted from award-winning novelist Alfredo Conde's book ROMASANTA—UNRELIABLE MEMOIRS OF A WEREWOLF, an apocryphal, first-person account of the criminal exploits of Manuel Blanco Romasanta, a traveling tinker-cum-handyman who carried out a string of savage murders in the forests of the Galician hinterland in the mid-19th century. He was finally caught and put on trial in 1853. Incredibly, his claim that he couldn't be held responsible for the killings since he suffered from lycanthropy was sustained by some highly influential "scientists" of the day, and the case attracted such media coverage both in Spain and abroad that Queen Isabel II herself intervened to have the original death sentence revoked. Instead, Romasanta was condemned to life imprisonment. He died in prison under circumstances which remain unclear to this day (indeed, historians haven't been able to ascertain with certainty in which prison he was incarcerated), allowing the filmmakers sufficient license to include their own historically improbable but dramatically satisfying and moving climax.
Conde's tome was written with reference to archival documents from the actual trial, and the film displays the same respect for historical authenticity. It's refreshing to see a period horror picture which isn't littered with stupid retro-technology, anachronistically "hip" one-liners, Indiana Jones-style heroes or flying-wire martial-arts punchups. Instead, ROMASANTA is a welcome return to adult, character-driven storytelling without being in any way pretentious, dull or ponderously "respectable." In fact, the film cleverly interweaves several narrative threads, maintaining a sense of mystery and menace from the first scene to the last—all credit to Serra and Marini. Plaza's canny adherence to the "leave it to the viewer's imagination" approach to horror ensures that the several flashes of stomach-churning butchery never threaten to upset the carefully evoked atmosphere of creeping unease. These realistically rendered scenes of carnage, courtesy of Barcelona FX house DDT, are included to serve the story rather than pander to the gorehounds.
Star Julian Sands turns in a solid performance, effectively conveying the key character traits attributed to the title character—a cold, vain, cruel and calculating but irresistibly seductive (literal) ladykiller. Female lead Elsa Pataky gives what is easily her best performance to date; following her turn in Fantastic Factory's BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR, she's been rewarded with a role far removed from the teen fodder and light comedy of her TV and early film roles. Here she gets to finally prove her mettle, emoting through the whole range from naive, retiring younger sister through passionately responsive lover to gutsy, singleminded avenger of her family's murder, all without falling into cliché. John Sharian shines as Antonio, another unfortunate "cursed by lycanthropy," and David Gant as criminal pathologist Professor Philips and Gary Piquer as an attorney are two class acts who bring dramatic gravitas to their respective roles. Indeed, Gant's performance conjures up memories of the great Peter Cushing.
Also noteworthy is the splendid cinematography by Javier Salmones, which won the Best Photography award at the recent Malaga Film Festival. At last, the cinematic potential of the brooding Galician countryside has been fully exploited on screen, resulting in wonderfully dramatic and evocative imagery. The well-judged camerawork and editing combine to make the real wolves used by the production seem truly savage.
There are just two personal (and very minor) reservations. The spectacular wolf-into-man transformation scene, with bubbling membranes and goo galore, while technically polished, seems a little out of place (might one suggest it's more Yuzna than Plaza?), and the use of silver bullets is more of a Hollywood embellishment than based on actual folklore. But let's not look a gift wolf in the mouth; ROMASANTA is a modern horror/fantasy classic.
Harrison Ford will star in the outer space thriller GODSPEED for James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment. Scripted by Ryne Douglas Pearson, the story takes place on an international space station, where a life-threatening situation develops that could kill all the inhabitants on the station.
Fernley Phillips is set to write a remake of ALTERED STATES, the 1980 Ken Russell-directed, Paddy Chayefsky-scripted psychedelic sci-fi thriller for Warner Bros.
Michel Gondry is directing an adaptation of the sci-fi thriller MASTER OF SPACE AND TIME by Rudy Rucker. Jack Black is attached to star in the project for DreamWorks. It's about two mad scientists who figure out how to control reality.
Walter Hill has signed on to direct the cop thriller LITTLE SISTER for Millennium Films. Hill will direct from a script he co-wrote with David Giler. The story centers on a female cop who teams up with a Mafia-type thug seeking retribution for his little sister's death.
damn!
odavno nisam video trejler koji me je ovoliko zaintrigirao:
film je SAW.
trejler [sicksicksick] je ovde:
http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/521/521120p1.html?fromint=1
1. Bobanov zakon o trejlerima: "Sto je trejler bolji, film ce biti vece sranje.
2. Bobanov zakon o trejlerima: "Najvise pamtim filmove bez trejlera."
3. Bobanov zakon o trejlerima: "Iako znam sve ovo, opet nasedam."
ako je neko ovde dovoljno naivan, neupucen ili glup da veruje bobanovim zakonima, na creature-corner.com [a i drugde na netu] moze se naci mouth-watering review filma.
naravno, verovatno postoji i zakon tipa: "sto su kritike bolje, to je film gori" ili "ne verujem dok sam ne vidim" [potonje, naravno, vazi: ali ovde govorimo o ocekivanjima baziranim na informacijama koje su trenutno dostupne: topik, dakle ne glasi: 'ovaj film ima da jebe kevu' jer da li ce- ne znamo; topik je: 'od ovog filma puno ocekujem'...]
The Crazies: "Paramount has tapped horror specialist Scott Kosar to pen "The Crazies," a remake of George Romero's 1972 horror-thriller set up at Paramount-based Penn Station.
JOHN LANDIS ce raditi HOROR FILM za Dark Horse Entertainment.
nema mnogo vecih detalja u vestima, ali OVO JE SASVIM DOVOLJNO.
obozavam tog coveka.
cunt wait- such a huge fan!
THREE...EXTREMES UNITES TOP ASIAN TALENT
Fruit Chan, Christopher Doyle, Takeshi Miike and Park Chan-wook working on sequel to hit horror omnibus.
Superhero Hype reports that screenwriter Ben Ramsey ("The Big Hit") has signed to adapt Dragonball Z for the big screen for 20th Century Fox. Dragonball Z was adapted from the "Dragonball" manga created by Akira Toriyama and later developed into a Japanese anime series.
"Dragonball Z" follows the adventures of an adult humanoid alien who's just discovered that he was sent to Earth to blend in and destroy our population but instead elects to protect it from an oncoming alien onslaught.
Ramsey recently wrote the adaptation of Marvel's Luke Cage at Sony's Columbia Pictures, as well as Static for Columbia-based producer Neal Moritz. Up until last week, many though the project had been sunk in the water after Fox seemingly lost interest in the property soon after picking up the rights to it.
Thanks to 'Goshu'
"Freddy vs.Jason" Director Ronny Yu has committed to directing another scary flick for New Line Cinema.
Yu - who's apparently interested in a "Freddy vs.Jason" sequel, but is yet to see a script - will helm "Snakes on a Plane", about a ruthless assassin who unleashes a crate full of lethal snakes aboard a packed passenger jet over the Pacific Ocean in order to eliminate a witness in protective custody. The rookie pilot and frightened passengers must band together to survive.
The John Heffernan and David Loucka script was first set up at MTV Films before making its way to New Line, adds the trade.
The Village :!:
http://thevillage.movies.go.com/
Drama, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Thriller
Set in rural Pennsylvania in 1897, this is the story of the small village of Covington (population 60) surrounded by a woods inhabited by a race of "mythical creatures," and the romance that blossoms between Kitty (Greer), the daughter of the town's leader (Hurt), and Lucius (Phoenix), a young man who questions the policy of keeping Covington's citizens completely confined to the village.
Release Date: July 30th, 2004 (wide).
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for a scene of violence and frightening situations.
Distributor: Touchstone Pictures
Starring:
Judy Greer
Bryce Dallas Howard
William Hurt
Joaquin Phoenix
Adrien Brody
Jayne Atkinson
Fran Kranz
Sigourney Weaver
Brendan Gleeson
Cherry Jones
Celia Weston
Michael Pitt
Bryce Howard
Director:
M. Night Shyamalan
Producer:
Sam Mercer
Scott Rudin
M. Night Shyamalan
Screenwriter:
M. Night Shyamalan
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0381681/
Quotehttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt0381681/
NE SEEEEERI!! :?
:D :D :D
e da, juce videh trailer pred pocetak The Village... jos jedna velika zabava na velikom platnu :lol: ....
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Suspense/Horror
Picking up where the end of the first movie left off, an elite military agent, Alice (Jovovich), finds herself stranded in the ruins of Raccoon City folowing a virus outbreak which has turned the city's inhabitants into bloodthirsty zombies. Searching for a way to contain the virus, Alice also teams up with other survivors, who include Jill Valentine (Guillory), who finds herself being hunted down by a massive monster called Nemesis (Mabius) with ties to Alice, and the tendency to moan 'Starrrrssss' a lot.
Release Date: September 10th, 2004 (wide).
MPAA Rating: R for non-stop violence, language and some nudity
Starring:
Milla Jovovich
Sienna Guillory
Mike Epps
Oded Fehr
Jared Harris
Sandrine Holt
Thomas Kretschmann
Matthew G. Taylor
Zack Ward
Eric Mabius
Director:
Alexander Witt
Producer:
Paul W.S. Anderson
Jeremy Bolt
Samuel Hadida
Bernd Eichinger
Don Carmody
Screenwriter:
Paul W.S. Anderson
A prije The Bourne Supremacy daje se, tamo, trejler za Meet the Fockers; krece za Bozic. Prije bih to gledao nego nastavak za ionako tek osrednji Resident Evil. Taj se ocito talentovani momak polako gubi u jednim te istim projektima i stvarno se nadam da od Alien Vs. Predator nece napraviti standardnu i obligatornu trivijalnu schizoidnost. Ako nije postavio rediteljski metronom na 'Predator 2' dok je snimao ovu fransizu... bojim se da to nimalo nece valjati. U stvari, za taj projekat je bolje nista da ne valja, nego da bude kao svaki njegov drugi film.
pa dobro, sad.. ti si bre mnogo komplikovan :lol: ... ja sve sto ocekujem od ovakvih filmova je dobra zabava.. ono, odes u kino sasvim opusteno i dobijes full fun za nekih $7, nista vise.... sto se mene tice, komercijala ako je dobra i kvalitetna moze da bude sasvim ok
Ja i dalje čekam Posljednjeg jednoroga, fantaziju gdje Kristofer Li glumi zlog čarobnjaka (sounds familiar?). Nadam se da će film (ako ikad bude snimljen) da totalno baci u sjenu Gospodara prstenova i da će to da bude slatka osveta bivšeg Drakule onom debelom bradatom Novozelanđaninu. There!
Daleko bilo da sam komplikovan, Mamba. Tako sam i ja, poput tebe u ovoj situaciji, negdje vidio forspan za The Whole Ten Yards i obradovao se kao Pepeljuga i onda sam, kada sam konacno odgledao film, imao glavobolju citavog iduceg dana, a botulizam sa jos nekim crijevnim komplikacijama cjelokupne tekuce sedmice. A zbilja sam samo mislio da se makar i adekvatno provedem; nisam trazio nista vise od prosjeka. I zatim mi je tek postalo jasno (nakon 7-8 godina kontemplacije i debatabilnih okrsaja sa samim sobom) da Brus Vilis, van akcionog zanra, bukvalno ne vrijedi ni pisljiva boba. S druge strane, nekada nisam mogao spavati nedjeljama iscekujuci svakog dana Predator 2 da zateknem u video-klubu i, zamisli, proveo sam se kao nikada i taj se feeling ni do dana danasnjeg nije promijenio. Samo velim da opcije uvijek treba drzati otvorenim i redovno se spremati za najgore... cisto zbog zdravlja.
mmm.... dobro, de... slazem se u vezi Brus Vilisa, al ono, ocigledno da nekim, ustvari rekla bih mnogim, glumcima stoji samo jedan zanr, najdalje sa naj related pod-zanrovima.... sta znam.. evo, i ja jedva cekam Alien vs Predator.... ahh ti filmovi... prosto nam ne daju da odrastemo
i Exorcist jedva cekam
mislim, ono, shit happens... ali stvarno ne bih volela da me bar ova dva filma razocaraju... al ko sto rekoh, shit happens, i sta cemo mi.. tu.... sad......
eh da... videh reklamu za The Forgotten (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0356618/)... izgleda vrlo zanimljivo pa hmm.... videchemo
Shoot! The Last Unicorn je pomjeren za 2006. :x Što reče moj mlađi brat, izgleda da čekaju da Kristofer Li umre, pa da onda prave film. :(
Za istu godinu je pomjeren i Kung Pow: Tongue of Fury, nastavak kultnog filma Kung Pow: Enter the Fist. Bogme, čini se da će dvije hiljade i šesta godina biti opako dobra, već imamo dva klasika rezervisana za tada.
Ed Harris and William Hurt are in talks to join Viggo Mortensen in A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE for David Cronenberg and New Line. Adapted by Josh Olson from John Wagner and Vince Locke's graphic novel, the project tells the story of an ordinary family's life after the father receives unwanted national attention for a seemingly vigilante-style self-defense killing at his diner.
Keira Knightley will star in Tony Scott's DOMINO, written by Richard Kelly, for New Line and Scott Free Prods. The real-life story centers on Domino Harvey, the daughter of actor Laurence Harvey. Domino ditched a career as a Ford model to become a bounty hunter.
Ewan McGregor is in talks to star in the sci-fi pic THE ISLAND for DreamWorks and director Michael Bay. Originating as a spec script by Caspian Tredwell-Owen, the story follows a "harvested being" who makes a bid to escape the utopian facility where he is being kept. Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are on board as screenwriters
Director Marcus Nispel is working to bring the tale of Germany's Red Army Faction to the screen. Teamed with scribe Tim Schlegel, Nispel will explore the lives of Ulrike Meinhof and Andreas Baader, who led the RAF in the 1970s. The pair were captured in 1972 and later committed suicide.
Wes Craven is set to helm the thriller RED EYE for DreamWorks and Benderspink. The film centers on a woman held captive by a stranger on an airliner who threatens to kill her father unless she helps him arrange the assassination of a wealthy businessman. Carl Ellsworth wrote the script.
Intermedia has optioned THE FROG KING, by Bret Easton Ellis, which the scribe adapted from the Adam Davies novel of the same name. Asif Kapadia is in negotiations to direct. The novel centers on an Ivy League-educated peon slaving away ingloriously at a New York publishing house. The one bright spot in his life is his girlfriend, whom he manages to lose and then has to win back.
Sam Hamm (BATMAN) and Darin Morgan have teamed on an untitled project picked up by DreamWorks. The story concerns a marriage counselor, whose daughter is about to get married, who discovers that his future son-in-law is suffering from the delusion that he's a superhero.
French Bad boy director Gaspar Noe is making waves again. this time with a extremely explicit and x-rated video clip for Placebo's song Protege-Moi.. Noe is also working on the script for his adaptaion for the Georges Bataille's book The Story of the Eye. It also looks like Japanese lunatic takashi Miike will be producing the film. The Global Cafe also has learned that Noe is huge in japan and his work has been adapted to manga.
Scorsese Turns to "Silence"
Posted: Tuesday August 17th, 2004 4:31pm (Au-EST)
Author: Garth Franklin
Source:
IGN Filmforce reports that during a recent magazine interview, "De-Lovely" screenwriter Jay Cocks revealed a new project that he's collaborating on with director Martin Scorsese (they teamed before on "Gangs of New York" and "The Age of Innocence").
Cocks is reportedly "working with Scorsese on a movie called Silence about Jesuit priests in Japan in the 17th century. There's talk that Silence be an adaptation of Shusaku Endo's 1980 novel of the same name. The book "is set in sixteenth century Japan, where Portuguese missionaries must contend with traders from rival European nations and the persecution of Christians by Japanese feudal lords".
If there's one man who knows more about what makes for a good quality vintage of 'seed' than me or Justin Timberlake, it's "Cabin Fever" director Eli Roth it seems. The man knows how to get gory squishy dark fun out of the simplest things like camping, masturbation, etc. Now he turns his sights towards that thing which freaks me and many other people out - yes I'm talking about little children.
Variety reports that Roth (pictured left next to a rather 'Rotten' individual) has sown a deal with Warner Bros. to remake the horror pic "The Bad Seed" which just got a recent release on DVD. Roth is set to direct and Luke Janklow will produce with Strike Entertainment, whose partners Eric Newman and Marc Abraham scored a hit remake with "Dawn of the Dead.
The original, about an 8-year-old girl who seems all sugar and spice until she begins killing people, was one of the first to apply Freudian psychology to the psyche of a kid killer. Roth has gorier plans for the remake:
"The original was a great psychological thriller, and we are going to bastardize and exploit it, ramping up the body counts and killings. This is going to be scary, bloody fun, and we're going to create the next horror icon, a la Freddy, Jason and Chucky. She's this cunning, adorable kid who loves to kill, but also loves 'N Sync."
Cripple`s verdict: THIS KID ROTH CAN TALK THE TALK, BUT CAN HE WALK THE WALK?
Damon joins DiCaprio in Scorsese's "Infernal Affairs" remake
POSTED ON 07/23/04 AT 10:00 A.M.
BY THOMAS CHAU
The Hollywood Reporter reports that Matt Damon will join Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese's "The Departed," a remake of the Hong Kong action film "Infernal Affairs."
The remake, which is being headed up at Warner Bros., revolves around a gangster who infiltrates the police department and a cop infiltrates the gangs at the same time. The two find out that a mole is in each organization and race to find each other's identity.
The U.S. version will take place in Boston and instead of Hong Kong gangs, the gang in this version will be the Mafia. Damon would portray the mob's mole, while DiCaprio plays the undercover cop.
e da... izmedju ostalih, videh reklamu i za Constantine u cinemi....
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0360486/
i ono sto videh mi se mnoooooogo dopalo :!:
8)
Mambo, da kojim slučajem imaš bend, upravo bih demonstrativno izašao iz njega!
eh?
zasto?
Josh Hartnett and Lucy Liu are set to star in Paul McGuigan's LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN, a noir gangster film scripted by Jason SmilovicJason Smilovic. Shooting will start in November. The drama is set in a world where African-American and Jewish gangsters collide. Hartnett plays a man who has to kill the son of a rival crime boss.
Lauren Holly, Angus MacFadyen, Lacey Chabert, Rachel Dratch, Angelo Spizzirri, Jill Bennett, Jason Mewes and Meat Loaf are set to star in indie feature THE PLEASURE DRIVERS. Helmer Andrzej Sekula is directing the project in Los Angeles. Penned by Adam Haynes, the project is a crime thriller with separate yet interconnected stories involving characters including a psychology professor who has lost touch with reality; a young sociopathic call girl; a vicious lesbian hit woman; a recovering crack addict and kidnapper; a junkyard drunk; a brain-damaged former cult guru; and dueling gas station attendants.
Scarlett Johansson is in final talks to star opposite Ewan McGregor in THE ISLAND for director Michael Bay and DreamWorks. A Oct. 25 start is being planned on the Caspian Tredwell-Owen script. It centers on a "harvested being" who suddenly becomes self-aware and tries to escape the utopian facility where he and others are being kept. Johansson will play a woman who is the only one that McGregor's character can trust. She also is pregnant with her "sponsor's" child. Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci also turned in a draft
Elisha Cuthbert has committed to star in and co-produce the indie dramatic thriller DOT for helmer Jamie Babbit. Shooting starts in mid-September. It's about a popular and beautiful girl in a typical middle-class family. She seems to have it all until a supposedly deaf orphan teenager comes to live with her family, sparking events that reveal her family is not at all what it seems to be.
Scott Free Entertainment and 20th Century Fox are remaking the road-trip pic VANISHING POINT, with video/commercials director Samuel Bayer directing and Paul Bernbaum writing the script. The 1971 original revolved around a maverick's bet that he could drive from Denver to San Francisco in just 15 hours in a supercharged 1970 Dodge Challenger.
David Ellis is in talks to direct the action/thriller SHAKERS for Whitelight Entertainment. Penned by Perry Barndt and Jason Rodriguez, the project centers on a small town cop who, while investigating a series of bank robberies, gets thrown into the fast-paced world of drag racing.
Mark Pellington has exited the director's chair for WB's upcoming Harrison Ford THE WRONG ELEMENT due to the death of his wife.
Ashton Holmes ("One Life to Live") will star opposite Viggo Mortensen and Maria Bello in New Line's A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE for director David Cronenberg.
September 2: 28 DAYS LATER star into Craven thriller
Variety reports that Cillian (28 DAYS LATER) Murphy and Rachel (THE NOTEBOOK) McAdams have landed the leads in Wes Craven's airborne thriller RED EYE for DreamWorks. Murphy will play a mysterious man who takes McAdams' character captive on an airplane, threatening to kill her father unless she helps arrange the murder of a prominent businessman. The actor apparently took a red-eye flight of his own to get the part; Craven told the trade that Murphy wanted the role so much, he hopped a plane from Britain to LAX, took a meeting with the director in the terminal and then boarded a late-night flight back home—where he was getting married the next day. Craven also says that he's taking more of a dramatic than outright horror approach to this project, which was scripted by Carl Ellsworth. Filming begins November 8 in Los Angeles, with a spring 2005 release tentatively planned. —Michael Gingold
First Look: RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 4 & 5
By ALAN JONES
"Attention! Entry to exclusion zone without permission of exclusion zone administration is forbidden."
For once, a movie prop sign doesn't lie. Fango is on location in the Ukraine with the crew of RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 4: NECROPOLIS and RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 5: RAVE FROM THE GRAVE, being filmed back-to-back by EIGHT-LEGGED FREAKS director Ellory Elkayem. But it's not just any old atmospheric location. A two-hour drive north from Kiev has brought key production members to the infamous Chernobyl district, the site of the worst nuclear-power disaster in history. On April 25, 1986, Reactor No. 4 was being tested when a huge chain-reaction meltdown created a fireball that blew off its heavy steel-and-concrete lid. Thirty people died immediately, and the resulting high radiation levels meant 135,000 were evacuated within a 20-mile radius. Even today, many of those evacuees suffer from related illnesses, and the former USSR power plant's name has become shorthand for anti-atomic-energy activists.
Yet producer Anatoly Fradis managed to get permission to become the first American production ever to film inside all three Chernobyl exclusion zones. The July 19-20, 2004 shoot dates occurred during a hiatus from the main body of filming in Bucharest, Romania, currently becoming Europe's Horror Central given all the genre pictures being made in the low-cost country. While the cast, including Peter (E.T.) Coyote, Aimee-Lynn (A CINDERELLA STORY) Chadwick, Cory (NEVER BEEN KISSED) Hardrict, Jana (ALL MY CHILDREN) Kramer and John (PROOF) Keefe, took a well-deserved rest from their punishing nighttime schedule, Fradis, Elkayem and special makeup FX supervisor John Vulich headed to Chernobyl to film the NECROPOLIS scene-setter.
"We have completed 75 percent of NECROPOLIS and 25 percent of RAVE FROM THE GRAVE," says Fradis, patiently waiting for the group's permits to be authorized outside the first heavily guarded exclusion zone, where everyone will ultimately exit through radiation scanners. In fact, the permits were very nearly refused three days prior; the Russian and Ukrainian press had gotten wind of the films, and the titles had caused universal negative reaction. "I understand the sensitivity that still exists regarding the disaster," Fradis quickly points out. The producer of numerous Roger Corman cable movies and RED SHOE DIARIES episodes continues, "It's not our intention to be offensive and invade the privacy or insult the memory of those who died. But we are making two horror fantasies that have nothing to do with reality. And we are not filming where any deaths actually occurred."
In a very complicated "nightmare legal minefield, pain-in-the-butt" deal, Fradis secured the RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD franchise rights from original producer Tom Fox. Vulich, whose credits include the first few seasons of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, picks up the story: "William Butler and Aaron Strongoni had written two spec scripts with permission from Fox. Butler and I have been friends since childhood, and he asked me to brainstorm special effects based on my work in George Romero's DAY OF THE DEAD and Tom Savini's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD remake. I came up with forensically realistic extensions of those zombie looks with the addition of grafted-on weapons and chainsaws for an über-zombie, TERMINATOR-like unstoppable mutant quality, because NECROPOLIS is all about military tests on the undead for warfare use. Butler had directed MADHOUSE in Bucharest last year, and that's why we based these productions there too."
NECROPOLIS features Coyote as shady science entrepreneur Charles Garrison, using a radioactive trioxin compound in covert experiments to turn the recently deceased into killing machines. RAVE FROM THE GRAVE has Garrison's nephew finding two secreted barrels of the chemical and manufacturing from it an Ecstasy-type drug that turns Halloween partygoers into crazed ghouls. Vulich continues, "The undead look in RAVE is more pumped-up with hyper veins, because the party animals are only a few hours dead. If NECROPOLIS is ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK with zombies and lit like SEVEN, RAVE's look is pure hallucinogenic drug delirium."
It's for the NECROPOLIS opening, where Garrison buys the radioactive material from the Russian mob in Chernobyl, that director Elkayem takes his position behind a car-mounted camera to film the journey into the desolate interior. Once a china plate had been broken on the camera tripod, and pieces given to each of the witnesses (a Ukrainian film-industry custom to ensure good luck), and with strict instructions not to touch anything organic—especially moss—Elkayem switched on his Geiger counter to ensure safe radiation levels in each location, and the shoot began. All the fascinating, amazing and sobering sights are being captured on film to kick off the gory duo, which are slated for release six months apart KILL BILL-style in 2005, "probably by Warner Bros., who have first refusal," according to Fradis, and who will issue RETURN PART II on DVD October 5.
The trip inside Chernobyl first leads past endless fields of rusting helicopters, trucks, tanks and cars left behind in the mad evacuation scramble. Then it's on to Reactor No. 4 itself for shots of the "sarcophagus" (the name given the temporary roofing built by robots to seal the damage). Next up are establishing shots of the imposing Chernobyl road sign, complete with gold nuclear symbol. Finally, and most eerily of all, is the deserted city of Pripyat, where huge tower blocks, shops, theaters and a theme park remain just as they were on that fateful day—except overgrown and silent.
"Incredible, isn't it?" remarks a clearly overwhelmed Elkayem. "I thought it was crazy at first, but here we are. Once I had researched short-term proximity to radiation not being too dangerous, I thought the Chernobyl idea was a great way to start a horror movie. It would definitely be the best place to hide a highly toxic substance where no one would ever think of looking. It's been a hellish shoot, and the only way I can describe filming two zombie movies back to back is that it has been a real challenge. I have kept the films separate in my head, because one is a gory rescue movie while the other is a weird party. Both contain humor, because I want them to echo the concept of Dan O'Bannon's 1985 original. And I'm really going for the blood and guts, because that's what will make the humor even scarier!"
Amenabar ima novi film.
RADOST!
Film je već gotov.
SREĆA!
Neko u Španiji ga je već video, i kaže da film grabi za srce i dušu (not in so many words: detalje videti OVDE: http://www.aintitcoolnews.com/display.cgi?id=18287)
HISTERIJA!
''Istinita priča o borbi jednog čoveka za njegovo zakonsko pravo da umre, Španca Alehandra Amenabara (,,Otvori oči"), film je o kome se do sada najviše govori po kuloarima Venecijanskog filmskog festivala. Amenabarov film ,,Unutrašnje more" priča je o kvadriplegičaru Ramonu Sampedru koji je, nakon jedne nesreće na moru, od 25. godine prikovan za krevet i koji se 30 godina bezuspešno borio za pravo na eutanaziju.
Kada je konačno izgubio parnicu, izvršio je samoubistvo, prethodno objavivši ,,Pisma iz pakla" (1996) po kojima je film i nastao. Iako je reč o snažnom filmu preplavljenom teškim emocijama, reditelj je uspeo da napravi pozitivnu priču o bolesti i smrti. Mladi Amenabar i njegova glumačka ekipa izazvali su duge ovacije na konferenciji za štampu i svoj film tako lansirali u sam vrh favorita za glavnu nagradu festivala. ,,Nema te nagrade ni statue koja može da se poredi sa ovim", kazao je glavni glumac Havijer Bardem, dodavši da svi junaci pozitivno razmišljaju o smrti, ,,koja jeste neizbežno traumatična ali i sastavni deo životnog procesa". ''
...text iz jucerasnjeg Blica.
Quote from: "Black Mamba"eh da... videh reklamu za The Forgotten (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0356618/)... izgleda vrlo zanimljivo pa hmm.... videchemo
ajd da ne otvaram novi topik, samo da kazem da sam total and utter prijatno iznenadjena... ustvari, da nije X Files, mozda bih se usudila da kazem da je ovo jebeno remek delo, bar sto se mog ukusa/ocekivanja za sf/thrillere tice, ali posto prilicno podseca na X Files, onda samo ostaje kao jedan od najboljih filmova koje sam pogledala u poslednje vreme
i da ne trolam, uskoro film Olivera Stone-a o Aleksandru Velikom
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0346491/
http://alexanderthemovie.warnerbros.com/
Ukoliko produkcija počne onda nesumnjivo OVO! (http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,15068,00.html)
JA IMAM MOC!
Eutanazija = fuj.
EDIT: Već vidim sebe kako ne gledam taj film.
Fans of the RE-ANIMATOR franchise may be jumping for joy if George Bush wins this year's presidential election. Please, let me explain. Director of the original, Stuart Gordon is looking to bring back Dr. Herbert West if all goes to plan. Here's what he has to say, "One idea I am kicking around is "House of Re-animator". It is a political satire that should certain people be back in office, then I would do it. I hope I do not have to go ahead with it, but if I do, it would be about VP Cheney passing from a heart attack and since he basically runs everything, Dr. West is called in to bring him back. I would only go on with this in the event of re-election as otherwise it would be old news."
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ovo Jim Carrey i ja plasimo decu :lol:
Hej, Mamba, kakav je film? jesi li gledala Finding Neverland, mislim da bi te zanimao posto igraju Johnny Depp i Kate Vinslet za koje si rekla da ih volis.
mislis Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events? krece tek od 17og
Finding Neverland sam pogledala odmah, naravno :lol: i premda obozavam Deppa i Petra Pana :lol: mislim da je ovo jedan od slabijih Deppovih filmova... however, meni se dopao, bajkolik je i romantican.. ali kontam da ce mnogima biti tezak smor
jel sam rekla vec... ako nisam, evo.. ako jesam, evo jos jednom :lol: ....
Constantine (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0360486/)
:!:
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8)
xjap
Da li neko zna kada ce se vec jednom pojaviti Worst case scenario?
da bi se Worst case scenario pojavio, prvo treba da POČNE SNIMANJE.
onda ga treba završiti.
pa odraditi postprodukciju.
pa proći kroz traženje distributera, i prva prikazivanja na festivalima.
pa da izađe na dvdu.
pa da neko napravi divx i prosledi ga ka ovim krajevima.
ukratko, don't hold your breath.
ono što su neki možda optimistički shvatili kao TREJLER zapravo je PROMO REEL napravljen da se privuku producenti koji bi uložili pare u EVENTUALNO snimanje EVENTUALNOG filma...
E bi ga! bas sam poverovao u taj trejler :x .ima da zavrse kad ostarimo. :P
Ček, ček...Meni rekoše (oni, naravno) da je to promo film, ali da je uspeo i da je Juzna dao pare i da je snimanje počelo. Šta je istina?
istina je ova:
lagali su te.
ako odeš na http://www.filmaxinternational.com/search/sello1.htm videćeš da film nije niti in production NITI IN DEVELOPMENT.
ako se juzni to dopalo, i ako je rešio da da neke pare, to još nije ušlo u mašinu, i očito je i početak snimanja daleko, a kamoli...
najnovija vest koja se nalazi na sajtu worst case-a (http://www.gorehoundinc.com/index2.html) je stara 2 meseca, i glasi:
Tuesday November 2, 2004 Last week screenwriter Miguel Tejada-Flores visited Holland to give the screenplay for WORST CASE SCENARIO a final polish. Director Richard Raaphorst, writer/producer Bart Oosterhoorn and MTF have been working together for the past three months, but this was the first time they got together. Target was to get the story ready in time for the American Film Market that will start tomorrow. We're happy to say the collaboration was a success and the finished scenario has been delivered to our American producers Jack F. Murphy and Lars Bjorck who are very pleased with the result.
If everything goes according to plan financing will be rounded off during or shortly after the AFM. This would mean actual preproduction for the movie can start in November/December. Scheduling, casting, production- and effects-design will take three months and lead up to a Spring shoot.
During Miguel's visit we've found time for a few excursions. We've made a long trek on one of the islands on the Dutch Flats and later visited a huge WWII bunker complex. Both might turn up as actual locations in the movie, but in any case showed our American writer some typical Dutch landscapes.
So the long wait is almost over. Of course we're not there YET and in the movie business you're only sure your film is being made when the camera is actually running. But we and 'our Americans' are pretty confident. Stay tuned and become a Gorehound's Guerilla: you'll be the very first to know when WORST CASE SCENARIO gets green-lit.
Rusi su poludeli! :D
Ja priznajem da mi se "Nochnoy Dozor" nije nesto svideo, a ovaj film je ponovo adaptacija romana istog autora (Sergei Lukyanenko), ali... ALI, uz gomilu (meni) nepoznatih Rusa, u kast su ukljuceni i: Bruce Campbell, Jake Busey & Gary Busey!
Muziku radi Kraftwerk! :!:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417879/
wow!
nocni dozor je katastrofa koje bacanja para..
Sad skoro sam saznao da stize uskoro "open water" i "blade 3" u nase bioskope i to za koji dan,sva sreca sto ga nisam odgledao na piratu :!:
Nova godina nam donosi dobre filmove u bioskope zar ne!:wink:
Empire reports David Fincher in considering the serial killer thriller Zodiac for his next project. Fincher's film will be based on the hunt for the real-life psycho, The Zodiac Killer, who terrorised the San Francisco area over a period of twelve years (1966-1978) by recording at least 37 kills.
The Warner Bros/Paramount co-production will focus on the obsessive efforts of three people to bring Zodiac to justice, and the havoc it wreaked in their private lives. Fincher is currently in talks to direct the project, so very little is known about whether the film will focus on Zodiac, as well as the cops chasing him.
Jamie Vanderbilt is currently working on the script, based on two books, Robert Graysmith's Zodiac and its 2000 sequel, Zodiac Unmasked: The Identity of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer Revealed.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367594/) :!:
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Ekipa oko filma Ice Age, snimila je Robots. U pitanju je prolece ove godine, a u holu Doma Sindikata vec postoje reklame za film.
Even in a world populated entirely by mechanical beings Rodney Copperbottom (McGregor) is considered a genius inventor. Rodney dreams of two things, making the world a better place and meeting his idol, the master inventor Bigweld (Mel Brooks). On his journey he encounters Cappy (Halle Berry), a beautiful executive `bot with whom Rodney is instantly smitten, the nefarious corporate tyrant Ratchet (Kinnear) who locks horns with Rodney, and a group of misfit `bots known as the Rusties, led by Fender (Robin Williams) and Piper Pinwheeler (Bynes).
Quote from: "Black Mamba"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367594/) :!:
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(Homer voice) ummmm... Charlie :!:
AUTOSTOPERSKI
VODIC
KROZ
GALAKSIJU
:) :) :)
Ocekujem neko hardcore tres ostvarenje...
:wink:
Looks like Paul Schrader's version of EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING has it's first official theatrical screening set. The world premiere, just in case you sprekenzie Deutsch and have free time and cash, will be in Berlin at the Brussels International Festival of Fantastic Film on March 18.
Presuming that Schrader's take doesn't get critically mauled, this should then lead into a limited theatrical release. Time for the two vastly different approaches to the tale (from what we've heard at least) to go mano a mano and see which comes out victorious. I for one can't wait to get the early word on whether this version kicks ass, or if it's been a big long hopeful wait for nothing.
Y'know, it occurs to me that genre fans are often called cynical, but I can't think of any other group more willing to put faith in scant evidence when a project peaks their interest. Cynical my butt...we're just bloody optimists.
Par novosti i jedna impresija/prognoza:
Val Kilmer je vec poodavno zavrsio snimanje noira Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang pod rediteljskim mastermajndom Sejna Bleka cije ime nismo imali prilike da procitamo na nekom skriptu jos od '96 i The Long Kiss Goodnight. Sejn je polovicno zasnovao skript na romanu Bodies Are Where You Find Them Breta Halideja, covjeka koji je izmislio famoznog detektiva Majka Sejna. U pitanju je R-rated akciona komedija u kojoj igra i Robert Dauni, Jr, a impresije prvih gledalaca i vise su nego pozitivne.
* * *
Inace, gore spomenuti glumac - Kilmer - vec se odavno nalazi u posvecenickom poslu produkcije skripta Endrjua Dominika The Killer Inside Me po romanu Dzima Tompsona.
Prvo je uloga manijakalnog serifa Lu Forda ponudjena Tomu Kruzu (vjerovatno u dobu dok je radio izvrsni Collateral) a on je ponudu odbio posto su mu obje role mozda ucinile slicnim. Zatim je ta uloga neko vrijeme visila iznad glave Sonu Penu koji je nedavno rekao da ipak nece igrati Lu Forda u The Killer Inside Me. Tako da ispada da ce Kilmer najposlije morati da se prihvati doticnog lika, a mozda prigrabi cak i rediteljsku palicu. Negdje sam procitao da Kilmer trenutno prekraja Dominikovu adaptaciju Tompsonove knjige.
U isto doba, Dominik, poznat po bizarnom filmu Chopper koji je lansirao Erika Banu, radi adaptaciju i za jos jedan Tompsonov roman, POP.1280. (U poslovicnom filmu po toj knjizi uvijek sam u liku Nika Korija - jos jednog manijakalnog serifa - na umu imao Tomija Li Dzonsa, bez obzira na njegove godine; Tomi je tipicni Teksasanin a ima nesto suludo sto pociva u onom izrezbarenom licu. Rado bih istoga glumca gledao i u ulozi Lua Forda, mada i Kilmer moze da prodje. Samo da se u medjuvremenu kasting ne promijeni.)
Za kraj vrijedi navesti da Endrju Dominik navodno treba da rezira adaptaciju veoma dopadljivog romana Alfreda Bestera The Demolished Man (objavljenog i kod nas u onoj malecnoj novosadskoj ediciji Supernova, krajem 80-ih), po svome scenariju. AKo je tako onda je interesantan tip, taj Dominik.
* * *
Jos jedan noir je spremio Harold Ramis, Ice Harvest. Najmanje je u pitanju komedija, osim ako scenaristi eksplicitno nisu nisanili bas taj zanr. Izgleda da ce se pojaviti u americkim kinima u vrijeme oko Bozica.
Kasting je besprijekoran. Kjuzak, Tornton, Koni Nilsen... just to mention a few.
Imao sam prilike procitati knjigu po kojoj su Ricard Ruso i Robert Benton napisali istoimeni scenario; autor je Skot Filips, nova nada neo-noira sa nevidjenim spiskom zasluga i nagradica za djelo u pitanju, a medju njima i New York Times Notable Book. Evo sada moje ocjene: Nista narocito; autor ne posjeduje nikakav catchy stil, nista sto bi kompleksnijeg citaoca uvuklo u njegovo slovo; tehnicki, ne postoji ni neki idilican zaplet; plot je savrseno jednostavan i ima prilicno lame-assed svrsetak na koji se svi koji su citali Filipsa ocigledno pale (can you say Employee of the Month?). Tipicni neo-noir sa tek pola mozga; prilicno jednolicno.
Roman se svejedno moze nazvati period piece-om obzirom da se dogadja u Kanzasu, Christmastime 1979, iako je jedini razlog - koliko sam mogao da primijetim - zbog cega taj tekst naprosto mora da ima svoju pozornicu u to doba, te godine, jeste zarad jedne velike prednosti: nedostatka mobilnih telefona... inace bi u suprotnom glavni junak sve svoje poslove mogao da zavrsi za volanom vlastitog automobila.
Kako god, ne moze se reci da ce se izgubiti dragocjeno vrijeme listajuci Filipsa; lagan je kao perce i cita se veoma brzo. Iako sam na netu vidio nevjerovatne panegirike (jedan je dopro i od vec pomenutog Ricarda Rusoa, priznatog americkog autora i dobitnika Pulicera za roman EMPIRE FALLS), prilicno sam se razocarao kada se najposlije nisam ni smijao koliko je, valjda, trebalo. So-so, kao sto se kaze.
Fora svega ovoga prethodno napisanog jeste u tome sto taj osrednji romancic ima odlicne temelje na koje moze da se postavi veoma interesantan film. Medjutim, tim Ruso/Benton koji su radili onaj iscrpljujuce monotoni krimic sa Njumenom i Hekmenom odmah poslije Nobody's Fool, zaboravio-sam-mu-ime, ne ulivaju mi neko golemo povjerenje bez obzira sto i poluobrazovani skriptas moze da obavi solidan posao od te knjigice. Uglavnom treba ocekivati dobru zabavu od Ramisa (koji je isto tako, slozicete se, odlican dramaturg), mnogo svijetliju od Identity, Red Rock West i A Simple Plan, ali i u skladu sa razumom ako bi se uporedjivao sa U-Turn, a tada mislim na malo nedolicnu Stounovu kameru u tome filmu obzirom da je trebalo da se radi o i te kako pristojnom noiru.
Evo sta ja jedva cekam da mi padne saka! :!:
Vise od pola epizoda je ekranizovano.
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Dylan Dog Develops
Platinum Studios announced that it will produce the computer-animated thriller film Dylan Dog: The Fourth Kingdom with Relativity Management, based on the Italian comic-book series Dylan Dog. The film is scheduled to start production in March 2005 at The Shop in Vancouver, B.C., Platinum said.
Dylan Dog: The Fourth Kingdom tells the story of Dylan Dog, an investigator of nightmares, who must stop a supernatural serial killer intent on becoming a new deity and ruler of "The Fourth Kingdom," a new afterlife. Ian Pearson, co-founder of The Shop, will direct, based on a script he co-wrote with longtime creative partner Gavin Blair.
The original comic was created by Tiziano Sclavi and has sold more than 80 million copies worldwide since its debut in 1985.
Dildog zauvek!
Vest nije bas najsvezija (Mark made me write that!), ali svakako zavredjuje paznju!
Interesantno da se radi o animaciji... Ako nista bar ce gl. glumac da lici na Sklavijevu tvorevinu (nazalost, Rupert je kompromitivan i prestar da bi ga angazovali)...
Dildog zauvek!
Vest nije bas najsvezija (Mark made me write that!), ali svakako zavredjuje paznju!
Interesantno da se radi o animaciji... Ako nista bar ce gl. glumac da lici na Sklavijevu tvorevinu (nazalost, Rupert je kompromitivan i prestar da bi ga angazovali)...
Quote from: "dr Kunac"Dildog zauvek!
Vest nije bas najsvezija (Mark made me write that!), ali svakako zavredjuje paznju!
Interesantno da se radi o animaciji... Ako nista bar ce gl. glumac da lici na Sklavijevu tvorevinu (nazalost, Rupert je kompromitivan i prestar da bi ga angazovali)...
Dilen RULES!
Rupert je jedini Dilan Dog, i ako je kompromitovan Madoninim filmovima - ja bih ga ipak angazovao...
Nije On bas toliko star! Gejevi ne stare tako brzo :) :) :)
A KO CE GLUMITI GRUCA MARKSA?!?!?!
Apsolutno mi NIKO ne pada na pamet!
Ja cekam nestrpljiv ...
:)
ja bih radije IGRANI film, sa Rupertom, (makar morali da ga CGI malkice podmlade/ fejsliftuju).
u tom slučaju, Gruča bi mogao da igra, recimo, Džefri Raš (mada jeste malkice previsok, otherwise – što da ne? kad je skinuo Sellersa, verujem da bi mogao Gruča).
avaj, Mark, da si pažljivo čito ovu bajatu vest, video bi da se radi CGI ANIMIRANA varijanta, u kojoj Gruča igraju 11111 & 00000...
Hmmmmm... Samo snimanje filma je sjajna vijest, ali ostalo... Sklavi ne učestvuje u pisanju scenarija, a i prokleta kompjuterska animacija mi ide na živce i mislim da nimalo ne pristaje ovakvom tipu filma. Mislim da bi sjajno bilo da ga urade staromodnim ručnim crtanjem svakog frejma, kako su i nastali najbolji animirani filmovi.
Quote from: "Morticia"Evo sta ja jedva cekam da mi padne saka! :!:
Vise od pola epizoda je ekranizovano.
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Ako je to-to sto mislim onda ga imamo Magic i ja(jos nisam bacio pogled jer mi je uzet DVD iz ruku cim sam ga dobio), a sve zahvaljujuci Rommelu. :)
Jeste, jeste. To je TO!
Baš jurim Magica. xphone
Quote from: "Morticia"Jeste, jeste. To je TO!
Baš jurim Magica. xphone
Hahahahha, samo se ne mogu setiti da li ima makar engleskih titlova.
Quote from: "Pajke"Quote from: "Morticia"Evo sta ja jedva cekam da mi padne saka! :!:
Vise od pola epizoda je ekranizovano.
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.locafilm.fr%2Fimages%2Fjackettes%2Fv7%2Fcortomer.jpg&hash=48778453ad6161f0fb223aab93681032a255654a)
Ako je to-to sto mislim onda ga imamo Magic i ja(jos nisam bacio pogled jer mi je uzet DVD iz ruku cim sam ga dobio), a sve zahvaljujuci Rommelu. :)
Pa sad ide DVD za nesto u vezi Maltezea uz neki casopis...
PS
Izvinite na neodredjenosti :)
Quote from: "Pajke"Quote from: "Morticia"Jeste, jeste. To je TO!
Baš jurim Magica. xphone
Hahahahha, samo se ne mogu setiti da li ima makar engleskih titlova.
Makar engleski titlovi mislim da mi neće biti potrebni. Koliko sam videla to je RAI produkcija. Ja poznajem italijanski. Magic će morati da gleda filmove listajući strip. Valjda će dovoljno brzo okretati strane. :wink: :lol:
Quote from: "sgt. Mark E. Smith"Pa sad ide DVD za nesto u vezi Maltezea uz neki casopis...
PS Izvinite na neodredjenosti :)
E jesi neodređen! :lol: Čak si toliko neodređen da si me podsetio na Rendalovu priču o čudnim mušterijama video-kluba...
ja bih uzeo onaj novi film sa onim glumcem što je igrao u onom hit filmu iz prošle godine, ma, znate ga, onaj film sa onom glumicom... Ko je Rendal? Danteov najbolji prijatelj.
I, Mark, zar bih pisala o iščekivanju nečega što mi je dostupno već... kol'ko beše? Dve godine? I ovih par dana na DVDu?
Ne, ovde se radi o italijanskoj animiranoj produkciji preostalih avantura Corta Maltesea. Nekoliko je dugometražno, kao film čiji plakat stoji iznad - Balada o slanom moru, a nekoliko je po pola sata, kao npr. epizode iz Kelta i Karipske svite. :!:
During his visit to Argentina's Mar del Plata Film Festival, where his current movie VITAL was screened, cult director Shinya Tsukamoto confirmed he's planning to shoot a second sequel to his 1989 classic TETSUO: THE IRON MAN. "I´m interested in directing a new TETSUO film," Tsukamoto tells Fango. "And this time I might have American co-producers. It´ll be a throwback to my first films, and you can expect to see a flying Tetsuo."
While VITAL (coming to U.S. art houses in June from Tartan Films), which centers on a medical student who finds his deceased girlfriend on his operating table, is closer to a horror melodrama than anything else he has done, TETSUO 3 will be fast and furious, just like his debut effort. "I think I got old, because my films became less violent and extreme," Tsukamoto says. "But that´s because I got a little tired of being classified as cyberpunk... People used to point me out and say, 'Shinya Tsukamoto... Oh, yeah, the cyberpunk director.' I wanted that to stop. However, I'm doing another sequel, so the curse will begin again!"
As for the new movie's story, Tsukamoto has only one thing to say: "Well, I´m not even sure what it´ll be about yet, but I can tell you this time the main theme will be war."
ne pamtim da sam negde video naslove koji će činiti serijal MATERS OF HORROR (13 jednočasovnih horor filmova), pa zato, evo:
John Landis will direct DEER WOMAN, Dario Argento's doing JENIFER, Don Coscarelli is takin' on INCIDENT ON AND OFF A MOUNTAIN ROAD, Mick Garris is helming CHOCOLATE, Stuart Gordon's directing DREAMS IN THE WITCH HOUSE (LOVECRAFT AGAIN! WAY TO GO! :!: ), and John Carpenter is delivering us some CIGARETTE BURNS...
dobra imaena, intrigantni naslovi, sounds promising...
Quote from: "Ghoul"... Stuart Gordon's directing DREAMS IN THE WITCH HOUSE
Ovu ekranizaciju čekam čitavog života!!!! :? :evil: :lol: :twisted: :!:
Samo da Gordon ne uprska fenomenalnu priču...i brrrr... jezu...
Fantasy MirrorMask.
Režija Dave McKean, po priči Neila Gaimana. Trejler je više nego interesantan. Film je uradila produkcijska kuća Jima Hensona i ideja je da film bude neka vrsta nastavka Hensenovog Lavirinta iz 1986. sa Jenifer Conelly i Davidom Bowiem.
McKean ima svoj strip Cages, zajedno je radio sa Gaimanom na Sandmanu, kao i ilustracije za Gaimenovu priču Dan kada sam trampio tatu za dve zlatne ribice.
MirrorMask is the story of Helena, a fifteen-year-old girl working for her family circus, who wishes-quite ironically-that she could run away from the circus and join real life. But such is not to be the case, as she finds herself on a strange journey into the Dark Lands, a fantastic landscape filled with giants, Monkeybirds and dangerous sphinxes. Helena searches for the Mirrormask, an object of enormous power that is her only hope of escaping the Dark Lands, waking the Queen of Light and returning home..
Koralina je još u postprodukciji. Jedva čekam da vidim njenu kosu i dva dugmeta umesto očiju. :twisted:
Koralinu režira Henry Selick, radio je sa Timom Burtonom The Nightmare before Christmas.
:D
Quote from: "Morticia"Fantasy MirrorMask.
Režija Dave McKean, po priči Neila Gaimana. Trejler je više nego interesantan. Film je uradila produkcijska kuća Jima Hensona i ideja je da film bude neka vrsta nastavka Hensenovog Lavirinta iz 1986. sa Jenifer Conelly i Davidom Bowiem.
McKean ima svoj strip Cages, zajedno je radio sa Gaimanom na Sandmanu, kao i ilustracije za Gaimenovu priču Dan kada sam trampio tatu za dve zlatne ribice.
MirrorMask is the story of Helena, a fifteen-year-old girl working for her family circus, who wishes-quite ironically-that she could run away from the circus and join real life. But such is not to be the case, as she finds herself on a strange journey into the Dark Lands, a fantastic landscape filled with giants, Monkeybirds and dangerous sphinxes. Helena searches for the Mirrormask, an object of enormous power that is her only hope of escaping the Dark Lands, waking the Queen of Light and returning home..
Koralina je još u postprodukciji. Jedva čekam da vidim njenu kosu i dva dugmeta umesto očiju. :twisted:
Koralinu režira Henry Selick, radio je sa Timom Burtonom The Nightmare before Christmas.
:D
e, ovo i ja jedva cekam :!:
Uuuu... e, ovo jedva cekam! Novi film od autora filma DOG SOLDIERS Nila Marshala, po imenu THE DESCENT: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435625/
plot: An all-female caving expedition goes horribly wrong.
:lol: :evil: :lol:
Tu je jos jedan horor slicne tematike, ali iz USA produkcije, THE CAVE: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0402901/
Ovaj ce doci i kod nas u bioskope, zaplet mu zvuci slicno, poster (visi u takvudu) je opak, ali, avaj, tu je i PG-13 rejting, tako da dobijam flasheve na DARKNESS FALLS... :roll:
(btw niti jedan od gore pomenutih filmova NIJE adaptacija romana THE DESCENT Dzefa Longa koji jos uvek ceka na ekranizaciju. Je l citao to neko?)
:?:
Din Kunc, Den Braun i njima slicni na stranu, u pitanju je jedan od najgorih romana koje sam imao prilike da procitam, polupismen, naivan, politicki korektan i sve sto ide uz to ukljucujuci i fascinantno jalovu suspenziju nevjerice. Jedan od rijetkih koje cak nisam ni mogao da zavrsim. Sirlijevi Demoni pokraj njega se citaju kao najuzbudljivija prica o nekoj intrigantnoj konspiraciji. Stiven Dzons ga je, pak, u onom uobicajenom uvodu za neki Best New Horror nazvao ambicioznim. Yep.
Ne mogu se sjetiti detalja, ali znam da prvih stotinjak strana (od skoro 600) tvori tzv. uvod - a svaka pricica je kao pocetak Dzejmsa Bonda: treba da te uvuce u nekakvo bajkovito cudo kako ispod zemljine kore zive neke pseudo-humanoidne civilizacije i mi nalazimo njihove tragove i whatnot. Mozda je to donekle bilo i zanimljivo, na jedan palpican, infantilan nacin. A potom imamo savrseno labavi cut na Tri Godine Kasnije i poglavlje u kome je - putem onih Ladlamovski-monotonih kilometarskih dijaloga - pojasnjeno sta se sve izdesavalo za te tri godine i... tu sam otprilike prestao citati.
Naredni komad romana dogadja se, hm, Osam Godina Docnije i... mogu misliti sta se sve tu izdesavalo; demoni su naselili zemlju i tome slicno. Hocu reci, kome se dopao Da Vincijev Kod ili Bojno Polje: Zemlja postoji mogucnost i da mu se ovo dopadne. Ja nisam citao do kraja, bez obzira na visok nivo tolerancije prema literarnoj iritaciji. Sta god bilo, ako ikada i naprave film po ovom romanu, to ce biti jedna izandjala, dosadna truba.
Film koji cekam citav svoj zivot - "Transformers" - ce da padne u ruke najvecem netalentovanom retardu ever - Majkl Beju!!! :cry: :x :( Zasto, boze?! ZASTO?!?!?! :cry: :cry: :x :x :P :? :P :x :x :cry: :cry:
'esi blesav bre, pa M.Bay je režirao "Bad Boys II", najbolju akciju vidjenu u poslednjih nekoliko godina.... I ja sam ga prezirao, dok nisam odgledao BBII.
Incubuse, vidi se da si povukao na Crippla...
BAD BOYS 2 je jedan od kljucnih filmova decenije...
Bay je najidealniji covek za taj posao, posle eventualno Boba Zemeckisa. On je mentalno najblizi onome sto je najuzbudljivije u toj mitologiji. I on ce to sjajno uraditi jer ume & voli da bez ironije snima potpuno preposterous spektakle.
Sa filmom BAD BOYS 2 se uzdigao na nivo autora, i verujem da ce TRANSFORMERS biti pravi `magnum opus` koji je potreban za autora tog profila. Naime, TRANSFORMERS je za Baya kao ZLOCIN I KAZNA za Kusturicu.
Dostigavsi vrhunac sposobnosti da konstituise uverljiv stilizovani svet, Bayu bas treba da takav neobican zadatak da se sasvim ustolici.
Bay je pravo resenje!
A da nama ne bude još jedan Kusturičin film zločin i kazna... :cry:
ko je gledao BAD BOYS 2 nema potrebe za takvim poigravanjem recima...
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ZODIAC KILLER casting news:
Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey have signed onto David Fincher's long-gestating thriller ZODIAC, with Mark Ruffalo in talks, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Gyllenhaal will play Robert Graysmith, the journalist and author of the two books, "Zodiac" and "Zodiac Unmasked," upon which the film is based. Downey will play fellow reporter Paul Avery, and Ruffalo would play the San Francisco homicide inspector in charge of the case. The books revolve around the real-life tale of a serial killer known as the Zodiac Killer, who terrorized San Francisco for 25 years. Graysmith and Avery worked at the San Francisco Chronicle, which the killer used as a conduit to communicate with authorities.
THE BLACK DAHLIA casting news:
Aaron Eckhart is set to star in Millennium Films adaptation of James Ellroy's 1940s-set novel, THE BLACK DAHLIA, says the Hollywood Reporter. The movie, helmed by Brian De Palma, is about two LAPD cops who investigate the real-life case of the murder of fledgling actress Elizabeth Short. Eckhart will play one of the officers. Josh Hartnett portrays the other cop. Hilary Swank and Scarlett Johansson also have been cast. Shooting takes place next month (april) in Bulgaria.
Snuff
Mike Goodridge in Los Angeles 22 April 2005
Dir: Bernard Rose. 2005. UK/Romania. 93 mins.
After ivansxtc proved such a cult favourite in certain territories, British director Bernard Rose now delivers in Snuff a deliciously Machievellian horror movie which has cult hit written all over it. Strictly for adults of a robust constitution, as opposed to the sanitized PG-13 horror movies which are so marketable in wide release these days, Snuff ramps up the gore, nudity and shock factor within the context of myriad narrative puzzles. Often genuinely scary, sometimes laughably absurd, the picture is destined to be a favourite of horror fans and midnight movie aficionados, while amusing critics and buffs with non-stop film references.
Snuff marks an opportunity for international distributors to buy into a smart genre title with theatrical potential and high DVD value. It nevertheless contains some no-holds-barred imagery which some will take more seriously than others (or than they should), so buyers should expect prohibitive ratings and a limited free-TV life across the world.
Production values are high. Although almost all set in the ritzy North London neighbourhood of Highgate, it was shot entirely in Romania and the results are impressive. The $6m film feels like it's set in London, but could never have been made so cost-effectively had it been filmed there.
At the heart of the multi-layered drama is a gleeful performance by Dutch star Jeroen Krabbe, playing a film director called Boris Arkadin (note the Orson Welles reference right off the bat) with the oily charm and menace of Vincent Price at his most demented.
The film opens in London, 1888, with the arrival of a doctor at the mansion of Mr Maezel (played by Krabbe). Maezel explains that his wife has died in childbirth but the baby is still alive and he wants the doctor to cut her open and rescue the infant. But, once the operation has been completed, the audience realizes that she was never dead.
The Hammer-esque sequence, we soon discover, is a clip from a film by the legendary horror director Arkadin being projected in his London house, the same mansion as we saw in the film. It is 1975 and all his friends are there for the screening and party, as well as his pregnant wife Mary (Lisa Enos). A man is shooting the party on a Super 8 camera. But after Arkadin has been called away on an emergency to go to the film laboratory, a group of crazed girls and one man (a la Manson) break into the party and kill all in sight including Mary.
Next up is a documentary being shown on television in present day London. A budding actress Wendy (Enos again) and her boyfriend Andy (Mackenzie) are making love watching the film while the film's director Nick Broomfield (yes, the same) is explaining how Arkadin withdrew into a life of seclusion following the murders with his son who was born by Ceasarian section after his wife's death.
But Boris is planning to go back behind the camera to make a film recreating the events on the night of the murders, and he wants Wendy to play Mary. She and three other actors a busty Californinan blonde (Harrison), a leading man (Sharif) and a nerdy guy (Regan) are asked to spend a couple of days in extended rehearsal with Arkadin in his mansion the same one we have seen before.
Arkadin has wired the house with multiple cameras and starts shooting the movie immediately, forcing the actors to play their roles and setting in motion a series of horrifying events for them to cope with. Andy meanwhile stumbles upon a website which is webcasting the evening for entertainment, and calls the police in.
Armed with a surprise finish, Rose manages to keep bluffing the audience while building considerable tension. Krabbe meanwhile camps it up something marvelous as the puppetmaster, laughing his way through various acts of degradation, a decaptiation and a spectacular crucifixion. Lisa Enos is game as the various women in his life, whether having a baby cut out of her without anesthetic or being nailed to a cross.
From The Devils to Eyes Wide Shut, Peeping Tom to A Clockwork Orange, Rose infuses the drama with tips of the hat to other films, a device which only strengthens his theme of the medium's ability to beg, borrow and steal in the service of illusion. If it's nothing more than a shaggy dog story in the end, hardy viewers will have devilish fun in the process of being deceived.
Prod cos: Junction Films.
Worldwide sales: Focal Point Releasing (+ 1 310 641 5360).
Exec prods: Donald Kushner, Peter Locke.
Prods: Brad Wyman, Lisa Enos.
Scr: Bernard Rose.
DoP: Bernard Rose.
Prod des: Tine Jespersen.
Ed: David Gamble.
Mus: Matt Schultz..
Main cast: Jeroen Krabbe, Lisa Enos, Hugo Myatt, Joe Regan, Teri Harrison, Sharif, Alastair Mackenzie
Now that the "Alexander" business is done and gone, Oliver Stone is thinking along more restrained lines for his next project with word today that he's in talks to direct "The Night Watchman" according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The feature is an adaptation of James Ellroy's script about a disgraced police officer who fights to redeem himself once he discovers corruption in a police department around the same time period as the O.J. Simpson verdict.
The project, which has been in the works for some time and is currently being refinanced. Spike Lee was set to direct Keanu Reeves in the long-gestating project but has since dropped off to helm "Inside Man" for Universal Pictures. David Fincher was in talks to direct at one point as well. The producers are awaiting a new draft of the script from John Ridley and will then move toward closing deals with Stone and Reeves.
E, da. Citajuci Morticijinu prepirku sa Kripom i njenu pricu o Beju, seti
k se da nisam odgovorio Kripu.
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"Bay je najidealniji covek za taj posao, posle eventualno Boba Zemeckisa. On je mentalno najblizi onome sto je najuzbudljivije u toj mitologiji. I on ce to sjajno uraditi jer ume & voli da bez ironije snima potpuno preposterous spektakle.
Kripl, nekad znas da pogodis... k'o prstom u pekmez. Koliko god da si u pravu za Zemekisa, toliko grijesis kad je Bej u pitanju. Bej! Alo, ovdje govorimo o Majkl "Armagedon" Beju! Zamisli scenu: Optimus kaze ono legendarno "Autoboti, transformacija!", a onda se kamera fokusira na Windchargera koji se oko 5 sekundi transformise, a Majki nam tu transformaciju prikaze u 386 kadrova uz neku novokomponovanu rokacinu. Poslije toga slijedi gomila eksplozija, onda jedan lik preuzima sve u svoje ruke (Hot Rod?!), nakon cega mlati Konstruktikone (i pojedinacno i sve zajedno) uz mnogo – ali bas mnogo – eksplozija, potom slijedi jos eksplozija, a poslije toga ovaj jebe oca Deseptikonima, pogotovo Blitzwingu sto mu je psovao mater, i tu ide jos eksplozija, pa jos malo eksplozija, onda ovaj postane glavni baja na Cybertronu i tu je kraj (naravno, uz jednu slavljenicku eksploziju). Ovo je samo banalan primjer onom cemu je Majkl Bej, kako ti kazes, "mentalno najblizi".
Ako mene pitas, Majki je mentalno najblizi Dinobotima. Onako, svu su one big happy retarded family. Mozda bi spin-off o Dinobotima bila sjajna stvar za njegovu "autorsku poetku". :P
Ako vec govorimo o moneymaking spektakl majstorima, zasto ne pomenu makar Emeriha koji umije da napravi daleko bolje popkorn filmcine! Vjerujem da si gledao "Transformers – The Movie". Film bi trebao tako da izgleda – super likovi, non stop akcija (ne bejvovska akcija od koje ti glava pada!), odlicni onelineri, ispeglani zasecereni cheesy americki heavy metal (inace, to je najbolji soundtrack ever!)... Pored toga sta sadrzi neke od najjacih borbenih scena ikad vidjenih, ovaj film je uspio da da najkatarzicniju zavrsnicu koju sam ja ikad vidio na mom TV-u/kompu. Najjace unistenje glavnog negativca ikad i igdje! Ma, masterpis!
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"Sa filmom BAD BOYS 2 se uzdigao na nivo autora, i verujem da ce TRANSFORMERS biti pravi `magnum opus` koji je potreban za autora tog profila. Naime, TRANSFORMERS je za Baya kao ZLOCIN I KAZNA za Kusturicu.
Krip, pobogu! Sta to pricas!?
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"Dostigavsi vrhunac sposobnosti da konstituise uverljiv stilizovani svet, Bayu bas treba da takav neobican zadatak da se sasvim ustolici.
Koji mrceni "uverljiv stilizovani svet"?!? No, mozda je problem u meni, mozda sam ja nesposoban da sa svojih 20 godina vidim i shvatim nesto sto se zove Bejov "uverljiv stilizovani svet". Ezoterija, a?! Ipak, imam neki cudan osjecaj da ti u pojedinim stvarima vidis ono cega tu uopste nema?! Ili jednostavno volis da udaras kontru svim onima koji govore da je Bej penal?!
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"Bay je pravo resenje!
Za sta?!?
Kripe, postujem ja tvoj rad i sve to, ali sam poceo da sumnjam u tvoje (pr)ocjene od onog dana kad si ocrnio Dzeksonovu maestralnu trilogiju. :cry:
momce postoji jedna stvar koju zanemarujes. ljudi se menjaju. jedni stare, drugi sazrevaju. to vazi i za Baya i Zemeckisa. nemoj misliti da su svi znali kakav je Zemeckis genije kada je snimao svoje prve filmove. pitanje je da li i danas to ljudi znaju.
u to ime, jedna neobicna vest:
First up The Arnold Fans put in a call into John Milius's offices and receive confirmation that the "Conan" referred to in the recent rumours that Robert Rodriguez is attached to, is indeed a new "Conan the Barbarian" movie. Rodriguez has been given the opportunity to direct Conan in few years and as a result Milius and co. have been kick off the lot and he's now heading over to the CBS lot to write for a new Western series called "Dodge City". It's expected Rodriguez will do a whole new script rather than the now defunct "King Conan".
u petak premijera dva filma za koja mislim da ce mi se ultra dopasti... House of Wax (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0397065/) i Kingdom of Heaven (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0320661/)
Morticia, procitaj prvo Sandman : Brief Lives ili Seasons of mist ili npr Dolls House ako si horor fan pa ces videti zasto Gaimana smatram kao polukvalitetnim piscem proze ... a oci umesto dugmica, to smo videli kod Corinthiana iz dolls housea, ne bas to ali...jedno JAKO neprijatno iznenadjenje.
Kad sam citao Koralinu, pitao sam se na kojim je drogama Gaiman bio... :D
Ja sam citao i Seasons of Mist i Dolls House, i oboje mi je fino leglo. Inace mi je Gaiman sasvim ok pisac, bolji od vecine njegovih savremenika. Mada ja i nisam neki horror fan, pa su nam misljenja mozda zato u neskladu....
Inace, sa zanimanjem iscekujem ekranizaciju The Hitchicker's Guide To the Galaxy :D
Pa, kome Gaiman bude smetao neka uživa uz McKean-a.
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"First up The Arnold Fans put in a call into John Milius's offices and receive confirmation that the "Conan" referred to in the recent rumours that Robert Rodriguez is attached to, is indeed a new "Conan the Barbarian" movie. Rodriguez has been given the opportunity to direct Conan in few years and as a result Milius and co. have been kick off the lot
Ovo boli. Onako, baš.
Boli, zato sto je Milius ocigledno propustio taj kratki period kada je mogao da se izbori za film, nosen ugledom Joel Silverovih baby boyeva Brace Wachowski koji su tretirani kao nepogresivi geniji. Ali, posle RELOADED i REVOLUTIONS, oni su ispali iz igre, izgubili su kontrolu na projektu i stvari se u Warneru sada vracaju u blagu uravnilovku iz Semel-Daly administracije. Uostalom, Malpaso je doneo oskara Warneru ove godine sto samo potvrdjuje ionako konzervativni kurs studija. Ali, jos je veci problem sam Rodriguez za kog se plasim da nema dovoljan attitude za ovaj film.
Emmett/Furla Films, a wholly owned subsidiary of Family Room Entertainment Corporation, has announced that principal photography has commenced on the Richard Donner ("Lethal Weapon", "Maverick")-directed "16 Blocks", which stars Bruce Willis and the recently announced Mos Def ("The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy").
Based on a screenplay written by Richard Wenk, "16 Blocks" follows Jack Mosley (Willis), an aging cop assigned the mundane task of escorting a fast-talking, wise-cracking young witness (Mos Def) to the courthouse -- sixteen city blocks away -- and the action-packed thrill ride that takes place in those "sixteen blocks."
Co-chairmen Randall Emmett and George Furla stated: "We are excited to be working with the strong creative talents of Dick and Bruce. We believe that '16 Blocks' is a high-concept picture with commercial appeal and, with the elements assembled, solid potential."
Kad vidim nešto kao Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon, Maverick) umjesto Richard Donner (The Omen), kosa mi se diže na glavi skoro ko kad Džonu Vuu u zagradu stavljaju Nemoguću misiju 2 umjesto Hard-Boiled. Zapravo lupetam, Lethal Weapon i Maverick su carski filmovi. Nemoguća misija 2 je više kao carski... rez.
Chow Yun-Fat will star in the gritty action thriller "Deadly Deception." James Fargo, veteran director of such Clint Eastwood films as "The Enforcer" and "Every Which Way But Loose," wrote the script and will also direct reports Production Weekly.
The film follows Philip Chase (Yun-Fat), a highly skilled Hong Kong detective who travels to Los Angeles to solve his sister's murder. Phillip matches wits and trades punches with the greedy, devious Jonathan Beardsley (John Leguizamo), who is the mastermind behind a conspiracy much larger than Philip can fathom. Roselyn Sanchez ("Rush Hour 2") plays a tough Los Angeles Police officer who teams up with Chase. "Deadly Deception" is budgeted at $20 million and will begin shooting mid-May in Hong Kong, Argentina and Los Angeles.
He will also play the lead in Andrew Goth's "The Wretched," an original fusion of gothic western and classic horror. Yun-Fat plays Rellik, a bounty hunter of zombies. He introduces his apprentice, Twenty-One, to a dangerous world where zombie outlaws roam the earth, avoiding capture and incarceration in the prisoner catacombs for the Undead. When a wagon train of misguided travelers stumble upon the Monastery and unwittingly release the Undead locked within, Rellik and Twenty-One find themselves facing a jailbreak like no other. Production is scheduled to begin on location in New Mexico this June.
Thanks to 'Scott'.
Alan McElroy will write BONESAW, a CG horror feature, for Platinum Studios and the Shop Prods. The story is based on Rob Moran's upcoming graphic novel in which a horror-fantasy writer discovers her novels are about to release the hellish creatures she's been writing about into the real world.
i za Ghoula:
Richard Stanley will direct digital action thriller VACATION, about an American couple on a holiday from hell, with Michael Riley and RPC's Alexandra Stone producing.
i za Lurda:
Spike Lee starts SAVE US JOE LOUIS, his long-planned Joe Louis feature, immediately after completing INSIDE MAN with Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster and Clive Owen for producer Brian Grazer at Universal. Lee and Budd Schulberg have been writing the project for five years. It's the story of the two Louis-Max Schmeling championship bouts (1936 and 1938) and the global ramifications. Characters involved in the pic will include FDR, Hitler, Mussolini and Sugar Ray Robinson among many others.
i za Avengera:
Paul Verhoeven is set to direct BEAST OF BATAAN, a bigscreen adaptation that follows the war crimes trial of Lt. Gen. Masaharu Homma at the end of WWII. Homma was the Japanese officer in charge of the Bataan death march endured by American and Filipino prisoners of war in 1942 in the Philippines. Pic is an adaptation of the book A TRIAL OF GENERALS, by Lawrence Taylor. Mark Jean penned the screenplay.
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"
i za Ghoula:
Richard Stanley will direct digital action thriller VACATION, about an American couple on a holiday from hell, with Michael Riley and RPC's Alexandra Stone producing.
da, znam za taj projekat od onog istog dana kada ga je Stanley ugovorio (16. marta o.g.); znam i još neke detalje, ali
1. nije mi dozvoljeno da ih diseminiram dok ne budu zvanično obznanjene
2. ime tog đenija ionako nije dovoljno poznato širim masama da bi im ova vest nešto preterano značila (dakle, ko zna – znaće...)
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"momce postoji jedna stvar koju zanemarujes. ljudi se menjaju. jedni stare, drugi sazrevaju. to vazi i za Baya i Zemeckisa. nemoj misliti da su svi znali kakav je Zemeckis genije kada je snimao svoje prve filmove. pitanje je da li i danas to ljudi znaju.
Il' imas talenta, il' ga nemas. Vrijeme to ne moze da promijeni. Dzaba ti sazrijevanje, ako nema tu sta da "zrene".
"Lynch's 'Empire' building backed by StudioCanal
By Charles Masters
CANNES -- French sales and distribution company StudioCanal is backing the upcoming project from David Lynch titled "Inland Empire," sources in Cannes confirmed Wednesday. StudioCanal, a division of Vivendi Universal's French pay TV company Canal Plus, declined to talk about the project, which it has been trying to keep top secret. Even posters for the film on the Croisette and around the Cannes market have been covered until a grand unveiling scheduled for Thursday. StudioCanal is expected to handle world sales on the title, with its French distribution company Mars Films handling theatrical in France. It is unclear whether any cast is attached to "Inland Empire." Buyers already looking at the project say details remain hazy, in typical Lynch fashion. "It's about a film within a film. There's nothing to see, there's no script," one top international buyer said.
"But when have you ever seen a David Lynch script in advance?" said another, implying that this did not affect the project's attractiveness.
StudioCanal financed Lynch's movies "The Straight Story" and "Mulholland Drive," both of which unspooled In Competition at Cannes, with Lynch picking up the best director prize for the latter." (Hollywood Reporter)
John Woo and Terence Chang's Lion Rock Prods. has teamed with France's StudioCanal to develop modern-day remakes of three vintage French thrillers. The pics are "Honor Among Thieves" (1968), starring Charles Bronson and Alain Delon; "Rider on the Rain" (1969), with Bronson and Marlene Jobert; and "The Prone Gunman" (1982), featuring Delon again.
The films could grow to include further remakes from StudioCanal's 3,000-strong movie library according to Variety. Although the idea is to hire up-and-coming helmers on the three titles - budgeted at around $15 million to $20 million apiece - Woo has said he is tempted to direct "Thieves" himself.
"Thieves," which starred Bronson as a doctor and Delon as a criminal who become acquainted in the French Foreign Legion, is the first project to be assigned a writer. Brit scribe David Logan ("Circus") will transpose the action to present-day New York.
"Riders," in which Bronson played a U.S. investigator probing a murder in the South of France, and "The Prone Gunman," about a hired killer trying to get out of the game, will also be placed in contemporary settings. The three projects are being developed simultaneously with the aim of putting the first into production by the end of this year.
Woo's next pic will be Paramount's remake of another Melville classic, 1970's "The Red Circle." After that, he plans to helm Chinese historical epic "The Battle of the Red Cliff," based on true events from 203 A.D. Woo recently left Universal's "Spy Hunter" project over scheduling conflicts.
Zna li ko sta o Karpijevom novom projektu Trinaesti apostol? Da li je u pitanju buva?
Znam pak da je casopis Creative Screenwriting organizovao contest za skript namijenjen Dzonu Karpenteru (pobjedniku je islo $500 + citanje od Najveceg Reditelja Horora), no to se okoncalo jos pocetkom godine. Mozda je to u pitanju(?).
Zna li ko sta o Karpijevom novom projektu Trinaesti apostol? Da li je u pitanju buva?
Znam pak da je casopis Creative Screenwriting organizovao contest za skript namijenjen Dzonu Karpenteru (pobjedniku je islo $500 + citanje od Najveceg Reditelja Horora), no to se okoncalo jos pocetkom godine. Mozda je to u pitanju(?).
Robert Carlyle and Colin Firth will star in Antonia Bird's gothic horror comedy "The Meat Trade." Currently in pre-production and with an original screenplay by "Trainspotting" novelist Irvine Welsh, it's a contemporary reworking of the crimes of the 19th century bodysnatchers Burke and Hare. This notorious Edinburgh duo made a living robbing graves to provide doctors with cadavers for experimentation. When the supply of corpses dried up, they started killing tramps..."
MEG, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0450459/
Okej, jeste da ovo rezira tupson koji je snimio jedan odlican film (SPEED, naravno), a potom i gomilu budalastina, ali dzinovske ajkule su dzinovske ajkule, a jos od 1999. (i DEEP BLUE SEA) nista slicno nije zaplivalo na velikom platnu. U medjuvremenu, neki su bili toliko ocajni da pogledaju i SHARK ATTACK 3: MEGALODON (cak mi je sad i zao sto ga nisam narezao, koliko je to neopisivo los film...).
:lol:
Nikada ne zanemaruj De Bonta. Taj covek je snimio SPEED koji VEEEEELIKI film, i radio je kao DP Verhoevenu i McTiernanu. Iako je njegov output bio slab, vazno je imati na umu da je zaista snimao stravicnu konfekciju koju bi tesko neko drugi ucinio znatno boljom. A iz ove perspektive ni TWISTER ni drugi TOMB RAIDER nisu totalni abortusi, zar ne?
Speed: Plusevi: Dobra akcija, Denis Hoper, minusi: Kijanu Rivs, Sandra Bulok (u istom filmu :x ), glup kraj (trebalo je oboje da poginu i da Denis trijumfuje)
Twister: Plusevi: Interesantna priča s vjetrovima, Shining u drajv-inu, minusi: Helen Hant, previše patetičnog baljezganja
Tomb Raider 2: Plusevi: Anđelina goloruka sređuje ajkulu (da je kojim slučajem dvaes godina starija, Jaws bi trajao svega 15 minuta), scena toliko blesava da bi i Uwe Boll bio ponosan da je ima u svom filmu, minusi: Kris Beri iz Crvenog Patuljka u ponižavajućoj ulozi batlera, sveukupni debilizam priče i svega ostalog i naravno Anđelina Džoli.
The Haunting: Plusevi: Ništa, minusi: SVE.
Jel' on snimio još koji film?
Ma, ne zanemarujem ga (jos uvek), uostalom, vecinu njegovih filmova sam pogledao u bioskopu gde su oni jos i gledljiviji, ali TWISTER, TOMB RAIDER 2, SPEED 2, ili (ugh) THE HAUNTING na tvu deluju smesno, i dosadno. Ima on nesto talenta, ne bi mogao da snimi SPEED da nema, ali ja imam utisak da mu nije stalo da pazljivije probere sta ce da radi nego ga uvek povuce vraziji CGI i to ode bestraga (narocito u HAUNTING), a cak i kad ne radi CGI kao u SPEED 2 onda slupa pare na par scena i jebiga... Kad Kameron tako nesto radi (npr. u TRUE LIES kad srusi most) to uvek ima neku visu svrhu i pazljivo je osmisljeno. Kameron ima hrabrosti da ulece u neke rizicne projekte, dok je kod DeBonta to vise ludost. E, sad, konkretno ovaj film, MEG, bi mogao da uspe u njegovoj reziji (a tek sta bi Kameron tu uradio, eh...). A kad pomenu Verhovena, on je poznat po tome sto i los scenario moze da pretvori u zabavan film (HOLLOW MAN), a za DeBonta nekako cisto sumnjam.
Paul Verhoeven je 1 od glavnih razloga što militantno podržavam ljudsko kloniranje: retko prođe 7 dana a da za neki film ne pomislim 'Eh, ala bi OVO bilo dobro da ga samo Mr V. režira!'
Naučno je dokazano da Mr V. ne ume, pa sve da mu život od toga zavisi, da snimi negledljiv film, kao što je Milosh već nagovestio.
A HAUNTING je abortus kolosalnih razmera posle koga je trebalo da DE BONTU zauvek zabrane da 'režira' i vrate ga da snima tuđe filmove, što je uostalom najbolje i radio do tada.
Renny Harlin will direct the action thriller "Run," set to begin shooting in Rome in October. 'Run' will feature some of the most complex car-chase scenes to hit the cinema in years" said one of the production representatives. The film tells the story of a rookie Interpol agent who pulls over an unsuspecting motorist for a traffic violation in Rome, triggering an unrelenting car chase that catapults the city into chaos..."
David Cronenberg, who is in Cannes with his In Competition film "A History of Violence," will next direct "Painkillers," a futuristic thriller says The Hollywood Reporter.
Producer Robert Lantos and Cronenberg confirmed the project on Friday, which has been in development for several years. Based on Cronenberg's first original screenplay in eight years, "Painkillers" is budgeted at $35 million and is being readied for release in late 2006.
The futuristic "Painkillers" follows a detective who is sent undercover to save humanity in a world where surgery is sex and pain is pleasure. The film has been budgeted at $35 million, the largest of any Cronenberg pic.
Uni picks up De Palma's 'Black Dahlia'
CANNES -- In the first big North American sale at Cannes this year, Universal Pictures has picked up distribution rights to director Brian De Palma's $60 million 1940s crime thriller "The Black Dahlia," starring Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart and Hilary Swank. Universal paid between $10 million-$15 million, according to sources. After visiting the Bulgaria set en route to Cannes, Universal vice chairman Marc Shmuger became convinced that the film "was vintage De Palma material like 'The Untouchables,' " he said. "I was wowed by everything I saw. It's a rare opportunity to find a project with such great talent and a masterful story, self-financed and available. The director, the cast, the key departments that they put together are extraordinary." Based on the 1987 James Ellroy murder mystery, "Black Dahlia" stars Hartnett and Eckhart as two boxers-turned-cops who become obsessed with finding the brutal killer of ingenue Elizabeth Short, aka "Black Dahlia." (Anne Thompson)
JOŠ 1 MUST HAVE DVD!
THE FLY
• Audio commentary by Cronenberg
• Fear of the Flesh, a four-part documentary
• Five deleted scenes, including an alternate ending
• 17 branching featurettes
• Five test-footage segments
• Six written works including George Langelaan's original short story, Charles Edward Pogue's original screenplay and Cronenberg's rewrite
• Six trailers
• Three TV spots
• EPK featurette
• Poster and lobby card gallery
• Behind-the-scenes still galleries
• Two Easter eggs
Here's what you get with THE FLY II:
• Audio commentary by Walas and film historian Bob Burns
• Deleted scene
• Alternate ending
• The Fly Papers: The Buzz on Hollywood's Scariest Insect documentary
• Transformations: Looking Back at THE FLY II documentary
• Chris Walas Inc. video production journal
• Composer's Master Class featurette with Christopher Young
• Storyboard-to-film comparisons
• Original theatrical EPK
• Production gallery
• Storyboard/art galleries
• Theatrical trailers
Whew! Retail price will be $19.98 for each.
jos samo dva dana do Dark Water (http://darkwater.movies.go.com) :!:
i jos samo 9 dana do Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (http://chocolatefactorymovie.warnerbros.com) :!: :!: :!:
Chocolate Jennifer: Kao tamna voda za čokoladnu fabriku
WOW! VINCENZO NATALI & J.G. BALLARD!!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462335/combined
kao da nije dovoljno što FINCHER radi film o ZODIAC KILLERU, nego je još morao da uzme GARY OLD MANA za 1 od glavnijeh uloga!
drooolll!
me wantss it NOW!
(šta, još nisu ni počeli da ga snimaju? DAMN! :cry: =
Quote from: "Ghoul"me wantss it NOW!
me too! :!:
a mozda se Craven povadi sa Crvenookim (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421239/) :!:
+
juce videh jos jedan dobar trejler koji obecava: Flightplan (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0408790/) 8)
Mike Newell ("Donnie Brasco", "Four Weddings and a Funeral") will direct an untitled Western set in post-revolution Mexico and written by "Apocalypse Now" scribe John Milius reports Variety.
The story follows a Native American ex-Marine bounty hunter sent to recover the missing horse of a rich American's mistress. Newell's currently at the helm of Warner Bros.' upcoming "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire".
It was set up at Universal for years under the name "Wanted: Dead or Alive" (no relation to the Steve McQueen series) and the studio still has "changed elements" rights that enable it to hop on board as a distributor once casting is in place.
Respect to director Bryan Singer. Sources in
Sydney say that so far he's slept with eight
personal trainers at top health club City Gym
while filming Superman.
Shelved when Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected governor of California, Warner Bros.-based producer Jerry Weintraub's remake of "Westworld" is now a go again reports Variety. "The Cell" director Tarsem Singh is set to helm, Schwarzenegger's reps insist he's not involved with the project at this point. There is no screenplay or writer yet attached.
Meanwhile, Director Billy Gerber ("The Dukes of Hazzard") is remaking the 1975 film "The Yakuza" for Warner Bros. Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter. It will be written by Oliver Butcher and Stephen Cornwell. "Yakuza" was directed and produced by Sydney Pollack and starred Robert Mitchum as a man who returns to Japan after a lengthy absence to rescue a friend's kidnapped daughter, ensuing in samurai swords slashing and guns blazing. It was written by Paul Schrader and Robert Towne.
DreamWorks is close to acquiring the film rights to Tom Clancy's videogame "Splinter Cell," with Daniel Pyne ("The Manchurian Candidate") attached to write the script. Studio would take the project over from Paramount, where it was originally set up last winter. 'Cell' follows the adventures of government spy Sam Fisher as he's dispatched to infiltrate an international terrorist syndicate and stop a high-tech threat..."
British director Tony Kaye, who became persona non grata in Hollywood after waging war with New Line over "American History X," is set to helm indie thriller "Paranoia." "Paranoia" concerns a top ad agency exec who comes to work on a Friday only to learn it's actually Sunday and she's a suspect in a murder case. She tries to reconstruct the two lost days from clues found in her handbag, with the storyline culminating in a "Sixth Sense"-like twist. Jon Land wrote the screenplay
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"Respect to director Bryan Singer. Sources in
Sydney say that so far he's slept with eight
personal trainers at top health club City Gym
while filming Superman.
Iz eng. texta nije jasno kog su pola ti 'treneri' – jer, kolko se sećam, taj Singer beše Gay Singer, jel tako? :evil:
Da,tako je ali chovek mozda moze i da iznenadi-ne zaboravimo da prichamo o bliskom rodjaku Lori SINGER(koja je igrala u 'FOOTLOOSE',a pri tom je vrhunska violonchelistkinja(otud i ona epizoda kod Carvera&Altmana u 'SHORT CUTS') i Marca SINGERA(znanog iz THE BEASTMASTER,ali i softcore uradaka Jima WYNORSKOG(tipa BODY CHEMISTRY),koji je poput sestre,klasichno obrazovan muzichar(violina,a (bio) je chlan chikashke filharmonije,paralelno sa svojim B/C podvizima);ali i o choveku koji je od 'PUBLIC ACCESS' stigao do X MEN!!!
podvedimo ovaj moj post kao napad trivije uz pun stomak!
FORGIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: -I DID IT AGAIN...
Ovaj klinac je novi DEMIJAN u OMEN rimejku...
Sigh!
Loše, loše...
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aintitcool.com%2Fimages%2FRootOfEvil.jpg&hash=9d50ce11bda65160fae80d228e18150f10d24266)
Dakako, muskarci. Covek je bre imao molestation charges jer je mnogo meracio decake na snimanju tus scene u APT PUPIL...
Universal is planning a 9/11 movie, the second major studio film about the terrorist events (Paramount's pic directed by Oliver Stone is currently in pre-production) reports Variety.
Director Paul Greengrass ("The Bourne Supremacy") has set an October start date for "Flight 93". Universal's $15 million film will be 90 minutes long and cover the flight in real time. It begins with the takeoff and hijacking of United Airlines Flight 93 by terrorists, the discovery by passengers with cell phones that other hijacked planes had been steered into the World Trade Center towers, and the realization that their plane was being steered toward D.C. Pic culminates in the decision by passengers to sacrifice their lives to bring the plane down. Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania.
"Flight 93" will be partly improvised with an ensemble cast, and Greengrass will use handheld cameras and other stylized techniques to give the film a gritty feel. A 40-day shoot is expected to begin October 1st. While there is no timetable for the film's release, one scenario would be to submit it to the Cannes Film Festival in 2006 and release it shortly after.
Scottish hunk Gerard Butler has signed on to star in "300," the adaptation of the Frank Miller graphic novel that Zack Snyder is directing for Warner Bros. Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
The film centers around the famous Battle of Thermopylae and tells the true story of 300 elite Spartan warriors led by their fearless king, Leonidas (Butler), who manage to hold off the charge of Xerxes and his million man Persian army for several days with one of the most famous battle strategies in history.
The studio is looking to make the film in the style of the graphic novel and so heavy use of greenscreen and hyper-real virtual sets is being mapped out but with an eye toward maintaining the look. Shooting begins October 17th in Montreal.
Hey folks, Harry here with genuine "Cool News"! Ya know - I've done my fair share of praising of the Austin Film Society and the Texas Filmmaker's Production fund... But I've never seen any of its money go to a filmmaker I personally knew - and knew what a difference it would make. Intellectually - I know that their grants keep filmmakers alive through the process, allow film stock to be developed, finance entire documentaries... I get it, totally behind it... But still, I never saw the money touch anyone that I knew that was a scrape & save filmmakers - it did, it always went to the absolute most worthy folks... but most of the food stamp film freaks I know - use their food stamps for Karo Syrup and Red Dye #5 and Hershey Syrup and flour and oatmeal - the building blocks of low budget horror. Oven latex baking. Truly the most wonderful world of low low low no budget film. Pure joy of filmmaking.
Well - this year, as in every year - I get the Austin Film Society's TEXAS FILMMAKER'S PRODUCTION fund press release and I do what I do every year... I skip down to the list to see who in the state of Texas got the Fairy Godmother Grant (as I call it). This year, more than in previous years - I saw people who I knew. Kyle Henry - got into Cannes this year, Kat Candler - made a wonderful film a few years back and recently got the mayor of Austin to leap off a bridge here - seriously. And Emily Hagins. WHAT?!!!?
PATHOGEN - EMILY HAGINS... 90 Minute Narrative - $1000 Production / Post-Production / Distribution???!?!?!?!?!?! WHAT?!?!?!
I started smiling like a crazy monkey boy. Actual tears came out of my eyes, I was so happy. You see - Emily Hagins is a 12 year old girl. I first met her when she was 9 at my Saturday Morning Kids Clubs that I host. She was at first - that crazy girl that loved LORD OF THE RINGS. I first heard her name - when her mother sent me a letter she had received from Peter Jackson - that suggested that she contact his friend Harry Knowles in Austin. Emily was intoxicated with film. Started shooting little video films - I really had a blast taking a look at them and giving her advice. And she listened. Then her mom wrote me - saying that Emily wanted to go to BUTT-NUMB-A-THON 5 more than anything else on the planet Earth. Knowing that Peter Jackson was scheduled to attend BNAT 5 - I knew she'd love it - but... BNAT is not for children - and at age 10 - Emily - well I don't program BNAT for kids. I warned her mother of the sort of imagery that might be on screen - and if she as a responsible parent was willing and ready to handle that sort of subject matter with her child - then by golly - welcome, but I also warned her - that this festival would complete warp her sweet little girl. It would open up a Pandora's Box of badass other side of the tracks films that Emily had never been exposed to.
Oddly - while she loved films like RETURN OF THE KING, OLDBOY, Buster Keaton's THE GENERAL, PASSION OF THE CHRIST and the other films of the fest... it was the Spierig Brother's low-budget Aussie Zombie film that wormed it's way into her noggin. This was... her first zombie film. She started renting zombie films at my sister's video store, PEDAZO CHUNK... Sister Satan being the strict moralist was providing zombie films for Emily's unending thirst. Next thing I know - I'm hearing that Emily is writing a feature length zombie film script that she wants to direct as her next project. That summer - she wanted to enter into a film school for kids, but she was still too young - Her mom again asked me for advice. There was this place up in Dallas she could go, but it was too expensive - and Emily's family was having severe financial difficulties at the time. Hearing that Emily was infected with the horror film bug - I hooked her up as an intern on some friend of mine's low low low budget indie suspense flick - ORGANIC - which is still in post-production. I figured, she'd learn more from a group of low budget filmmakers that love horror in a gleeful innocently evil way. She wound up shooting the behind the scenes documentary for the film - as well as helping with Continuity. At like 10-11. Then this year she shot PATHOGEN. For her birthday - Dad and I gave her TONS of make-up. Not young pre-teen make-up... but horror make-up. Couple hundred bucks worth of the stuff - that was our "grant" for Emily's film. Nearly everyone in Austin that I know is somehow touched by this film and is used in it. My nephew is a zombie child in it. Massawyrm causes the zombie-armageddon through his typical incompetence. Annette Kellerman is the scientist that develops the virus. My brother-in-law is a scientist/doctor of some type. My sis is in it, and one of the main characters is named after her. I provide a radio voice for the film. The wrap-party was last Saturday at Pedazo Chunk where she debuted a trailer to the cheers of all.
But this TEXAS FILMMAKERS' PRODUCTION FUND didn't stop there. As you probably are aware - this is a remarkable little girl. Who has the concentration at age 10-11 to write a feature length Zombie script. That's 90 pages of text created from her wee noggin. And a pair of documentary filmmakers thought so too - they decided to shoot a documentary they call ZOMBIE GIRL on the now 12 year old Emily Hagins. Well that documentary ALSO got a small grant from the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund.
I just got off the phone with young Emily to congratulate her and she sounded as though - Santa, the Easter Bunny, Jack Skellington and the Tooth Fairy all showed up to help her with her movie. "I just started back a school yesterday, and like, the teachers were all, if you're not exactly perfectly behaved we'll TASER you... well, not really, but when I heard about the grant, I was jumping up and down and it just makes going back to school better, ya know?" Yes, I do.
There's film production funds all over the world - support yours - you'll never know when it'll touch a dreamer you know with the help they need to make their dreams come true. This is soo cool!
EL LABERINTO DEL FAUNO je letos usao u produkciju i snimanje je pocelo, a evo ga ovde i tizer poster koji izgleda predivno: http://www.deltorofilms.com/featured_pix/panlogo.jpg
:D
Uu bre, Miki, to mi je mesecima krasilo desktop, dok ga, pre mesec dana, nisam promenio.
Paul Giamatti and Monica Bellucci are in negotiations to join Clive Owen in New Line Cinema's "Shoot 'Em Up," a hard-core action project from screenwriter-director Michael Davis says Reuters.
The story begins with a woman having a baby during a shootout. The man who delivers the baby, called simply Mr. Smith (Owen), is entrusted with protecting it from an army of gunmen.
Giamatti would play the villain who wants the baby dead, and Bellucci would be Owen's love interest. Don Murphy, Susan Montford and Rick Benattar are producing.
Screen Gems and Lakeshore have set Renny Harlin to direct supernatural thriller "The Covenant." J.S. Cardone's script follows a mysterious stranger at an exclusive prep school. Sebastian Stan, Steven Strait, Toby Hemingway and Chace Crawford star; production begins in Montreal October 4th.
Daniel Craig has boarded Warner Bros. Pictures' "Invasion," directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel says The Hollywood Reporter. Joel Silver is producing the Nicole Kidman sci-fi thriller began as a remake of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", but the script is being seen as different enough to tag it as an 'original'.
The story is set after a mysterious epidemic alters the behavior of human beings, a Washington psychiatrist (Kidman) discovers that its origins are extraterrestrial. She must fight to protect her son, who might hold the key to stopping the invasion.
Craig plays Kidman's colleague and love interest who teams up with her to help save her son from being overtaken by the aliens. Lensing begins next month.
Filming begins this week on "The Good Shepherd," starring Matt Damon ("The Bourne Identity," Academy Award(R) winner for "Good Will Hunting"), Angelina Jolie ("Mr. & Mrs. Smith," Academy Award(R) winner for "Girl, Interrupted"), and directed by Academy Award(R)-winning actor Robert De Niro ("Raging Bull," "A Bronx Tale," "Meet the Fockers"). Written by Eric Roth (Academy Award(R) winner for "Forrest Gump" and nominee for "The Insider"), "The Good Shepherd" is the story of the tumultuous early years of the Central Intelligence Agency as viewed through the prism of one man's life.
Starring in this epic drama set in the high stakes world of espionage, Matt Damon plays Edward Wilson, an exceptionally bright and talented son of privilege who is recruited from the campus of Yale University to join the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to the CIA, at the beginning of World War II. Wilson's acute mind, spotless reputation and sincere belief in American values render him a prime candidate for a career in intelligence, as do his deeply embedded commitment to honor and quite secretive nature. As Wilson becomes a veteran operative in counter-intelligence during the Cold War, not even his wife Clover, played by Angelina Jolie, nor his beloved son Edward Jr., can divert him from a path that will force him to sacrifice everything in service to his country.
Robert De Niro also stars as General Bill Sullivan, the U.S. Army official who hand picks Wilson for the career in intelligence that will shape the world's political landscape. "The Good Shepherd" features a supporting cast that includes Academy Award(R) winner William Hurt ("Kiss of the Spider Woman," "The Village"), John Turturro ("O Brother, Where Art Thou?"; "Barton Fink"), Billy Crudup ("Almost Famous," "Big Fish"), Emmy Award winner Tammy Blanchard ("Life with Judy Garland"), Michael Gambon ("Gosford Park," "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azbakan"), Alec Baldwin ("The Aviator," "Glengarry Glen Ross"), Academy Award(R) winner Timothy Hutton ("Ordinary People," "Kinsey"), Keir Dullea ("2001: A Space Odyssey"), as well as up-and-coming young actors Eddie Redmayne, Lee Pace and Gabriel Macht.
"The Good Shepherd" is produced by James G. Robinson for Morgan Creek Productions and by Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal for Tribeca Productions. Guy McElwaine, Francis Ford Coppola, David Robinson and Chris Brigham serve as executive producers. The film is a Morgan Creek and Tribeca Production and will be released by Universal Pictures domestically, with Morgan Creek handling international rights.
The film's behind-the-scenes team includes Academy Award(R)-winning cinematographer Robert Richardson ("The Aviator," "JFK"), Academy Award(R)- winning costume designer Ann Roth ("The English Patient," "The Hours"), Oscar(R)-nominated production designer Jeannine Oppewall ("Seabiscuit," "LA Confidential") and editor Tariq Anwar (Academy Award(R) nominee for "American Beauty").
The Good Shepherd will be filmed in New York City, Washington D.C., London and the Dominican Republic.
The Dark
Allan Hunter in Edinburgh 24 August 2005 16:20
Dir: John Fawcett. UK. 2005. 92mins
A promising supernatural thriller never quite comes to the boil in The Dark. The latest feature from Ginger Snaps director John Fawcett blends together the intriguing ingredients of a pagan religion, a remote coastal location, the power of a mother's love and the scorn of an injured child but it is ultimately too convoluted and frustrating for its own good. Genre fans who gave modest support to Dark Water and The Skeleton Key will provide the core audience for a film that has little chance to break-out to a wider constituency.
Currently enjoying a strong run of roles in The Cooler, Silver City and A History Of Violence, Maria Bello stars as New Yorker Adele. Ashamed of the way she has treated her daughter Sarah (Stuckey), she accompanies her on a visit to the girl's father James (Bean). He now lives in a remote farm on the Welsh coast.
Fifty years ago, the area was home to a strange religious sect that ended in a mass clifftop suicide. When Sarah disappears and is believed to have drowned, Adele remains certain that she is still alive. Investigating the events of the past gives her an insight into what is required of her if her daughter is to return.
Fawcett managed to inject fresh blood into the werewolf story in Ginger Snaps by placing the focus on a teenage girl and her burgeoning sexuality.
There is a similar although less successful attempt to do something different here. The emphasis is on atmosphere rather than gore and the main interest is in what the film reveals about the strained relationship between the mother and daughter rather than any shock revelations about events in the 1950s.
The film also betrays the influence of recent Asian chillers like The Ring and Dark Water in its use of ghostly, menacing figures and fascination with child abuse and fractured family relationships. There is also more than a hint of The Wicker Man in the isolated setting, local customs, a flock of decidedly sinister sheep who later prove lethal and the presence of an enigmatic resident who knows more than he is letting on, a part fulfilled here by Maurice Roeves as handyman Dafydd.
The influences may be of interest to genre fans but the storyline doesn't have the clarity nor emotional intensity that captures the general viewer and the end seems especially lame.
The glow of a coal fire or the piercing beam of a torch provide the kind of lighting choices that lend the tale a wintry darkness and Fawcett creates a saturated, almost monochrome other world as Adele goes to battle for her child's future.
Struggling through storms, crashing waves and other hardships, Bello is up to the physical challenges of the role and makes the angry, guilt-ridden mother far from saintly as flashbacks provide glimpses of insight into what has led to the deterioration of relations with her daughter.
It is refreshing to see Bean play something other than the bad guy but he is very much the supporting figure as the father that Sarah turns to for love and reassurance.
Production company
Impact Pictures
International sales
IS Film
Producers
Paul W S Anderson
Jeremy Bolt
Robert Kulzer
Screenplay
Stephen Massicotte
Paul Tamasy
based on the novel Sheep by Simon Maginn
Cinematography
Christian Sebaldt
Production design
Eve Stewart
Editor
Chris Gill
Music
Edmund Butt
Main cast
Maria Bello
Sean Bean
Sophie Stuckey
Maurice Roeves
Abigail Stone
Richard Elfyn
Bernard Rose is signing on for some "Amusement." Marking his first studio pic in nearly a decade, the "Immortal Beloved" and "Candyman" helmer has been tapped to direct the New Line horror pic. With Rose on board, "Amusement" is now skedded to start production early next year. Jake Wade Wall script is told from the points-of-view of three different women who are made to suffer by a killer using their childhood grudge against them..."
Cutting Moments" director Douglas Buck revealed to Horror Channel this week that things are going well in regards to the remake of Brian DePalma's "Sisters", originally starring Margot Kidder as twin sisters. A reporter is brought to Galactica to document the military life during wartime after criticism of the military reaches a fever pitch.
Buck says they're scheduled to start shooting in February in New Orleans, and both Asia Argento and David Cronenberg have agreed to appear in it. Nothing's been officially signed as of yet, but Buck was confident it would all come through. A reporter is brought to Galactica to document the military life during wartime after criticism of the military reaches a fever pitch.
Cronenberg's role, his first since 2001's Jason X, is said to be more of a glorified cameo than anything else.
Jim Carrey is in early talks to team with Ben Stiller and play obsolete pleasure clones in "Used Guys," a comedy to be directed by Jay Roach ("Meet the Parents", "Austin Powers") for 20th Century Fox reports Variety.
Scripted by David Guion and Michael Handelman from an original script by Mickey Birnbaum, the futuristic "Used Guys" is set in a world where women run the Earth. Men became extinct because they ingested an enhancement drink that proved fatal.
Carrey and Stiller will play clones rendered obsolete by superior models whose enhancements include better listening and lovemaking skills. The scorned clones make a run for it, bent on regaining their dignity by searching for a male nirvana known as Mantopia.
Stiller and Roach have been plotting this picture for several years. The emergence of Carrey as Stiller's co-star has propelled the film toward a Spring start of production target.
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"they're scheduled to start shooting in February in New Orleans,
Kao što već rekoh u prvom reagovanju na ovu vest, na SP:
u Nju Orleansu?
kako stvari stoje, bolje bi bilo da tamo snimaju rimejk SPLIT SECONDA! :evil:
Ili remix verziju SCG "Lavirinta"??? :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea:
...mada,sve je u redu dok nekom studio executive smartass-u ne padne na pamet da USED GUYS remixuje u nove CAT PEOPLE-mislim,gotovo,sve je tu-New Orleans,usta Jima Crreyja imaju pribliznu elastichnost usta Nasstasje Kinski,Ben Stiller je srodne visine sa Malcolmom McDowellom...od fake srpske legende do do hommo gross out pop-corn smehotresa nije ipak tako dalek put! :oops: :oops: :oops:
Quote from: "ginger toxiqo 2 gafotas"Ili remix verziju SCG "Lavirinta"??? :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea:
:idea: Hmmm, nije loše.
Asia bi mogla da prođe kao 2nd rate Maja Sabljić, a Cronenberg bi bio Ristovski-wannabe! (mada, pošto potonji ima cameo, možda će morati da mu ispod košulje naguraju 2-3 jastuka kako bi 'postao' onaj zadrigli Josif Tatić!)
GREAT! :idea:
Pokusacu da pomirim gingera i Ghoula-Tony Maylam da radi rimejk LAVIRINTA? I, naravno, moj favorit Ian Sharp da bude tu negde ako sta zaskripi.
Inace, LAVIRINT i ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA imaju najludju deformaciju glavnog junaka. Kod Leonea se Jenny Connelly deformise u Elizabeth McGovern a kod Lekica, celavi (ali wigged) Dejan Lutkic u Dragana Nikolica (prolepsao se) i Gordan Kicic u Josifa Tatica (bez komentara).
...ali LAVIRINT je ochiti primer krshenja autorskih pravila-na shpici chak ni pod oznakom 'cameo' ili extras' nije navedena razalovana perika Shabana Shaulica koju u filmu rabi Dejan Lutkic... :idea:
zelim da verujem u mogucnost stalnih promena,ali kako su(i dalje govorim o 'Lavirintu'!) usne(ovo je kanda pochetak moje oralne opsesije :arrow: !) Ane Stefanovic(one sirotice koja je bila zrtva/akterka nichim izazvane scene tushiranja in the nude na otvorenom u 'Ona voli Zvezdu'!) izmutirala u neverending usne Maje 12martovic???
ginger, zvanicno sam se zaljubio u tebe.
mislim da ce mi se i mama obradovati kad cuje. uosatlom, nikada nije zavolela Ghoula...
ti si jedini covek koji pamti taj nicim izazvani full frontal u cumezu gde obitava Srba Dzakovic. inace, u ideoloskom smislu, paradoksalno, ONA VOLI ZVEZDU jeste svakako jedan od `najispravnijih` filmova vidjenih na nasim postorima! u njemu se hvale ideali sporta, igranja za voljeni klub i reprezentaciju i povrh svega obrazovanje se nesumnjivo pretpostavlja sportu, sto recimo nema u KOSARKASIMA (iako je ta serija imala ogromn moralizatorske i vaspitne pretenzije).
ruku na srce, najludja transformacije vidjena u stvarnom zivotu jeste transformacija Josifa Tatica u ovo sto je danas. on je u mladosti bio jedan od najmuzevnijih nasih glumaca i njegov raspad je veliki gubitak za nas film i pozoriste...
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"ruku na srce, najludja transformacije vidjena u stvarnom zivotu jeste transformacija Josifa Tatica u ovo sto je danas. on je u mladosti bio jedan od najmuzevnijih nasih glumaca i njegov raspad je veliki gubitak za nas film i pozoriste...
Ja se ne sećam da sam ga gledao u nekoj normalnoj ulozi ili nečemu što je odglumio. Meni je on uvek isti, samo izgovara drugačiji tekst i uvek neuverljivo. Možda je izuzetak ona prva Šovinistička farsa, ali to sam gledao još onda. Gledao sam ga i u pozorištu, ali i tamo je isti.
(ovo me podsetilo da sam jednom, izmedju gomile ostalih, hteo da pokrenem topik o pozorišnoj publici, iz ugla jednog laika. Mislim, jako retko idem u pozorište, ali osim jedne kako se to zove - izvodjenje veče pre premijere, publika u pozorištu se uvek smeje psovkama i samo psovkama. Ulazi glumac na scenu i kaže "Gde si, jebem li ti mater?" i publika u smeh; pa onda ozbiljan neki dijalog, i neko od glumaca kaže "ma puši bre kurac" - i publika opet u smeh. pa majku mu)
Ako ćemo već o 'najludjim transformacijama vidjenim u stvarnom zivotu' –a budući da Tatića ne pamtim kao išta nalik normalnom čoveku- ja glasam za Petra Božovića! Ej, pogledaj LEPTIRICU da vidiš kaki je to delija bio! Muž i po! A sad – arhetipska crnogorska mrcina koja svoju stomačinu mora kolicima da gura ispred sebe!
U ženskom svetu, prvo što mi pada među domaćim glumicama je Gorica Popović. E bre, ona je bila vrlo fina jedna ženica, kao mlađa. Zaokrugljena onako ženski, ali podnošljivo. 'Jebežljiva', reko bi neko. A danas... LELE! NILSKA KOBILA!
Quote from: "Ghoul"U ženskom svetu, prvo što mi pada među domaćim glumicama je Gorica Popović. E bre, ona je bila vrlo fina jedna ženica, kao mlađa. Zaokrugljena onako ženski, ali podnošljivo. 'Jebežljiva', reko bi neko. A danas... LELE! NILSKA KOBILA!
Nemoj tako o mojoj komsinici!
kad su bili mladi, kao nasi daleko najlepsi glumci slovili su Milan Gutovic i Danilo Lazovic!
Pera Bozovic je sjajno izgledao za te rural tipove. ipak, njega je izdala kosa jos dok je bio mlad...
inace, razlog zbog koga beskrajno postujem Lurda jeste prica da je na nekom slavlju fizicki nasrnuo na jednog naseg pozorisnog poslenika, sto bih ja takodje ucinio da sam malo fizicki razvijeniji. zato Lurd ne moze da me naljuti! eh, da, naravno, i zato sto mi je spasao zivot za Novu godinu!
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"
inace, razlog zbog koga beskrajno postujem Lurda jeste prica da je na nekom slavlju fizicki nasrnuo na jednog naseg pozorisnog poslenika, sto bih ja takodje ucinio da sam malo fizicki razvijeniji. zato Lurd ne moze da me naljuti! eh, da, naravno, i zato sto mi je spasao zivot za Novu godinu!
hocu detalje. javnost ima pravo da zna!
Hm. Ovako, cripple, ja u javnosti volim da recitujem, ponekad da pevam, da zabavljam društvo, pravim budalu od sebe ili i od sebe i od drugih, a ostale stvari koje ne spadaju pod to u javnosti radim iz nužde, jer je takva situacija.
Drugo, ta osoba mi jeste beskonačno antipatična i njen rad smatram odvratnim i mislim i da je pozer i šminker. Ali uvek se trudim da pridjem bez predrasude, pa je tako bilo i taj put. Medjutim, kreten ostaje kreten, a tribina uvek ostaje u genima, a tad sam bio i manji, pa nisam znao da se kontrolišem.
Nisam zaista fizički nasrnuo na njega, nego posle kraće prozivke (šta je bilo, bre! ma šta 'oćeš) nije smeo da izadje napolje da to odmah rešimo, nego je pozvao taksi i otišao.
I to sve može da zvuči lepo i zanimljivo u javnosti, ali nije. Nasilje nije lepo, nasilan karakter nije lep. Ja se godinama intenzivno borim protiv toga i to mi je bio major breakthrough što ga nisam odmah nabo, ali opet je ružno. Ružno je što je bio lep povod za slavlje, što je bilo u kući njegove devojke, koja mi je skroz simpatična, ružno je što nisam rekao "ma baš si odličan" i batalio to.
Svi su me posle hvalili i svima je to simpatično, ali, jebi ga, druže, ne želim da me ljudi gotive kao osobu koja se kačila sa idiotom.
No, dobro, bilo je javno mesto, gomila javnih ličnosti, pa eto. Ide priča. Šta se može.
Lurd, ne opravdam nasilje. Samo pozdravljam taj konkretan slucaj. I ponosim se sto te poznajem. Inace, znam jednog vrlo, vrlo, miroljubivog coveka, koji se, verujem, nije potukao ni u osnovnoj skoli, koga je ovaj naveo na slican gest!
Dir: Takashi Miike. Jap. 2005. 124mins.
Announcing the production of the $30m The Great Goblin War last September, Kadokawa Group chairman Tsuguhiko Kadokawa said the film would "rival Harry Potter and Lord Of The Rings in its worldwide appeal".
To make its chairman's words a reality, Kadokawa hired Takashi Miike, a director best known for his full-frontal plunges into depravity, madness and general weirdness such as Audition and Ichi The Killer. It's as if Disney hired David Lynch to make a live-action version of Snow White, in which Grumpy inhales a suspicious gaseous substance through a plastic mask.
Miike, however, has been making mainstream films for some time now, including family-friendly superhero spoof Zebraman. The result is a blenderisation and Japanisation of the Harry Potter and Lord Of The Rings films in which its central protagonist learns the usual lessons about courage and friendship.
Yet despite falling far short of the hyperbole, The Great Goblin War is a natural for overseas fantasy film fans, especially ones with a taste for the genre's Asian variations - a large and growing cohort. In Japan it has been a solid hit with children, teens and young adults, grossing $14.6m in the first three weeks since its Aug 6 release. The film plays out of competition at Venice before heading for Toronto.
Takashi (Ryunosuke Kamiki) is a modern-day city kid living in the countryside with his divorced mother (Kaho Minami) and semi-senile grandfather (Bunta Sugawara). Timid and lonely, Takashi is miserable until a festival dancer in a Chinese dragon costume chooses him to be a Kirin Rider - a traditional fighter for peace and justice.
This, his friends tell him, is not a pretend title, but the real deal. His mission: climb a nearby mountain and claim a magical sword from its resident Great Goblin. As night falls, he boards a mysterious bus up the mountain and finds, at his feet a strange cat-like creature - the first and most harmless of the many goblins he will meet.
Meanwhile, evil is abroad, unleashed by the wizard Kato (Estushi Toyokawa). Using discarded machinery and the power of a vengeful spirit called Yomotsumono, he turns once harmless goblins into mechanical minions who wreak havoc on the human world.
He is assisted by a female goblin (Chiaki Kurimyama) with a beehive hairdo and a mean whip hand. Takashi opposes this pair with his yokai allies including one who resembles a Ninja Turtle (Sadao Abe) and one who looks like a long-haired samurai dipped in red dye (Masaomi Kondo).
Miike tells it all with an energy and invention bordering on the manic, as well as characteristic touches of black humour, but he can't disguise its derivative nature.
The Japanese goblins or yokai - come in a wide range of shapes, sizes and features - are more on the cuddly than scary side. The principal ones are also both eccentrically individual and impeccably traditional, as though they'd stepped out of an old woodblock print - or a comic by film advisor Shigeru Mizuki, whose classic series Gegege No Kitaro made yokai popular with a mass readership.
Western fans of Hayao Miyazaki's hit animation Spirited Away will notice similarities in character designs - though Miike's are more grotesque, Miyazaki's more freeform.
He and his effects people create a funny/creepy phantasmagoric world that is distinctively Miike, though the animatronics and CG are a tad retro by Hollywood standards (think Gremlins and the crowd scenes in Gladiator).
Also, his attempts to build tension and suspense are less than inspired. Attitude, not talent, is the problem: Miike can't help winking at his material - and deflating his story in the process.
Keeping the movie from becoming a campy cartoon is star Ryunosuke Kamiki. A 12-year-old prodigy, he possesses a natural vivacity and thoroughly professional acting chops, keeping the film on track, even when his director has an impish urge to derail it.
The ending, following a titanic CG battle, leaves an obvious opening for a sequel.
Production companies
Kadokawa Pictures
Japan Film Fund
Nippon Television Network
International sales
Kadokawa Pictures
Japanese distribution
Shochiku
Executive producer
Kazuo Kuroi
Producers
Shigeru Mizuki
Hiroshi Aramata
Natsuhiko Kyogoku
Miyuki Miyabe
Screenplay
Takashi Miike
Mitsuhiko Sawamura
Yoshihiko Itakura
Cinematography
Hideo Yamamoto
Production design
Nao Sasaki
Editor
Yasushi Shimamura
Music
Koji Endo
Main cast
Ryunosuke Kamiki
Etsushi Toyokawa
Chiaki Kuriyama
Sadao Abe
Bunta Sugawara
Lee Marshall in Venice 31 August 2005
Dir: Tsui Hark. HK-Chi-S Kor. 2005. 152mins.
Hong Kong auteur Tsui Hark's most ambitious film to date, Seven Swords makes for an energetic Venice curtain-raiser after the dreary plod of last year's The Terminal.
The director has talked up Seven Swords as the Saving Private Ryan of martial arts films, of a return to basics and focus on realism.
It's true that that there is less blatant wirework and CG magical realism than Asian action fans have grown used to of late, eschewing rooftop flights or bamboo grove choreography for the clang of metal on metal and the sheer effort of lifting a heavy bronze blade.
But if this is a martial arts revolution then it's a timid one. There was at least as much battle grit and sweat in Kill Bill – on one level a parody of the genre – as there is in Hark's irony-free piece.
The title's nod at Seven Samurai is unfortunate, as the character development, structural cohesion and moral complexity of Kurosawa's masterpiece are altogether lacking in this confusing story.
Continued success in the Asian market looks assured following its release earlier this summer. It has become the biggest release this year in China, taking more than $10m, while box office in Hong Kong has been good at just under $1m.
Outside Asia, Hark's period martial extravaganza is unlikely to break out into the mainstream to the level of say Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which took more than $210m worldwide and was nominated for 10 Oscars, or Hero, which enjoyed receipts of $175m-plus worldwide.
Sales so far include Village Roadshow (Australia), Pathe/DES (France), Sandrew Metronome (Scandinavia), Medusa (Italy), Contender (UK) and Universuum (Germany), with others expected during the autumn festival season (Seven Swords plays Toronto after Venice).
Hark sets his feature in 17th-century north-western China, where one plucky village holds out against an army of merciless bounty hunters who make a living from enforcing an imperial edict banning martial arts. Their defence comes in the form of seven warriors with seven swords, each with different characteristics.
Led by a punkette general, and wearing face-paint out of Mad Max, the villains – who have names like Dagger Point or Trout In The Mud – are all surface, as they should be.
The only rounded character – indeed of the film as a whole – is chief villain Fire Wind (Sun Honglei); an unstable, tic-ridden, world-weary baddie, as if the Yul Brynner of The King & I had morphed into the Marlon Brando of Apocalypse Now.
In comparison the heroes are so hastily sketched that audiences need a crib sheet to sort them out. Asian audiences will be watching the stars (some of whom, like Lu Yi and Leon Yai, have a crossover music career) and may find the choppy syntax of the film less distracting.
Beyond that, anyone coming out of this film with a clear idea of the properties of each of the seven swords, their names, and the main traits of the heroes that wield them, deserves a prize.
The best advice is not to worry too much about the who, why or what and concentrate instead on the bravura action sequences – including an instant classic wall-climbing fight in a narrow corridor – and Keung Kwok-man's moody monochrome cinematography.
This works hand in hand with art director Eddy Wong's atmospheric set design, that owes more to fantasy adventures than faithful historical epic.
Grey, yellow and red are the dominant colours, often isolated and juxtaposed: as in a scene near the beginning where the red of pennants, lanterns and blood stand out against a black-and-white background.
As with the Lord Of The Rings films, the production uses real locations – scattered around China's remote Xinjiang province, setting of the original novel by Liang Yu-shen – to evoke a world that is recognisably of this earth, but at one remove from reality.
Of the three major settings, the most striking is Da Ma Ying, site of Fire Wind's half-ruined fortress: rising from the sands of the Gobi desert, this is a place of mythical resonance, evoking lost empires, Tamburlaine and Alexander the Great. It is altogether a fitting home for Fire Wind, a degraded philosopher prince surrounded by drunken, brutish foot-soldiers.
Production company
Film Workshop Co
Co-production companies
Beijing Ciwen Film & TV Production Co
Boram Entertainment
City Glory Pictures
Hong Kong distribution
Mandarin Films Distribution
International sales
Fortissimo Films
Executive producers
Raymond Wong
Hong Bong-chul
Zhang Yong
Producers
Tsui Hark
Lee Joo-ick
Ma Zhongjun
Pan Zhizhong
Screenplay
Tsui Hark
Cheung Chi-sing
Chun Tin-nam
based on the novel by Liang Yu-sheng
Cinematography
Keung Kwok-man
Production design
Eddy Wong
Editor
Angie Lam
Action choreographer
Stephen Tung
Xiong Xinxin
Costume designer
Poon Wing-yan
Music
Kenji Kawai
Main cast
Donnie Yen
Leon Lai
Charlie Young
Sun Honglei
Lu Yi
Kim So-yeun
Lau Kar-leung
Tai laiwu
Duncan Chow
ANTIBODIES
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razlozi za anticipaciju nalaze se OVDE:
http://www.twitchfilm.net/archives/003401.html#more
DA SAM NEŠTO SAD U TORONTU, EVO ŠTA BIH GLEDO NA TAMOŠNJEM FESTIVALU:
+-Tideland, the real Terry Gilliam film this year
-Steve Martin meets a Shopgirl;
-the Brothers Quay give that live action thing another try in The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes
-Luc Besson's production team mixes up a crazy martial arts take on Escape from New York (with a dash of The Warriors thrown in) in Banlieue 13.
-Pusher, With Blood On My Hands: Pusher II, and I'm the Angel of Death: Pusher III
+-Neil Jordan returns to his crazy Butcher Boy territory with Breakfast on Pluto
-Brothers of the Head is a mockumentary (based on a Brian Aldiss novel) about siamese twin punk rockers;
-Evil Aliens drops in for Midnight Madness
+-Lars von Trier's Manderlay
-Abel Ferrara spits at Mel Gibson with Mary;
-biotech nightmare in Isolation
+-Another year, another great work from Michael Haneke. This year it's Cache
-John Hillcoat (director of Ghosts... of the Civil Dead) reteams with Nick Cave for The Proposition
-Richard E. Grant tries his hand behind the camera with Wah-Wah
-Bangkok Loco
-The Duelist is a South Korean distaff detective period piece with crazy-go-nuts anime-esque sword fights;
-The District!, Hungary's answer to Matt & Trey and Ralph Bakshi
+-Francois Ozon's Le Temps qui rests, starring the incomparable Jeanne Moreau;
+-Thomas Vinterberg tackles a Lars von Trier script about gun culture with Dear Wendy;
+-Park Chan-wook brings the pain in Sympathy for Lady Vengeance;
-Takashi Miike -a bit of genre-bending mayhem called The Great Yokai War
-Eli Roth and his latest bit of grue, Hostel
+-David Cronenberg's A History of Violence
KO ĆE DA SE KLADI KOLIKO OD OVOGA ĆE IGRATI NA POGLEDU U SVET ILI FESTU?
MY BET: 8 (UKUPNO) – TO SU OVI SA + ISPRED
Lee Marshall in Venice 07 September 2005
Dirs: Mike Johnson, Tim Burton. UK. 2005. 75mins.
The first stop-motion feature directed (in part) by Tim Burton - he produced and wrote The Nightmare Before Christmas - Corpse Bride brings the Hollywood fantasist's dark and fertile imagination to bear on a hugely entertaining macabre love story.
Like the two Shrek movies, the film has a fairytale backbone – in this case, a Russian folk tale about a hapless bridegroom's unwitting betrothal to a bride from beyond the grave. But the original fable is no more than a starting point for a darkly comic stand-off between the dead and the living, which has its eye on irony-demanding parents as much as their kids.
With its ravishing, neo-Dickensian visual style and a method of conveying stop-motion facial expressions that is unprecedented, Corpse Bride should satisfy audiences spoiled by the almost infinite possibilities of 3-D CG animation. The star voice cast, with several Burton regaulrs, will give an edge to Warner's release campaign – as well as pepping up the DVD extras.
After its out of competition premiere at Venice, Corpse Bride honeymoons in Toronto before its US release on Sept 15.
The story revolves around an arranged marriage between the timid Victoria Everglot (Watson) and even more timid Victor Van Dort (Depp) – who, bucking the cliches, actually discover they quite like each other.
Both have overbearing, and unbearable, parents: the Van Dorts (voiced with satirical brio by Tracey Ullman and Paul Whitehouse) are nouveau-riche canned fish merchants, while Lord and Lady Everglot (Albert Finney and Joanna Lumley) are fastidious but hard-up aristocrats, forced by economic necessity to marry their daughter into new money.
Fluffing his wedding rehearsal, a despondent Victor wanders into a dark wood, where he finally gets the betrothal formula right – and discovers he's just got hitched to the Corpse Bride (Bonham Carter) of the title.
The above-ground tow, inhabited by the living characters, is an unplaceable amalgam of London Victoriana and Eastern European medieval architecture (a similar meld of styles was used by Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki in Howl's Moving Castle), bathed in dreary tints of sepia and grey. Its inhabitants are dusty, cowed, mechanical – while the Land of the Dead is a vibrant, colourful place whose rotting, skeletal denizens have learnt to cast off their inhibitions and have a good time.
It's here that Mike Johnson, Tim Burton and their design team really let their imaginations run riot. A wild, jazzed-up dance of the dead is the most expressionist thing in commercial animation since the drunken dream sequence in Dumbo, and the gallery of caricatures has Burton's usual macabre edge – almost as if German Expressionist painter George Grosz had landed a job as a House Of Mouse animator.
Visual gags abound, with plenty of comic mileage from all those "love you to death" metaphors that exist (fortunately for the dubbers and subtitlers) in pretty much every language.
The soundtrack, by long-time Burton collaborator Danny Elfman, veers from atmospheric heavenly choir and tolling bell stuff to hipcat Mondo Bongo jazz.
But though the sideshows sometimes threaten to overwhelm the main story, Corpse Bride has a good deal more dramatic coherence than The Nightmare Before Christmas. One of the most intriguing things about the film's emotional mechanism is the way that it allows us to sympathise with both brides, the dead and the living, and to want happy endings for each.
Production companies
Tim Burton Animation Company
Warner Bros
Laika Entertainment
Will Vinton Studios
US distribution
Warner Brothers
International distribution
Warner Brothers pictures International
Executive producer
Jeffrey Auerbach
Producers
Tim Burton
Allison Abbate
Screenplay
John August
Caroline Thompson
Pamela Pettler
Cinematography
Pete Kozachik
Production design
Alex McDowell
Editor
Jonathan Lucas
Chris Lebenzon
Music
Danny Elfman
Main voice cast
Johnny Depp
Helena Bonham Carter
Emily Watson
Albert Finney
Joanna Lumley
Tracey Ullman
Paul Whitehouse
qt 6 lineup
Friday Night - Secret Agent Night
THE SPY WITH MY FACE 35mm
1965. Directed by John Newland and starring Robert Vaughn, David McCallum and Senta Berger.
THE VENETIAN AFFAIR 35mm
1967. Directed by Jerry Thorpe and starring Robert Vaughn, Elke Sommer and Boris Karloff.
Midnight Movie
SHAME OF THE JUNGLE 35mm
1975 Directed by Picha & Boris Szulzinger
Animated, featuring the voices of John Belushi and Bill Murray
Saturday Night - All Night '80s Horror Marathon
It is what it sounds like - a full night of 80s horror, featuring titles so terrifying that Quentin won't even let us tell you what he plans on showing!
Sunday Night - Australian Night
"BMX Bandits", 35mm
1983. Directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith and starring Nicole Kidman.
"Four Desperate Men", 16mm
1959. Directed by Harry Watt.
"Riptide" 16mm TV show
1969. Directed by Ty Hardin.
"Dark Age" 35mm
1987. Directed by Arch Nicholson and starring John Jarratt.
Monday Night - Documentary Night
"A Cry In The Wild" 16mm
1973. Directed by Bill Mason.
"Blue Water, White Death" 35mm
1971. Directed by Peter Gimbel & James Lipscomb.
Tuesday Night - World War II Epic Night
"Five For Hell" 35mm
1969. Directed by Gianfranco Parolini and starring John Garko, Klaus Kinski and Margaret Lee.
"From Hell To Victory" 35mm
1979. Directed by Umberto Lenzi and starring George Peppard, George Hamilton and Horst Buchhol.
Wed. Night - Italian Crime Films Of The 70s
DEATH RAGE 35mm
1976. Directed by Antonio Margheriti and starring Yul Brynner and Barbara Bouchet.
NO WAY OUT aka BIG GUNS 35mm
1973. Directed by Duccio Tessari and starring Alain Delon, Richard Conte and Rosalba Neri.
As a special MIDNIGHT feature we are presenting
THE SELL-OUT 35mm
1976. Directed by Peter Collinson and starring Oliver Reed, Richard Widmark and Gayle Hunnicutt.
Thursday Night - Sexploitation Night
HAY COUNTRY SWINGERS 35mm
1971. Directed by Alois Brummer.
TEENAGE HITCHHIKERS 35mm
1975. Directed by Gerri Sedley.
HOT SUMMER IN THE CITY 35mm
1976. Directed by Gail Palmer
XXX Rated
Friday Night - Grindhouse Triple Feature
CRACK HOUSE 35mm
1976. Directed by Micheal Fischa and starring Jim Brown and Richard Roundtree.
THE DIRTY OUTLAWS 35mm
1967. Directed by Franco Rossetti.
As a special MIDNIGHT feature we are presenting:
FISTFUL OF TALONS 35mm
1983. Directed by Chung Sun and starring Billy Chong.
Saturday Night - QT Fest VI - Encore Night
Quentin Tarantino and The Austin Film Society present QT 6 ENCORE NIGHT in which we celebrate the best films from the previous nights.
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"
the film has a fairytale backbone – in this case, a Russian folk tale about a hapless bridegroom's unwitting betrothal to a bride from beyond the grave.
jedva cekam da pogledam ovaj film, a inace me ta pocetna ideja za koju pise da je iz ruske bajke, podseca na jednu od prica u poljskom filmu "Kytice", samo sto je tamo mlada ziva, a mladozenja mrtav.
Kytice su češki, ne poljski film. :wink:
Imamo i mi dosta sličnih etno pričica i bajki kao u Divljem cveću. Najbolji primer je priča o dečaku koji odlučuje da ostane pod vodom jer mu Vodeni kralj sve pruža, kada dečak, ipak, shvati da mu nedostaju roditelji i odluči da ga napusti. U filmu devojka ostavlja muža pod vodom i vraća se majci (ok, čini mi se majci).
Where the Truth Lies, Atom Egoyan.
A female journalist tries to uncover the truth behind the breakup, years earlier, of a celebrated comedy team after the duo found a girl dead in their hotel room. Though both had airtight alibis and neither was accused, the incident put an end to their act.
Kevin Bacon .... Lanny Morris
Colin Firth .... Vince Collins
Alison Lohman .... Karen O'Connor
Sonja Bennett .... Bonnie Trout
Rachel Blanchard .... Maureen O'Flaherty
Kathryn Winslow .... Coreen
The MPAA's appeals board has refused to lift an NC-17 rating for Atom Egoyan's Where the Truth Lies even after the director made additional cuts in an effort to have the highly restrictive rating reversed. Egoyan had previously acknowledged that the scene most responsible for the rating, a ménage à trois involving co-stars Kevin Bacon and Rachel Blanchard, was shot in a single take that could not be cut and was essential to the movie's plot. "We couldn't trim any more without destroying the heart of the movie," Egoyan told the Hollywood Reporter Thursday. The film's distributor, ThinkFilm, said it would now release the original uncut version that screened last May at the Cannes film festival. (It is also scheduled to be screened at the Toronto Film Festival next week.) "The good news is the film will go out as it was originally intended," said Egoyan. In a statement, Robert Lantos, the film's producer and the chairman of ThinkFilm, said: "This film stars some of the most talented actors in the movies today, is based on a popular mainstream novel and is written and directed by a filmmaker known for his artistic integrity and achievement. Where the Truth Lies has not encountered this kind of restrictive rating anywhere else in the free world."
Quote from: "Morticia"Kytice su češki, ne poljski film. :wink:
jel jeste? :oops: inace mi je omiljena tu ona pricica sa Babarogom koja odnosi dete od one nervozne majke.
A stop-motion-animated musical inspired by the Manson family crimes has scored a theatrical run says The Hollywood Reporter.
Wellspring said Thursday that it has acquired all North American rights to director John Roecker's "Live Freaky! Die Freaky!" which boasts a voice cast headed by Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day and Tim Armstrong of Rancid and Operation Ivy.
"Freaky" tells the tale of a young man (voiced by Billie Joe Armstrong) in the year 3069 who discovers a copy of Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry's "Helter Skelter," which described the murders committed in the '60s by Charles Manson and his followers. Treating the book as a biblical text and adopting Manson as a messiah, the young man preaches a better world through "music, murder and mayhem".
Canadian auteur David Cronenberg juggling Bruce Wagner screenplay Map To The Stars and long-gestating London Fields which UGC has recently boarded.
Warner Bros. has officially set "Constantine" helmer Francis Lawrence to direct "I Am Legend", finally putting the long awaited film adaptation of the Richard Matheson novel on a fast track into production reports Variety.
Mark Protosevich wrote the script for the film which has been on and off in development for a decade with Ridley Scott and Arnold Schwarzenegger at one time involved, Michael Bay and Will Smith at another. The film has previously hit the screen twice before - 1964's "The Last Man on Earth" with Vincent Price, and 1976's "The Omega Man" with Charlton Heston.
Set in Los Angeles after a biological war, the pic centers on the sole healthy survivor, a man who finds himself in a battle against nocturnal mutants. Pic will undergo a rewrite under the supervision of Lawrence, who is eyeing a 2006 start date.
David Cronenberg ("A History of Violence") revealed to Screen Daily that he is developing Bruce Wagner's original screenplay "Maps to the Stars". On top of that his long-gestating "London Fields" project, based on Martin Amis' 1991 novel, is moving forward as a Canada/France/UK co-production. Finally he confirmed that he has abandoned his proposed sci-fi thriller "Painkillers".
Meanwhile, Andrew Niccol ("Lord of War", "Gattaca") told Suicide Girls he is not writing the movie "Paani" for "Elizabeth" director Shekar Kapur - "Shekhar Kapur is a friend of mine and he went to Cannes one time and he wanted to raise money for a party. So he said, 'Andrew Niccol is going to write this for me' [laughs]. Then I'm sure they gave him a lot of money but afterwards it appeared on the Internet."
Far more cryptic were comments from French Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet ("Amelie", "A Very Long Engagement") who confirmed to Canal Plus that he is working with an American studio for his next movie which "will be an adaptation of a beautiful novel set 'on the sea'". Pressed for more detail, he would only confirm its not "Moby Dick" anyway.
Quote from: "crip"Warner Bros. has officially set "Constantine" helmer Francis Lawrence to direct "I Am Legend", finally putting the long awaited film adaptation of the Richard Matheson novel on a fast track into production reports Variety.
Mark Protosevich wrote the script for the film which has been on and off in development for a decade with Ridley Scott and Arnold Schwarzenegger at one time involved, Michael Bay and Will Smith at another. The film has previously hit the screen twice before - 1964's "The Last Man on Earth" with Vincent Price, and 1976's "The Omega Man" with Charlton Heston.
Set in Los Angeles after a biological war, the pic centers on the sole healthy survivor, a man who finds himself in a battle against nocturnal mutants. Pic will undergo a rewrite under the supervision of Lawrence, who is eyeing a 2006 start date.
Hvala Kripe na ovim vestima.
Bome, lepa je pročitati da su konačno rešili da kreče. Protoševićev scenario, koji se može naći na Internetu, meni se veoma dopao, a sad ostaje da vidimo egzekuciju.
Ninja title Shinobi set for US remake
Off Road Pictures - the corporate home of the Wachowski brothers - expresses interest in remaking upcoming ninja action title
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.artistviewent.com%2Fhorror%2FIce%2520Queen%2FIce-Queen-l.jpg&hash=779734df0f3901e9a19ded44d0d02b427ffdeb12)
trejler: http://www.artistviewent.com/horror/Ice%20Queen/Icequeen.wmv
:!: :lol: :arrow:
Vincent Cassel will play Jacques Mesrine, France's former Public Enemy No. 1, in a two-part project set to begin shooting next summer with Jean-Francois Richet directing from a script by Abdel Raouf Dafri says The Hollywood Reporter.
The two French-language films, with a total budget of $53.6 million, entitled "Death Instinct" and "Public Enemy Number One," are based on the true story of a French criminal known for his clever disguises, womanizing and audacious bank robberies and jail-breaks.
Born to a prosperous family in 1937, Mesrine became a legend in his lifetime, reportedly wearing designer clothes and displaying impeccable courtesy to those he robbed.
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.actuacine.net%2FPoster%2Fkong02.jpg&hash=5280cb2db4b40f43b94d5826e73c3fbf12c055c1)
Nikad! I ozbiljno ne mogu da verujem da iko čeka kinga konga! Zašto! Zašto!?
Zbog Jacka Blacka.
He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe.Moj omiljeni lik iz detinjstva!
Zbog Naomi Watts :D
Quote from: "Ghoul"(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.actuacine.net%2FPoster%2Fkong02.jpg&hash=5280cb2db4b40f43b94d5826e73c3fbf12c055c1)
joj... kako lepa slikica (https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.handykult.de%2Fplaudersmilies.de%2Flove%2Fyllove.gif&hash=447455e3c82c2ff476c3500b1d6fd1121dd7ac07)
elem, ja.. prvo zbog filma, jelte.. drugo, khmm, ili prvo, zbog Adrien Brodyja :lol: (https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.handykult.de%2Fplaudersmilies.de%2Flove%2Fmushy.gif&hash=84efc437474b779902f887ab181d4a4687a6fb70)
Quote from: "Black Mamba"
elem, ja.. prvo zbog filma, jelte.. drugo, khmm, ili prvo, zbog Adrien Brodyja :lol: (https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.handykult.de%2Fplaudersmilies.de%2Flove%2Fmushy.gif&hash=84efc437474b779902f887ab181d4a4687a6fb70)
ja mislim da si ti prva, ako ne i poslednja, ženska osoba koja se loži na njega..
ja se lozim samo na posebne likove xjap vaistinu, jednom sam rekla kako u principu ne podnosim takve tipove -- ni sama ne znam odkud mi se toliko svidja njegova pojava... ali fakat je skroz izuzetak
Rogue Pictures has joined forces with L.A.-based Crystal Sky Pictures to back "Doomsday," the $15 million-$20 million next project from British writer-director Neil Marshall ("Dog Soldiers", "The Descent") reports Variety.
"Doomsday" is described as a futuristic action thriller with political overtones, set in northern England and Scotland. A disaster threatens the future of mankind, and a team of people have to stop it.
Rogue, which is taking worldwide rights to the pic, is bankrolling development of the script under an aggressive deal to move rapidly toward production next spring in the UK.
FEED
just got to see this movie at the Fantasy Film Festival in Nuremberg and I was pretty astonished how many people actually wanted to see it. Cinema was nearly sold out and I think people got what they were looking for. It's a nice little thriller about a disgusting fetish. The audience gets to see everything. Puking fat women, sex with 600 pound women and some even more disgusting things that I do not want to mention here. But this movie has its weaknesses. Started from the tolerable but ridiculous "computer hacking" scenes in which "dir windows" kind of traces people all over the world, to an ending which is just not plausible. The movie tries to narrate a possibly real story and the ending seems to be misplaced. But as the topic said it's fascinating to see how far humans can go, although the movie exaggerates this a bit too much in my opinion. Acting was quite okay, story has its flaws, but all in all, I'd recommend this movie, because this is one of the movies you will certainly talk about after-wards. 6 of 10, not only for breaking some taboos.
+
GORE:
The obese and naked chicks in this film actually MADE ME want to go on a diet. I know it isn't politically correct to say this but hey that's how I felt...FREAKING GROSS MAN! We also get a cut off penis frying in a pan, human remains, a messy kick in the face, minor cannibalism, some blood and more that I won't mention in the name of not ruining it for ya. What the film suggests tagged with what it showed will make you squirm in your seat like a worm on a hook
T & A:
This uncut version gave it all up for the whole family! Gorgeous tits, sweet female asses, obese tits, obese snatches, men's asses, men's ding-dongs...you want it, crave it, yearn for it...its in here...until the censors get their scissors in there that is...
DIRECTING:
Leonard went buck wild on this buckaroo, slapping in colorful filters, quick cuts, ambitious stylish shots, insane montages and zany angles all over the place. Although I felt he went overboard in places, his directing style matched his content's pedal to the f*cking floor demeanor. Dynamic, oppressive and insane!
ime prve djevojke koju nisam uspio zbariti :arrow: :x
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stoga očekujem film nestrpljivo :!: :!:
Fox has tapped Skip Woods ("Swordfish", "Thursday") to adapt its feature version of vidgame "Hitman," with Vin Diesel toplining reports Variety.
Studio picked up the Eidos vidgame franchise in June from producers Chuck Gordon and Adrian Askarieh. Diesel will exec produce. First three games in the "Hitman" franchise have sold more than 5 million units.
The story centers on an international assassin, known as Agent 47, who works for a mysterious org dubbed the Agency.
Thanks to 'Veronica'
Donald Sutherland and Samantha Morton will headline Irish feature "Puffball" from British director Nicolas Roeg reports Production Weekly.
An adaptation of Fay Weldon's 1980 novel of the same name, the haunting thriller is the story of Liffey (Morton) and her husband Richard, whose lives are almost destroyed by infidelity, the paranormal and bad weather when they purchase a remote, dilapidated cottage in the English countryside.
Dan Weldon adapted his mother's book into a script and filming is starting in January at locations around the Monaghan/Armagh border.
Thanks to 'This'
Universal has bought a sci-fi pitch from Simon Kinberg ("Mr. and Mrs. Smith") and Brett Matthews (TV's "Firefly"). Details on the thriller are being kept under wraps for now, but pic will be written by Matthews. Kinberg wouldn't elaborate on the story except to say, "It's more thriller than big, broad action; more gritty than other sci-fi movies we've seen in the recent past. Almost what 'Bourne Identity' did for action movies, this will attempt to do for sci-fi movies"..."
Universal has bought a sci-fi pitch from Simon Kinberg ("Mr. and Mrs. Smith") and Brett Matthews (TV's "Firefly"). Details on the thriller are being kept under wraps for now, but pic will be written by Matthews. Kinberg wouldn't elaborate on the story except to say, "It's more thriller than big, broad action; more gritty than other sci-fi movies we've seen in the recent past. Almost what 'Bourne Identity' did for action movies, this will attempt to do for sci-fi movies"..."
Ron Perlman has signed on to voice Conan of Cimmeria for Swordplay Entertainment's "Conan: Red Nails," the first animated film featuring the mythic barbarian says The Hollywood Reporter.
Marg Helgenberger and James Marsden also are joining the voice cast, which includes Clancy Brown, Cree Summer and Mark Hamill.
The film will be directed by Victor Dal Chele, with a screenplay by Steve Gold and Timothy Dolan.
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"Donald Sutherland and Samantha Morton will headline Irish feature "Puffball" from British director Nicolas Roegreports Production Weekly.
An adaptation of Fay Weldon's 1980 novel of the same name, the haunting thriller is the story of Liffey (Morton) and her husband Richard, whose lives are almost destroyed by infidelity, the paranormal and bad weather when they purchase a remote, dilapidated cottage in the English countryside.
holy molly!
jedva čekam da vidim da li roeg ima još jedan DON'T LOOK NOW u sebi!
Hostel (http://www.hostelfilm.com)
"Pierce Brosnan is taking on the gritty role of a kidnapper who pulls a family apart in the indie thriller "Butterfly on a Wheel". Mike Barker will direct the Icon Entertainment pic which centers on a happy couple with a seemingly perfect life whose daughter is abducted. Over the course of a day, the kidnapper dismantles the family's lives with brutal efficiency. A February start is skedded, with locations in Canada and Chicago..." (full details)
"Bruce Willis is set to star in "Black Water Transit," a Doug Richardson-scripted adaptation of the Carsten Stroud novel that will mark the feature directorial debut of Samuel Bayer. Shooting starts in March. "Black Water Transit" follows the divergent agendas of criminals, cops and lawyers as they collide over a shipment of illegal firearms and a double homicide. Willis plays Earl Pike, a criminal who tries to get his family's illegal gun collection to a safe haven..." (full details)
John McTiernan is attached to direct action adventure Crash Bandits for Bauer Martinez and thriller Deadly Exchange for Film Bridge International.
Some news from the world of crazy-man Alex De la Iglesia (800 BALAS, EL CRIMEN FERPECTO, ACCION MUTANTE, DAY OF THE BEAST to name a few). I love Iglesia's films... he's got this amazing darkly comedic tint he puts on everything that works so damn well. He's now doing an English language flick based on the novel OXFORD MURDERS by Guillermo Martinez, retitled OXFORD CRIMES. At the Seville European Film Festival, Iglesia spilled some info on it, which Variety got ahold of. It's about a serial killer who specializes in murders so subtle that many go unrecognized.
...ovaj sjajni ontoloshki krimic je kod nas obavljen pochetkom oktobra(LAGUNA) pod nazivom NEPRIMETNI ZLOCHINI(shto je i tachan prevod!),a vredelo bi obratiti paznju na kod nas zastupljene starije prevode kratkih romana GIJERMA MARTINEZA-'POVEST O RODERERU' i 'MAESTROVA SUPRUGA'(oba izdanja SVETOVA iz Novog Sada)!
...jedva chekam da vidim shta ce CRKVENJAKOV da napravi od toga....everybody's thumbs up za Aleksu!!!!!
The Whispering Of The Gods (Germania No Yoru)
Mark Schilling in Tokyo 03 November 2005
Dir: Tatsushi Omori. Jap. 2005. 107mins.
An unblinking plunge into depravity, blasphemy and violence, set in the idyllic confines of a Catholic monastery, Tatsushi Omori's debut feature The Whispering Of The Gods falls squarely into the love-it-or-loathe-it category.
Screened in competition at the Tokyo International Film Festival, it evoked fervent praise from some - Japanese film scholar Donald Richie called it "the most powerful Japanese film I have seen during 2005" - and equally fervent damnation from others. It came away from TIFF without a prize, but producer Genjiro Arato hopes take it to other festivals - beginning with Berlin - and open it in Tokyo on December 17.
How confident is Arato of success with this film by first-time director Tatsushi Omori? Well, he has built a theatre for it in central Tokyo, vowed to screen it there for six months, come what may, and release it nowhere else in Japan.
Is he deluded - or a cock-eyed optimist? Neither - beginning in 1980 with Seijun Suzuki's Zigeunerweisen, which he screened in an inflatable tent-dome, Arato has proven himself an imaginative and tireless promoter, able to transform even the knottiest arthouse fare into hits.
He is also an acclaimed director, with his latest film, the 2003 drama Akame 48 Waterfalls, scooping nearly 30 awards at home.
Though filmed in rural Iwate Prefecture and based on a prize-winning story by Mangetsu Hanamura, The Whispering Of The Gods has a borderless, timeless, fabulistic feel, relying more on iconic images and gestures than words for its impact.
At the same time, it leaves its various crimes and acts open to interpretation, suggesting - but not insisting. It will thus be a hard sell, not only to fans of The Passion Of The Christ, but also anyone who prefers clearly defined heroes, villains and resolutions.
That said, the very strength of the reactions it provokes, as well as the uncompromising quality of Omori's direction (lead actress Leona Hirota described the shoot to the press at TIFF as a "hell" in which she came down with pneumonia, damaged her liver and broke two bones), will raise The Whispering Of The Gods above the arthouse run. Given the support of key critics and the right word-of-mouth, it could join the list of Arato's other success de scandals.
At the centre of the film is the unreadable face and explosive presence of Rou (Hirofumi Ari), a killer of two strangers, who returns to the Catholic monastery and orphanage where he was raised to escape the police and revisit his past. One price of refuge is to masturbate Father Komiya, while the latter reads the Bible in Latin - and a dog looks on inquisitively. This, we are given to understand, has been Rou's fate since boyhood.
Another price is to bring slops to the monastery's pigs and shovel the droppings of its hundreds of chickens. When smarmy farm manager Ukawa (Nao Omori) assigns Rou the former and walks away whistling, Rou remembers, and later beats and kicks Ukawa into a snivelling, broken-toothed heap.
More outrages are to come, including sex with a young novice (Megumi Sawara), the attempted rape of a nun (Leona Hirota) and a blasphemous confession that drives Rou's elderly mentor, Father Togawa (Kei Togawa), to despair - and death.
Meanwhile Rou attracts a pretty teenage boy, another of Father Komiya's victims, and a pudgy scoutmaster (Genta Dairaku). Rou, we see, is not just another sociopath, indulging appetites and urges at will, but a twisted seeker after a private truth, who no longer trusts words - only deeds. He does not so much destroy as expose hidden desires and decay.
Making ample use of long cuts and pauses, Omori gives each of his shots an elemental solidity and emotional weight. Despite a deliberate pace - as seen with the black cattle that clump single file through the snow during the powerful opening - he keeps the tension high, mainly because his hero is such a volatile enigma.
Hirofumi Arai plays the protagonist with little outward expression, yet possesses with an inner force that makes his very blankness eloquent.
The photography by Ryo Otsuka (Akame 48 Falls) has an Old Master richness, as in the scene of Sister Theresa cutting vegetables, looking like a subject for Vermeer. But when the violent or erotic occasion calls for it, beauty gives way to an appropriate starkness.
What are the gods whispering? Like every other element of this disturbing, provocative film, their message is up to the audience to parse. But first, like Father Komiya's dog, it has to cock its ears - and listen.
Production companies
Neoplex Inc
Arato Film Inc
Japanese distribution/international sales
Arato Film
General producer
Genjiro Arato
Executive producer
Akihiro Maeda
Producer
Shinichiro Muraoka
Screenplay
Yoshio Urasawa
Cinematography
Ryo Otsuka
Production design
Koichi Kanekatsu
Editor
Yoshiyuki Okuhara
Music
Shuichi Chino
Main cast
Hirofumi Arai
Leona Hirota
Megumi Sawara
Nao Omori
Renji Ishibashi
Kei Sato
Genta Dairaku
ginger toxiqo 2 gafotas wrote:
...jedva chekam da vidim shta ce CRKVENJAKOV da napravi od toga....everybody's thumbs up za Aleksu!!!!!
Kakve veze sa tim ima Crkvenjakov???
Zar nije on samo spiker vesti na pinku?
..da pojasnim-kada bi radili ono shto se inache ne radi,a pri tom mislim na prevodjenja imena-Alex De La Iglesia bi tada bio Aleksandar Crkvenjakov jer 'iglesia' na shpanskom znachi 'crkva' a sufiks chest na prechanskim prezimenima 'ov' bi manje-vishe odgovarao ovom shpanskom 'De La',a Alex je,valjda tu nema spora,ekvivalent nashem Aleksandru,Aleksi...whatever!
Slican je slucaj sa italijanskim fudbalerom Enrico Chiesom...
PAN'S LABYRINTH
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aintitcool.com%2Fpics%2Fpan1.jpg&hash=53c24035cfad3ec29f0249bb38f82be95ddfd74b)
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aintitcool.com%2Fpics%2Fpan4.jpg&hash=cc3481cf97e2b2b601ef99930690fd60b556ac2d)
me loves it!
me too loves it....imas li sto vise o tome
Jamie Kennedy is set to star in the feature film Kickin It Old Skool for director Harvey Glazer, reports Production Weekly.
Kennedy will play Justin, an average pre-teen growing up in the mid-80's until a freak break dancing accident lands him in a coma. When he finally comes to, it is nearly twenty years later, and he must now learn to cope with the changes the world has gone through.
Shooting is scheduled to begin mid-January in Vancouver.
Dread Central reports that Director Tony Kaye ("American History X") is now no longer attached to Media 8's "The Reaper".
Media 8 first attached Kaye to the project over the summer. As recent as the American Film Market, Kaye was quoted as saying that his intention, with Reaper, was to "redefine the genre." I'm not certain what has happened since then, but Media 8's now looking for a new helmer.
"Reaper" is the story of an ex-private investigator dying of cancer who is making every effort to find his abducted daughter before he finally gives in to the Big C. He strikes up a deal with the Grim Reaper itself: if he's allowed to live just a little bit longer to find his kid, he promises to find a few rogue souls who managed to cheat death..
novi Timur Bekmambetov! (http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2005/12/gubitak-holivudske-nevinosti.html)
greenlightovan follow up SHAUN OF THE DEAD (http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2005/12/shaun-of-cops.html)
Wolf Creek (http://www.wolfcreekthemovie.com/)
ovo izgleda neche biti loshe :!:
Dreamworks will release "Typhoon," the most expensive Korean film ever made, in North America next year. It has pacted with South Korean major CJ Entertainment for the multilanguage pic, helmed by K.T. Kwak, about a modern-day pirate planning a massive attack on North and South Korea. Pic is the first Korean feature released by a U.S. major..."
FIDO, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457572/combined
Timmy Robinson's best friend in the whole wide world is a six-foot tall rotting zombie named Fido. But when FIDO eats the next-door neighbor, Mom and Dad hit the roof, and Timmy has to go to the ends of the earth to keep Fido a part of the family. A boy-and-his-dog movie for grown ups, "FIDO" will rip your heart out.
OK, now let`s start anticipating!!! (http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2006/01/happy-heathers.html)
Chuck Russell's PIRANHA remake enters a different Dimension!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with an update on Chuck Russell's new fangled redux of Joe Dante's PIRANHA. I'm a big fan of that flick, but I'm also a big fan of Chuck Russell's work on '80s horror staples NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS and THE BLOB remake. If he can make the PIRANHA remake half as good as he made the BLOB remake, then us horror hounds will be really damn happy.
However, the project is probably doomed. Dimension Films is handling the domestic distribution of the flick now, which is the death call for most genre pics. Hopefully this'll be one of the good ones. I'm certainly pulling for it. What about you?
Torso... Torso!... TORSO!!! Fincher... Fincher!... FINCHER!!!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here... sorry for the headline... those cheesy '70s import horror trailer fans out there will get it... all 7 of you. But it is true... there's a project called TORSO that is being adapted by Ehren Kruger (boo, hiss) from a graphic novel by Brian Michael Bendis and Marc Andreyko and David Fincher's name is being mentioned as directing the thing. The story was based on the true story of Eliot Ness (yeah, the UNTOUCHABLES guy) and what happened to him after he moved out of Chicago to become a public safety officer in Cleveland. Ness pulls together a team to track down a serial murderer who keeps dumping the torsos of his victims in the river.
This sounds right up Fincher's alley, what with ZODIAC and SEVEN already under his belt. Sounds like a sweet fuckin' movie to me (if Kruger can deliver a non-pedestrian script). What do you think?
Fincher has stomach for 'Torso'
By Borys Kit
David Fincher is carving out room in his schedule for "Torso," a thriller based on a graphic novel written by Brian Michael Bendis and Marc Andrey-ko, which he will direct for Paramount Pictures. Ehren Kruger is writing the adaptation, which will be produced by Pandemonium's Bill Mechanic, Angry Films' Don Murphy and comic artist Todd McFarlane.
"Torso" tells the true but relatively unknown story of Treasury Department agent Eliot Ness' time after his Al Capone days, when he moved to Cleveland to be the city's public safety officer. Torsos began appearing in the river, and Ness began receiving notes taunting him to catch the killer. Ness, who had no experience in police work, put together a team of ex-officers to apprehend the serial murderer.
The graphic novel was written by Bendis and Andreyko and drawn by Bendis in the late 1990s. Bendis has since gone on to become one of the top writers in comics, with acclaimed runs on "Daredevil" and "Ultimate Spider-Man." Several of his creator-owned comics are in development around town, including "Jinx," which is set up at Universal Pictures with Charlize Theron attached.
"Torso" first was optioned by "Spawn" creator McFarlane, and Murphy came aboard later to give the project traction. Murphy went to Mechanic, who brought in Fincher.
Fincher directed "Fight Club" for Mechanic when Mechanic was head of 20th Century Fox.
Overseeing "Torso" for the studio are Alli Shearmur and Marc Evans. Todd McFarlane Prods.' Terry Fitzgerald also is producing.
Kruger's credits include "The Ring" and "The Ring Two," "The Skeleton Key" and "Arlington Road." He is repped by Paradigm.
The CAA-repped Fincher is well-acquainted with the serial killer underworld, having directed the cult hit "Seven." He is shooting "Zodiac," the Jake Gyllenhaal starrer about the 1970s San Francisco serial killer, which will be distributed domestically by Paramount.
"Torso" will be Fincher's third movie for Paramount, behind "Zodiac" and the in-development fantasy-drama "Benjamin Button."
December 19: TRAPPED ASHES: Exclusive first look
As the horror anthology TRAPPED ASHES (which we last reported on here) continues principal photography, Fango paid a visit to the Vancouver, Canada location to catch up with writer/producer Dennis Bartok (pictured top left, on set with script supervisor Jeannine Dupuy and director Ken Russell), who updates us on cast and crew additions to his four-part horror anthology.
"Our cinematographer is Zoran Popovic," says Bartok in the midst of a December snow flurry. "He's got an amazing eye—incredibly visual. He just finished shooting THE LOST, which Lucky McKee produced, and he did a remarkable job with it." Also part of the crew is production designer Robb Wilson King, whose credits include SCARY MOVIE, both SWAMP THING features, FRIDAY THE 13TH PART III and Sam Peckinpah's final film THE OSTERMAN WEEKEND.
As previously reported, Oscar winner Robert Skotak serves as visual FX supervisor and special visual consultant on TRAPPED ASHES. Fango has also learned that Roy Knyrim of SOTA FX, whose credits range from GODS AND MONSTERS and ED WOOD to 2001 MANIACS and URBAN LEGENDS: BLOODY MARY, has joined the production as creature and makeup FX supervisor, with Rudy (THE MATRIX) Poat serving as the CGI FX unit supervisor.
As for TRAPPED ASHES' cast, director Russell's installment "The Girl With Golden Breasts" features model/actress Rachel Veltri in the lead. The 24-year-old Chicago native, who previously appeared in the reality television series FOR LOVE OR MONEY and who currently appears in the December issue of Playboy as well as in the forthcoming genre film PRAY FOR MORNING, portrays "Phoebe, a struggling actress who has breast augmentation to further her career," reveals Bartok. This being a horror film, however, the character receives more than she expected.
"It went amazingly well!" says the producer following the final, FX-laden day of production on "Breasts." "The prosthetic breasts were so insanely freakish that even Roy and his crew were stunned by the weirdness of their own creation!" This scribe concurs, and was rather impressed with the gruesome prosthetics utilized in the surgery scene, as created by Skotak and Knyrim. Rounding out "Golden Breasts" are actor Scott Heindl, who previously appeared in BLADE III, writer/actress Jayce Bartok (Dennis' brother), Winston (SAVAGE ISLAND) Rekert (pictured undergoing makeup) and Russell himself, in a rather shocking sequence which will need to be seen to be believed.
Having wrapped "Breasts," the TRAPPED ASHES production has moved on to filming John Gaeta's "My Twin the Worm" installment. The cast includes Michele-Barbara (BRAINSCAN) Pelletier as Nathalie/Martine, Luke Macfarlane (from F/X's recently canceled OVER THERE series) and Deanna (INTENSITY) Milligan. Following the completion of photography of "Worm," production will continue in Vancouver with director Monte Hellman's "Girlfriend." Appearing in that segment: Tygh (SNAKES ON A PLANE) Runyan, Tahmoh Penikett, Amelia (SPECIES III) Cooke and genre veteran John Saxon as "Old Leo." Upon wrapping "Girlfriend," the ASHES team will move to Los Angeles, where shooting will continue under the guidance of director Joe Dante, who will handle the wraparound "Movie Studio Tour" and "Horror House" sequences. Henry (GREMLINS II) Gibson will portray the installments' "tour guide."
The production will then finish in Japan in January, with the final installment "Jibaku," to be directed by FRIDAY THE 13th honcho Sean S. Cunningham. This segment's cast features Scott Lowell and Lara (INHUMANHOID) Harris. Stay tuned to Fango for further set coverage, interviews and more. —Sean Decker
Underworld: Evolution reeeeeal soon :!: :!: :!:
Jason Statham will topline "Rogue", an action-thriller with his "The One" co-star Jet Li in the title role, according to Production Weekly.
The storyline centers on Jack Crawford (Statham), whose partner Tom Lone and Lone's family are killed by an assassin for the Chang crime family. Crawford becomes obsessed with finding the elusive and brutal killer, Rogue (Li).
Music video director Philip Atwell will make his helming debut, and Corey Yuen ("The Transporter") is choreographing and directing the action scenes. Production is scheduled to begin in March on location in Vancouver.
"Uwe Boll is taking a break from video games and will soon begin filming "Seed" an original concept based on a screenplay of his own - "There's a rule that if you're electrocuted three times and you're still alive, you go free. In "Seed," the main character is subject to a failed electrocution, and desperate officials bury him alive. He digs himself out of the grave and goes on a revenge trip". Production will begin later this year
Zašto Uwe Boll jednostavno ne umre?
The Bourne Ultimatum
"Filming starts August 1st shooting in Europe. Paul Greengrass is the director. Matt Damon is in it. He loves the script. Tony Gilroy wrote the script and we're off and running. Paul is doing a movie called FLIGHT 93 right now, so Pat Riley and I are going over to England next month to start pre-production. [Tony Gilroy] made up an incredible story. It's really, really out there. Joan Allen and Julia Stiles characters [are back] and then some fresh new characters. And a couple of baddies".
Povratak Džejsona. :!:
http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=22331
Ma sjaajno... :x
Val Kilmer will star back to back in the Tony Scott-directed "Deja Vu," and then opposite Meryl Streep in "Dark Matter" reports Variety.
First up is the Disney drama "Deja Vu" in which Kilmer and Denzel Washington play FBI agents who get the opportunity to step back in time to stop a terrorist from blowing up a ferry. Feature will shoot early next month in New Orleans, Jim Caviezel and Paula Patton also star.
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"Val Kilmer will star back to back in the Tony Scott-directed "Deja Vu,"
jel on ponavlja ulogu psiho-mustafe?
i da li goran markovic dobija % ?
Terrence Howard and Neil Jordan are teaming for the revenge thriller "The Brave One" which Joel Silver is producing for Warner Bros. Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
Jodie Foster is set as the title character, a woman who recovers from a brutal attack and sets out on a dark, psychological and physical journey for revenge and justice. Howard will play a cop who has a tough choice to make.
Jordan is in negotiations to direct the film. Cynthia Mort did the most recent rewrite on the project.
Rocker Marilyn Manson will make his feature directorial debut on "Phantasmagoria - The Visions of Lewis Carroll", reports Production Weekly.
Manson will play the famed author of "Alice in Wonderland" with model Lily Cole as Alice, and Angelina Jolie in talks to play the Red Queen.
Manson wrote the script with Anthony Silva and will score the music for the film. The music is expected to tie the life of Lewis into his famous poem "Phantasmagoria". Production is scheduled to begin this summer in Europe.
Warner Bros. Pictures said Monday that it has acquired the rights to the prehistoric epic "10,000 B.C.," which was put into turnaround by Sony Pictures Entertainment says The Hollywood Reporter.
The film, which chronicles the journey of a young tribal mammoth hunter at the dawn of modern man, will be directed by Roland Emmerich ("The Day After Tomorrow").
Sources said Warners-based Legendary Pictures is in negotiations to co-finance. Production will begin in the spring in South Africa and Namibia.
Warner Bros. Pictures has bought David Ignatius' novel "Penetration" for Scott Free Prods. and Donald DeLine, with Ridley Scott being lined up to direct.
Set in the house-of-mirrors world of international spying, the story centers on an American intelligence officer in Amman who is helped in his pursuit and capture of a top Middle Eastern operative by the head of Jordan's intelligence agency to.
At the same time, Scott has agreed to helm "The Invisible World" for Paramount, based on a treatment by Ignatius that was scripted by Dana Stevens. That pic covers the abduction of a female journalist in Iraq.
Scott, who last shot "Kingdom of Heaven" in Morocco, hopes to shoot the new film there either late this year or in early 2007.
Ovo je apsolutno vest dana, ako ne i meseca – i instant vrh top liste most anticipicipated:
Coen brothers get bloody in NO COUNTRY
Production Weekly reports that brothers Joel and Ethan Coen are set to both script and direct NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, an adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name. Set in West Texas, the story revolves around young Vietnam veteran Llewelyn Moss, who while hunting antelope comes upon the carnage of a drug deal gone awry: a large suitcase of heroin, $2 million in cash and the mutilated bodies of several men. Moss, recognizing the possibilities the money would create for himself and his wife, decides to abscond with it. His decision, however, leads to mayhem, violence and murder, as Moss finds himself pitted against several ruthless protagonists, including a psychopathic murderer armed with a cattle gun, as well as the local sheriff, a WWII vet with his own dark secret.
While burning bodies and bloodshed ensue, at its core McCarthy's novel is an at times profound meditation on the timeless battle between good and evil. While at present casting has not been announced, production is scheduled to commence in May on location in Texas and New Mexico. The film will put the duo back in the territory of BLOOD SIMPLE, the violent film noir that launched their careers back in 1984.
:shock:
Na kojim li su drogama ovih dana.
Čekamo, čekamo....
The best thing so far, besides the source material and the Brothers Coen - is that the film will headline Javier Bardem and Tommy Lee Jones to start off this cast - I'm really hoping that John Turturro plays an evil Mexican assassin. (SAME HERE, NOTE BY GHOUL :!: )
Quote from: "Ghoul"Javier Bardem
:x *@#$%
Jednostavno, ne mogu da svarim tog čoveka... Valjda mi neće pokvariti ugođaj.
on ti je kao death metal mjuz - treba malo vremena čulima da se na njega naviknu, ali onda... može da prođe.
i mene je nervirao sve do PERDITA DURANGO... a sad čak mislim da je njegov kasting dobar izbor.
uostalom, braća koen umeju da odaberu glumca.
veruj!
a new flick called ADINA that will bring Neve Campbell back into the genre fold. Also joining her is Jonathan Rhys Meyers with Nicholas Roeg at the helm. The project, amongst other attributes, certainly sounds like it has ambitious goals.
Adina aims to be a deviation from the recent cinematic entries into horror filmdom. Neve will star as the titular Adina, a young woman who is not quite human and is struggling to fit into a world where she may or may not have to kill. Screenwriters Bernadette Elliott and Michael Lupetin aim to create an innovative breed of horror that applies to today's society, and even moreso they see this as a chance to deviate from the current glut of Hollywood remakes.
An unknown type of creature, altered perceptions of reality, and new definitions of time and space make the rules by which Adina plans to play all the more interesting.
:!:
Cronenberg picks up MAPS TO THE STARS to navigate next!!!
Hey folks, Harry here... According to Michael Fleming over at Variety has found out that David Cronenberg's next project is a film titled MAPS TO THE STARS written by Bruce Wagner and is purportedly a "darkly comic drama about Hollywood excess and intrigue." I don't even know what that means in Cronenberg's hands. But there's something about the idea of Cronenberg turning that razor sharp mind of his back upon the world of Hollywood - that makes me very anxious to see what comes out of that. Will David examine the two-faced nature of that world? Whatever he chooses to do on Hollywood, you know it'll cut deep and on target. Can't wait to see what comes out of this!
obozavam Cronenberga, obozavam Wagnera, velikog zanrovskog intelektualca, pun pogodak...
One Last Stand
Mike Goodridge in Park City 04 February 2006
Dir: Max Makowski. Singapore. 2006. 100mins.
Here's a puzzle: Brazil-born film-maker Makowski (The Pigeon Egg Strategy, Taboo) makes his first film in Cantonese – a Singapore-set crime thriller which is soaked in the visual stylistics and artificial dialogue one has come to expect from homages to Hong Kong action films.
But One Last Dance delivers an unexpected punch as its labyrinthine plot unfurls. Just as Makowski's sub-Woo, sub-Tarantino trickery starts to wear thin, the director ever-so-slowly sneaks up on his audience with the revelation that everything they have been watching is a giant jigsaw of consequence and chronology.
By the time the final piece is in place at the movie's end, the film bewilderingly feels like a true original – albeit dressed up in Asian movie conventions and myriad references to other films.
The Asian action movie has suffered in export of late. Even the Infernal Affairs sequels have still to see the light of a projector in the US, for example, and Jackie Chan's locally produced films rarely leave Asia anymore.
One Last Dance could nevertheless score theatrical sales based on its sheer ingenuity, and the specialised distributors who take it on will no doubt highlight the surprises of the plot in their marketing campaigns. Critics will respond to a fresh new voice in Makowski coming to an alien film culture and turning it on its head. Nor is an English-language remake out of the question. The film screened in World Dramatic Competition at Sundance.
Makowski's clever screenplay appears to be as a chronological narrative until we discover that everything we thought was in order was in fact out of sync. In fact he relies on the fact that audiences are accustomed to being confused in these sparsely told style-fests to covertly spin his web.
It all starts with a gangster called Mr Sa (Quan Xi) who, so furious that his son has been kidnapped, calls out a laconic hitman known simply as T (Francis Ng) to find him and kill those responsible.
T is an intelligent man who engages in an ongoing chess game with the local police captain (Ti Lung). One night sitting in a bar waiting to carry out a hit (the kidnappers?), he falls for a waitress called Mae (Vivian Hsu) who, it turns out, is the sister of his loud-mouthed young friend Ko (Joseph Quek).
As the bodies pile up, it becomes clear that not only is Ko responsible for the kidnappings, but that he has stolen some Italian mob money technically owned by mob boss Terrtano (Keitel). As T gets hired from each side to kill each other's rivals, the police captain gets onto his trail and Mae becomes involved in unforeseen ways.
Justice cannot be done to the plot here, since much of it is interlinked in ways that would give away the surprises. Needless to say that the film's pleasure is as much derived from Makowski's ferociously assured execution as it is from the story.
He also employs iconic faces from Asian cinema – Ng, a regular with Ringo Lam and Johnnie To, is the epitome of world-weary supercool as T, Lung, a veteran star of Shaw Brothers action features, is the perfect friend/enemy police chief, and Taiwanese beauty Tsu is suitably preoccupied as the mysterious Mae.
Production companies
Mediacorp Raintree Pictures
Media Development Authority Of Singapore
The Film Bund & Ming Productions
Presto Films
International sales
Cinetic Media
Executive producers
Dalbag Khaira
Aimee Shieh
Daniel Yun
San Fu Maltha
Producers
Peter Loehr
Titus Ho
Screenplay
Max Makowski
Cinematography
Charlie Lam
Production design
Aleta Shaffer
Editor
Lawrence Ang
Music
John Swihart
Main cast
Francis Ng
Ti Lung
Vivian Hsu
Joseph Quek
Harvey Keitel
Salvage
Patrick Z McGavin in Park City 04 February 2006
Dirs/scr: Joshua and Jeffrey Crook. US. 2006. 79mins.
The brothers Crook, Joshua and Jeffrey, previously made an urban thriller, Sucker Punch, and the title is dismayingly consistent with their new feature Salvage. In producing a structural horror movie, freely mixing the irrational and the incoherent, the brothers offer conflicted scenarios in relating the story of an attractive young college student pursued by a serial killer.
The effect is the same as being smashed in the gut. Continuously suspending narrative to question whether the film is real or invented, a dream or recovered nightmare, the brothers misapply their talents to very meretricious ends, deploying all manner of studied technique and brutal action to indefensible effect. The result is manipulative and filled with disturbing imagery of a young woman being beaten, stabbed and violated.
The smeared digital video look enforces the sense of claustrophobia and manic creepiness, though the film-makers never use the conventions of horror to get underneath the form or animate the style to say anything new or interesting.
Salvage premiered at the Midnight section at Sundance and given the ravenous market for horror movies and all their permutations, a young, hip crowd is certain to be found for this cinema of cruelty. It should play in college towns as an after-hours attraction, and find a strong play in cable and DVD. But it is possibly too insular and unseemly to move beyond the lower fringes of the independent horror cycle.
Having completed her shift at a local convenience store, 19-year-old Claire (Lewis) arrives at the typical location to meet her boyfriend, Jimmy (Darbe), who drives her to a morning class. Claire's is startled to find a strange, threatening man (Ferry) driving Jimmy's truck. The man convinces her he is an associate of Jimmy's from the salvage yard, and she reluctantly agrees to be driven home.
Eventually Claire is overwhelmed by the man and attempts to barricade herself inside the house. During a protracted, thoroughly ugly moment, he gnashes away at her body and face, cutting, mutilating and then seemingly killing her.
Following a jump cut the action returns to the convenience store, and Claire talking with her manager in a scene eerily similar to the opening moments. Returning to the same rendezvous point, Claire now confronts Jimmy, exploding the narrative inside out. Setting into her everyday actions - attending classes, working the convenience store, hanging out with Jimmy or going home, where she lives with her unsettled, bizarre mother (Olander) - Claire is exceedingly undone by the recurring feeling of being watched, pursued, and looked after.
Horror movies are fundamental acts of coercion and breakdown, annihilating a sense of the familiar and comfortable. The Crook brothers are probably convinced that with Salvage they are subverting form and mood, but the threatening, bleak repetitiveness of the storytelling offers neither comfort nor release.
Lewis brings a soulful conviction and concentration to the part, though an undernourished plot and the film-makers' lack of imagination betray her. By the time of its surprise conclusion, the question is not whether or not the violence is real or imagined but whether a movie like Salvage really needs to exist in the first part. These talented, ambitious film-makers never make that case.
Production companies
Crook Brothers Productions
Off Hollywood Pictures
Seventh Level
Sales
c/o Washington Square Films
Executive producer
Drew Oppelt
Producer
Chris Ferry
Associate producer
Ricardo Sean Thompson
Cinematography
John Barrett Ashmore
Editor
Joshua Crook
Music
Evan Wilson
Main cast
Lauren Currie Lewis
Chris Ferry
Cody Darbe
John Miller
Maureen Olander
Jess DeLong
Sharon Stone's latest movie is too sexy for cinemas. Censors in the US have had to cut a steamy orgy scene out of "Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction" so that teenagers can watch it reports Bang Showbiz.
Britain's Daily Star newspaper quotes a spokesman for the studio as saying: "It is a hard 'R' rated movie which means it includes strong sexuality, nudity, violence, language and some drug content." Censors threatened to give it the dreaded NC-17 rating which would mean that no-one under 18 could watch it.
Although they found the orgy scene too much, the MPAA did allow a steamy sequence where Sharon's character is pleasured by a man as she drives a sports car through the streets on London at high speed. Sharon reportedly refused to use a body double for the sex scenes.
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"Sharon reportedly refused to use a body double for the sex scenes.
Yeah, baby! xcheers
QuoteSharon reportedly refused to use a body double for the sex scenes.
To je vrlo pohvalno i puno govori o njenoj doslednosti kao glumice i saglasnosti njenih uverenja i onoga sto radi na filmu i bla bla bla...
ali da li je tu rec o onoj istoj Seron Stoun koja je rodjena ljeta Gospodnjeg 1958.? I koja, po svojim recima, nikad nije imala ni jednu plasticnu operaciju tipa: face-lift, tighs-sucked&tummy-tucket, podesavanje visine grudi,... hmmm... nisam siguran da bih to voleo da vidim. :? :P :D
@Pukovnik
Ne znam u kom si je filmu poslednji put gledao, ali meni se čini da ona sada izgleda bolje nego ikada.
Da budem iskren nisam je gledao bas dugo... Da budem jos iskreniji: nisam nameravao da ismevam ucesnike na ovom forumu nego cinjenicu da sam vec cuo vise komentara nalik na ovaj tvoj, a takodje sam cuo i za njene sudske tuzbe protiv nadri-strucnjaka koji su objasnjavali sta je sve potrepno od plasticne hirurgije da bi izgledala kao sto "danas" izgleda. :wink: To je bila meta koju sam gadjao. Zao mi je ako sam bio neprecizan. :!:
Meni je najbolje izgledala u "Totalni opoziv". Ako izgleda bolje od toga i jos ima takve scene u filmu, tacno cu poneti rolnu tolet-papira sa sobom kad budem isao u bioskop! :D
Quote from: "col. von Strohm"ali da li je tu rec o onoj istoj Seron Stoun koja je rodjena ljeta Gospodnjeg 1958.? I koja, po svojim recima, nikad nije imala ni jednu plasticnu operaciju tipa: face-lift, tighs-sucked&tummy-tucket, podesavanje visine grudi,... hmmm... nisam siguran da bih to voleo da vidim. :? :P :D
Meni izjave ovog tipa nikad nisu bile jasne. Već sam se susretao sa izuzetno zlobnim komentarima povodom činjenice da Sharon snima erotski triler. "Argumenti" su uvek isti: prestara je, baba pokazuje međunožje i slično. Da li to znači da svaka glumica (da ne napišem: žena) iznad 35 godina treba da ode u manastir?
Sharon izgleda odlično u kasnim četrdesetim i ne vidim zašto ne bi popunila cipele (sa visokom potpeticom, naravno) Ketrin Tremel. Starenje je normalan proces, niko ne može svoj seksipil da zauvek očuva, ali g-đica Stone još uvek ne mora da brine. Mladost je mladost, to ne sporim, ali i žena u zrelim godinama može da zaustavi dah posmatraču.
Komentari o plastičnim operacijama su me rastužili. To što se Sharon nije operisala (ako je to tačno) treba da bude za svaku pohvalu a ne da joj se prebacuje. Pogledajte samo šta su silne operacije napravile od nesrećne Melanie Griffith! Ili još ekstremniji primer - ko je pogledao Cohenov doprinos serijalu
MoH,
Pick me Up, mogao je da uoči grotesknu pojavu Laurene Landon, nekadašnje sex bombe (
Maniac Cop 1 & 2, I, the Jury, The Stuff...) i Sharonine vršnjakinje, koja danas podseća na Frankenštajnovu nevestu: sve zahvaljujuće "čudima moderne hirurgije".
Što se
BI2 tiče, ne znam šta da očekujem. Michael Caton-Jones nije Uwe Boll, ali već duže vreme nije, koliko ja znam, režirao nešto vredno pomena. S druge strane, tu je i Charlotte Rampling (i to tumači lik koji se zove Milena Gardoš!) čije prisustvo, najčešće, garantuje da se radi o (bar) pristojnom projektu.
Ko želi da vidi kako Sharon, David Morrissey i Charlotte izgledaju u nastavku
Niskih strasti, neka klikne na link:
http://www.moviesonline.ca ...i potraži
Basic Instinct 2...
Basic Instinct 2 trejler (http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2006/02/niska-nevinost.html), R-rated shit galore!!!!
Nije prvi put da naletim na zlobne muske komentare ucesnika foruma na razne zenske atribute, ali onda dragi moji nemojte se pitati otkud tako malo zena na ovom forumu, jer licno meni se digne zeludac na izjave tipa " ruzno gradjene glumice pokazuju svoje male grudi....", " ne zelim da vidm grudi jedne babe..." a kakvi ste vi ,skoknite nacas do ogledala momci pa da pricamo!
U to ime prokomentarisacu pojavu mog druga Ota na B92 sinoc, bas je postao dasa, da nekazem dobro parce! I pozivam ostale zene da komenterisu javno :sto pisce, sto clanove foruma (ako su imale tu neopisivu srecu da ih sretnu) ,sto glumce po filmovima itd. :idea:
Quote from: "anabel"... bas je postao dasa, da nekazem dobro parce!...quote]
A što da nekažeš?
Ionako svi znaju. :arrow:
Volim i ja dobro parče, da se razumemo.
Evo, ja ću da komentarišem Lurda; dobro parče. I sa rajfom, a bogami i bez. I Jora ću sad malo da komentarišem; dobro parče. A kažu mi da je i Sandmen. Dobro parče.
Ne znam samo ko ih toliko rasparča... :roll:
E da: i Truba je dobro parče. :arrow:
Bar tako sam tvrdi. :arrow:
Samo ne znam da li pri tom govori o sebi ili o svom parčetu. :arrow:
Dobrom.
:arrow:
I Sigi je dobro parče. :wink:
(A kažu mi da je i spajd. :lol: )
Lično, đejbinson mi je onomad ličio na dobro parče, samo ne znam kako sada izgleda. (greota jedna, nikad se ne depilirasmo, ja i on.. :( :cry: )
I Kunc je dobro parče. :wink:
Jel' dosta?
(Coito, ergo sum.)
Dosta je.
Pa nije dosta, jer pitanje je i ko nije ....recicu ovog puta dasa a ne parce, ko ima krive noge, ruzan ten, masnu kosu, uska ramena, a za rajf ....pa nezam...nisam odusevljena...pa onaj bez kose....ali secam se Bevca iz mladjih dana izgledao je vrlo zanimljivo.
Ove starije neznam ni dali komentarisati ....oni su ko vino ...sto stariji to bolji, ipak za anale reci cu: pre 15 godina BOB je izgledao super i bio je strasno sarmantan.
Quote from: "Dr Kunac"ko je pogledao Cohenov doprinos serijalu MoH, Pick me Up, mogao je da uoči grotesknu pojavu Laurene Landon, nekadašnje sex bombe (Maniac Cop 1 & 2, I, the Jury, The Stuff...) i Sharonine vršnjakinje, koja danas podseća na Frankenštajnovu nevestu: sve zahvaljujuće "čudima moderne hirurgije".
Bog te! Ja sam bio siguran da je to neki trandža!
Auuuuuuu! Ne v-e-r-u-j-e-m.
Neću, bre, da budem parče kad su svi ostali parče! Odbijam!
Anabel, šta je problem? Ako se meni ne gleda neka glumica jer mi se, eto, ne svidja, zašto to ne bih smeo da kažem? Čemu ta banalizacija? "Ne svidja mi se ta riba jer ima premale sise" - "A! Šovinisto! Ženomršče!"
Pa, opustite se, majku mu.
A posebno ne vidim zašto ja koji sam debeo, imam uska ramena, loš ten, loše zube, što mi smrdi iz usta i nemam manire ne bih smeo da komentarišem kako izgledaju neke žene...
Inače, pogledao sam trejler. Šeron izgleda svetski.
Okej, smatripenc; ali ako hoćeš biti nešto više onda se moraš nešto malo i žrtvovati.
Inače, jok.
(Meni su svi parčad na lepe oči...)
QuoteNije prvi put da naletim na zlobne muske komentare ucesnika foruma na razne zenske atribute, ali onda dragi moji nemojte se pitati otkud tako malo zena na ovom forumu, jer licno meni se digne zeludac na izjave tipa " ruzno gradjene glumice pokazuju svoje male grudi....", " ne zelim da vidm grudi jedne babe..." a kakvi ste vi ,skoknite nacas do ogledala momci pa da pricamo!
Muski komentari nisu u svojoj sustini
zlobni nego
iskreni. Postoji jedva primetna ali sustinska razlika... mada su cesto i
iskreno zlobni. :!: To sto je ovo elektronska forma komunikacije gde se ne srecemo lice u lice cini da "cenzori" u glavi rade na manjem broju obrtaja te tako dobijas komentare koji su cesto iskreniji no u normalnom razgovoru, a uvek su direktniji i otvoreniji. Siguran sam da tragovi toga postoje i na forumima gde su dominantne zene. Teme i terminologija su drugacije, ali ako postoji razlika izmedju onoga sto pricas u iskljucivo zenskom drustvu i izmedju onoga sto pricas u mesovitom drustvu, ma koliko ona bila mala, to ti je isto sto tzv.
muske price. :)
Kada su filmovi u pitanju [ili predstave, performansi i kojekakva jos cuda javnog tipa] gde treba da bude prisutan i erotski sadrzaj, uvek se postavlja pitanje kako izgleda glavna glumica. I nemoj da gresis dusu, u Holivudu su i glumci ugovorom obavezani kako moraju da izgledaju, nije to samo disciplina za zene. Toga kod nas nema pa za komentare tipa "pogledaj se u ogledalo" imas mnogo vise materijala.
Evo ja cu da ti dam primer: Vojin Cetkovic! Pogledaj ga dok je bio mladi i nepoznati glumac u Porodicnom blagu i pogledaj ga u istoj seriji par godina kasnije. Evo vidim da repriziraju tu seriju na nekoj stanici pa pogledaj. Secam se da sam pre nekoliko godina setajuci po programima naleteo na scenu gde on kao stoji na golu i brani penal, a skembe tek sto mu se ne vuce po podu! Dok je bio nepoznat bio je gladan, a kada se proslavio otegao stomacinu od kafanskih rucavanja i veceravanja toliko da mora dva kaisa da nastavi da bi se opasao. :roll: Eto ti kako izgleda soubiznis kod nas. :?
A mene slobodno mozes da zezas i za to sto sam celav i sto mi je masna kosa i sto nemam zube i sto su mi podocnjaci crni i sto su mi trbusnjaci opusteni i sto su mi sise lose i sto su mi noge previse tanke... samo izvoli! :!: Jedino sto smatram neukusnim je kada ljude zezaju [zene ili muskarce] za neizmenljive fizicke kategorije tipa: nizak, krivonog, grbav, i sve tome slicno sto je posledica genetskog sablona i nije moguce korigovati pravilnom ishranom, nekom vrstom vezbi ili na neki treci nacin.
Dakle kao konzument [ili ako hoces "superkondimentor"] filmskih proizvoda, smatram da je potpuno legitimno da se raspitujem za izgled glavne glumice u filmu kao sto je BI2. Siguran sam da ni tebi nije bilo pravo kada si gledala visece vrecasto dupe Majkla Daglasa u prvom delu. :lol:
A kada je u pitanju izgled Seron Stoun, ne marim ja da ona dobro izgleda, sa ili bez plasticne hirurgije. Tacno je da zene dobijaju drugaciju vrstu sarma sa godinama i neke zaista izgledaju cak i bolje u cetrdesetim nego u dvadesetim. U svakom slucaju lepo je videti negovanu lepotu koliko god ona imala godina.
Ono sto je meni bilo interesantno u ovome o cemu pricamo je cinjenica da ona tvrdi da nije imala nikakve operacije i invazione hiruske zahvate, a vi kazete da odlicno izgleda. To je bas lepo i naravno da je moguce da njena lepota dolazi iz njenog dobrog srca i emotivne harmonije [kao Rakel Velc npr.], ili da radi neku vrstu posebno blagotvornih vezbi [kao recimo Fondizam koji je propagirala Dzejn Fonda... sve dok u pedesetoj nije otisla na vadjenje prekobrojnih rebara da bi stanjila struk], ili da maze dupe svako jutro sa kozmetickim preparatima na bazi fetalnih maticnih celija dobijenih iz klinika za abortuse... Meni je to potpuno svejedno. Ja volim da vidim lep zavrsni proizvod. :)
Takodje, ljubopitljiv sam kada vidim da je 48+X=34. Onda prosto zelim da znam koliko je X. Eto to je sve sto sam nameravao da kazem i ako sam u tome zlonameran jedino sto mogu da garantujem je da sam iskreno zlonameran. :D
pazite ovo ludilo za RUNNING SCARED (http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2006/02/running-scared.html)
INTERVJU SA JIMBO CAMERONOM! (http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2006/02/bog-je-progovorio.html)
...i Ghoul je parce... :oops:
Uh, probacu da svima odgovorim, mada cinjenica da ste posvetili toliko redaka na ovu temu ohrabruje!
Pre svega pokusala sam da budem duhovita(!?) jer pre svega smatram da je ovaj forum zabava, i nisam nikakva ljuta feministkinja cak naprotiv, ... i ne mislim da branim zenski rod jer nema ni potrebe za tim.
Elem, poenta je bila bas u vasoj jadikovki o postovima od strane zena (mali broj) a ovamo udri po njima!
Ja sam licno obozavatelj sf-a vec jako dugo, eto da odam i nesto licno Boban je tvrdio da sam se zaljubila u njegovu biblioteku (20.000 knjiga) a ne....ali dobro sad necu o tome.
koliko volim knjige volim i film i zato i citam ovaj topik svakodnevno. Onda mi nista neznaci kad komentarisete izgled dame u godinama jer vazno je pre svega kako glumi zar ne? A o guzi M.Daglasa ne bih jer se i nesecam iste, pamtim neke mnogo bolje (Sean Penn -moj omiljeni zauvek).
Ala sam se raspisala a nije mi bila namera.
Pozdrav za Lib!
Zemeckis je parce! (http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2006/02/ulazak-u-hram.html)
QuoteUh, probacu da svima odgovorim, mada cinjenica da ste posvetili toliko redaka na ovu temu ohrabruje!
Pa moram malo da se raspisem posto ja
jesam feminista. :lol: Stavise toliko sam ekstremni feminista u svojim shvatanjima da feministkinje najcesce nece da pricaju samnom jer se osecaju neadekvatno. :D Doduse to i nije neko cudo ako uzmes u obzir da sam odrastao u porodici u kojoj je ravnopravnost aksiom. Recicu jos samo kao primer da je moja mama od 1999. nosilac "Ordena za ratne zasluge", xwink2 i necu dalje da smaram.
p.s.:
QuoteA o guzi M.Daglasa ne bih jer se i nesecam iste, pamtim neke mnogo bolje...
Pa moj komentar je bas i bio usmeren otprilike ka:
verovatno cak i (late) Dzon Kendi ima bolje dupe od Majkla Daglasa. ximaa xrofl
tesko da ce ovaj ADRIFT dostici slavu Duguayevog klasika ali vest da Big Daddy Russell rezira treci RESIDENT EVIL je DO JAJA :D
Summit Entertainment has struck a first-look deal to sell movies from Constantin. The first title covered under the Constantin agreement will be the third installment in the "Resident Evil" franchise, titled "Resident Evil: Extinction," which is set to begin production in 2006 reports Variety.
Russell Mulcahy will direct with Milla Jovovich reprising her starring role. Summit is currently selling Eichinger's upcoming pet project "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer".
Thanks to this deal, they've also picked up international rights to "Adrift," an American thriller shot in Malta but set off the coast of Mexico. The film follows six long-time friends who go on a cruise in a luxury yacht and go swimming, only to realize that they forgot to let down the ladder and there's no way to climb back onto the boat (with only a baby onboard).
http://www.aintitcoolnews.com/display.cgi?id=22438
Odavno nisam pročitao bolju kritiku. :lol:
STOPPING POWER is an intense chase Genre-movie set in Berlin, about a father who is forced to drive at high speed across the city in order to act as a decoy for the criminals who have kidnapped his daughter. The script for this action film was written by Eric Red (THE HITCHER) and Richard Shepard. Action Concept, the largest full-service producer of action formats worldwide, will co-produce and co-finance the film in co-operation with the Internationalmedia group and QED International. In the course of the Berlin International Film Festival, Action Concept and the Internationalmedia group announced this movie as the first project of the production agreement that was closed last summer. The production start is planned for summer 2006.
Alexander Aja & Wes Craven a Team for 'The Waiting'.
Here's something that's only just on my radar, another Craven / Aja project thats been openly discussed in the past week in some quarters, and it's one of those things again that's a bit 'work in progress' so take it as something that could fall apart, but hopefully remains something that will come through for its scheduled 2007 release. Craven and Aja have discussed working together on something following Craven's positive reaction to Aja's remake of his 'The Hills Have Eyes' which opens in America on March 10th 2006. Craven has managed a solid but not particularly fresh career for decades, Aja is still up and coming, and potentially the pairing could be very interesting indeed.
Fine, Aja did a top job of 'Haute Tension', one of the best films I saw last year in many respects - particularly for its modern look, old-fashioned genre story and great special effects - something not entirely new but which showed enough promise, and I was amongst those saying 'pfff... yeah, nice choice' sarcasticly in my head when Aja opted for a remake - something essentially to likely to be even less original that another genre movie like 'Haute Tension'. Anyway, remakes can be fresh too I suppose, and 'The Hills Have Eyes' remake trailer is just lovely, and it remains one film I want to see more than most this year.
'The Waiting' is a ghost story revolving around a relocating family, and is said to potentially both be a remake (of sorts) of 'Last House on the Left' (like it, prefer Aldo Lado's version of that tale in 'Night Train Murders' - a great Blue Underground disc of that out in America) and something in the same vein as 'Rosemary's Baby' and 'Don't Look Now'. So potential in there for something with that Gothic Horror edge, the feel of 'Omen', 'Carrie', 'Halloween' and many things out of Italy during that decade too. They seem to have scoured scripts that contain the basic elements of a story they can add their edge and touch to, and I hope that such a meeting of minds comes up with something lovely.
NOVI MIKELE SOAVI!
Arrivederci amore, ciao
from the website of the international sales agent for the movie, Wild Bunch Sales Limited: "Giorgio, a left-wing idealist-turned-terrorist, returns to Italy from exile in Central America with one goal - to establish a life of comfortable bourgeois respectability. A normal life. All idealistic fervour and political conviction destroyed during his horror-filled years on the run, Giorgio's obsessive desire for this normal life is limitless, his methods utterly ruthless. Blackmailing former comrades buys him a reduced jail sentence, but once on the outside, despite himself, he sinks unavoidably and ever-deeper into a vortex of violence and crime from which there seems to be no escape.
Larceny, pimping, drug-dealing, easy dirty money... Giorgio hesitates briefly, then abandons himself to the corruption that surrounds him. A relentless machine, he flourishes. In partnership with Anedda, a crooked and cynical special services agent in possession of evidence that could put him away forever, he takes on increasingly dangerous criminal jobs. Blood starts flowing, bodies start piling up around him. A major heist scores Giorgio some serious money. Enough to pay Anedda off, enough to start over again, enough to buy the dream that has never stopped haunting him.
But for Giorgio, the past is never dead. It's not even past.
Based on the best-selling novel and graphic novel by Massimo Carlotto, brutal, chilling, utterly compelling, Michele Soavi's Arrivederci amore, ciao is the gripping story of one man's battle against destiny, his struggle to escape from himself and his own black history of violence."
+ slika iz filma:
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wildbunch.biz%2Fuploaded_images%2F032FB391-5347-4278-B3126289A23F6FD8.jpg&hash=33d5bb4c4832b478229d4b32622d00e174973df1)
Michele obecava, cim ga je uzeo Wild Bunch mora da je nesto zanimljivo...
Bryan Singer, the writer/director behind such films as X-Men and Superman Returns, told SCI FI Wire that he wants to become a producer of horror films as well, following in the footsteps of other well-known auteurs-turned-horror moguls. "And I'm also acquiring other properties for movies," Singer said in an interview at WonderCon in San Francisco over the weekend. "I'm looking to produce some films. I'm looking at the prospect of producing some horror films."
It sounds like Singer wants to emulate established directors such as Back to the Future's Robert Zemeckis, who with producer Joel Silver heads the genre label Dark Castle (House on Haunted Hill), and Spider-Man's Sam Raimi, who with longtime partner Rob Tapert operates Ghost House Pictures (The Grudge). "Something like that," Singer confirmed.
Singer has already acted as a producer of his own films, as well as TV fare such as Fox's House and SCI FI Channel's original miniseries The Triangle, which he executive-produced with Dean Devlin.
And Singer said he won't just restrict himself to movies and TV: "I'm also involved in video-game stuff as well," he said. Superman Returns opens June 30.
AJMO RAJA!
Mandalay has made a deal with "Wild Things" helmer John McNaughton to direct "Backstabbers," penned by Stephen Peters, who wrote the 1998 sexy thriller "Wild Things" starring Denise Richards, Neve Campbell, Matt Dillon and Kevin Bacon reports Variety.
Richards and Campbell are in talks to reteam in "Backstabbers" which is described as a sexy caper about a rich New York man who masterminds his wife's kidnapping unaware that his mistress and bodyguard are going to double-cross him.
Although "Backstabbers" reunites the players from "Wild Things," it's not being billed as a sequel.
Focus Features and BBC Films have attached David Cronenberg to direct "Eastern Promises," a $15-$20 million budget London thriller penned by Steve Knight ("Dirty Pretty Things") reports Variety.
The script digs into the seamy underside of life in the U.K. capital and focuses on a young midwife drawn into investigating the identity of a mysterious Russian girl who dies in childbirth on Christmas Eve. The nurse stumbles into danger when she discovers that the dead woman was a prostitute ensnared by a sex-trafficking gang.
Focus is taking worldwide rights on the film, Cronenberg and Knight have just started working together on the script, and the aim is to shoot the project in the Fall depending upon Cronenberg's commitment to the Bruce Wagner-scripted "Maps to the Stars".
:x
Kako da čitam textove koji beže se7en ekrana udesno?!
novi Bekmambetov (http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2006/02/bekmambetov-slate.html)
Requiem" helmer Hans-Christian Schmid will next direct "Storm," a political-thriller about an attorney working for the Hague who discovers war-crime skeletons in the closet of a popular Croatian politician. Schmid is writing the screenplay with "Requiem" scribe Bernd Lange..."
"Alec Baldwin has scored the lead role in the $15 million thriller "The Forbidden City" written by Don Ethan Miller. Based on the book 'The Last Mandarin' by Stephen Becker, the story tells of the Chinese and the American working together to capture Japanese war criminals in 1949. Andrei Konchalovsky ("Runaway Train") will direct when shooting begins in China in May..."
Subject Two
Patrick Z McGavin in Berlin 20 February 2006
Dir/scr Philip Chidel. US. 2006. 92mins.
Philip Chidel's second feature Subject Two begins with a taut, suggestive title sequence of two men battling for possession of a gun; a smart, sharp opening that provides a chilling introduction to the highly assured and impressively staged low-budget horror film that follows.
It conforms enough to the demands of the form, allowing enough blood, gore and action to thrill the youth crowd. But Chidel is also after something more elusive and difficult to track, a psychological suggestion of divine right and absolute power.
It's a reconsideration of the Frankenstein myth, given a new, relevant idiom about technology and science in conflict with mortality. "You're an assistant, not God," a character says late in the film.
Just as impressively Chidel draws on the spectacular Colorado mountain scenery where the film unfolds, drawing on the clean, sinister white-on-white compositions to heighten the quotient of dread and unease. The movie suggests Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's The Shining, not only in the claustrophobic, snow-capped landscapes, but also in lead actor Dean Stapleton's resemblance to a younger Jack Nicholson.
Premiering in the Midnight section at Sundance, Subject Two is a natural title for the smart, discerning late-night crowd. It clearly will not perform at the Saw or Hostel level, but it's a shrewd, stylish programmer that should find an appreciative, probably cult, following.
The movie's top prospects are in ancillary markets, particularly the lucrative field of DVD and pay cable. Internationally, the commercial possibilities are more restricted.
But while Far From Bismarck, the first feature from San Francisco-based Chidel, went largely unseen, he'll experience no such problems with Subject Two.
A young medical student whose migrained induced seizures pummel his promising career, Adam (Oliver) is summoned by a mysterious benefactor, Dr Franklin Vick (Stapleton) to meet him at his isolated medical research facility.
A specialist in cryonics, Vick is conducting highly experimental research in resurrection, developing a serum that he says enables him to revive the dead. Adam is drafted into his "experiment": Vick strangles him in the first of a series of medically sanctioned killings, then drains him of his blood and shoots him.
Dubbed Subject Two, after failed experiments with his predecessor, Adam is suddenly transformed and his seizures and migraines disappear. "You have no idea what's going on inside me right now," he tells Vick. But the process remains unstable, and Adam is soon convulsed with horrifyingly painful side effects and begs Vick to end his life.
The narrative conflicts plays out their struggle for equilibrium, Vick needing Adam to understand the full medical range of possibilities with his reanimation, and Adam trying to fully realise the psychological and physical consequences of his condition.
Shut off from the outside world, Adam is denied the earthly pleasure of a beautiful young woman (Mace) he befriended, and the tension subtly increases between scientist and subject. A good, thoughtful man, Adam is divided between trying to cope with the contradictory impulses his feels, continuously suspended as he is between life and death.
Director and writer Chidel makes a late appearance as an actor, and finds a highly appealing, revealing way to resolve the essential conflict between the two men.
The late plot revelations also deepen the sense of mystery, echoing the mysterious opening and powerfully suggesting that Adam is only capable of living by returning to civilisation.
Chidel's directing is taut and well underplayed and the tempo is fast and unnerving. The director smartly plays off physical space in expressive, inventive ways, heightening the confrontation in the cramped interiors and using the scale and depth of the exterior landscapes to project a different form of unsettledness, even encroaching madness. Christian Oliver's German-accented English creates a further sense of imbalance and strangeness.
Production companies
Cardiac Pictures
Chabo Films
International sales
Jeff Dowd & Associates
Producers
Philip Chidel
Dean Stapleton
Christian Oliver
Cinematography
Rich Confalone
Editor
Philip Chidel
Special effects make-up
Joann Gross
Music
Erik Godal
Main cast
Christian Oliver
Dean Stapleton
Courtney Mace
Jurgenn Jones
Thomas Buesch
Philip Cidel
Requiem
Lee Marshall in Berlin 20 February 2006
Dir: Hans-Christian Schmid. Ger. 2005. 92mins.
The thinking man's The Exorcism Of Emily Rose, Requiem offers a deliberately understated take on the real-life events which inspired that commercially successful courtroom horror yarn.
Director Schmid and scriptwriter Lange are only marginally interested in the hoary theme of Emily Rose – the tussle between religious faith and scientific reason. Instead, they weave a dourly compelling character study out of the 1970s Klingenberg case, in which a young German epileptic girl died at the end of an exhausting series of exorcisms, officially sanctioned by a Catholic bishop.
More strong, eccentric martyr than weak and passive victim, the film's complex heroine comes to life thanks to an electrifying feature debut performance by young theatre actress Sandra Hueller, who lifted a deserved Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival.
EFM sales action was brisk, and Requiem will benefit, rather than suffer, from its release after Scott Derrickson's Hollywood version.
A floppy-haired muppet of a girl living in a rural town somewhere in deepest Catholic Germany, Michaela (Hueller) wins a place to read pedagogy at the University of Tubingen. Her ice-cold mother (Kogge), who is always ready with a bitter word and a scathing comment, opposes the move because of her daughter's medical problems, soon revealed to be a form of epilepsy. But Michaela is supported by her weak, tremulously affectionate father (Klaussner).
At university she gets herself a best friend (Blomeier) and a boyfriend (Weiser), but she also has a recurrence of the fits that have already led to her skipping a year of school. This time, though, they twine with Michaela's religious faith, as she finds herself unable to pray, count her rosary beads, or touch the cross.
The action is set in a drab, brown-and-green version of the early 1970s that comes through mostly in the haircuts, clothes and music of the university scenes, and then only as a distant provincial echo. Though the script's one-way journey towards illness and obsession draws a rather uneventful straight line, it is leavened by the quirky unpredictability of Michaela's character.
As unorthodox as she is pious, this proto-saint goes freshwater swimming in her underwear, thrashes about to progressive rock music and enjoys sex with her permanently bemused boyfriend.
Michaela's descent into an emaciated half-life of visions and terrors is rendered with astonishing veracity by Hueller, with only minimal contributions from the make-up department.
Like Bresson's Joan Of Arc, Michaela is both a remarkable life-force and an active player in her own martyrdom. Though an exorcism taster is thrown in, the film ends, with impeccable instinct, at the moment when Michaela realises her path is mapped out, well before the Beelzebub and holy water routine can begin in earnest.
Production company
23/5 Filmproduktion
International sales
Bavaria Film International
German distribution
X Verleih
Producer
Hans-Christian Schmidt
Screenplay
Bernd Lange
Cinematography
Bogumil Godfrejow
Production design
Christian M Goldbeck
Editor
Hansjorg Weissbrich
Bernd Schlegel
Main cast
Sandra Hueller
Burghart Klaussner
Imogen Kogge
Anna Blomeier
Nicholas Reinke
Jens Harzer
Walter Schmidinger
Kate Moss is set to play a lesbian in a biopic about singer Dusty Springfield by "Brokeback Mountain" director Ang Lee reports Ananova.
Moss is expected to play a socialite who became one of her early lovers. Charlize Theron is lined up to take on the role of Springfield in the film which will follow the Dusty's life from her birth in Hampstead, north London, to her death from breast cancer in 1999.
A source says "Kate's the ideal choice to play the love of Dusty's early life. She's beautiful, aloof and she epitomises swinging London. There'll probably be sexual scenes but as Ang is behind the camera they will be very tastefully done. Kate's character breaks Dusty's heart and sparks off the chain of tumultuous relationships that dogged her throughout her life".
"Aliens" and "Titanic" helmer James Cameron has set Laeta Kalogridis ("Alexander", "Pathfinder"), who is co-writing "Battle Angel" with him, to write "The Dive," the true, tragic love story of freediver Francisco "Pipin" Ferraras and his wife Audrey Mestre reports Variety.
He plans to direct the film for 20th Century Fox and Lightstorm Entertainment, although "The Dive" won't be the next directing effort for Cameron. That film is a 3-D project entitled "Project 880" which many speculate is either of his long-awaited "Avatar" or "Battle Angel" project.
"Dive," which would begin after that project, will tell the story of two pre-eminent free-divers who, with but a breath of air in their lungs, plunged to unimaginable depths before swimming back to the surface. She died during an attempt to better her world record to 557.7 feet.
"Wedding Crashers" team Vince Vaughn and director David Dobkin are teaming again for "Fred Claus," a Warner Bros. holiday comedy about Santa's loser brother reports Variety.
Comedy revolves around Santa's black-sheep brother, who heads back to the North Pole and gets a chance to redeem himself. Vaughn is expected to land a $20 million salary for the first time.
Dan Fogelman wrote the script. Project is very likely to be Director Dobkin's next.
Director Simon West ("When a Stranger Calls", "Con Air", "Tomb Raider") is re-teaming with Screen Gems it seems as he's in negotiations to direct the horror thriller "Vacancy", penned by Mark L. Smith for the Sony genre-arm.
"Vacancy" centers on a young married couple who become stranded at a desolate motel and realize that their lives could be in danger.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Screen Gems is eyeing a mid-June start date for the project for release sometime in early 2007.
Weinstein Co. has acquired "Evilseek," a supernatural thriller that Wayne Kramer ("The Cooler", "Running ScareD") wrote and will both produce and direct. Thomas Jane is set to star reports Variety.
Jane will play a cop so demoralized by the handiwork of a serial killer that he commits suicide. Satan uses the cop's body as a vessel, inheriting a disgruntled ex-wife, a promiscuous 15-year-old daughter, a lesbian partner and some of the cop's dogged determination to catch the killer.
Kramer has committed to make the film his next directing assignment with plans to shoot later this year. Jane just completed the John Madden-directed "Killshot" for WeinsteinCo.
Latino Review has landed the exclusive scoop that Joaquin Phoenix is zeroing in to topline John Singleton's "Without Remorse" for Paramount Pictures as the lead character of John Kelly.
"Without Remorse" is based upon the novel of the same name by Tom Clancy, and is the story of how former Elite Navy Seal Commando John Kelly becomes the C.I.A. operative known as Mr. Clark, made famous in the Jack Ryan series of books and films.
Willem Dafoe played Mr. Clark in "Clear and Present Danger" and Liev Schreiber in the "Sum Of All Fears". Expect a formal announcement in the trades soon.
e sad vise nema ZAJEBAVANJA... (http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2006/02/bog-je-opet-progovorio.html)
Big Bang Love, Juvenile A (46 Oku Nen No Koi)
Lee Marshall in Berlin 28 February 2006
Dir: Takeshi Miike. Jap. 2006. 84mins.
The softening of Takeshi Miike – after the loopily tender Zebraman, and Box, his operatically stylised contribution to the Three Extremes anthology– continues apace with this bizarre gay prison yarn.
With shades of Gohatto (Taboo) and early German expressionist cinema, Big Bang Love, Juvenile A begins intriguingly as a sort of cosmic, poetic enquiry into male friendship and bonding. But then, abruptly, it becomes a murder mystery.
Visually striking but ultimately confusing, this is one of those films that is fine as long as you're content just to soak up the atmosphere. Those turned onto the director by Ichi The Killer will be disappointed; after some more festival exposure – it played as a Panorama Special in Berlin - Big Bang Love will likely be confined to the extreme arthouse edge in Miike-receptive territories, plus the usual specialist DVD outlets.
Pretty boy Ryuhei Matsuda – who, tellingly, made his acting debut in Gohatto – plays Jun Ariyoshi, a waiter in a gay bar who commits a horrific murder one night for no apparent reason. He is committed to prison on the same day as tattooed hard man Shiro Kazuki (Masanobu Ando), who is also on a murder rap, and the two develop a mutual dependency that never quite develops into a sexual relationship – though there is clearly plenty of same-sex action in this lock-up. Prison, Miike-style, is a homo-erotic netherworld peopled by male model inmates in designer rags.
Gradually, it becomes clear that this is a future world. At first only the curious stellar geometry of the prison cells and the stylised backdrops hint at this, but we move into full-on Metropolis mode when Jun looks through a peephole in his cell wall and sees a ruined zigurrat and a Sputnik-era rocket, served up in CGI retro sauce that serve as potent symbols of something or other. This is the problem with Big Bang Love: it so damn suggestive that it puts the audience on the back foot, reluctant to be the little boy in the Emperor's New Clothes.
The colour palette is stunning, dominated by noirish blues and deep sunset reds and golds, while Matsuda and Ando look great.
But this is not enough to save the film from feeling over-burdened when it starts to develop its existential murder-within-prison-walls plotline, complete with captioned whodunit questions that sound like something out of a game of Cluedo. By the end, this viewer at least was baffled. Miike is clearly a twisted genius; he just needs to work on his communication skills.
Production companies
Excellent Film Co
Maki Production Co
Shochiku Co
Eisei Gekijo
International sales
Shochiku Co
Producers
Takeshi Watanabe
Shiro Sasaki
Screenplay
Masa Nakamura, from the novel A Ereji by Masaki Ato
Cinematography
Masahito Kaneko
Editor
Yasushi Shimamura
Production design
Takashi Sasaki
Main cast
Ryuhei Matsuda
Masanobu Ando
HOT FUZZ HEATS UP Working Title is delighted to announce its next production, Hot Fuzz, an action comedy from Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg, co-creators of the hugely successful romzomcom, Shaun of the Dead.
A Working Title production in association with Big Talk Productions, Hot Fuzz is directed by Edgar Wright and stars Simon Pegg.
A comedy about a London cop who is seconded to deepest, darkest Somerset, the film is from an original screenplay by Wright and Pegg. Hot Fuzz will be produced by Nira Park (Shaun of the Dead), Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner and the executive producer is Natascha Wharton.
Pegg leads a stellar British cast including Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead), Jim Broadbent (Moulin Rouge), Timothy Dalton (The Living Daylights), Steve Coogan (A Cock and Bull Story) and Martin Freeman (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), Paddy Considine, Bill Bailey, Olivia Colman, Anne Reid, Rafe Spall, David Bradley, Stewart Wilson, Paul Freeman and Edward Woodward..
Says producer Nira Park, "We're delighted to once again be joining creative forces with Working Title on this very exciting and very British film. Together, we're looking forward to giving the police action genre the same treatment we gave the living dead in 2004."
Police constable, Nicholas Angel is good at his job, so good in fact, he makes everyone else look bad. As a result, his superiors at the Met have decided to sweep him under the carpet. So it is that London's top cop finds himself in the sleepy West Country village of Sandford. With garden fetes and neighbourhood watch meetings replacing the action of the city, Angel struggles to adapt to his situation and finds himself partnered with Danny Butterman (Frost), an oafish but well meaning young Constable, who dreams of being Mel Gibson. Just as all seems lost, a series of grisly accidents motivates Angel into action. Convinced of foul play, Angel realises that Sandford may not be as idyllic as it seems.
The film will start principal photography later on in March.
The Libertine, konacno, od marta 10og i u nasim bioskopima :)
David radi giallo
According to Joblo, horror director David Cronenberg is considering filming an adaptation of best selling book "I Kill".
The books storyline revolves around a killer who rings a live radio show declaring he will commit a crime a later that night, and ends up murdering a famous couple to make masks out of them.
Apparently filmimg will take place both in Europe and the States.
Cronenberg always makes interesting movies, and I'm sure he can work wonders with this concept.
Avary and Gaiman at it again, this time with BLACK HOLE for a young, HAUTE director!!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with news on BLACK HOLE... No, not Disney's BLACK HOLE with Norman Bates, Robert Forster and Maximilian Schell... I'm talking about the graphic novel by Charles Burns. Turns out that book is being attacked by a pair of loons, namely Roger Avary (not Avery as Hollywood Reporter said) and Neil Gaiman who just recently worked together on Robert Zemeckis' upcoming BEOWULF.
Moriarty broke this story back in his STARDUST report, posted Sunday.
Alexandre Aja (HAUTE TENSION, HILLS HAVE EYES) is locked in to direct for Paramount.
I've been buried (sorry) in Robert Kirkman's THE WALKING DEAD recently, but now I have to check out Burns' books. I already ordered it from Amazon. Sounds pretty nifty, described as a horror romance story about a group of high school students who come into contact with a sexually transmitted disease called "the teen plague" or "the bug." Sounds great. Can't wait to dig into it!!!
the Wicker Man trailer
http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/thewickerman/
Stavio u "most anticipated" mada verovatno to i ne zaslužuje. Po onome što sam uspeo da saznam, verovatno ga treba spaliti, al' ajd' sad... šta je tu je, zaboravimo original (ako je to moguće) i ovo može biti gledljiv film.
Meni ovo zvuci kao vrhunska budalastina u kojoj ce se uzivati:
A man (Black) whose brain becomes magnetized unintentionally destroys every tape in his friend's video store. In order to satisfy the store's most loyal renter, an aging woman with signs of dementia, the two men set out to remake the lost films, which include Back to the Future, The Lion King, and Robocop.
BE KIND REWIND (2007.)
scenario i rezija: Michele Gondry
Uloge: Jack Black, Kirsten Dunst, Danny Glover
u petak The Descent 8)
POVRATAK KRALJA (http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2006/07/another-master-at-work.html)
According to The Hollywood Reporter, DEAD master George A. Romero will script and direct SOLITARY ISLE, based on a short story by Japanese horror author Koji (RINGU) Suzuki, for Hyde Park Entertainment and Kadokawa Pictures. The source tale, published in Suzuki's DARK WATER anthology that also spawned the Japanese and American films of the same title, is about a teacher who joins a trip to a manmade island in Tokyo Bay—where one of his friends claims to have dumped his girlfriend, who died there—and the horrors they encounter once they arrive. ISLE is the first product of a pact between Hyde Park and Kadokawa (the company that publishes Suzuki and many of his genre contemporaries in Japan) to co-finance horror films budgeted under $25 million; distribution is likely to be handled by 20th Century Fox, which has a first-look deal with Hyde Park. Kadokawa is also backing Eric Valette's currently lensing remake of ONE MISSED CALL that stars Edward Burns, Shannyn Sossamon and Gabriel Byrne (but not Ed Harris, as we previously reported due to some erroneous information).
FANTOM Jovana Todorovica (http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2006/08/fotke-iz-fantoma.html)
John McTiernan has been confirmed to direct the thriller Deadly Exchange says Production Weekly.
The film revolves around a terrorist who infiltrates the US to hunt down the FBI agent that killed his family. Duke is a twenty-year-old, highly trained and Anglo-looking terrorist. Smuggled into the United States, Duke poses as a British exchange student while making preparations for his mission ... one of death and destruction on a large scale. Homeland Security Agent Arthur Griffin, who is assigned to locate Duke, is the same agent who killed Duke's parents, also terrorists, nine years earlier as they attempted an attack on an American airport. Duke, looking for revenge for his parents death, enters into a romantic affair with Griffin's daughter Jenny. What he doesn't expect, is to develop real feelings for Jenny. Griffin discovers Duke's identity. Not only must he stop Duke's plan before he kills hundreds of people but now his own daughter's life is in danger. On the run, Duke takes Jenny as a hostage. When he is given the order to kill her, he is torn between his oath of revenge and his growing love for Jenny.
Production is set to begin in Shreveport, Louisiana later this summer based on a screenplay by Ron Shusett and Ian Rabin.
Za MekTirnan ne treba nesto da ide u zatvor..?
Biće svedok-saradnik.
We've covered the development of David Cronenberg's newest flick, EASTERN PROMISES, a lot here on the site. Why wouldn't we? It's David Frickin' Cronenberg! The flick stars Naomi Watts, Viggo Mortensen and now Vincent Cassel. Watts is a nurse who helps a mysterious woman give birth. The woman ends up dying and Watts investigates her past, which leads her into the seedy world of Russian prostitution. Cassel plays a man named Petrid, whose family owns a Russian brothel. Cronenberg is the man and this cast is shaping up nicely. Can't wait to see this flick!!!
Pojavio se trejler za The Prestige:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0482571/trailers
All The Boys Love Mandy Lane
Fionnuala Halligan in Toronto 14 September 2006
Dir/scr: Jonathan Levine. US. 2006. 88mins.
A quick $3.5m-$4m buy for The Weinstein Company at Toronto, All The Boys Love Mandy Lane proves to be a crisply-executed teen horror debut from director Jonathan Levine and LA production outfit Occupant Films. It's likely to be a smart buy, given that this genre, at its best, is a licence to print money and that Levine's first feature brings a smart and sexy, almost postmodern, twist to the proceedings.
Business will be best of course in the US, birthplace of the scarily-mature teenagers who populate Mandy Lane – with the exception of Mandy herself, of course, who is a newcomer to the genre and, as played with dewy-lipped lusciousness by Amber Heard, another strong selling point.
Territories which traditionally warm to US teen horror will also embrace the movie warmly, with ancillary as hot as Mandy is. Word of mouth should be good all round, ensuring a longer-than-usual run for similar fare of the genre.
From the get-go, All The Boys Love Mandy Lane seems quite familiar – yet also a little different. The opening sequence sets the scene, with the shyly-beautiful Mandy (Heard) invited to a pool party where she is pursued by all the boys – and the camera – but which ends in tragedy.
Cut to school's end, and a weekend invitation to a Texas ranch house. Mandy, still aloof but very much the object of desire, has teamed up with some of the more popular, sexy, mean-style-girls, and decides to go, even though the main point of the event seems to be to bed her.
With three boys, three girls and a convenient lake on site, the murders duly commence, with the only new character introduced being a sexy ranch hand and Vietnam veteran (Mount).
Mandy Lane, however, has more up its sleeve in its nifty 88 minutes than typical teen audiences might expect. Visually, too, it's deft and as savvy as the characters who inhabit it, although viewers may only ultimately take away the image of Heard in close-up.
As a commercial genre exercise, it hits all the buttons, although Mandy Lane is unlikely to bring any newcomers in off the street. Those who do stray in may be more horrified by the sexual precociousness and competitiveness of these teens than the murders themselves, although it does have a strong ring of truth to it.
Unsurprisingly, because a perfect teen horror always leaves a door open, there's definitely room left for a sequel.
Production company
Occupant Films
US distribution
The Weinstein Company
International sales
Submarine Entertainment
Executive producer
Keith Calder
Producer
Joe Neurater
Felipe Marino
Chad Feehan
Cinematography
Darren Genet
Editor
Josh Noyes
Production design
Tom Hammoock
Music
Mark Schulz
Main cast
Amber Heard
Anson Mount
Michael Welch
Whitney Able
Edwin Hodge
Aaron Himelstein
Luke Grimes
Melissa Price
Adam Powell
Peyton Hayslip
Brooke Bloom
Robert Earl Keen
Park Chan-wook to produce Bong Joon-ho's adaptation of French sci-fi comic Le Transperceneige
Valjda se nece ispostaviti kao novi SNAKES ON A PLANE...
http://latinoreview.com/films_2007/newline/shootemup/index2.html
Jim Uhls, who successfully adapted the "unadaptable" Chuck Palahniuk novel "Fight Club," has been hired to turn "Rex Mundi," a series of graphic novels by Arvid Nelson and Eric Johnson, into a feature for Johnny Depp to star in and produce through his Infinitum Nihil production company.
James Wong ("Final Destination", "Black Christmas") will rewrite and direct the WWII horror film "The Watch" for New Line reports Variety.
The story focuses on a team of soldiers sent on a mission that can help end World War II and battle a supernatural force.
The script by John Claflin and Daniel Zelman was picked up in 2001 but put into turnaround. Producers Matt LeBlanc and John Goldstone managed to get Wong attached, after which New Line reacquired it and put it on the fast track.
The $14 million psychological thriller "Straight Edge" starts shooting October 2nd in Fiji with Peter Stormare, Mila Kunis and Gregory Smith headlining reports Variety.
Story's about a group of troubled teens sent to a rehabilitation program housed in a remote camp on the island of Fiji.
What their parents believe is a state-of-the-art deluxe institution in a beautiful natural environment turns out to be a prison-like boot camp where they are abused and brainwashed.
Christian Duguay ("The Art of War") is directing a script from John Cox and Agatha Dominik.
vrh vrhova!
ova fraza opisuje istovremeno poziciju na mojoj most anticipated naslova kao i samu ideju:
zapravo, nije toliko ŠTA koliko KO:
elem, od scenariste i režisera najsatanističkije komedije ikada, dolazi:
ANTIHRIST!
Lars von Trier's next film project ANTICHRIST
Described by Production Weeklyas a horror film, ANTICHIRST tells a story set in nature and based on the theory that it was Satan, not God, who created the world.
:!: :!: :!: :evil: :evil: :evil: :!: :!: :!: :evil: :evil: :evil: :!: :!: :!: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :!: :!: :!:
Quote from: "Ghoul"tells a story set in nature and based on the theory that it was Satan, not God, who created the world.
s ovom extremno kontraverznom teorijom bih se zapravo ladno slozila
pa ti onda nisi hipik nego gnostik! (in a way) :twisted:
ja sam Ja, Ghoule.. i to sto sam napisala nema nikakve veze sa onim u sta verujem/ne verujem vec sa cinjenicama: svako svakcijato doba nosi neko novo zlo, kao da svaki put mutira u neko jace zlo i svaki put ga je sve teze pobediti
Protiv Zla se ne treba boriti, nego se infiltrirati i delovati subverzivno. :wink:
A mister S je samo vladar ovoga sveta, dok je Tvorac nesvestan svojih tvoračkih moći, a možda je čak i nesvestan svoga postojanja.
Friday, Sept. 29, 2006
Return of the 'delinquent girl cops'
By MARK SCHILLING
Ask fanboys everywhere what got them into Japanese movies and the answer is probably not going to be Ozu. Instead, you're more likely to hear names like Suzuki, Miike, Fukasaku and other makers of what used to be dismissed as trash-for-cash genre pics. Their favorite past era is probably not the 1930s to 1950s, when Ozu and other Golden Age masters flourished, but the 1960s and 1970s, when the Japanese film industry entered what many thought at the time to be its creative death throes.
Sukeban Deka: Code Name Asamiya Saki Rating: (3.5 out of 5)
Aya Matsuura wields her killer yo-yo in "Sukeban Deka." (c)"SUKEBAN DEKA: CODENAME ASAMIYA SAKI" SEISAKU IINKAI
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Director: Kenta Fukasaku
Running time: 99 minutes
Language: Japanese
Opens Sept. 30, 2006
[See Japan Times movie listing]
My own introduction to Japanese films was through Ozu, Mizoguchi and Kurosawa -- Akira, not Kiyoshi -- but I've also written books about yakuza and Nikkatsu Action movies, which include appreciations of two icons of what might be called the kick-ass-chick genre, Junko Fuji and Meiko Kaji. So who am I to look down my nose at Kenta Fukasaku's "Sukeban Deka: Code Name Asamiya Saki (Yo-Yo Girl Cop)," Toei's revival of a popular 1980s franchise about an undercover girl cop, whose weapon of choice is a yo-yo.
We're talking camp, aren't we? But in the best examples of the genre -- the "Hibotan Bakuto (Red Peony Gambler)" series for Fuji and the "Shurayukihime (Lady Snowblood)" films for Kaji, the heroines defeat their male foes with sword moves more worthy of gap-mouthed awe than sardonic winks.
The "Sukeban" franchise began life in the more degenerate 1980s as a hit manga, which morphed into a live-action TV series, anime series and films. By this time, Japan was deep into the idol era and the first three "Sukeban" heroines were all popular idols of the day -- Yuki Saito, Yoko Minamino and Yui Asaka. So if camp was not always a prime element in the series' appeal, cute certainly was.
The fourth, Aya Matsuura, is a J-pop idol, as is Rika Ishikawa, who plays her deadly rival. But instead of cute, Fukasaku and his collaborators, including action director Makoto Yokoyama and (I am not making this up) "yo-yo director" Takahiko Hasegawa, are more into cool, as defined by Hollywood, Hong Kong and Quentin Tarantino.
This, the first "Sukeban" movie in 18 years, brings to life a common teenage fantasy of defying various adult authority figures, putting the fear of God into one's enemies -- and doing really neat stuff with a yo-yo. Its opening is adolescently primal: a teenage girl named "K" (Matsuura) is judged so violently dangerous by the authorities in New York, where she is living more or less on the streets, that they deport her to Tokyo. There the local cops chain and bind her as though she were Hannibal Lecter, nabbed after his latest gourmet meal of human flesh.
Detective Kira (Riki Takeuchi), a National Police Agency cop with a limp, a growl and a ratty trench coat, becomes her keeper and offers her a deal: freedom in exchange for working undercover at a local high school, which has become a hotbed of bullying and various sorts of thuggery. The violence, the cops believe, has been inspired by a Web site called Enola Gay (named, significantly, after the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima) that instructs visitors in bomb making, torture techniques and other extracurricular subjects.
Then a countdown clock appears on the site's screen -- and the cops worry that its anonymous owner is planning something big -- similar to the bomb explosion that ended the life of a previous undercover deka (detective). "K" agrees to become the replacement -- and the cops give her a deadly yo-yo that doubles as a badge, a school uniform that turns out to be different from everyone else's (just the way to go undercover) and a new name -- Saki Asamiya. Kira also tells her that her own mother had been a sukeban deka ("delinquent girl cop").
Once in the classroom, Saki finds Reika (Ishikawa), a honey-haired beauty, and her girl gang bullying the sweet-tempered, Osaka-accented Tae (Yui Okada). Saki rescues Tae from these tormentors and their male allies with a devastating display of kicks and blows and thus gains a friend -- and informant. Tae tells her that another bullied girl (Erika Miyoshi) tried to blow herself up with a bomb the year before and is now a vegetable in a nearby hospital. Saki realizes that a mysterious hand is behind this and other nastiness, belonging to one Tokiro Kimura (Shunsuke Kubozuka), a genius tech nerd with a soft voice, hard eyes and taste for explosive games. Somehow Saki has to stop him and his evil fellow plotters before the clock hits zero.
The action is fast and furious, somewhat in the style of Fukasaku's apocalyptic epic "Battle Royale II," but where that film was a patchy-looking pastiche of "Saving Private Ryan" and "Battle Royale," the last hit of Kenta's late father, Kinji Fukasaku, "Sukeban Deka" is something that aspires to coolness -- and achieves it more often than not.
The climatic battle may trade in cliches, including the warehouse setting and the bad aim of the bad guys with automatic weaponry, but it also has plenty of propulsion and invention, mostly in the slick yo-yo moves of Saki and her showdown opponent.
As Saki, Matsuura is all cold, kick-ass business, but with a sympathetically human side as well. As Rika, Ishikawa is a worthy adversary -- a mean girl to the nth degree, but also a tough, savvy fighter, with an agenda all her own. Finally, Kubozuka, the bad boy of the Japanese movie business, is all but unrecognizable as the ethereal Tokiro, with his air of deadly degeneracy. A career as Japan's Christopher Walken awaits -- or at least another "Sukeban Deka" sequel.
IMDB - Renaissance (2006) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386741)
Sanjaju li Parižani električne ovce?
Noir je opet in. Nakon Rodrigueza & Millera i De Palme, Christian Volckman svojom vizijom Pariza budućnosti osvaja Annecy 2006.
Godina je 2054. Pariz je velegrad koji se neprestano širi, odsječen od ostatka svijeta. U njegovu labirintu lako se izgubiti, a svaki se korak pažljivo motri i snima. Najveća gradska kompanija, Avalon, miješa se u sve aspekte javnoga života kako bi prodala svoj najvažniji proizvod – vječnu mladost i ljepotu.
Zaplet počinje nestankom obećavajuće mlade znanstvenice Ilone koja radi na tajnom projektu nazvanom Renaissance Protocol. Avalon angažira detektiva Barthélémyja Karasa, kojeg prati reputacija da može naći svaku nestalu osobu, bez obzira na žrtve. No, kako istraga napreduje, Karas shvaća da nije jedini koji traži lijepu Ilonu, a svaki svjedok završava mrtav. Rješavajući slučaj, detektiv razotkriva mračni svijet korporativne špijunaže, organiziranog zločina i genetičkih istraživanja.
Redatelj ovog križanca 'Istrebljivača' i 'Sin Cityja' je Christian Volckman. Film je snimljen tehnikom mocapa (motion capturing), koji se nešto češće koristi u video igrama, a od nedavno i na filmu ('Polar Express'). Riječ je o posebnoj tehnici koja uspijeva uhvatiti svu puninu i glatkoću glumčevih gesti, i to u svima trima dimenzijama. U procesu snimanja glumci su smješteni u poseban prostor koji odgovara virtualnom prostoru u računalu, a samo snimanje obavljeno je na vrlo malome prostoru i u vrlo kratkome roku (devet tjedana).
Montaža i kadriranje trajali su šest mjeseci, a za to je vrijeme prostor obogaćen brojnim detaljima vezanima uz dekoracije, ali i uz ekpresije lica (npr. širenje zjenica). No, ono što odmah upada u oči svakako je vizualna komponenta filma. Film odlikuje crno-bijela fotografija izrazita kontrasta, a arhitektura je određena suprotstavljanjem 'klasičnog' i modernog, gotovo futurističkog stila.
Autori navode kako su u izgrađivanju svijeta željeli izbjeći stereotipe vezane uz Pariz, tako da pariška arhitektura nema onaj romantični naboj kao u većini drugih filmova. Volckman kaže da se trudio film što više utemeljiti na stvarnosti, pa je čak i auto koji Karas vozi rezultat rada s Citroenovim dizajnerima.
Kao uzore navodi noir filmove 40-ih i 50-ih godina, na koje se ne referiraju samo vizualno. Scenarist Alexandre Patelliére o tome kaže: 'To su bili krimići koji su odražavali eru u kojoj su nastali. Likovi ovoga filma arhetipi su žanra, ali njih muče problemi kao što su sigurnost, etnički sukobi, terorizam i globalizacija'.
Sam projekt razvijao se nekoliko godina, a kako bi osigurali maksimalnu kontrolu nad umjetničkim procesom, osnovali su i vlastiti Attitude Studio, uz malu pomoć IBM-a. I nakon mjeseci rada, konačni je proizvod doživio svoju premijeru na festivalima. Reakcije? Nagrada za najbolji film na Annecyju 2006 i uvrštavanje u službenu selekciju filmskoga festivala u Torontu.
Američki studiji nisu ostali slijepi na uspjehe – film je otkupio Miramax, angažiravši novog 'Bonda' Daniela Craiga kao glas Karasa, Romolu Garai (Prljavi ples 2) kao glas Ilone, a ostatak voice-over ekipe čine Ian Holm (trilogija 'Gospodari prstenova'), Catherine McCormack ('Hrabro srce', 'Zvuci grmljavine') i Jonathan Pryce ('Brazil').
Američka distribucija počinje krajem rujna, a hopefully ni hrvatska neće biti puno kasnije. Više informacija o filmu, fotke, dio scorea i trailer čekirajte na vrlo zanimljivom službenom sajtu.
Izvor: Filmski.net (http://www.filmski.net/vijesti/animirani-film/3924)
Lake Of Fire
Len Klady in Toronto 03 October 2006
Dir: Tony Kaye. US. 2006. 152mins
The Book of Revelations talks of a lake "which burns with fire and brimstone" and this state of eternal doom proves an apt metaphor for the subject of abortion. While there are hints on which side film-maker Tony Kaye stands, his film will not be embraced by either pro-lifers or those that favour a woman's right to chose. It is a complex, nuanced, penetrating study that compliments familiar voices with idiosyncratic thinkers in a remarkably fluid fashion that is never less than compelling.
Originally spurred by the 20th anniversary of the landmark US Supreme Court Roe vs Wade decision in 1993, the production odyssey in no way interferes with the finished film. It has strong theatrical prospects in niche exploitation and its extended version is certain to generate potent television interest and brisk sales on DVD.
Focusing specifically on the situation in the US, one commentator observes that the issue is a perennial for conservative politicians just as the minimum wage is a staple for liberals. And it's an excellent point of demarcation. There is a decided smoke screen of politics and religion that clouds abortion and allows both sides not to deal with it in a straightforward fashion.
That perspective manifests itself via a number of zealots and two cases in which doctors working in abortion clinics were murdered in Florida. An observer notes that logically speaking those advocating the primacy of life by extension should be supporters of universal health care and equal opportunity education. That isn't the case and by the same token there are anomalies among those advocating "choice".
Lawyer and professor Alan Dershowitz speaks eloquently about his career advocacy for a women's control of her body. However, when he segues into his personal life, the cracks of reason reveal a discomfit about when life begins. An anecdote underlines the dilemma of pushing forward when by definition or conviction all factions are "right" in their opinion and belief.
If Dershowitz is the epitome of the conflicted soul, others such as linguist Noam Chomsky arise as dispassionate observers. He clinically breaks down the oratory surrounding abortion and dissects the inconsistencies in the rhetoric. Without stating it in a direct or obvious fashion, the emotional component surrounding abortion rights overwhelms reason, science and sometime compassion.
One of the most unsettling sections centers on Norma McCorvey, the Jane Roe of the landmark case that established a woman's right to choose. In the decades since the trial she confronted a crisis of conscience and became an evangelic. Despite her brave face, one senses that having been the poster child for both extremes her exposure to manipulation was intense and disorienting.
In the final portion of the film, Kaye follows Stacy, a woman who has decided to abort. She is Lake Of Fire's human face and the conduit for the film's most disquieting images.
Her resolve nonetheless belies an unsteadiness that has genuine poignancy. The audience sees far more of the procedure and its aftermath than Stacy. The removal of the foetus concludes with portions of limbs and skull set out in a laboratory tray.
Kaye selected to film in black and white and it simultaneously lends the picture authenticity and distance. The majority of the footage was shot between 1993 and 1998 and aside from a modest amount of subsequent shooting he has struggled to find a form that was balanced and comprehensive. An earlier cut ran six hours and dealt with the subject on a global basis.
Despite the vintage of what's on screen, there's no sense of a time capsule being unearthed. Obviously considerable effort has been extended to create something that feels organic and universal. It is a singular achievement that cannot help but leave the viewer shaken regardless of his bias, extreme or impartial.
Production company
Tony Kaye Productions
International sales
Anonymous Content
(1) 310 558 3667
Executive producers
Yan Lin Kaye
Steve Golin
David Kanter
Producer/cinematographer
Tony Kaye
Editor
Peter Goddard
Music
Anne Dudley
The Departed
Mike Goodridge in Los Angeles 02 October 2006
Dir: Martin Scorsese. US. 2006. 119 mins.
Martin Scorsese returns to familiar territory – the world of inner-city gangsters – in his latest film, an expertly-crafted genre thriller which stands a chance at becoming one of his biggest box office hits yet. Remaking Andrew Lau and Alan Mak's 2002 Hong Kong blockbuster Infernal Affairs, Scorsese and screenwriter William Monahan have taken that film's cracking story and reset it in the colourful setting of south Boston where hard-nosed cops wage war on ruthless Irish American crime factions. Fast-paced, unpretentious and bristling with rich language and tasty detail, The Departed is bound to find a large mainstream adult audience.
Although critics may be hard on Scorsese for remaking a foreign-language film, his Americanised film stands as both homage to and independent of the slick HK original. Infernal Affairs was a superb entertainment dominated by the laconic presence of Asian stars Andy Lau and Tony Leung. Scorsese's adaptation is successful because it truly starts afresh, finding its feet in the Boston setting, recreating the characters as authentic Southies, and investing screen time in the dialect, traditions and characters of the city. It's one of the best examples of a US remake in some years.
The Aviator is Scorsese's highest grosser to date with $213m in 2004/5, while Gangs Of New York is second on $190m in 2002/3 and Cape Fear third on $182.3m in 1991. The Departed is certainly likely to rival these performances, although this is a strictly adult film with an abundance of cursing and some extreme and unpleasant violence.
Warner Bros has worldwide rights excluding some key territories sold by producer Graham King such as the UK (Entertainment), France (TFM) and Italy (Medusa). The film opens day and date next Friday in the US and UK and has a continental European launch at the Rome Film Festival in Oct.
The film starts in much the same fashion as the Hong Kong version. Frank Costello (Nicholson) is a powerful gangster who nurtures a young south Boston kid Colin Sullivan (Damon) and supports him through police academy, training him to be a high-ranking insider for his interests in the police force. Meanwhile Billy Costigan (DiCaprio), another kid from "Southie", also goes through police academy and is recruited by poice Captain Queenan (Sheen) and his deputy Dignan (Wahlberg) to go undercover into Costello's gang.
Costello is initially skeptical about Costigan, suspicious that he has quit the police force to return to his neighbourhood, but the young man soon wins his trust after a few violent tests and joins Costello's inner circle.
Sullivan meanwhile rises swiftly in the force eventually joining the special investigations unit designed specifically to bring Costello down.
As the war between the two sides of the law rages, it becomes obvious to both Costello and Queenan that each has a mole in their camp. Costigan and Sullivan find themselves in constant fear for their lives as scrutiny on their every move becomes more intense and the stakes become higher. Only when Queenan gets caught in the crossfire do matters come to a head.
Scorsese peoples the drama with a wonderful assortment of salty characters from Wahlberg (whose character was not in the original) as the pugilistic, foul-mouthed Dignan to Alec Baldwin as the fearsome head of the police unit to Winstone as French, Costello's number two. Vera Farmiga is effective as the only woman in the film, a police psychiatrist who is both Sullivan's live-in lover and Costigan's shrink.
DiCaprio and Damon acquit themselves well as the two men who have "departed" from normal existence into lives of deception and secret identity; Nicholson, as expected, steals the show with a portrait in genuine villainy that is as chilling as it is colourful.
It's not an awards picture like Gangs or The Aviator became, but there are some fine elements here – Nicholson, Monahan's script, Howard Shore's thunderously dramatic score, the gritty camerawork by Michael Ballhaus – which could get recognition.
Among elements which are changed from the Hong Kong film are the fact that Costigan's secret is known by two people not one, the fact that Costigan sleeps with the psychiatrist (it remains platonic in the first film) and the death of a leading character in this film, who survived for a sequel in the Asian version.
Production companies
Plan B, Initial Entertainment Group, Vertigo Entertainment in association with Media Asia Films
Worldwide dist
Warner Bros
Initial Entertainment Group (select territories)
Executive producers
Roy Lee, Doug Davison, G Mac Brown, Kristin Zahn, Gianni Nunnari
Producers
Brad Pitt, Brad Grey, Graham King
Screenplay
William Monahan
Cinematography
Michael Ballhaus
Production design
Kristi Zea
Editor
Thelma Schoonmaker
Music
Howard Shore
Main cast
Leonardo DiCaprio
Matt Damon
Jack Nicholson
Mark Wahlberg
Martin Sheen
Alec Baldwin
Ray Winstone
Vera Farmiga
Anthony Anderson
Kevin Corrigan
Director Alexandre Aja ("Haute Tension", "The Hills Have Eyes") is attached to direct an English-language bigscreen adaptation of French satirical bestseller "The Gospel According to Jimmy". Set in the near future, "Jimmy" tells the story of a pool cleaner in L.A. who finds out he's a clone of Jesus, made from DNA taken from the Shroud of Turin. Aja will first direct "Mirrors," a loose adaptation of the Korean film "Into the Mirror"..."
Trapped Ashes
Patrick Z McGavin in Toronto 06 October 2006
Dirs: Joe Dante, Monte Hellman, Ken Russell, Sean Cunningham, John Gaeta. US/Canada/Japan. 2006. 105mins.
Monte Hellman's superlative, evocative and genuinely moving Stanley's Girlfriend is the standout contribution of Trapped Ashes, the horror anthology of four macabre vignettes also directed by Ken Russell, Sean Cunningham and John Gaeta.
Financed by Japanese broadcast concerns and shot in Vancouver, Los Angeles and Tokyo, Trapped Ashes is an intriguing title that stands outside recent horror releases. It represents a difficult sell and is probably best marketed as a curiosity that should find an appreciate audience in ancillary markets particularly DVD.
Joe Dante directed the framing material but not one of the four stories that constitutes the finished work. It is a peculiar omission and squandered opportunity considering the other three film-makers never achieve the richness and emotional precision of Hellman.
Dante summons his talent for off-kilter detail and spooky edge, creating a set up where six people are trapped inside a decrepit horror house atop a terrifying movie studio lot. The development yields a strange form of confession as the frightened participants are encouraged by the mysterious tour guide (Gibson) to reveal their most unsettling personal stories.
In the first episode, Russell's The Girl With Golden Breasts, a failed actress (Veltri) undergoes a radical breast enhancement procedure that carries horrifying repercussions for her sexual partners.
In Cunningham's Jibaku, an American couple desperate to enliven their marriage, travel to Japan, where exploring an ancient temple, they uncover the body of a Buddhist monk who has killed himself. The wife Julia (Harris) is thrown into a weird sexual vortex of death and decay, dreaming of surrendering to the dead man's ghost, her ecstasy giving way to an act of violation and entrapment.
With the fourth segment, Gaeta's My Twin, The Worm, Natalie recounts her French parents' combative relationship strained by the unusual conditions of her mother's pregnancy, the discovery that a six-foot tapeworm developed in utero.
Hellman's Stanley's Girlfriend is not only the strongest piece, it is the most atypical, graced by memory and guilt, involving a man (Saxon) recalling a charged episode as a young screenwriter from 1957 and his developing friendship with Stanley Kubrick and the beautiful, intoxicating woman (Cooke) that passed between them. Hellman debuted his work in a separate collection of shorts at Cannes, and the layered, fascinating portrait of male friendship and sexual competition is poetic and vibrant deepened by the authenticity of the period details, the intuitive use of jazz and a revelation that brings surprise and wonder.
In the other vignettes, the imagery tends toward the reactionary and it is marked by recurrent themes of castration and violation (special effects are fairly rudimentary throughout). The revulsion of the female form is the connecting thread. Though Kubrick was often thought of as misogynist and restrictive in his emotional depiction of women, Stanley's Girlfriend is playful, generous and imaginative.
The Hellman is too much of a good thing, a tantalizing work that deserves a deeper and fuller investigation. It also points out the limitations of the complementary works. To its credit it lifts Trapped Ashes into a higher realm.
Production companies
Independent Film Fund/CINV
Tokyo Broadcasting System International
Asmik Ace Entertainment Inc
International sales
Arclight Films
(61) 2 8353 2440
Executive producers
Akira Ishii
Norihiko Tani
Michael Frislev
Producers
Yoshifumi Hosoya
Yuko Yoshikawa
Dennis Bartok
Screenplay
Dennis Bartok
Production design
Robb Wilson King
Editor
Marcus Manton
Music
Kenji Kawai
Main cast
Henry Gibson
John Saxon
Rachel Veltri
Tahmoh Penikett
Tygh Runyan
Amelia Cooke
Jayce Bartok
Lara Harris
Scott Lowell
Ryo Ishibashi
Dark Castle's Next Three Films
Source: Variety October 16, 2006
Variety says that Joel Silver's Dark Castle Productions has raised $240 million from half a dozen investment firms to make 15 films over the next six years, with Warner Bros. aboard to distribute the entire slate.
Silver's deal gives him sole approval to greenlight pics and full creative control. He will own the pics outright after his investors -- who are putting up 100% of the financing in both equity and debt -- get paid back.
The first Dark Castle film under the deal is expected to be action thriller Whiteout, based on Greg Rucka's book about a lone U.S. marshal in Antarctica tracking the continent's first serial killer. The film is expected to start production this winter for release in the first quarter of 2008.
The next two are psychological horror pic The Summoner, written by Matthew Sand and to be directed by Victor Salva; and urban action movie Gangland, written by Alex Tse.
Silver launched Dark Castle in 1999 with Robert Zemeckis, churning out House on Haunted Hill, Ghost Ship, Gothika, House of Wax and upcoming supernatural thriller The Reaping with Hilary Swank.
The Stone Council (Le Concille De Pierre)
Lee Marshall in Rome 18 October 2006
Dir: Guillaume Nicloux. Fr-Ger-It. 2006. 100mins.
A French Da Vinci Code in which Catholic mystical hokum is replaced by Mongololian shamanistic hokum, Jean-Christophe Grange's Le Concille De Pierre was a literary bestseller when it came out in France in 2000. With its high-profile Bellucci-Deneuve pairing and lush production values, this $28m adaptation of the book is clearly hoping to repeat the act at the box office. It may well do so: weak characters, excessive exposition and a large dose of supernatural absurdity did no harm to Sony's summer blockbuster, and there's no reason why they should damage Nicloux's overwrought spiritual thriller either.
But The Stone Council is going to have a much more limited territorial reach. Guaranteed to run for a least a few weeks in France, Germany and Italy, its three co-production countries (not least because each have contributed acting talent), the film is on shakier ground elsewhere. Outside of Luc Besson franchises and Jean-Pierre Jeunet commercial arthouse fare, big-budget French cinema (ie French in language, director, producer and, for the most part, setting) does not work as comparatively well away from home, as seen with previous Grange adaptation Empire Of The Wolves (although The Crimson Rivers did somewhat better). There is little in this fantasy thriller that is likely to persuade distributors further afield to make an exception to the rule after its premiere at Rome.
Single mother Laura Siprien (Bellucci), who manages somehow to fund an ever-changing designer wardrobe out of her interpreting job, has a seven-year-old adopted child, Liu-San (Thau) of mysterious Asian origin. She and Liu-San are troubled by the same dreams, which involve wild beasts and dark forests.
One day a strange mark appears on Liu-San's chest; his doctor says it's normal – but then he may know more than he pretends. So may Laura's foster mother Sybille Weber (Deneuve), a woman who heads up a charitable foundation, but who tenebrous music and lighting mark out as one to watch.
Though young Thau is too much of a Benetton kid to make much dramatic impact, the gamine, crop-haired Bellucci's own performance is always committed and occasionally compelling. However, even she can do little with a script that employs the "one woman alone against a hostile world" cliche with such plodding obviousness, and which forces its characters (it feels like a particular indignity in Deneuve's case) to spout ethno-mystic drivel at every opportunity.
There is a tension in the exercise that keeps the audience watching, especially after Liu-San is kidnapped and Laura sets off for Mongolia (where even humble minicab drivers conveniently speak French) in desperate pursuit.
But things gradually degenerate into a welter of sub-Bond espionage, mixed in with shape-changing bears and snakes and yurt-dwelling healers. When one of the latter starts waving a stoat (or possibly a pine marten) over Bellucci's naked pudendum, audiences with low pretension threshholds will no longer be able to hold in their mirth.
Limpid widescreen photography, efficient thriller editing and Bellucci's dogged belief in her own character are all reasons to keep on watching as the thing gets more and more far-fetched. But they do little to make this corny shaman yarn a satisfying cinematic experience.
Production companies/backers
UGC YM
Integral Film
Rai Cinema
TF1 Films Production
International sales
UGC
French distribution
UGC Distribution
Executive producer
Olivier Thaon
Producer
Yves Marmion
Screenplay
Guillaume Nicloux
Stephane Cabel
from the book by Jean-Christophe Grange
Cinematography
Peter Suschitzky
Editor
Guy Lecome
Production design
Olivier Radot
Music
Eric Demarsan
Main cast
Monica Bellucci
Catherine Deneuve
Moritz Bleibtreu
Sami Bouajila
Elsa Zylberstein
Nicolas Thau
Lorenzo Balducci
Gangster High (Pokryok Sekkeul)
Dan Fainaru in Pusan 18 October 2006
Dir/scr: Park Kihyung. Korea, 2006. 102mins.
An exceedingly violent high-school rumpus that deteriorates into warfare, with dead and wounded left on the battlefield, Park Kihyung's Gangster High is the kind of picture no young teen will be allowed to see, should censors have any say in the matter.
Park Ki-hyung, whose disappointing family horror film Acacia closed Pusan three years ago, has here dropped his previous psychological mumbo-jumbo for full-frontal and raw brutality.
Judging by early response in Pusan, it is more than likely to appeal to local audiences, although among wide multiplex crowds the reaction is less certain. Attempts to lend it some kind of universal connotation by repeatedly reminding the audience of the Iraq war, covered by TV broadcasts in the background, may point at the general contemporary climate in the world but say little. Specialised niche distribution is a distinct possibility beyond home, festivals less so.
Told entirely in flashback, a device close to the heart of Korean cinema, the picture starts with bruised teen Sang-ho (Jeong Gyeong-ho) at a police station, trying to tell interrogating detectives that it all started with an innocent game of football at school.
Or rather it was innocent to start with - because less than two minutes in, a contested goal sees fists fly and the reticent Sang-ho, son of an army colonel, forced to stand up for a friend. He roundly beats the school bully; later the two warring teams join forces and set up a gang called The Tigers to play football and nothing more.
But once there's a gang there's a mutual commitment to each other. When one of the group's members is slapped around by rivals East High, the inevitable street skirmish drags in clubs and bats among others.
Events thereafter escalate, growing in size and fury. To complicate life even more, pretty girl Su-huei (Jang Heui-jin), who caused the clash with East High and who happens to be the ex-girlfriend of Jong-Seok (Yeon Je-wook), a sadistic street thug, takes a liking to Sang-ho. He tentatively responds, thus treading on what the psychotic Jong-seok considers his private property.
The warfare now notches up beyond rough scuffles between high school students into fighting among and against certified criminals in a game that has no rules. Beatings and counter-beatings follow each other with increasing and fierce brutality. Constantly the question is asked: should the students keep engaging in what is essentially a war of attrition - in which they are out of their depth - or simply let matters lie?
In one vicious instance, one of the students has his leg broken in a manner that will make even the toughest audiences cringes. But his gang's response is to perpetuate something similar on their rivals.
The climax, set in a pool bar, unleashes an orgy of fearsome fury and anger, as each participant takes more than enough punishment. By the end of it, several are dead, others seriously maimed and Sang-ho is in jail.
Though there are a few moments of respite between all this nastiness, through which the script reflects on the nature of friendship between Sang-ho and the less socially privileged Jae-gu (Lee Tae-song), Gangster High is first and foremost a sombre, angry and action-packed film, grim and ferocious throughout.
Any attempt to read any more into the narrative can only lead to uncomfortable conclusions like it being better to give in to bullies and save lives (although doing the opposite doesn't seem very effective either).
The narrative rarely has time to linger on any performance, unless it is the speed of flying fists. Still, Jeong has the makings of a future heartthrob and Yeon's villainous grimaces will certainly get him more of these parts in future.
Photography is darkly forbidding, and editing ensures a frenetic pace. Music from Mozart, Chopin and Beethoven – also to be found on A Clockwork Orange - counterpoint the unchained violence.
Production companies/backers
Dada Pictures
Taewon Entertainment
International sales
Taewon Entertainment
Producers
Jong Tae-won
Cinematography
Kim Eung-taek
Editor
Kim Seon-min
Production design
Jong Seong-gyun
Music
Lee Seung-il
Main cast
Jeong Gyeong-ho
Lee Tae-seong
Jang Heui-jin
Yeon Je-wook
Kim Hye-seong
Lee Heng-seok
Jo Jin-woong
valjda ovoga puta neće ostati samo na najavi...
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/30440
Radio sam uncredited na ovom scenariju, Srdjan je trebalo da ga rezira i dao je otkaz pocetkom meseca...
John Cusack will join Hilary Duff, Joan Cusack and Marisa Tomei in the dark political satire "Brand Hauser: Stuff Happens" reports Variety.
Cusack plays an assassin assigned to kill a Middle East oil minister. His cover is that he's producing a big trade show that includes a wedding between a local pop star and a politico, but complications ensue.
Josh Seftel directs the pic, which shoots late this month in Bulgaria. Cusack will produce and co-wrote the film with Jeremy Pikser ("Bulworth").
Walt Disney Pictures has bought a comedy project from screenwriter Larry Doyle titled "Me2," with Mark Waters attached to direct. The plot for "Me2" is being kept under wraps, though it is understood to be a time-travel comedy. Doyle will begin writing immediately.
James McAvoy spoke with Empire Online about one of his next projects, "Wanted" - Timor Bekmanbetov's big-screen adaptation of super-villain-centric comic mini-series.
McAvoy, who will play dejected anti-hero Wesley Gibson, says "He's [Gibson] an arsehole. A complete geek [at this moment the velvet rope topples over]. There you go! He does things like that! He's a complete and utter failure, but he begins a mission to avenge his father's death".
"Wanted" is due to begin filming next year and is set for release in 2008.
Stuart Gordon ("Re-Animator", "Fortress", "Dagon", "Edmond") will direct the thriller "Stuck" about a young woman who commits a hit-and-run, then finds her fate tied to her victim. Gordon and John Strysik ("Tales From the Darkside") wrote the script. Five weeks of principal photography begins next week in locations around New Brunswick, Canada...
VEST GODINE (http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2006/10/boginja-se-vraa.html)
Ja se ponadao da je Maja Deren oživela... Ali neka, i ovo je lepo, tema deluje malo ozbiljno, ali da vidimo...
Children Of Glory (Szabadsag, Szerelem)
Mike Goodridge in Los Angeles 24 October 2006
Dir: Krisztina Goda. Hung-UK. 2006. 123mins.
Produced to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, the first time that the people of an Eastern Bloc country took up arms against the Soviet Regime, Children Of Glory is a rousing and highly effective tribute to the men and women who fought in the battle.
Highbrow film critics and foreign-language film snobs might scoff at the melodrama employed to tell the story, but most audiences will be swept up in the saga and there won't be a dry eye in the house at its climax.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that the lavishly produced film hits all the right emotional beats since it's crafted by Hungarian ex-pats Andy Vajna and Joe Eszterhas as an earnest homage to their homeland and displays the spectacle and slick storytelling techniques they learned in Hollywood.
As such, the film is about the most commercially accessible a Hungarian-language production could be to audiences outside Hungary - which is to say, it is a stirring epic with a real chance of making an impression in international arthouses and perhaps beyond.
It's surprising that Hungary chose not to submit Children Of Glory as the country's choice for the foreign-language Academy Award. Although the final selection, White Palms, is a finely crafted film, its chances of scoring a nomination are slim, whereas Children Of Glory possesses the strong emotions and historical significance which the Academy foreign language committee traditionally favours.
The film depicts the revolution in parallel with the story of the water polo competition at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia, where Hungary defeated the USSR in the finals on Dec 6 – already the subject of documentary Freedom's Fury, which Vajna executive produced.
The story begins in 1955 with an earlier water polo match in the USSR where the Hungarian team is unfairly penalised so the Soviet team can claim victory. We meet team star Karcsi (Fenyo) and his best friend and team-mate Tibi (Csanyi, from Kontroll) as they pick a fight with the arrogant Soviet players in the locker room. When they return to Budapest, Karcsi is taken in for questioning by the Secret Police and instructed never to provoke Soviet sportsmen again.
The following October, Karcsi and Tibi get caught up in the revolution on the streets of Budapest, not for reasons of political conviction but because Karcsi is attracted to a bold young student from the university called Viki (Dobo). He and Viki play a central part in the uprising which gets violent at the National Radio Station.
Karcsi gets more involved with the fight for freedom than his family or water polo coach would like and he is prepared to abandon the Olympics so he can remain in the armed struggle. At the same time, he and Viki engage in a passionate love affair.
By the end of October, the revolutionaries believe they have succeeded in ousting the regime and an independent government is formed. Although he is reluctant to do so, Karcsi is persuaded by Viki to represent Hungary at the Games. After he has set off for Australia, however, the Russian tanks roll into Budapest and smash the resistance, killing 5,000 Hungarians and imprisoning 12,000, of who 300 are subsequently executed.
Karcsi and the team fight and defeat the Soviet water polo team, but Viki finds herself captured, imprisoned and doomed.
Vajna hired local film-maker Goda, whose previous feature was entertaining romantic comedy Just Sex And Nothing Else (2005), to direct Children Of Glory and she has a confident handle on the political drama and the sporting action as well as the love story. Vajna also scored a coup in securing Vic Armstrong as action unit director. The English veteran, who has coordinated action scenes for James Bond, Terminator and Mission: Impossible movies brings an in-your-face authenticity to the street battles of the revolution, most of which were shot on the original sites where they took place in Budapest. Again, it's unusual to see such high production values in a Hungarian-language film, and they serve to heighten the emotional charge of the film.
The water polo conceit, while entirely true, is less successful a dramatic device than the highs and lows of the battles themselves. Although the Olympic final serves to give some sense of victory to the revolutionaries, the lasting image of the film is one of tragedy.
For that reason, the film has strong contemporary resonances. Not only is it a timely look at the meaning of "freedom", but it is a stunning reminder of how the rest of the world, and the US in particular, abandoned the Hungarian people in their hour of need.
Fenyo, a local star who acted in English in Sam Mendes' Jarhead last year, is a likeable and charismatic romantic lead in the film. Dobo throws herself into the part of Viki with enthusiasm, although she is too ethereally beautiful to be entirely convincing as the film's angry voice of rebellion.
Production companies/backers
GIBS
Flashback
General Business Affairs
Film And General Productions
International sales
Fortissimo Films
Hungarian distribution
Intercom
Executive producer
Sandor Demjan
Producer
Andrew G Vajna
Screenplay
Joe Eszterhas
Eva Gardos
Geza Beremenyi
Reka Divinyi
Cinematography
Buda Gulyas
Production design
Janos Szabolcs
Editors
Eva Gardos
Annamaria Komlossy
Music
Nick Glennie-Smith
Main cast
Ivan Fenyo
Kata Dobo
Sandor Csanyi
Karoly Gesztesi
The Unknown (La Sconosciuta)
Lee Marshall in Rome 19 October 2006
Dir/scr: Giuseppe Tornatore. It-Fr. 2006. 121mins.
Giuseppe Tornatore has hardly set world cinema alight in the 18 years since the Oscar-winning Cinema Paradiso. But although it's far from perfect, The Unknown, the Sicilian director's first film in six years at least has the dramatic substance that lacked in style exercises like Malena (2000) and The Legend Of The Pianist On The Ocean (1998).
A contemporary emotional thriller with Hitchcockian overtones, it is marred by a rather crass vein of melodrama that tips over into moral dishonesty at some points (as when it tries both to shock and titillate in its depiction of the treatment of Eastern European sex slaves). But as a thriller it presses most of the right buttons, and it's a technically lavish product, with a lush orchestral soundtrack that must stand as one of the late-period highlights of Ennio Morricone's long career.
Opening in Italy on October 20 on a healthy but not huge 300 copies, this energetically-marketed film should win back some of the consensus that Tornatore has lost among local audiences over the last decade.
Foreign buyers are already biting, with sales to six territories added to an already inked Japanese deal during the Rome Fest's three-day Business Street event. Commercially smart despite its lack of big-name acting talent, this could turn out to be Tornatore's most successful export since Paradiso.
The film opens unpromisingly in soft-porn, Tinto-Brass mode with a garish scene in which three leggy girls pose in their undies in what looks like an abandoned station. Then we cut to present-day Trieste, the rather grey port city on Italy's north- eastern border. Troubled young Ukrainian immigrant Irina (Russian actress Ksenia Rappoport) is looking for work. She asks the porter of a bourgeois condo in a smart area of town if he can help her out – and in exchange for a cut of her salary, he finds her a job cleaning the stairs.
Soon Irina has befriended the nanny and home help of the Adachers (Claudia Gerini and Pierfrancesco Favino), a well-off but disunited couple of goldsmiths with a flat in the apartment block.
When the nanny meets with a not very accidental accident on the stairs, Irina replaces her, learning to drive over a weekend so that she can take the Adacher's young daughter, Tea, to school. She turns out to be a perfect cook, seamstress, cleaner and child-minder, and soon becomes indispensable to Tea's highly-strung mother Valeria.
It's clear that Irina has an agenda in inveigling herself into the Adachers' lives: this much is made clear by anxious orchestral chords, tenebrous lighting and by a number of visual hints. It's obvious too that Irina – severe, unmade up and nun-like in appearance here - is the blonde hooker who appeared in that first scene, and who appears in a number of subsequent flashbacks that juxtapose brutal but lecherously-lit S&M sex (the fact that these are mostly subliminal does not make them any less offensive) with schmaltzy scenes featuring Irina's innocent love affair with a tough but tender market stallholder.
The denoument, when it comes, is stark as Vertigo or Chinatown – and should have been left that way, without the feelgood coda which the director tacks on.
Tornatore has none of Almodovar's skill of giving even the most sentimental scene dramatic muscle; but thankfully, the slush is sparingly dosed out in The Unknown, which is more interested in the dark, obsessive side of the human psyche. This dark side is at its most edgy in a couple of disturbing but compelling scenes in which Irina ties Tea up and pushes her over repeatedly to teach her how to fall properly (Tea conveniently suffers from an illness that suppresses the usual instinctive defence mechanisms): for shame that the parallel with Irina's own bondage, beatings and growing resilience in her former life as a hooker are so unsubtly pushed home.
Though the effort of getting her lines out in decent Italian sometimes appears to distract Ksenia Rappoport, she turns in an emotionally honest performance as a woman haunted by the ghosts of her past, while also somehow cursed in her dealings with others.
The casting of veteran actor-director Michele Placido as Muffa, her former pimp, is less successful: there's something irrepressibly good-natured in Placido's manner that makes it difficult to accept him as the embodiment of pure evil.
Cinematographer Fabio Zamarion uses slow zooms (a tad too many) and chiaroscuro lighting to rack up the tension. But the most impressive technical credit is Morricone's score, a fine example of moody thriller music in the best classical tradition.
Production companies/backers
Medusa Film
Manigolda Film
International sales
Adriana Chiesa Enterprises
Italian distribution
Medusa
Executive producer
Laura Fattori
Cinematography
Fabio Zamarion
Editor
Massimo Quaglia
Production design
Tonino Zera
Music
Ennio Morricone
Main cast
Ksenia Rappoport
Michele Placido
Claudia Gerini
Alessandro Haber
Pierfrancesco Favino
Clara Dossena
Ben Kingsley will join Ewan McGregor, Emily Mortimer and Dan Fogler in the indie thriller "Number Thirteen" which Chase Palmer wrote and will direct reports Production Weekly.
The film is a fictional mystery surrounding Alfred Hitchcock's lost and unfinished first film, "Number Thirteen." Fogler will play the young director, who gets caught up in a Hitchcockian dilemma when he ends up in a love triangle with two crew members while making the film.
When the lead actor turns up dead, the editor suspects the director and tries to uncover the truth. Shooting begins in February.
Gallowwalker (2007)
Plot Outline: A cursed gunman (Snipes) whose victims come back from the dead recruits a young warrior to help in the fight against a gang of zombies.
Plot Summary for
Gallowwalker (2007)
A gunman knows too well the ways of vengeance. Fast and furious, he has killed every man who crossed him. But his gift with a gun comes with a curse. All those who die by his hand will return. Enter the world of GALLOWWALKER, where vengeance lives forever.
Credited cast:
Wesley Snipes .... Kaos
Riley Smith .... Fabulos
Kevin Howarth .... Kansa
Darabont comments The Mist
Posted: October 19, 2006, 15:37:45
Moriarty from Ain't It Cool News have some really cool news about the upcoming movie version of The Mist. Yesterday he got the following message from Frank Darabont himself.
Quote from Frank Darabont
"Doing THE MIST is a delight for me on a number of levels. For starters, I've always loved horror as a genre. Not so much the slasher thing, that got tired very quickly in my view, but from my earliest recollection I grew up loving movies that sought to scare the crap out of me, starting with the classic Universal monsters. Well, of course, that love of the genre is what led me to Stephen King's works in the first place, isn't it? So it's time to repay that debt and try to scare the crap out of an audience myself. With Steve's great story, and a little luck, I'm hoping to do just that.
"Another reason is, it's a project Stephen King and I have been talking about doing for almost twenty years now, since I first got to know and become friends with the man. In fact, it almost was my first directing project many years ago, but I went classy and did THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION instead. But THE MIST never went away; it's been lurking out there calling my name for a long, long time...and it's time to answer the call; it's time to get down and dirty and make a nasty little character-driven gut-punch horror movie. It's one of Stephen King's most legendary shorter works, very well known by his fans. Marsha in King�s office tells me it's the number one question asked by his fans when they write to his website (which she runs): when's THE MIST going to be made as a film? Well, I've always wanted to make my low-budget horror movie, so here we go. In a very real sense, I have to thank Danny Boyle, a man I've never met, but whose example in making 28 DAYS LATER really encouraged me. I saw that film, loved it, and thought: Well, why the hell not? Why not go make your scary little movie, shoot it fast, have some fun?
"That segues to the final reason I'm so looking forward to doing this. In a sense, doing a film like THE MIST is like putting myself into film school and learning a whole new approach to what I do. I had a foretaste of that earlier this year when I had the privilege of directing an episode of THE SHIELD for my friend Shawn Ryan. It was a seven-day shoot, fast-fast-fast, and I have to say there was something wildly liberating about shooting that way...it was an opportunity to put aside my reverence for Kubrickian elegance for a moment (and the painstaking approach it entails) and shoot fast and loose instead, do a real seat-of-the-pants style that embraces the ragged edges as virtues instead of avoiding them as sins. I'd say that if directing something like THE GREEN MILE is the equivalent of conducting a huge symphony orchestra playing Beethoven's Ninth in perfect tune, then directing something like THE SHIELD is the equivalent of jumping up on a small stage and playing with a small jazz combo and not caring if you miss a few notes -- in fact, missing some notes is kind of the point, isn't it? I want to take what I learned doing THE SHIELD and apply it to a feature film, and THE MIST is the perfect venue for that kind of in-your-face, in-the-moment energy. So one might say that if I've been going to film school this year, and if THE SHIELD was my mid-term, then THE MIST will be my class thesis. I can always go back to being the elegant guy later."
________________________________________
Robert McCammon's website (www.robertmccammon.com) reports today that they have heard from Frank Darabont on two of his upcoming projects, adaptations of McCammon's MINE and King's The Mist:
"I came close to getting MINE into production this year, but it was a near-miss. For those who may not know, getting a movie greenlit for production is like having the planets align---countless factors all have to come together at the right moment for anything to happen. I remain committed to making MINE, and am currently in a search for the actresses to play the lead roles of Laura and Mary. I'm hoping to get the movie before the cameras at some point in 2006, although it might be later that year rather than earlier. That's because circumstance and opportunity (the planets aligning) might dictate that I direct my adaptation of Stephen King's great horror novella, The Mist, first. If so, I will likely start shooting The Mist this coming December, '05."
--Frank Darabont, 08/03/05
Ryuhel Kitamura, the director of VERSUS, has been tapped to direct THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN, which was just fast tracked into pre-production!
Grand Illusions Entertainment along with financing partner David Steiner will be producing ERIC RED's (Stopping Power) next feature, a supernatural horror/thriller called 100 FEET, one that he wrote and will be directing.
Here's the first look at the Synopsis: A young woman, Marnie Watson, is granted early release from her prison sentence for manslaughter (killing her husband – a violent NYC cop – in self defense) on condition she wear an electronic ankle bracelet and remain within her home, effectively under house arrest, for the remainder of her sentence.
Her late husband's partner keeps tabs on her from a patrol car parked across the street, hoping she'll violate probation and he can send her back to prison. But the 100-foot radius her ankle bracelet allows isn't the worst of her problems. Her dead husband --now a malevolent ghost--is still in the house, where he died -- intent on savage revenge.
Finally Eric Red had this to say about the project and its status: "This is an elevated, old school and classical supernatural thriller that relies on suspense, character and suggestion. But it will also have also horrific scenes of visceral horror. We are in pre production, currently completing casting and scheduled to begin filming in Hungary in early 2007."
KOJE LUDILO!!!!
Christopher Walken is to play Ozzy Osbourne in a new Hollywood movie. The Oscar winner will make a cameo role as the shock rocker in a new movie based on Motley Crue's 2001 autobiography The Dirt, Crue frontman Vince Neil has revealed.
:? :? :?
Ghost Rider (2007) trailer:
http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/ghostrider/
According to The Hollywood Reporter, writer/director Neil Marshall has cast the lead in his upcoming futuristic sci-fi thriller DOOMSDAY, and in keeping with the strong female roles showcased in his hit THE DESCENT, the new movie's hero is a woman. Rhona Mitra, whose credits include HIGHWAYMEN, BEOWULF, HOLLOW MAN and the upcoming SKINWALKERS will play the leader of an elite group of people sent to find the cure for a deadly virus called the Reaper. The search takes them into a walled-off country where the plague ravaged the populace three decades before, and where the team confronts a series of horrific situations. Filming begins early next year for Rogue Pictures release.
ZVUČI GENERIČKI, ALI, FUCK, TO JE NIL MARŠAL, MUST BE GOOD!
još ako tu zazidanu zemlju bude igrala srbija... :!:
Quote from: "Ghoul"
ZVUČI GENERIČKI, ALI, FUCK, TO JE NIL MARŠAL, MUST BE GOOD!
još ako tu zazidanu zemlju bude igrala srbija... :!:
...još ako tu bude bilo nilovskih PEĆINA!!! :!: :!: :!:
Quote from: "marduk"...još ako tu bude bilo nilovskih PEĆINA!!! :!: :!: :!:
...le te one! :roll: :wink: :x
Quote from: "Ghoul"Quote from: "marduk"...još ako tu bude bilo nilovskih PEĆINA!!! :!: :!: :!:
...le te one! :roll: :wink: :x
... ako ne one, bar onda the female cast :lol:
Quote from: "marduk"Quote from: "Ghoul"Quote from: "marduk"...još ako tu bude bilo nilovskih PEĆINA!!! :!: :!: :!:
...le te one! :roll: :wink: :x
... ako ne one, bar onda the female cast :lol:
ne, no stalaktiti i stalagmiti! :twisted:
CAUGHT IN THE ACT!!! :cry: :lol:
Directors Allen and Albert Hughes will square off in "Kung Fu," the bigscreen adaptation of the 1970s classic TV series for Warner Bros.-based Legendary Pictures.
Cory Goodman ("Priest") is rewriting the script. Legendary's Thomas Tull, Scott Mednick and Jon Jashni are producing; series creator Ed Spielman exec produces.
The Hughes brothers, who blazed onto the scene with "Menace 2 Society," haven't helmed a feature since the 2002 Johnny Depp drama "From Hell."
Since then, they've become prolific blurb directors, doing spots with the likes of Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter for such brands as Pepsi, Coke, Reebok, Heineken, Adidas, Nike and Sprite. They also directed videos for such bands as Korn.
The brothers were among several hip directors who coveted the "Kung Fu" job, and it was an assignment they sought for two years. WB production prexy Jeff Robinov, who gave them the job, agented them before he became a studio exec.
Goodman will rewrite a script by Howard Friedlander -- a writer on the original series -- and Spielman. The Zen spirit of that David Carradine skein will be preserved in the film, which is on course for a production start next year.
Legendary and WB will co-finance. Goal is a 2008 release that will help foster WB's expansion into China and wrap nicely into promotion at the Beijing Olympics.
The producers have already reached out to the Shaolin Temple outside Beijing, where nonviolent monks train in martial arts and were the inspiration for the series protag, Caine.
Goodman's repped by CAA and Industry, the Hughes brothers by WMA.
Miike starts shooting English-language spaghetti western
Quentin Tarantino set to appear in Sukiyaki Western: Django, which is cult director Takashi Miike's first English-language film.
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"Miike starts shooting English-language spaghetti western
Quentin Tarantino set to appear in Sukiyaki Western: Django, which is cult director Takashi Miike's first English-language film.
:D
ko je bre taj Goran Dukic?
vidim zanimljiv opis filma koji je napravio:
Wristcutters: A Love Story
The tone is set immediately. Patrick Fugit compulsively cleans his apartment, and then slices his wrists. As blood pools on the tiles, he sees dustbunnies in the corner and croaks before sweeping them. He enters a desaturated limbo where other suicidees spend eternity. He soon hits the road looking for his old girlfriend. Black humor works and characters are cool to hang with. My favorite character is a sardonic Russian musician (Shea Whigham) who memorably offs himself in concert. Writer-director Goran Dukic has spun a fairly unique movie that has "Cult Following" written all over it. Shannyn Sossamon is sexy and hip as a fellow traveler. Tom Waits fits perfectly in a small role. Random supernatural events nicely pepper this afterworld. The plot is slightly predictable near the end, but this flick goes down smooth. It's a guaranteed Midnight Movie.
Quote from: "Ghoul"ko je bre taj Goran Dukic?
vidim zanimljiv opis filma koji je napravio:
Wristcutters: A Love Story
Stvarno zanimljivo!
based on the novella by Etgar Keret (check)
Goran Dukic earned his BA in film directing at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb, Croatia, and his MFA at AFI. He has been honored with more than 20 awards in Europe and the United States for his short films and screenplays. His short, Mirta Learns Statistics, winner of the Octavian (Croatian Oscar), was voted by Croatian film critics as one of the five best Croatian films ever. Wristcutters: A Love Story is his feature directorial debut.
Oscar-nominated Armin Mueller-Stahl and Sinead Cusack will co-star opposite Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts in David Cronenberg's crime drama "Eastern Promises" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Mueller-Stahl will play Semyon, the patriarch of a London-based organized crime family with ties to the mysterious Nikolai (Mortensen).
When Nikolai meets Anna (Watts), a midwife who stumbles upon incriminating evidence against the family, all hell breaks loose.
Cusack ("V for Vendetta") will play Anna's mother. Donald Sumpter ("The Constant Gardener") will portray Anna's uncle, and Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski ("Moonlighting") will play a police officer involved with the case.
Principal photography begins this week in London, with Focus Features distributing.
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with a bizarre rumor that started over at Screendaily and I found at filmick regarding a Takashi Miike English-language project called Suikiyaki Western: Django and if that wasn't weird enough, they have Quentin Tarantino taking an acting role in the flick. I can only assume that DJANGO is a continuation or reimagining of the popular DJANGO series of Spaghetti Westerns, the first starring Franco Nero and directed by the great Sergio Corbucci. It kind of became a brand name spawning a ton of DJANGO movies that have little to nothing to do with the original film.
If it is indeed a DJANGO Western from Miike, count me super excited. And I'm sure Tarantino will give some knowledgable tips to Miike about the Spaghetti Western genre. I, for one, would love to see Westerns come back... if this happens and that great sounding remake of 3:10 TO YUMA hit well, then we could be in for some great film.
Last month came news that "XXX" and "Fast & the Furious" director Rob Cohen was to create another Bruce Lee film, his second after biopic "Dragon", entitled "Rage and Fury".
Talking with Latino Review, he revealed his plans for recreating the legend - "I am NOT using clips from the film; I am creating an entirely photo-realistic Bruce Lee with new, advanced digital technlogy. Digital Domain who did "XXX" and "Stealth" with me are on it big time" he says.
He added "We are in the vfx development stage". This will be the first digital actor and I am very excited about the challenge. We do have the rights to Bruce's films but the lines are all I am going to use"
Japanese director Takashi Miike is making the first "sushi western" entitled "Sukiyaki Western Django" for Sony Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
The director has talked close friend of Quentin Tarantino into appearing as a 'mystery man' in the $6.8 million English-language movie, a homage to the spaghetti westerns of the 1960's.
The story follows the clashes between two rival gangs in a 19th century setting that will blend US and Japanese archetypes. Hideaki Itoh, Kaori Momoi, Koji Sato and Yoshino Kimura star.
Filming began this weekend at the Syonai Movie Studio in Yamagata Prefecture, northern Japan. Tarantino is scheduled to visit Japan later this month to film his scenes. The film will get released late 2007.
Richard Curtis is set to write and direct "The Boat That Rocked ", a new comedy about a pirate radio station based on a boat reports Filmstalker.
In the past in the UK, old pirate radio stations were situated on boats just sitting in international waters with enough juice to broadcast to mainland UK.
Curtis, the director of such films as "Love Actually" and "Four Weddings and a Funeral" has described it as "Animal House" meets "Titanic".
French filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier is set to direct an adaptation of James Lee Burke's "In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead" reports Production Weekly.
The story follows New Orleans Lt. Dave Robicheaux who is trying to link two slayings, four decades apart to Louisiana mobster Julie 'Baby Feet' Balboni.
Balboni is a crime boss who's currently making everyone in New Iberia rich thanks to his backing of a big Hollywood movie in production.
Things get stranger when Robicheaux begins seeing the ghost of a Confederate general.
Pre-production begins next month in Louisiana for shooting in March. Alec Baldwin previously played the role in "Heaven's Prisoners".
Nicolas Cage will make his next film the action-thriller "Crazy Dog" which is currently in pre-production, with Joe Ruben set to direct reports Production Weekly.
Henry Bean and Nick Kazan penned the script which revolves around a New York City cop (Cage) who causes the death of a friend in a moment of cowardice.
Consumed by guilt, he goes on a self-destructive spree but then seeks redemption. Cage is expected to then reprise his role as treasure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates, in the sequel "National Treasure II: The Book of Secrets" which begins shooting this Spring.
Helmer Todd Phillips will produce and possibly direct buddy comedy "The Fix Up" for Warner Bros. Pictures reports Variety.
Story revolves around an average Joe whose life is turned upside down after being falsely accused of a crime.
A government agent mixed up in the case resolves to make things right, with the duo setting off on a road adventure.
Scribes Michael Colton and John Aboud have been hired by the studio to pen Phillips' take on the original script by CBS's "How I Met Your Mother" creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas.
Director Tony Scott, happy with the success of his thriller "Deja Vu" in theatres this week, has revealed some surprising plans for his proposed remake of the Walter Hill-directed 1979 classic "The Warriors".
Speaking exclusively to Empire Online, Scott confirmed his version on the tale of a group of teenage hoods battling their way home across enemy turf will move its location from New York to Los Angeles.
"New York is visually vertical and L.A. is more horizontal so that'll be a big visual difference... what I'm doing is kind of reinventing it. And rather than a gang it's going to be 30 guys who take on 3,000. It's Kingdom Of Heaven meets The Warriors. We're going to use the L.A. River bed as a major location" says Scott.
In fact the director has gone to great lengths for the film's biggest sequence - "I've been meeting all the [real] gang leaders, they're saying they'll sign this treaty for the duration of the shoot. I want this shot of 50,000 real gang members all on Long Beach - The Crips, The Bloods, the Vietnamese, the Cambodians, the 18th Street gang, all there. It's going to be cool".
Edward Neumeier ("RoboCop") is set to make his feature directorial debut on a third "Starship Troopers" film reports Production Weekly.
Neumeier has penned all three scripts of the franchise, basing the work on the novel by Robert A. Heinlein.
Casper Van Dien is in talks to reprise his role as Johnny Rico, now a General in the Terran Mobile Infantry embroiled in a vast interplanetary war with the "Bugs".
The project will be shot in hi-def on location in South Africa, with principle photography scheduled to begin in March.
When will someone stop the madness! The infamous Uwe Boll is currently prepping his next "project". "FAR CRY" is based on the 2004 video game. The plot follows a retired Special Forces Officer, Jack Carver who is now a gun for hire. A photographer contracts Jack to escort him to a group of remote islands. After arriving on the island the photographer disappears and Jack's boat is attacked and destroyed.
Jack must now find who attacked him and his missing employer. Rumor is this production will shoot in early 2007. Cast attached to the project is Michael Pare.
:!:
Ovo za FC je sasvim po meri s obzirom da mi je plot, skript i dijaloški deo te igre smanjio IQ za barem pedesetak jedinica. Da nije imala onako dobar AI i dizajn ostrva, ne bih se mučio s njom do kraja.
Cult indie filmmaker Abel Ferrara began principal photography today on the screwball comedy "Go Go Tales" starring Willem Dafoe, Bob Hoskins and Matthew Modine reports Production Weekly.
Set around a night at the classy Manhattan cabaret venue named Ray Ruby's Paradise, Dafoe plays the charismatic Ray who exhibits and seeks talented girls whom he agrees to represent and help into stardom.
In the meantime though they work as lap dancers and performers at the club. Various long time groupies and agency personnel make up the rest of the colorful cast of characters.
Asia Argento and Lou Doillon also star in the film. Ferrara will spend four weeks of shooting at Rome's Cinecitta Studios and then move to New York in January 2007 for exterior shots.
Quote"It's Kingdom Of Heaven meets The Warriors. (...) I want this shot of 50,000 real gang members all on Long Beach - The Crips, The Bloods, the Vietnamese, the Cambodians, the 18th Street gang, all there. It's going to be cool".
:P too much cocaine, tony. it's just too intense.
The first is "White Jazz," an adaptation of a novel by James Ellroy ("L.A. Confidential," "The Black Dahlia") which Joe Carnahan ("Narc") will direct. Matthew Carnahan ("The Kingdom") penned the adaptation of the story about a corrupt police lieutenant assigned to a potentially explosive case for the L.A.P.D. during a time when the department is under investigation for corruption.
Shooting would begin early 2008 and will be released through Warner Independent Pictures.
Premier cable broadcaster HBO is developing a one-hour series based on the popular Vertigo comics series "Preacher" reports TV.com.
The comic, which ran from 1995-2000, told the story of a down-and-out Texas preacher possessed by Genesis, a supernatural entity conceived by the unnatural coupling of an angel and a demon.
Given immense powers, the preacher teamed with an old girlfriend and a hard-drinking Irish vampire and set out on a journey across America to find God - who apparently had abandoned his duties in heaven - and hold him accountable for his negligence.
The series was known for tackling religious and political issues, along with utilising a dark and violent sense of humor, and its observations of American culture.
At one time a $25 million film with James Marsden attached to star in was in the works, but the project fell through.
This version is being done by "Daredevil" and "Ghost Rider" director Mark Steven Johnson who will pen the pilot, whilst Howard Deutch will direct.
QuoteThis version is being done by "Daredevil" and "Ghost Rider" director Mark Steven Johnson who will pen the pilot, whilst Howard Deutch will direct.
Da li je uopšte potrebno da kažem kako ova rečenica najavljuje koliko će sranje ovaj film biti? Siroti Gart Enis...
Woody Harrelson has joined the international cast of "The Machinist" director Brad Anderson's contemporary crime thriller "Trans-Siberian" for Filmax.
The story focuses on an American couple that travels on the famous Trans-Siberian train from Vladivostok to Moscow and encounters another couple.
What seems to be a simple train journey soon turns into a thrilling chase full of deception and murder as it becomes clear that not everybody is who they seem.
According to the trades, Samantha Morton ("In America", "Minority Report") will play Harrelson's wife, with Kate Mara ("Zoom", "Brokeback Mountain") and Spanish hunk Eduardo Noriega ("The Devil's Backbone", "Open Your Eyes") are playing the couple opposite them.
Ben Kingsley and Thomas Kretschmann will play Russian police officers hot on the trail of the two couples. Filming on the $15-$20 million project begins next Monday in Beijing, Russia and Lithuania.
God gave this world the cinematic genius of director Paul Verhoeven, and now the man wants to give some back to the maker.
The man who helmed such sex-driven, violence-fuelled, satire-laced action thrillers as "Robocop", "Total Recall", "Starship Troopers", "Showgirls" and "Basic Instinct" wants to do a Jesus movie it seems.
WENN via Cinema Blend reports that Verhoeven is rumoured to be developing "Christ, the Man" which explores the idea that Jesus Christ was merely a mortal.
Much of the story will be based on Verhoeven's work as a member of the Jesus Seminar, a research team of several hundred academic New Testament scholars whose purpose is to use historical methods to determine what Jesus, as a historical figure, may or may not have said or done.
Their findings portrayed him as a wandering sage who did not found a religion or rise from the dead, but preached in startling parables and aphorisms, often turning common ideas upside down and confounding the expectations of his audience.
Of course some extreme Christian fundamentalist groups might get upset with the project, something Verhoeven himself is keenly aware of - "My scriptwriter told me not to do the movie in the United States because they (Christians) might shoot me. It's not a joke at all. I took that very seriously. So I took his advice and decided to write a book about it first".
Verhoeven, no stranger to controversy, expects some fall out - "I think he's going to be getting a lot of focus and heat over this, if it's true, and there will be groups who will be protesting quite heavily against this".
Under his new deal at Paramount, Martin Scorsese will develop and possibly direct a film adaptation of Eric Jager's historical novel "The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal and Trial by Combat in Medieval France" reports Variety.
Jager's book follows a duel that occurred in 1386 between knights Jean de Carrouges and Jacques LeGris. Duel was the last sanctioned by the French government, in this case by King Charles IV.
"Duel" won't necessarily be his next film says Paramount. Scorsese, still basking in the glow about the success of his crime thriller "The Departed", is currently shooting a documentary on the Rolling Stones for the studio.
Overite najvreliji trejler! (http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2006/12/hot-fuzz.html)
Ralf Bakši snima novi film! :!:
više detalja:
Moviehole recently spoke to writer/director Ed Neumeier, who reveals that he's close to getting behind the cameras for STARSHIP TROOPERS 3, which we first told you about here. "Looks like—fingers crossed—Sony is moving forward," Neumeier tells the site. "Plans are afoot to shoot next year. Casper Van Dien will be back as Colonel John Rico. There'll be a new bug or two. Also draft riots. Religion makes a comeback. And the Federation has a new weapon." Neumeier scripted Paul Verhoeven's original TROOPERS and the first sequel, helmed by FX wizard Phil Tippett; like that movie, TROOPERS 3 will go direct to DVD via Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
Quote from: "Meho Krljic"QuoteThis version is being done by "Daredevil" and "Ghost Rider" director Mark Steven Johnson who will pen the pilot, whilst Howard Deutch will direct.
Da li je uopšte potrebno da kažem kako ova rečenica najavljuje koliko će sranje ovaj film biti? Siroti Gart Enis...
Gart Enis je sam po sebi sranje, tako da i nije neka gre'ota. Snimanje Propovednika?!? :x Na kakve se sve gluposti trosi traka!
Hm, ovaj topik nije najzgodnije mesto za raspravu, pa ako hoćeš, možemo o ovoj temi na forumu o stripu. Ali, naravno da nisi u pravu u tome što kažeš (očigledno nisi čitao 303) a i nisi dao nikakvo obrazloženje...
U pravu si, nisam dao adekvatan primer... :oops:
Mislio sam na Propovednika, koga sam ischitao skoro do kraja (ne samo prvo izdanje Belog Puta). Za ostalo ne znam, ali u ovom stripu Gart Enis daje sliku o sebi kao teskom kompleksashu koji ne zna sta pise i zbog cega pise. U stvari, smatram da ga njegova publika cita iz istog razloga iz kojeg Hauarda Sterna prate njegovi slusaoci: I wanna hear what he'll say next. I nista vise. U svim tim baljezgarijama i izdrkavanjima ne nadjoh ama bas nista vredno pomena (ne vezujem ovo za religiju, mind you).
Medjutim, o ovome i ne vredi raspravljati. Ja ga ne volim jer njegovi scenariji podsecaju vise na forumashke prepirke koje bi mogao da iskoristi za prepucavanje sa drugim forumasima poput cuvenog NoDice-a, a ne za pisanje scenarija. Tu jednostavno nema pomoci.
Isticem ponovo da nisam citao njegovog Punisher-a i druge radove jer me je definitivno odbio nedotupavi i plitki Preacher predodredjen americkom jugu i duhu Fuckin' A!
Ako neko smatra da nisam dovoljno vremena proveo na citanju i "razumevanju :)" Enisovog Propovednika, mogu da kazem da sam se prvi put susreo s istim pre vise godina, tokom studija, pa ponovo sada. I misljenje mi se nije promenilo. Stavise, sad kada sam vise stvari procitao i formirao kakve-takve stavove, smatram da je jos grdji nego pre.
Verujem da ce hard-core fanovi da reaguju na ove moje reci, ali ja o Gartu Enisu i njegoj "umetnosti" uopste vise ne bih trosio reci. Hvala.
Stanley Kubrick never threw anything away. On the other hand, he didn't have much of a filing system, and when he moved — permanently, it turned out — from Hollywood to London in 1962, a great many things went astray. Among them was the sole copy of a film treatment called "Lunatic at Large," which Mr. Kubrick had commissioned in the late '50s from the noir pulp novelist Jim Thompson, with whom he had worked on "The Killing," a 1956 heist story that became his first successful feature, and then on 1957's "Paths of Glory."
The manuscript remained lost until after Mr. Kubrick's death, in 1999, when his son-in-law, Philip Hobbs, working with an archivist, turned it up, along with a couple of other scripts, and set about trying to make it into a movie.
There were a couple of false starts. Mr. Hobbs originally approached the French company Pathé — partly because the French hold Jim Thompson in the same esteem as Edgar Allan Poe and Mickey Rourke — and after that arrangement fell through, he formed a partnership with Edward R. Pressman, a New York-based producer, and the London producers Finch & Partners. Mr. Pressman, who is expected to announce the completion of the deal today, said the film would be directed by Chris Palmer, from a finished script by Stephen R. Clarke.
"When Stanley died, he left behind lots of paperwork," Mr. Hobbs said in a telephone interview. "We ended up going through trunks of it, and one day we came across 'Lunatic at Large.' I knew what it was right away, because I remember Stanley talking about 'Lunatic.' He was always saying he wished he knew where it was, because it was such a great idea."
Speaking from her home in Britain, Mr. Kubrick's widow, Christiane, said: "My husband always had a drawerful of ideas. There were always a lot of stories on the go, things he started, things he left lying around. It was like being in a waterfall. I remember he was very excited at the time about 'Lunatic at Large,' but then other things happened." First, she explained, Mr. Kubrick was forced off "One-Eyed Jacks," with Marlon Brando, and then he was hired to replace Anthony Mann on "Spartacus."
" 'Spartacus' changed his life," she said. "And after that his imagination was held by 'Lolita,' which gave him the opportunity to film in England, where making movies cost so much less."
The loss of his manuscript was a bitter disappointment to Mr. Thompson, who had a long and mostly hard-luck relationship with Hollywood. Like a lot of writers who seek their fortune there, he eventually drank too much and became his own worst enemy. He died in 1977, much too soon for the revival of interest that made him a cult writer in the '90s, when four of his novels were made into films: "The Grifters," "The Getaway," "Hit Me" and "After Dark, My Sweet."
Despite its title, "Lunatic at Large" is not a horror story. It's a dark and surprising mystery of sorts, in which the greatest puzzle is who, among several plausible candidates, is the true escapee from a nearby mental hospital. Mr. Clarke, the screenwriter, said that the recovered treatment (a prose narrative dramatizing an idea by Mr. Kubrick) was a "gem" but also "pretty basic," and that he expanded it a bit, adding a new subplot, among other things, to make the solution less obvious. Mr. Clarke's experience consists mostly of writing for British television, so he prepared for his new task by rereading Mr. Thompson and studying old Bogart films.
His finished screenplay has the feel of authentic Thompsonian pulpiness. Set in New York in 1956, it tells the story of Johnnie Sheppard, an ex-carnival worker with serious anger-management issues, and Joyce, a nervous, attractive barfly he picks up in a Hopperesque tavern scene. There's a newsboy who flashes a portentous headline, a car chase over a railroad crossing with a train bearing down, and a romantic interlude in a spooky, deserted mountain lodge.
The great set piece is a nighttime carnival sequence in which Joyce, lost and afraid, wanders among the tents and encounters a sideshow's worth of familiar carnie types: the Alligator Man, the Mule-Faced Woman, the Midget Monkey Girl, the Human Blockhead, with the inevitable noggin full of nails.
Back when Mr. Kubrick and Mr. Thompson were working on it, this was probably cutting-edge stuff, and you can imagine that Mr. Kubrick might even have been tempted to film "Lunatic at Large" in noirish black and white. Today it feels like a period piece, but the filmmaking team has resisted the temptation to update it. "That's the beauty of it — that it is such a period piece," Mr. Clarke said.
Mr. Pressman agreed. "You just couldn't make it any other way," he said. "It wouldn't work."
"Post-Tarantino," he added, "this kind of film has become new in a way. Things go in cycles."
The director hired for "Lunatic at Large," Mr. Palmer, is in roughly the position Ridley Scott was in before "The Duellists." He's an acclaimed London director of commercials, that is, who has never made a feature film.
But Mr. Hobbs is untroubled. "You have to remember that before he got his big chance, Stanley had only made one or two films," he said. "And you can't go to just anyone with a Kubrick idea; it does have a bit of provenance. A lot of people would be frightened to take it on."
Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and director Spike Lee are re-teaming to shoot a feature about the famous April 1992 riots in Los Angeles.
John Ridley will write the script to "L.A. Riots" which aims to be a "truthful and realistic examination of what happened, what the ramifications were and where we are now" Lee said in an interview with Variety.
The riots, which followed the acquittal by a white jury of four police officers who were videotaped beating black motorist Rodney King, caused the death of 55 people, thousands of injuries and close to $1 billion in damage.
The three previously combined on this year's very well-received thriller "Inside Man" and are developing a sequel to that already. The project is expected to be Lee's next feature and will shoot next year.
Joe Carnahan ("Narc", "Smokin' Aces") is in talks to direct a remake of the 1965 thriller "Bunny Lake is Missing" which Reese Witherspoon is being eyed to star in reports Variety.
Otto Preminger directed the original which surrounds the events that occur after a woman reports that her daughter Bunny Lake has gone missing. When police find no evidence that she even existed, they being to question the woman's sanity.
Pulitzer Prize winning playwright and "Quills" scribe Doug Wright is working on a rewrite of his own script with Carnahan. Spyglass Entertainment will finance and Sony Pictures will distribute.
Carnahan hopes to helm "Bunny Lake Is Missing" before he directs George Clooney in "White Jazz" which goes into production early 2008.
Warner Bros. has set "Open Water" director Chris Kentis and producer Laura Lau to handle a movie about the famous events surrounding the survivors of the U.S.S. Indianapolis in World War Two.
Based on Douglas Stanton book "In Harm's Way", the film "Indianapolis" follows the survivors of the ship which was sunk by the Japanese after delivering materials used in the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
Floating for five days in the Philippine Sea, the 900 survivors were reduced to 317 by the time of rescue from the shark-infested waters. Variety reports that Kentis will direct and co-write the project with Lau.
The incident was famously spoken of in a monologue by actor Robert Shaw in a scene from 1975's "Jaws" and has previously been adapted into a 1991 TV movie starring "Prison Break" warden actor Stacy Keach.
Warner Bros. previously tried to get a film verion going five years ago with Mel Gibson starring and Barry Levinson directing. Universal has a rival project in development which J.J. Abrams was eyeing to direct.
Kentis says "Indianapolis" will flesh out with backstory on why the ship's distress signal went unheeded, how the survivors were spotted accidentally and how the military made a scapegoat of Captain Charles Butler McVay III who committed suicide in 1968.
Sjajno! A pošto je to Kris Kentis, možemo da očekujemo some full frontal nudity! :!:
Hey Joe,
Big fan of Narc (one of my favorite movies) and HUGE fan of White Jazz (one of my favorite books) so naturally i'm really excited that you're directing. No. 1 question, though, will Dudley Smith be in your adaptation?
Thanks, Adam
Adam:
Dudley will unfortunately not be part of the adaptation and that grieves me to no end. If you're a fan of the books then you know that he was alive and well, albeit chopped up at the end. Since the film LA Confidential made the choice to off 'The Dud' at the end and I'm treating this film like a sequel to that one, my brother and I, in writing it, chose to create a new character.
I hope this doesn't send all those Ellroy fans off the rails. It's a really great adaptation though and I'm thrilled to get into it.
JC
http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,1569559_1_0_,00.html
Woohoo! Taj čovjek baš ne gubi vrijeme!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0498353/
Hostel 2 je već spreman, a u glavnim ulogama (za razliku od prvog dijela) su tri CURE, što obećava još veći boob count nego prije!
pazi ovaj slate, i procentualnu zastupljenost zanra :D
SCREENING AT AFM:
AFTER... (psychological horror)
World Premiere - AFI Festival - Dark Horizons Section.
Written & directed by David L. Cunningham (To End All Wars). Starring Daniel Caltagirone (Tomb Raider 2, The Pianist), Nicholas Aaron (Touching the Void) and Flora Montgomery (Man to Man).
Trailer & scenes available at www.themovieafter.com.
Nate, grief-stricken over the death of his young son, jets off with his wife Adrian and her brother Jay to Moscow to do some urban exploration, the practice of investigating areas not designed for public use. Their adventure through Moscow's underworld, Ivan the Terrible's torture chambers, Soviet bomb shelters and Stalin's fabled Metro-2 subway system turns into a nightmarish journey a la Jacob's Ladder when they're trapped underground and the lines between fantasy and reality become blurred.
AFM Screening Times:
Wednesday, November 1st, 15:00: Broadway Cineplex 1
AFI Festival Screening Times:
Saturday, November 4th, 21:30: Arclight Theater 10
Sunday, November 5th, 15:30: Arclight Theater 10
EL CANTANTE (drama)
World Premiere - Toronto International Film Festival 2006 Special Presentation
Directed by Leon Ichaso (Pinero). Starring Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez. US Theatrical Release: Picturehouse - Summer 2007.
Based on the true-life story of the world's most famous salsa singer Hector Lavoe and his volatile relationship with his wife Puchi. Set in New York's Latino salsa scene of the 60's and 70's, the film focuses on the rise and demise of Lavoe and his passionate love affair with the woman who stayed by his side, despite his bouts of depression and infidelities.
An accompanying soundtrack will be released worldwide with Marc Anthony singing Hector Lavoe's songs. Jennifer Lopez will be releasing a Spanish-language album in November of 2006.
AFM Screening Times:
Wednesday, November 1st, 8:45 AM: AMC 7
Thursday, November 2nd, 17:00: AMC 5
PENNY DREADFUL (horror/thriller)
World Premiere - Market Premiere Screening @ AFM 2006
Directed by Richard Brandes. Starring Rachel Miner (The Black Dahlia, Bully, The Memory Thief) and Mimi Rogers (Austin Powers, Someone to Watch Over Me). US Theatrical Release: November 17th, 2006, on 500 prints in the US.
Watch the trailer at www.pennydreadfulthemovie.com & http://www.horrorfestonline.com/film2.html
Traumatized by a childhood auto accident that killed her parents, Penny accompanies her therapist on a road trip as part of her therapy to overcome an overwhelming fear of cars. But when the two women accidentally cross paths with a mysterious hitchhiker on a lonely stretch of highway, an attempt at healing suddenly takes a terrifying detour into a horrific life and death struggle, with a ruthless, deranged killer bent on preying upon Penny's worst fears.
AFM Screening Times:
Saturday, November 4th, 11:00 AM: Broadway Cineplex 1
Monday, November 6th, 15:00: AMC 6
SISTERS (suspense/thriller)
Produced by Ed Pressman (The Crow, Wall Street, Badlands, Conan). Directed by Douglas Buck (Family Portraits: A Trilogy of America). Starring Chloe Sevigny (Zodiac, Boys Don't Cry, The Brown Bunny), Stephen Rea (Breakfast on Pluto, V for Vendetta) and introducing Lou Doillon.
The horrific retelling of the original Brian De Palma film. Leading a disturbingly sheltered existence at the hand of her controlling psychiatrist, Angelina is desperate to release herself from his hold on her. Suspicious of the psychiatrist's motives, a nosy reporter starts a dangerous investigation of Angelina. Stumbling into a decades-old conspiracy of mysterious deaths, a controversial operation and human experimentation, soon, the reporter herself becomes part of the experiment.
AFM Screening Times:
Wednesday, November 1st, 13:00: Ocean Screening Room
Sunday, November 5th, 17:00: Laemmle Monica 1
THE TRIPPER (horror)
Produced by David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Evan Astrowsky and Neil Machlis. Written and directed by David Arquette. Starring Jamie King (Sin City, Bulletproof Monk, Blow), Thomas Jane (The Punisher, Killshot), Jason Mewes (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back), Lukas Haas (Alpha Dog, Brick), Paul Reubens (Pee-wee's Big Adventure) and Balthazar Getty (Lost Highway), with cameos from Courteney Cox (Scream, Friends) and David Arquette (Scream).
Visit www.myspace.com/thetrippermovie.
As a group of friends head to a modern-day Woodstock concert for a weekend of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, a psychotic killer in a Reagan mask has his own gory agenda for mayhem - to finish what he started so many years ago. In a weekend and place where nobody's thinking or seeing straight, how can one stop a killer when you don't know what's real? David Arquette makes his directorial debut in this twisted and bloody tale.
AFM Screening Times:
Friday, November 3rd, 13:00: Laemmle Monica 1
Monday, November 6th, 9:00 AM: Mann Criterion 5
NEW TO AFM - IN PRE-PRODUCTION:
THE HURT LOCKER (action-adventure) - Principal photography begins February 2007.
Written by Mark Boal (In the Valley of Elah). To be directed by Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break, Strange Days, K-19: The Widowmaker). Produced by Greg Shapiro (Rise, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle).
Cast to be announced at AFM.
Forced to play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse in the chaos of war, an elite Army bomb squad unit must come together in a city where everyone is a potential enemy and every object could be a deadly bomb. The daily heroism of these willing daredevils is revealed in an explosive adventure from the director of 'Point Break,' 'Strange Days' and 'K-19: the Widowmaker.'
WHILE SHE WAS OUT (thriller) - Principal photography begins January 2007.
Written and to be directed by Susan Montford (producer of Shoot 'Em Up). To be produced by Don Murphy (Transformers, Shoot 'Em Up, From Hell) & Guillermo del Toro (director of Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth). Starring Academy Award-winner Kim Basinger (L.A. Confidential, Cellular, 8 Mile).
A thriller in the vein of 'Deliverance,' 'Breakdown' and 'Dead Calm.' A typical suburban housewife is forced to fend for herself when she becomes stranded in a desolate forest with four murderous thugs. What starts off as a quick trip to the mall ends in the woods with a fight for her life. All she has is a toolbox and her will to survive.
IN PRODUCTION:
GEORGE A. ROMERO'S DIARY OF THE DEAD (horror) - Trailer at AFM.
Written & directed by George A. Romero.
The master of horror returns to the style of filmmaking he pioneered and the genre he invented. In his first independent zombie film in over two decades, George A. Romero takes us back to ground zero in the history of the living dead. Starring Josh Close, Phillip Riccio, Joe Dinicol, Michelle Morgan, Tatiana Maslany, Amy Lalonde and Scott Wentworth.
A group of film students struggling to get home amidst the chaos and terror of a zombie outbreak create a first-person video 'diary' detailing their horrific encounters with the undead. In this post-Katrina world, the rules of society are crumbling and the government is unprepared to help. All that remains is self-reliance, 'the struggle to stay alive and the creation of a video diary to leave behind for future generations ...if any survive.'
IN POST-PRODUCTION:
THE MUTANT CHRONICLES (science-fiction) - principal photography completed July 28th, 2006
Produced by Ed Pressman (The Crow, Wall Street, Badlands, Conan). To be directed by Simon Hunter. Starring Thomas Jane (Killshot, The Punisher), John Malkovich (Being John Malkovich, Eragon), Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Blade II, Alien: Resurrection), Benno Fürmann (The Princess and the Warrior, My House in Umbria), Devon Aoki (Sin City 2, Rogue, DOA) and Zuleikha Robinson (Hidalgo, The Merchant of Venice, The Namesake).
300 years in the future, mankind has almost destroyed his world. Four giant corporations have defiled the land with decades of war and pollution. As they squeeze the final drops of wealth from the dying Earth, they trigger a massive outpouring of evil from the Underworld - a marauding, demonic army of NecroMutants intent on destroying all that remains of mankind. A crack squad of elite soldiers form an uneasy alliance in a last ditch effort to save the future.
COMPLETED:
A CHRISTMAS WEDDING (romantic comedy)
Directed by Michael Zinberg. Starring Sarah Paulson (NBC Universal's upcoming Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Deadwood, Griffin and Phoenix), Dean Cain (Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman) and Eric Mabius (The OC).
A month before their Christmas day wedding, perfectionist bride-to-be Emily is called away for work leaving her procrastinating fiancé Ben to deal with all the wedding day details - from bridesmaids' dresses to floral arrangements! But when a snowstorm threatens to strand Emily at work, she realizes that it's not about the perfect wedding plans. All that truly matters is making it home to be with the man she loves and their Christmas wedding. Trailer available at http://www.afmfilms.org/catalog/FilmDetail.php?id=2529.
DECEIT (psychological thriller)
Produced by Eleven Eleven Films (Unknown). Directed by Matthew Cole Weiss (Standing Still). Starring Emmanuelle Chriqui (Wrong Turn, After Sex), Matt Long (Ghost Rider, Jack & Bobby), Luke Mably (The Prince and Me, Colour Me Kubrick), Joe Pantoliano (Unknown, The Matrix), Ashley Scott (Into the Blue), Pell James (Broken Flowers, Zodiac) and Jon Abrahams (Prime).
A psychological thriller in the vein of 'Body Heat', 'Basic Instinct' and 'Double Indemnity', two childhood friends are torn apart by a seemingly innocent beauty in a small American town. Nobody is innocent in this world & money, lust and obsession are the American standards and even the tightest bonds are not immune to their pull. Trailer available at http://www.afmfilms.org/catalog/FilmDetail.php?id=514.
HEAVENS FALL (drama)
Written and directed by Terry Green. Starring Timothy Hutton (Kinsey, City Hall, Ordinary People), Leelee Sobieski (Joan of Arc, Eyes Wide Shut, The Glass House), Academy Award-Nominee David Strathairn (The Bourne Ultimatum, My Blueberry Nights and Good Night and Good Luck).
In the spring of 1931, nine black men were arrested for allegedly raping two young white women. Ranging in ages from twelve to twenty years, they were quickly tried and sentenced to the electric chair. News of their convictions spread and the plight of the Scottsboro Boys became a 'cause celebre' that fueled the fire of socialism worldwide, forcing an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and resulting in new trials for all nine defendants. In 1933, a savvy and self-assured defense lawyer, Samuel Leibowitz, agreed to represent the accused at their retrials in Decatur, Alabama. His journey into the Deep South set in motion a legal battle that ultimately changed the course of American jurisprudence. Footage available at http://www.heavensfallthemovie.net.
THE LIBRARIAN: RETURN TO KING SOLOMON'S MINES (action/adventure)
Produced by Dean Devlin (Independence Day, Godzilla, Stargate). Directed by Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek, Clockstoppers, Thunderbirds). Starring Noah Wyle (White Oleander, ER), Gabrielle Anwar (Scent of a Woman) and Olympia Dukakis (The Thing About My Folks).
Hidden beneath the Metropolitan Public Library is a repository for mankind's greatest secrets. From the Golden Fleece to Pandora's Box, every enigma and artifact from every known and unknown civilization is protected from the forces of evil who, if given the chance, would use the priceless treasures for their nefarious plans. Only one man can keep them safe: Flynn Carson - the man known as the Librarian.
Pomalo o OXFORD MURDERS
INTERVJU
Zločini u matematičkom nizu
Giljermo Martinez
Martinez Giljermo
Knjiga "Matematika i koreni postmoderne misli" Vladimira Tasića poslužila mi je kao inspiracija za neka kritička ispitivanja u romanu "Neprimetni zločini"
Neprimetni zločini - roman argentinskog pisca Gižerma Martineza ovenčan je prestižnim književnim priznanjem španskog govornog područja, nagradom "Planeta". To je prividno krimi roman i sa njim je Martinez izgradio novi žanr matematičke fikcije. Roman prati sudbinu mladog argentinskog matematičara stipendiste koji dolazi u Oksford. Nekoliko dana po dolasku nalaze mrtvu staricu u čijoj je kući on iznajmio stan. To je samo prvo u nizu od ubistava, a njih će pokušati nezavisno od policije da rasvetli logičar Artur Seldom. Martinez je u ovom romanu vešto prepleo krimi priču sa verovanjima drevnih sekti matematičara, Gedelovom teoremom, Vitgenštajnovim filozofskim zapažanjima, pa i veštinama mađioničara. Osim "Neprimetnih zločina", koje je nedavno objavila "Laguna", još dva romana Gižerma Martineza prevedena su kod nas i oba objavljena kod novosadskih "Svetova". To su: "Povest o Rodereru" i "Maestrova žena".
Gižermo Martinez je rođen 1962. godine u Argentini, u mestu Baija Blanha. Doktorat iz matematike, iz oblasti logike odbranio je u Buenos Ajresu, a postdoktorske studije u Oksfordu. Iz tih dana datira i njegovo prijateljstvo sa Vladimirom Tasićem, prošlogodišnjim dobitnikom NIN-ove nagrade, koji je, kao i Martinez, doktor matematike i pisac. Martinez je preveo na španski Tasićevu knjigu "Matematika i koreni postmoderne misli", koja je, kako nam je rekao, bila rado čitana u intelektualnim krugovima u Argentini.
Oduvek me je interesovala književnost, još dok sam bio dete. Moj otac je bio profilisani pisac, a majka je bila profesor književnosti - kaže Martinez. - U stvari, matematika je mnogo kasnije ušla u moj život, sasvim slučajno, za vreme univerzitetskih studija.
Vaša knjiga "Veliki pakao" pripoveda o zlu i masovnim grobnicama. Nažalost, masovne grobnice bile su deo balkanske prošlosti u poslednjih deceniju i po. Na taj način vaša priča je univerzalna, zar ne?
- Tužno je što je tako. Ono što je još tužnije jeste da 25 godina posle tih događaja mnogi mladi studenti iz moje zemlje ne razumeju o čemu govori ta priča. Ljudi brzo zaboravljaju i ponavljaju najgoru vrstu političkog nasilja.
Za roman "Neprimetni zločini" dobili ste prestižnu nagradu "Planeta". To je vaš najuspešniji roman. Kako je nastajao?
- Mnogi misle, prema nekakvom književnom osećaju, da je moj prvi roman ("Povest o Rodereru") i dalje moja najbolja knjiga. Ali, tačno je da su "Neprimetni zločini" mnogo čitaniji... U stvari, tu sam knjigu napisao sasvim slučajno, u prekidu rada na jednom teškom i ambicioznom romanu. Imao sam ideju koja me je zaokupljala od kada sam napustio Oksford, ali mislio sam da bi o tome trebalo pisati u dalekoj budućnosti, jednom kada budem završio sa "ozbiljnim stvarima". Onda se desilo da mi je jedan obrazovni sajt dao predlog za roman u epizodama koji bi se pojavljivao onlajn, po jedno poglavlje svake nedelje. Odmah sam se setio avantura Šerloka Holmsa, koje su startovale na taj način u novinama toga doba, i ja sam bio u iskušenju da stvorim novu verziju "logičnog" detektiva, sa pomalo matematičkim mišljenjem.
Posle napisanog prvog poglavlja, taj projekat je odjednom propao iz ekonomskih razloga, a ja sam se našao na početku romana i za to vreme sam ga razvijao sa više iskustva. Na tom romanu sam radio dve sledeće godine i kada je bio gotov, došla je i nagrada "Planeta". Ostali deo priče mene je iznenadio više nego bilo koga drugog: roman o matematici i gotovo najkrvavijim zločinima imao je neverovatan uspeh. Preveden je do sada na 26 jezika, čak devet izdanja rasprodato je u Engleskoj, a uskoro će se snimati i film u režiji Aleksa de la Iglesije. Možda je roman privlačan zato što sam zaista uživao u pisanju, a deo te radosti prešao je i na čitaoce...
"Neprimetni zločini", roman o zločinima i serijskim ubistvima u Oksfordu, pisan je u dobroj tradiciji engleskih krimi romana, ali ima i dosta inovacija...
- U mojoj zemlji postoji akademska teza o varijacijama u mom romanu - o vezama sa klasičnim krimi romanom, uglavnom oko ličnosti detektiva, kriminala i odnosa Holms - Votson, u mom slučaju to je par učitelj i učenik. Ali, dok sam pisao roman, nisam imao na umu te aspekte. Jedina inovacija za koju sam se trudio da je sprovedem jeste rasprava o estetici zaključivanja na različitim poljima, uključujući kriminalističku istragu i teorijsku borbu između uma matematičara i policijskog detektiva.
Interesantno je pomenuti da je Vladimir Tasić vaš prijatelj i kolega sa Oksforda. Tamo ste se i upoznali?
- Vladimir je bio jedan od mojih kolega iz kabineta za gostujuće istraživače na Matematičkom institutu i postali smo prijatelji za vreme moje druge godine boravka u Oksfordu. Kada je saznao da imam napisan roman, pročitao ga je u prevodu na engleski (bio je to moj prvi roman "Povest o Rodereru") i potom je pokušao da obnovi svoju tinejdžersku ljubav za pisanje kratkih priča. I napisao ih je nekoliko, naravno, na srpskom jeziku. Tada bi ih čitao meni i mojoj supruzi i usmeno ih prevodio na engleski. Tako je i završio celu knjigu kratkih priča i kasnije ih je objavio pod predivnim naslovom "Pseudologija fantastika". Potom smo ostali u kontaktu i ja sam preveo na španski jezik njegovu filozofsku knjigu "Matematika i koreni postmoderne misli", u kojoj ne da sam puno uživao, već mi je poslužila kao inspiracija i za neka kritička ispitivanja u "Neprimetnim zločinima" (na primer, Vitgenštajnovo mišljenje da konačni nizovi nemaju jedinstveno određen nastavak). Obradovalo me je saznanje da je ubrzo potom dobio jednu od najvećih književnih nagrada u svojoj zemlji i da je postao poznati romansijer.
Može li se vaš roman "Povest o Rodereru" čitati kao knjiga o intelektualnom antagonizmu?
- Da, zaista je tako. To stvara dramsku tenziju između dva glavna lika. Ali, roman je takođe savremena verzija mita o Faustu.
U vašim romanima "Povest o Rodereru" i "Maestrova žena" upleli ste mitove o Prometeju i Faustu. Da li je istina da pisci uvek pričaju stare priče na nov način?
- Ne u vidu uopštenog stava. To je jedan od mogućih načina da se pogleda unazad u prošlost sa nadom da se kaže nešto novo o tim pričama kada se obnove u savremenom izdanju. Ali, postoje mnogi drugi načini da se pokuša iznova proniknuti u književnost. Zaista verujem da postoji margina u originalnosti književnog stvaralaštva, uprkos svim pričama koje su već ispričane. Točak ljudskog života se okreće i kategorije koje se čine postojane, poput ljubavi, smrti, ludila... nisu uvek iste u određeno vreme. Pa, zato je istina da nikada ne govorimo iste priče, jer perspektiva čitaoca, sa porastom ironije i znanja, prkosi ponavljanju.
Kako pronalazite balans između matematike i pisanja? Ima li sličnosti između matematike i književnosti?
- Nalazim neke uočljive sličnosti u kreativnom procesu i napisao sam celu knjigu o tome pod nazivom "Borhes i matematika". Glavne analogije opisane su u kratkom eseju koji sam napisao i koji je preveden na engleski jezik pod naslovom "Kratka priča kao logički sistem".
Koji su pisci i filozofi uticali na vaš književni rad?
- Henri Džejms, Tomas Man, Horhe Luis Borhes, Hulio Kortasar, Vitold Gombrovič, Žan
Pol Sartr i naravno, marksistički način posmatranja istorije i društvenih pokreta.
Interesujete se i za filozofiju matematike. Koje odgovore nudi ovo polje filozofije, naročito Vitgenštajn?
- Rekao bih da sam od Vitgenštajna shvatio da ništa ne možete uzeti za sigurno kao čvrsto znanje, čak ni pravilo množenja sa brojem dva. Takođe, važnost jezičkih igara i mehanizma utvrđivanja-potvrđivanja hipoteza (kao zamena za pravila koja nisu apsolutno određena) u procesu socijalizacije i ujednačavanja individua.
I u vašem književnom radu nalazimo poštovanje prema poznatom matematičaru Gedelu i njegovoj poslednjoj teoremi. Zašto?
- To je zato što me zbunjuje i zadivljuje već duže vreme i želeo sam da prenesem nešto od te zadivljenosti i običnim čitaocima, bez bi lo kakve matematičke pozadine u književnom kontekstu.
Šta danas Borhes znači argentinskim piscima?
- On je važna referenca i postoje ljudi koji misle da se književne struje u mojoj zemlji dele za i protiv Borhesa. Ne bih se složio sa tim dvostrukim pojednostavljivanjem. Borhes je bio književni vodič kroz književnosti širom sveta i majstor stila, ali ne smatram da uopšte postoji neka vrsta estetske tiranije od koje je neophodno osloboditi se. Za mene je on prijatelj, svojim pisanjem uspostavio je visok nivo, poput kolosa koji daje nadahnuće piscima koji dolaze.
Vujica Ognjenonić
Vijesti 29.10.05
Podjela pisaca na one za i protiv Borhesa
Giljermo Martinez
Martinez Giljermo
Roman argentinskog pisca Gižerma Martineza "Neprimjetni zločini", ovjenčan nagradom "Planeta", prestižnim književnim priznanjem španskog govornog područja, nedavno je objavila "Laguna" u prevodu Dalibora Soldatića. Roman prati sudbinu mladog argentinskog matematičara stipendiste koji dolazi u Oksford. Nekoliko dana po dolasku nalaze mrtvu staricu u čijoj je kući on iznajmio stan. To je samo prvo u nizu od ubistava koje će uslijediti. Zločin predstavlja intelektualni izazov jednom od najvećih logičara, Arturu Seldomu da nezavisno od policije krene ka rasvjetljavanju slučaja. Martinez je u ovom romanu vješto prepleo krimi priču sa vjerovanjima drevnih sekti matematičara, Gedelovom teoremom, Vitgenštajnovim filozofskim zapažanjima, pa i vještimnama mađioničara. "Neprimijetni zločini" je prividno krimi roman i sa njim je Martinez izgradio novi žanr matematičke fikcije. Osim "Neprimjetnih zločina" još dva romana Gižerma Martineza prevedena su kod nas i oba objavljena kod novosadskih "Svetova". To su: "Povijest o Rodereru" i "Maestrova žena".
Gižermo Martinez je rođen 1962. godine u Argentini, u mjestu Baija Blanha. Svoju prvu knjigu "Džungla bez zvijeri" napisao je kao tinejdžer. Doktorat iz matematike iz oblasti logike odbranio je u Buenos Ajresu, a postdoktorske studije u Oksfordu. Iz tih dana datira i njegovo prijateljstvo sa Vladimirom Tasićem, koji je kao i Martinez, doktor matematike i pisac.
Na početku razgovora za "ART Vijesti" Martinez je govorio o svom najuspješnijem romanu "Neprimjetni zločini", prvedenom na 25 jezika i velikom bestseleru u Argentini, Španiji i Velikoj Britaniji.
- Postojao je izazov da dokažem kako vjerovatnoća pretpostavke može imati jak estetski zahtjev, ne samo da oponaša stvarnost, već i da postane stvarnost. To sam pokušao ostvariti u okviru klasičnog engleskog krimi romana. Predstavljala je izazov i upotreba novih originalnih fraza, utemeljenih u matematičkom mišljenju - poput razmišljanja u nizu o čisto logičkim rješenjima (E.A. Po), zaključivanja zasnovanog na materij alnom pronalasku (Konan Dojl) i psihološko zaključivanje (Agata Kristi).
Kako biste vi odredili svoj roman "Neprimjetni zločini"? Možda kao intelektualni ili matematički triler?
- To je triler o ljepoti i traženju različitih vrsta zaključivanja. Ne smatram da je to intelektualni roman. Ja sam pokušao da napišem roman o životu i strastima ljudi kod kojih dominira apstraktno mišljenje. Naravno, jedna od njihovih strasti je da s vremena na vrijeme razgovaraju o ljepoti i dubini matematike. Ali Oksford u mom romanu je plašt i grad.
U Vašem romanu uz pomoć matematike otkrivaju se zločini. Da li svaka pojava u prirodi ima svoja pravila?
- Matematika u mom romanu je samo maska u velikoj maškaradi. Matematika je drugo prerušavanje u romanu.
Vaš roman sadrži dosta matematičkih referenci: Gedelovu teoremu, posljednju Fermaovu pretpostavku, Vitgenštajnovu filozofiju matematike, priču o pitagorejskoj sekti. Kako ste ih uklopili u narativni tok romana?
- Te stvari iz oblasti matematike se pojavljuju same za sebe, u jednom prirodnom toku radnje. Naravno, to je sasvim normalno za osobu kojoj je matematika bliska! Ti djelovi zvuče poprilično impresivno ako pišete o njima zajedno, ali teret matematike je vrlo osvijetljen u mom romanu. Matematički problemi su rasprostranjeni između kriminala, muzike, seksa i radosti i životnih tragedija.
Dokle se stiglo sa filmom po Vašem romanu "Neprimjetni zločini"?
- Upravo sam potpisao ugovor za bioskopsku adaptaciju. Biće to španska produkcija, a najvjerovatnije će režirati Aleks de la Iglesija. Jednom ste rekli kako su "matematičari zapravo umjetnici, te da je čista matematika vrsta umjetničke forme". Možete li to pojasniti? - Matematika ima posla sa formama i apstrakcijom, sa crtežima i tačnošću. Intuicija za prave odnose, inspiracija za prodor u logičko mišljenje ili elegancija iza dokaza, sve je to veoma slično sa estetskom intuicijom umjetnika.
Vaš roman "Povijest o Rodereru" je iznova ispričana priča o Faustu...
- Mislio sa m da ta stara tema može biti obnovljena pod svjetlom Gedelove teoreme (u stvari zamislio sam filozofski izvor te teoreme). Mogao sam da razmotrim neka pitanja koja se tiču istorije umjetnosti, a koja su dotaknuta u romanu "Doktor Faustus" Tomasa Mana. Malvinski rat (poznat i kao Foklandski rat, jer se vodio između Argentine i Velike Britanije zbog Foklandskih ostrva, u periodu između marta i juna 1982. godine, prim. a.) i neke čudne nesreće dali su mi pozadinu za tragediju mladih likova.
Preveli ste na španski knjigu Vladimira Tasića "Matematika i korijeni postmodernog mišljenja". Tasić, koji je kao i Vi matematičar i pisac, bio je Vaš kolega na Oksfordu. Dopada li Vam se njegovo pisanje?
- Na nesreću, nijesam u mogućnosti da Vladimirove knjige čitam u originalu, na srpskom jeziku. Dok smo bili zajedno na Oksfordu, on mi je usmeno preveo na engleski svoje prve kratke priče. One su mi se veoma dopale, i naravno, učinilo me je srećnim saznanje da je on sada sa svojim romanima postao jedan od vodećih srpskih pisaca. Da pomenem i to da je njegova knjiga o postmodernom mišljenju bila rado čitana u intelektualnim krugovima u mojoj zemlji.
Koliko je teško modernim argentinskim piscima da pišu poslije Borhesa?
- To za mene ne predstavlja teškoću. Borhes je više prijatelj i učitelj nego što je teret bilo kakve vrste. Jedna od omiljenih mitskih tvorevina u našoj kritici je podjela pisaca na one za i protiv Borhesa, bez obzira što je on bio patron, mjera i odnos svega u našoj književnosti. Ali argentinska književnost je bila uvijek bogatija i raznovrsnija od jednog imena. Smatram da moja književnost ima mnoge druge uticaje, veze i odnose ne samo sa argentinskim piscima, već i sa piscima univerzalne tradicije. U stvari, prava tradicija prosječnog argentinskog pisca je kosmopolitska biblioteka.
Napisali ste i knjigu "Borhes i matematika". Koji su to matematički tragovi u Borhesovom djelu?
- Različite vrste beskonačnosti, Paskalove sfere, Raselovi paradoksi, nizovi koji mogu biti beskonač no prekinuti, poput racionalnih brojeva, Ahilov paradoks sa kornjačom i mnogi drugi primjeri. Ali, u mojoj knjizi nijesam pokušao da privučem pažnju na te različite matematičke elemente koji se pojavljuju na jednom mjestu ili drugom, već da razumijem način na koji apstraktno mišljenje i korišćenje matematičkih primjera ima udjela u njegovom stilu i način na koji on gradi priče.
Vi ste naučnik - matematičar, ali i jedan od najpoznatijih argentinskih pisaca. Kako je počelo Vaše interesovanje za književnost i pisanje?
- Oduvijek me je interesovala književnost, još dok sam bio dijete. Moj otac je bio slab amater i veoma profilisan pisac. Moja majka je bila profesor književnosti. U stvari, matematika je mnogo kasnije ušla u moj život, sasvim slučajno za vrijeme univerzitetskih studija.
Od 1976. do 1982. godine kao što znamo, u Argentini je vladala vojna diktatura. Kakva su Vaša sjećanja na te dane i koliko su vam kao piscu interesantni događaji iz tog perioda?
- Sjećanja su mi veoma tužna. Oba moja roditelja izgubili su posao na Univerzitetu i moja porodica je dosta propatila u tom periodu straha i terora. Međutim, te stvari nijesam često pominjao u svom pisanju. Napisao sam samo dvije kratke priče koje su povezane sa tim periodom. Jedna od njih postala je moja najpoznatija kratka priča i prevedena je na mnoge jezike. Ima naslov "Infierno Grande" ("Veliki pakao"). Druga ima naslov "Retrato de un piscicultor" ("Portret odgajivača ribe").
Gedelov uticaj
Gižermo Martinez je odrastao u Njujorku, na Menhetnu i u Buenos Ajresu. U romanu "Neprimjetni zločini" Martinez se poziva na teoremu Kurta Gedela (1906-1978) američkog matematičara češkog porijekla. Gedelova teorema o nepotpunosti dokazuje da se matematika nikada neće moći svesti na primjenu utvrđenih pravila. O svom odrastanju i školovanju i Gedelovom uticaju Martinez je rekao sljedeće:
- Moji roditelji su rođeni u Argentini, oni su djeca imigranata iz Istočne Evrope i poslije Drugog svjetskog rata odlučili su da odu u SAD . Došli smo u Argentinu kada mi je bilo 18 godina i ostali smo tu skoro deset godina. Dok smo živjeli u Njujorku, Rusi su lansirali svoj prvi satelit, Sputnik. To je užasnulo Amerikance i oni su organizovali serije specijalnih kurseva u osnovnim i višim školama kako bi probudili interesovanje za nauku. Išao sam na svaki od njih. U to doba javne biblioteke na Menhetnu su bile veoma stimulativna mjesta. Dok sam bio mlađi privlačila me je teorija relativiteta, kvantna fizika i kosmologija. Ali, da bi se razumjela fizika, najprije morate savladati matematiku. Matematiku sam proučavao jer sam želio da razumijem jedan od najdubljih problema kakav nosi Gedelova teorema...
Logika krivičnih istraga
"Mi matematičari uvijek volimo da imamo utisak da možemo reći nešto što ima smisla. Bilo kako bilo, posvetio sam se tada proučavanju u drugim sredinama onoga što za sebe zovem estetika rasuđivanja. Počeo sam, kao i uvijek, od onoga što mi je djelovalo kao najjednostavniji model, ili barem najbliže: logike krivičnih istraga. Analogija s Gedelovom teoremom učinila mi se zaista privlačnom. U svakom zločinu nesumnjivo postoji pojam istine, jedno jedino istinito objašnjenje među svim mogućim; s druge strane postoje takođe materijalne indicije, činjenice koje se ne mogu osporiti, ili su barem, što bi rekao Dekart, izvan svake razumne sumnje: te bi bili aksiomi. Ali, onda se već nalazimo na poznatom terenu. Šta je krvična istraga ako ne naša vječita igra da zamislimo pretpostavke, moguća objašnjenja koja se uklapaju u činjenice i da pokušamo da ih dokažemo. Počeo sam sistematski da čitam priče o stvarnim zločinima, pregledao sam izvještaje tužilaca sudijama, proučio način vrednovanja dokaza i rasporeda elemenata presude ili oslobađanja od krivice pred sudovima. Ponovo sam iščitao, kao u mladosti, stotine kriminalističkih romana. Odnedavno sam počeo da nalazim mnoštvo sitnih, zanimljivih razlika, estetiku svojstvenu krivičnoj istrazi. A takođe i greške, hoću da kažem teorijske greške kriminalistike, možda mnogo zanimljivi je". (Iz Martinezovog romana "Neprimjetni zločini")
Vujica OGNJENOVIĆ
William Forsythe ("Raising Arizona", "Firestorm") will play the abusive father of Michael Myers in Rob Zombie's upcoming remake of "Halloween". Sheri Moon Zombie will play Myers mother Deborah.
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"William Forsythe ("Raising Arizona", "Firestorm") will play the abusive father of Michael Myers in Rob Zombie's upcoming remake of "Halloween". Sheri Moon Zombie will play Myers mother Deborah.
Postoji već topik na ovu temu - a i info nije najtačniji. Forsythe će glumiti
dečka Majklove majke, ne njegovog oca.
Liam Neeson is set to star in the EuropaCorp and 20th Century Fox drama "Taken" which Pierre Morel ("District B13") is directing reports Variety.
Penned by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen, the story will have Neeson playing an ex-soldier whose daughter is kidnapped by slave masters while traveling in Europe.
The soldier must track her down before she's shipped off and lost forever. Production begins this Valentine's Day in Paris where the majority of the film will be shot.
Neeson next had been expected to headline "Lincoln", but with director Steven Spielberg delaying that film in favour of "Indiana Jones IV", Neeson now has a schedule hole and this is the first project to fill it.
Flajer za novi film Kathryn Bigelow...
http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2007/01/hurt-locker-download.html
vesti sa nezaobilaznog http://www.kfccinema.com/
We reported earlier that Park Chan-wook's next project will be the long awaited vampire project he hinted about in 2004 when he was doing his segment Cut for Three... Extremes.
The Korean Times this morning reported that it was his next project entitled Bat. Korean entertainment site Cine21 and a few others list it as Evil Live.
Neither of the titles are catchy, but I am sure a new title will be popping up in the next few months as this gets into production.
Nothing really has been revealed about the project, but we have been able to find out that Song Kang Ho has been cast already. Another bit of info comes to us by forum member Khitcher who reveals that Song Kang Ho will be playing a priest who has been infected. Based on early interviews done last year. It is not clear if Song Kang Ho's character has already been infected or if he is slowly becoming a Vampire.
Stay tune for more updates as more blood is spilt on this project.
vise detalja ima ovde:
http://www.kfccinema.com/xtemplex/index.php?showtopic=13613
Zvuči obećavajuće, cijenim da će PCW ovde demonstrirati ljubav prema gotskoj estetici i prema bezumnom prolivanju krvi. Mada, pošto je sveštenik, biće tu sigurno dosta egzistencjalnog užasa koje će pratiti transformaciju... Iako me Lejdi Vendžens nije oborila s nogu, ovo bi moglo...
meni je lady ozbiljno uzdrmala štivanje ka čanvuku, a ovaj cyborg crap mi takođe ne zvuči obećavajuće (ali molim se azatotu da grešim!)...
Cyborg... crap? Nisam učlanjen u KFC pa ne znam na šta se ova referenca odnosi... A Lejdi... pa... imao sam utisak da je PCW prvo osmislio poslednjih četrdeset minuta filma, a onda se mučio da do njih dođe... Dobro, oklizne se svako....
Quote from: "Meho Krljic"Cyborg... crap? Nisam učlanjen u KFC pa ne znam na šta se ova referenca odnosi...
imas DETALJAN info o za sada poslednjem canvuku ovde:
http://www.kfccinema.com/xtemplex/index.php?showtopic=6029&hl=i'm+a+cyborg
a uclanjenje je besplatno i jednostavno, za slucaj da ovo ne mozes da otvoris direktno ako nisi clan...
Warner Bros. has picked up film rights to an upcoming book about the mysterious death of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko.
IEG & Johnny Depp's Infinitum Nihil will develop the project which could be a potential starring vehicle for Depp reports Variety.
New York Times London bureau chief Alan Cowell is penning the tome "Sasha's Story: The Life and Death of a Russian Spy" due for release later this year.
In London, the investigation continues into the death of Litvinenko, who was poisoned at least once in late November by polonium-210. Just before his death, he blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime for the murder.
Cowell will document Litvinenko's life and poisoning, as well as address the implications of the case for nuclear proliferation and international terrorism.
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with my thoughts on Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN remake script.
Let's get the background out of the way first. I liked the first 10 minutes of HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES, but it went downhill after that, turning into a boring exercise in style over substance. However, Zombie won me back with DEVIL'S REJECTS. I can point to some dialog that didn't work, but overall the tone he captured, the characters he gave us and superb casting of horror icons really won me over. To this day, I think REJECTS made good on the promise he was making about CORPSES being a return to hard edged '70s exploitation.
I am a gonzo huge fan of John Carpenter's original HALLOWEEN. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I've seen that movie 50 times from start to finish. I'm very protective of it, but at the same time I recognize how shitty the sequels got. The only film I really hold up on a pedestal is the original, though I love HALLOWEEN II and get a bizarre kick out of the Michael Myers-less 3... but that could be due to my idol worship of Tom Atkins.
So, I wasn't the biggest fan of the idea of remaking HALLOWEEN, but having loved the '70s feel of REJECTS and seeing that Zombie seemed to hold HALLOWEEN as dearly as I did, I thought I'd give him a chance. I'm not automatically against a remake if there's someone really interesting involved, like when Carpenter remade THE THING. He had an interesting vision and made an incredible film. Hell, I even really liked the ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 remake that came out a couple years ago.
So it was that I cracked open the script. And so it is that I'm writing this now, absolutely befuddled.
I'm hoping the script I read (a long script, at 125 pages) is a very, very, very early draft. Even if it is, there are some very fundamental things wrong with it.
The script starts out with a home movie of the Myers family, which freezes on a gap-toothed young Michael Myers grinning for the camera. The title HALLOWEEN is placed here. From this point on, we're treated to over 40 pages of the Young Michael Myers Chronicles. In these adventures, bullies pick on him, his stripper mom's redneck boyfriend (to be played by William Forsythe) calls him a faggot and keeps talking about fucking his mom in front of him and the 10 year old Myers masturbates to Polaroids of various animals he's killed while listening to them die on playback from his trusty tape recorder.
Look. This is a remake, so of course I was expecting some things to change. I would have been kind of pissed if it was just a retread, but what I really find myself disappointed with is the lack of understanding Zombie is showing on why Michael Myers works. In the original film, Myers was bigger than a serial killer or a psychopath. He was evil. Unemotional. Uncaring. He was the boogeyman. Hence the ending line. His character was never even referred to in the script as Michael, but as The Shape.
When you explain away Michael, giving him modern day serial killer hellish upbringing, you take away his power. He no longer represents a myth bigger than a person, he doesn't represent death incarnate. He's just an average psycho in a mask. There's nothing special to him anymore.
I was hoping that Zombie, as a professed fan of Carpenter's film, would understand that and it's my biggest disappointment in the script that Zombie doesn't seem to.
There was even a point, around the time 10 year old Myers is in Loomis' care and chatting it up while coloring paper masks, that I thought I might have a fake script. But the script is filled with new characters that Zombie has cast, like Big Joe Grizzly (Ken Foree) and Ronnie White (Forsythe) and Nole Kluggs (Lew Temple), that there's not a real possibility that I got a fake. So, the hope is still there that it's a very early draft and the reason that hope is there is thus: A) There seem to be about 2 typos per page and B) A cast character, Ismael Cruz (Danny Trejo), is not in the script I read. Every other character who has been cast is in it and there are a ton of roles I can see Trejo in.
So, let's get back to the script a bit. There are two ideas in the new script that I really like. Despite Michael's rough childhood, he always showed affection towards the baby, nicknamed "Boo." Followers of the Halloween series will know why that is important and if you don't know, I'd advise you to stop reading. I'm not going to ruin new, specific beats, but I am going to talk about this as a fan of the mythos of the series.
Of course, "Boo" is baby Laurie. If it was up to me, I'd show Myers as an emotionless kid, always kind of blank, but a glimmer pops up whenever he sees the baby. I like the idea of him drawn to her and that giving him a reason for seeking her out later.
I also quite like the idea of spending some time with Dr. Loomis trying to get through to Michael. Ideally, it'd be a good place to explore Loomis as a character. He shouldn't be having conversations with Myers, he should be slowly realizing what he doesn't want to. If Michael's pure evil, without having a reason to be evil (no verbally abusive father figure or mean bullies), it flies in the face of everything Dr. Loomis believes in as a psychiatrist. That is where Loomis' obsession with Myers comes from. That's fascinating to me.
Here, Dr. Loomis falls into the background. This is all Michael Myers all the time, which is another mistake. Zombie forgoes Myers being a quiet shell, with dead eyes, from the moment Loomis sees him. We see his mood swings, he chats away and colors in different pieces of paper to make masks that we find out later, when we meet the adult Michael Myers, that he uses them to represent his mood, including when he needs to take a shit. In Michael Myers' mind, he goes, "It's about time I put on the 'I gotta take a shit' mask so I can express myself."
We meet adult Michael Myers on page 48 and here's another shocker. There's a reason Tyler Mane was cast. Michael Myers is described in the script as being 6'10" and 280lbs. Again, that strikes me as being untrue to the original character. Making him a hulk of a being kind of puts him into the Jason or Leatherface realm, no?
As an adult, Michael Myers feels like an amalgam of the Myers we know and Leatherface from the CHAINSAW remakes. He's big and he chases people down. Gone is the sure and steady, calm and unemotional Myers.
Laurie Strode isn't introduced until page 69 and the final moments of Myers stalking Haddonfield don't really happen until the last 20/25 pages. And yes, it does feel rushed.
And yes, adult Michael Myers, with the mask, does speak. Ugg... And yes, they try to show Myers' "human" side in the last act. Double Ugg...
The good news is just from a pure exploitation angle, Zombie included lots of gore and a ridiculous amount of nudity. It's going to really weird me out if Hanna R. Hall (the first Jenny in Forrest Gump) reveals as much as the script requires Judith Myers to reveal. And the 10 year old Myers groping her before stabbing her is also going to freak me out a tad. Sheri Moon's character is always wearing something skimpy in the script and Danielle Harris' Annie (a great move casting Harris, by the way) gets very exposed. Actually, pretty much every female in the script except for Laurie Strode, will get naked. Great. I just wish he'd make that a different movie, take the mask out of it, change the names and not draw the comparisons.
I can see Malcolm McDowell (another great bit of casting) being excellent in the role of Dr. Loomis and I can see him making some of the weak dialog work just out of sheer charisma and talent, but compared to the Donald Pleasance Loomis, I'm afraid he's going to fall short. This Loomis, as written, is too weak and when he goes a little mental trying to talk people into the threat of Myers he just comes off as annoying.
The script has a very high body count, ample nudity and a solid cast. But I firmly believe Zombie completely missed the boat on Myers and is making a big mistake with the story. The script really feels like he just wants to make Halloween... but super-badass hardcore and fuckin' extreme, without a thought to the character work that went into the original. The dialog is distractingly bad at times. He does keep Lynda's overuse of the word totally, but then he adds in Annie and Lynda always calling each other "bitch" every time they see each other. "Hey bitches!"
If I can get my hands on a the shooting draft I will. I wanted this to work, but the script I read is a real disappointment. Hopefully there are some big changes from the draft I read. And I mean big. You can play around with a lot of things... setting, style, camera movement and certain characters, but to mess with Michael Myers as a movie monster is unforgivable.
-Quint
A day after it was announced that Johnny Depp and Warner Bros. Pictures were developing a film about the death of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko, a rival project has sprung up.
Sony Pictures has revealed that filmmaker Michael Mann ("Heat", "Collateral", "Miami Vice") is attached to produce and direct a "wide-ranging espionage thriller" about the incident based on the forthcoming book "Death of a Dissident" by Litvinenko's close friend Alexander Goldfarb.
Goldfarb was instrumental in helping Litvinenko defect from Russia to Britain. Litvinenko died of radiation poisoning in London in November under mysterious circumstance that many see as the basis for an international spy movie says The Hollywood Reporter.
Sony has also has acquired the life rights for Litvinenko's widow Marina and says their film will explore "the collision between the deep-rooted Russian power structure -- enforced by the KGB and its successor, the FSB -- and the new wave of wild west capitalism that came on the heels of glasnost".
Ben Stiller plans to star in and direct "Tropic Thunder", a high concept comedy that he's been developing ever since he worked on Steven Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun" way back in 1987.
The story is about the making of a big-budget war movie where everything that can go wrong does, and where the actors end up becoming the commandos they are playing.
Stiller wrote the script with Etan Cohen ("Madagascar 2 ") and actor Justin Theroux. Production Weekly reports that principle photography is scheduled to begin in July.
Finally someone seems to be planning an idea I've had floating around in my head for a while - take a popular series of novels utilising the same characters and turn each book into a season's worth of shows.
HBO is trying that with plans to turn George R.R. Martin's bestselling fantasy series "A Song of Fire and Ice" into a drama series by David Benioff ("Troy", "Wolverine") and D.B. Weiss ("Halo").
Benioff and Weiss will write every episode of each season together save one, which the author (a former TV writer) will script. Shooting will take place either in Europe or New Zealand.
Variety indicates that the series will begin with the 1996 first book, "A Game of Thrones," and will turn each novel into a season's worth of episodes, Martin has nearly finished the fifth of seven installments.
The books follow the flawed characters from seven noble families and has a decidedly adult bent, with sex and violence comparable to series like "Rome" and "Deadwood".
The whole thing makes one wonder what other book series would be good to adapt in the same or similar formats - maybe Anne Rice's work or Stephen King's Dark Tower series.
"Deadwood" and "Live Free or Die Hard" star Timothy Olyphant is confirmed to have been cast in the lead role in the Luc Besson-produced pic "Hitman" at Twentieth Century Fox.
Skip Woods' script is based on the "Hitman" videogame franchise set in the world of Agent 47, a genetically engineered assassin.
Fox sees the film as having franchise potential, and Olyphant's deal allows for sequels reports Variety.
Vin Diesel was previously attached as the lead but dropped out in favour of Fox's big-budget tentpole "Babylon A.D."
Xavier Gens will helm and production begins March in Europe.
Iako sam fan Vina Dizelaša, nikako nisam mogao da ga vidim u ulozi agenta 47 u Hitmenu. Mislim, jeste ćelav, što je pozitivno ali ne uklapa mi se nikako u lik kakav smo igrali i zavoleli u igrama iz ove franšize...
"Del Toro's other Bay Area buddy, writer/director Matthew Robbins, is heading into production on Riding Shotgun with Michael Caine, one of a half-dozen scripts the filmmakers wrote together. "We jokingly call it King Lear in a limo full of coke, with only one daughter," del Toro confided during a recent visit. "Matthew and I met in the Sundance Screenwriters Lab; I was the pupil, he was the teacher. We started talking, and he started fixing my script and I started fixing his. I said, "Why don't we write together?' Every day, we have one to four long-distance phone calls. I basically talk to him as much, if not more, than I talk to my wife." Perhaps it's not a coincidence that del Toro embraces mentors. "I'm always attracted in a strange way to stories about fathers and sons, or about paternal figures and children," he explained. His latest ghostly tale, The Devil's Backbone (opening Friday), certainly qualifies."
Film je krenuo u laganu produkciju, ali najverovatnije ga nece rezirati del Toro...
Quote from: "Zika Kisobranac"His latest ghostly tale, The Devil's Backbone (opening Friday),
crni žiko, iz koje ti je godine ova vest?
ma, beli ghoule, sama vest o scenariju je odavno, nego mi sad dopalo shaka dotichno del Torovo pisanije, te sam se malo raspitao sta se s tim deshava, i reko da javim da se film najzad pocheo pripremati... scenario je lutao malo po produkcijskim kucama, ali sada se na svemu pocelo ozbiljno raditi, i koliko mi se chini, Caine nije vishe u igri... sledece nedelje cu znati i ko je planiran za reditelja, tako da Vozeci Satgan moze ugledati reflektore seta ove godine...
dok U planinama lud'la chami, Shatgan bi mogao biti del Torov sledeci kredit.
u stvari, to sam hteo da kazem. :roll:
(al je ispalo tak trapavo. vidi potpis.)
Clive Owen has convinced Universal Pictures and Strike Entertainment to option the Raymond Chandler series of hard-nosed mystery novels featuring Philip Marlowe. Dick Powell played him first in my favorite film noir of all time, MURDER, MY SWEET (aka Farewell My Lovely) - then two years later Bogie played him in THE BIG SLEEP. Then the next year, Robert Montgomery played him in LADY IN THE LAKE. For 25 years the character slept, till Robert Altman cast Elliot Gould in THE LONG GOODBYE. Then in 75 and 78 - Robert Mitchum played Philip in FAREWELL MY LOVELY and THE BIG SLEEP.
According to the Variety story - Universal and Clive seem intent on keeping the character in his original period and setting... with Clive chewing and spitting out the hardboiled narration. I CAN NOT FRIGGIN WAIT!
Will they attempt to start at the beginning - or work on the novels that haven't been adapted - or use some of the short stories. We'll see - right now they're looking for directors and writers. This is definitely some damn cool news!
wow.
jedva cekam. 8)
Quotewith Clive chewing and spitting out the hardboiled narration. I CAN NOT FRIGGIN WAIT
Baš!!!
Commercials director Thor Freudenthal has been hired to direct "They Came From Upstairs" for 20th Century Fox reports Variety.
The story centers on a group of kids defending their vacation home in Maine from aliens who have invaded from upstairs.
Freudenthal also has experience in creature design, something he'll be doing for "They Came From Upstairs."
Penned by British scribe Mark Burton ("Madagascar," "Wallace & Gromit"). Shooting is slated to begin in May.
muz mi je pre 2 dana ispricao "new marlowe story", ali sam zaboravila da postujem.
sad samo treba docekati... :(
OT,
nedavno sam, ponovo, gledala film Bent ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118698/ ). klajv je tu toliko dobar da mi je prosto neverovatno sta uradi u arturu.
bizaran naslov
http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2007/01/oruje-nevinosti.html
In the classic sci-fi monster flick The Thing, Hawks pitted a group of Army Air Corps tough guys and paranoid scientists against a deadly walking vegetable at the North Pole. With nowhere to run, surrounded by hundreds of miles of forbidding pack ice, our heroes had to face the beast or die.
Mile Zero, a new thriller by up and coming screenwriter Holly Brix, takes on the frigid fright concept and updates it with a more sophisticated and sinister psychological spin.
In this claustrophobic chiller, a young heroine gets a job at a remote Alaskan drilling station in an attempt to clear her father's name in a string of gruesome murders that occurred years before. When members of the drilling crew begin to disappear under mysterious circumstances, the true history of the facility begins to thaw.
da me ghoul ne bi opet grdio kako postavljam bajate vesti, ovaj projekat je "u razvijanju" vec 4 godine, ali sad je najmljen jedaj dobar reditelj u celu prichu - dzon dal.
ako sve legne kako treba, zvuci interesantno da dzon dal rezira nularicu milju, film koji bi mogao biti cudan susret stvora, osmog putnika i... hm, panovog lavirinta.
Justin Lin ("The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift") has been attached for some time to the remake of Korean revenge classic "Oldboy".
At the time he stated he wouldn't remake it unless it was perfect, but at the time nothing was happening with the film.
This week at the Sundance Film Festival, Lin tells Bloody Disgusting that right now it doesn't look like the project will happen at all.
Lin says "he has a lot of other projects in the works and that the only way he'd make it is if everything "gelled" together right. He loves the original film and wouldn't want to disrespect it" according to the site.
French director Xavier Gens talked to Allocine recently about his plans for the film adaptation of Eidoe video game series "Hitman".
First up will be dark and violent along "Robocop" lines rather than "a fun popcorn movie like The Transporter".
Emphasis will be placed on the loneliness of the hero and his quest for identity, along with a violent and dark narrative.
The atmosphere of the game will be closely followed. Score will be orchestral and operatic in nature and photography inspired largely by Robert Richardson's work for Scorcese's "Casino".
Columbia Pictures has picked up the thriller "Le Voyeur" for Will Smith and James Lassiter to produce says Reuters.
Penned by Massy Tadjedin, it centers on a man who returns to the Caribbean island of his youth and becomes a suspect in the murder of a teenage girl that was committed two days after his arrival.
The story is based on a 1955 French novel by Alain Robbe-Grillet. Nearly five years ago the project was set up at Universal Pictures with Kevin Misher and Akiva Goldsman producing.
The less than $10 million budgeted film is currently shooting in New York.
Universal has acquired Black Swan, a psychological thriller for Darren Aronofsky to direct, says Variety. The film will be produced by Aronofsky's Protozoa and Mike Medavoy's Phoenix Pictures.
John McLaughlin has begun writing the film that looks at the manipulative relationship between a veteran dancer and a rival. The studio is fast-tracking the project for Aronofsky, who most recently helmed The Fountain.
Eric Watson, who partners with Aronofsky in their Universal-based Protozoa, will produce with Phoenix's Medavoy and Arnie Messer. Brad Fischer and David Thwaites will executive produce.
"The Good Shepherd" saw an examination of the birth of the CIA, now plans are underway for a vaguely similar flick about the birth of the famously efficient British special forces unit - The Special Air Services (S.A.S.).
Scribe Rupert Walters (TV's "Spooks", "Restoration") is penning a screenplay on the wartime activities of soldier and S.A.S. founder David Stirling for HandMade Films says The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on Alan Hoe's authorized biography, it gives a detailed account of 26-year-old Stirling leading the first successful "special operations" raid behind German lines in North Africa in December 1941.
Over the course of the next year with his unit, the SAS was formed and became the oldest and most famous of special forces units in the world - inspiring similar units such as Hong Kong's SDU and the United States' Delta Force regiments.
Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment have set Oliver Hirschbiegel ("Downfall", "The Invasion") to direct and Braulio Mantovani ("City of God") to write "The School."
Brian Grazer will produce the drama about the three-day siege of a Russian elementary school by armed Chechen rebels in 2004 reports Variety.
Rebels turned the first day of school in Beslan into a bloody nightmare, seizing 1,100 hostages; by the time the smoke cleared, 300 were dead, including 31 terrorists.
The writer and director would like to shoot the film in Russian language and populate it with Russian actors and non-pros to make it more believable.
POCELO JE! POCELO! (http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2007/01/renny-harlin-poeo-novi-film.html)
Tommy Lee Jones is set to headline the feature film version of James Lee Burke's novel "In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead."
According to Production Weekly, Jones will portray Cajun detective Lt. Dave Robicheaux who is trying to link the murder of a local hooker to New Orleans mobster Julie (Baby Feet) Balboni.
Balboni is back in his hometown and has a seemingly legitimate job as co-producer of a major Hollywood movie about the Civil War.
Added to this mess is Elrod Sykes, a somewhat psychic film actor who is pulled over for drunk driving and starts babbling about a corpse he found in the Atchafalaya Swamp.
It's not just any corpse though, it's that of a black man Dave had seen murdered 35 years before. Dave soon starts having visions and conversations with a dead Confederate general.
The role of Dave Robicheaux was previously played by Alec Baldwin in the 1994 flop "Heaven's Prisoners." The novel is being adapted by Mary Olson-Kromolowski and Jerzy Kromolowski.
French filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier is helming the project which is scheduled to begin production in April, with locations around Louisiana.
Bob Hoskins is joining the cast of Rogue Pictures "Doomsday."
Screewriter-director Neil Marshall ("The Descent", "Dog Soldiers") is helming the action thriller about attempts to quarantine a lethal virus.
Hoskins will play a policeman who monitors the progress of the team, headed by Rhona Mitra, which is attempting to retrieve a cure.
The project begins filming February 9th in South Africa and the UK indicates The Hollywood Reporter.
Alexander Siddig, Adrian Lester, Sean Pertwee, Darren Morfitt, Emma Cleasby, Chris Robson, MyAnna Buring, Nora-Jane Noone, Leslie Simpson and Craig Conway also star.
Marc Rocco ("Murder in the First") will direct an adaptation of Jim Thompson noir novel "The Killer Inside Me" reports Variety.
Published in 1952, "The Killer Inside Me" concerns a deputy sheriff in a West Texas town whose kind Everyman demeanor masks his true dark self. He is slowly revealed as a psychotic killer.
Robert Weinbach wrote the script adaptation. Financing is presently being finalized for a Fall start.
Thompson has authored such books as "The Grifters," "The Getaway" and "After Dark, My Sweet."
Doing a Q&A with Moviehole in regards to his new romance/fantasy feature "The Fountain", director Darren Aronofsky spoke out about some other projects he's been attached to.
First off he confirmed that both "Lone Wolf and Cub" and "Black Flies" are still in the writing stages and so won't be ready for a while yet.
'Lone Wolf' is based on the 1970's manga comic about a former Shogun executioner turned assassin who, along with his three year old son, take revenge on those who outcast him.
'Flies' is based on Shannon Burke's coming of age book about a young man who becomes an emergency medical technician in Harlem.
Aronofsky has also been linked to an unknown project called "The Hunt" but nothing else is known about it. He added: "The Hunt is a great action film in the spirit of Predator. It is being scripted by Lucas Sussman a college roommate of mine and the project is at Universal".
Finally he confirmed that The Fountain's theatrical cut "is MY final cut. You are seeing the finished film on the screen and it will be the same on the dvd. There will not be a commentary."
http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2007/01/rotter.html
Last year it was announced that a film adaptation of James Ellroy's "White Jazz" was in the works with Joe Carnahan ("Smokin' Aces", "Narc") at the helm.
George Clooney has also been attached to star as dirty cop Dave Klein in this sequel to "L.A. Confidential".
The big question though was Guy Pearce. Pearce's 'Confidential' character of Ed Exley appears in the 'Jazz' story.
Well out doing promo rounds for "Factory Girl", Pearce told C.H.U.D. that ""It's been mentioned to me, but I haven't read the script yet."
He then added "I ultimately don't feel hugely compelled to revisit any character I've played before, really - but having said that it would depend on how it was realized, I guess."
Dominic Sena ("Swordfish", "Gone in Sixty Seconds") is set to helm the film adaptation of Antarctic mystery thriller "Whiteout" reports Production Weekly.
Kate Beckinsale is in negotiations to star in the film scheduled to start shooting mid-March in Montreal and Manitoba.
Penned by Erich & Jon Hoeber and based on the award-winning Greg Rucka graphic novel mini-seres, the story follows U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko who uncovers the first murder ever in the Antarctic.
Adding to the problem is that the sun is about to set for six months and she must catch the killer before he leaves the ice or be stuck there with him in the dark.
The trades yesterday reported that director Marc Rocco ("Murder in the First") was set to direct an adaptation of Jim Thompson's 1952 book "The Killer Inside Me".
There's one problem though, the film's producer Chris Hanley tells IGN Filmforce that Rocco has nothing to do with the project.
"...Nor had I been aware until the article came out of the director Mark Rocco being associated in any way to the property that I have had the direct motion picture book rights with the estate of Jim Thompson for well more than ten years" says Hanley.
Hanley added that he has been working with director John Curran ("We Don't Live Here Anymore", "The Painted Veil") on the project in recent months.
Warner Bros. Pictures and Thunder Road has picked up the spec script "Invaders" from scribe Jayson Rothwell ("Kept"). says the trades.
The controversial action-thriller centers on a group of thieves who are forced by a rogue U.S. government agent to retrieve a video of the president having sex with the wife of an Arab sheik.
The US, Canada, France and South Africa are all apaprently locales for the film's action. Rothwell is also at work on Fox's planned film version of 80's TV series "The A-Team".
Quint saw Tony Kaye's epic abortion movie, LAKE OF FIRE, at the Santa Barbara Film Festival!!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. I've dragged some ass post Sundance. I've been attending the Santa Barbara Film Festival and seeing a decent amount of flicks, but any free time I've had I spent either catching up on Sundance reports or sleeping or finding old New Zealand friends on MySpace (hi Julia). You know, important things.
So, I've got a fair amount of guilt about dodging the SBIFF coverage, but I'm here to shovel some coal and get the review train rolling. And what a way to start.
By far, my favorite film I've seen at the Santa Barbara Film Festival is Tony Kaye's epic documentary, LAKE OF FIRE. And it's one that by all means could have not worked out for me.
One, it's an abortion documentary. Two, it's a three hour long abortion documentary. Three, it's a three hour long black and white abortion documentary.
However, I was engrossed the whole time, the documentary flying by. This is helped by Tony Kaye's stance. He is completely neutral the whole time, showing both sides in extremely good light and pathetically bad light.
Our first glimpses of the pro-choice camp are them protesting the pro-life protesters at an abortion clinic and they are so damn annoying. They act like 5 year olds, mimicking the leader of the pro-life crowd. Yet the pro-life crowd has ten-fold more crazy people and flat out cold-blooded murderers in their ranks, including one amazingly entertaining, yet incredibly frightening preacher that recounts literal stories (in his mind) of women who got abortions carrying out the fresh fetus from the abortion clinic, parading it in front of the anti-abortion protesters, pulling out a grill, throwing the fetus on that grill, cooking it and eating it in front of the shocked anti-abortionists.
My own personal politics and views were challenged, strengthened and every step in-between.
There's some harsh shit in this movie, graphic, yet sterile, footage of the abortion process, from consultation to execution of the procedure. There are some flat out revolting shots of the doctors sifting through the contents of the vacuum, making sure there aren't any pieces left in the mother's womb. The little baby parts, recognizable hands, feet, faces...
I can see the religious right getting behind this movie and using it as a tool to gain support, but I can also see the pro-choice movement using it for those exact same purposes. For every graphic shot of a doctor measuring a severed baby's foot, there's footage or stills of a murdered doctor and the complete lack of disapproval by the pro-life movement. In fact, not just the lack of disapproval, but a definite approval of their murders and the support of others in the future doing the same.
The debate in all its forms is shown. The best speaker, by far, is Noam Chomsky, famous author and linguist. He dissects both sides succinctly and intelligently describes the conundrum of this argument. Both sides are right and both sides are wrong. You'd think that is just non-committal BS, but he goes into great detail on how that is not only possible, but you'll find it hard to disagree with him at all.
The film is amazing, eye-opening, heart-wrenching, funny, scary, sad... It is the end all be all of the debate, every single issue covered. You might not change your mind at the end of this movie, but you'll have a broader understanding of the argument.
I know Tony Kaye still considers this a work in progress, but I think it's as powerful as it can ever be. Roger Durling, head honcho of the Santa Barbara Fest, seemed to believe ThinkFilm was going to release the movie, but that hasn't been confirmed yet. If released, it'll cause quite the stir, but as I said before I don't think the uproar is going to be as crazy as some people think. I firmly believe both sides of the argument will embrace this movie. Whenever it is released.
-Quint
quint@aintitcool.com
Roman Polanski ("Rosemary's Baby", "The Pianist") is set to helm his biggest project ever reports Variety.
Polanski will helm the $130 million dramatic thriller "Pompeii" which is set against the days preceeding and during the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius which swallowed the ancient Roman city.
Based on the bestseller of the same name by "Fatherland" novelist Robert Harris, the story follows a young engineer who has to repair an enormous aqueduct whose destruction threatens the Roman Empire.
The film takes place over three days and the final act is the volcanic eruption and the destruction of the aqueduct, which stretched 60 miles and served hundreds of thousands of people.
Despite the disaster movie tones, much of the appeal for Polanski lies in the book's thriller aspects which are filled with political intrigue.
Harris himself is writing the script and financing will be done completely through independent means. Filming will begin in Italy this summer.
Davis Films has signed French action helmer Louis-Pascal Couvelaire ("Michel Vaillant", "Sweat") to direct an adaptation of the Robert Leininger's cult thriller novel "Killing Suki Flood" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Leininger's novel begins with a chance meeting on a deserted New Mexico highway between Frank, a traveler with a criminal secret, and Suki, a sexy young woman escaping from her sadistic boyfriend.
Suki discovers that Frank is carrying a large quantity of stolen cash and he finds that she has taken her boyfriend's stash of diamonds.
Casting is underway on the English-language movie, which is budgeted in the $30 million range. A summer shoot is planned in the same Nevada and New Mexico locations which appear in the book.
A Spring 2008 release is planned in France, international territories soon after. Katherine Tomlinson (TV's "La Femme Nikita") penned the script.
Relevant Entertainment will remake Italian helmer Ruggero Deodato's 1980 cult horror film "Cannibal Holocaust", a gorefest that's been banned in dozens of countries.
The story centers on a professor traveling to South America to find out what happened to a film crew that disappeared while shooting a documentary about reputed cannibal tribes.
He eventually discovers the remains of the crew and several reels of undeveloped film, which show the disastrous consequences of the crew's decision to provoke the natives.
Deodato shot the pic in documentary style and was jailed briefly after the Italian premiere until he could prove the actors were unharmed.
Shooting on the remake is scheduled to begin this Summer reports Variety.
Demit, taj dokumentarac sa abortusima izgleda opako. I'll make sure NOT to watch it.
ja ga jedva cekam. Volim Tony Kayea. Inace za Tonyja kazu ljudi koji su ga upoznali da je istinski lud privatno.
Ma nije zbog Tonija Keja, nego mi po opisu izgleda previše eksplicitno. Inače, koncept izgleda vrlo interesantno, odnosno ideja da film bude neutralan i da prikazuje najbolje i najgore od obje strane (kad Majkl Mur napravi takav film, otići ću da skočim u jezero). Kad pogledaš, javi kolko je gadan.
Due to very positive reactions from early test screenings, Universal has delayed its Middle Eastern-set action thriller "The Kingdom" from April 20th to September 28th to give marketing more time to create buzz reports Variety.
Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner and Chris Cooper star in the Peter-Berg directed project which follows an elite FBI detail sent to hunt down a terrorist mastermind. Michael Mann produced the film.
The delay comes due to box-office concerns. This April is already overcrowded with releases, and is famous for being a month which has yet to produce any realy $100 million hits.
The late September slot though will open the film on the Columbus Day holiday weekend, the same weekend which proved a big success last year for "Jackass: Number Two".
Kiefer Sutherland will spend his "24" hiatus starring in the supernatural thriller "Mirrors" reports Variety.
In "Mirrors," Sutherland will play an ex-cop who works security at a mall and discovers something awry in the mirrors of a department store. He tries to discover the origin of the evil.
Sutherland joined when plans for a "24" feature were postponed because the script wasn't ready. Fox will work on that film next summer when Sutherland completes the seventh season of the show.
New Regency is financing and will distribute through 20th Century Fox. Alexandre Aja ("The Hills Have Eyes", "Haute Tension") will direct and wrote the most recent draft.
Shooting runs from early May to mid July in Romania.
Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey are forming a new performance-capture film production company based at Walt Disney Studios.
The company will create films using performance-capture technology, a technique of digitally recording actors' movements that are fed into a computer allowing for the development of 3-D motion pictures.
Zemeckis is expected to direct many of the projects and as part of the deal all of Zemeckis' future performance-capture movies will be exclusively made at the company.
Disney will distribute and market its films worldwide, though the pact does not cover any live-action films Zemeckis may want to make.
Director Mark Romanek ("One Hour Photo") has been hired to helm a new version of the 1941 horror classic "The Wolfman" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Benicio Del Toro is attached to star in and produce the remake of the classic Universal Studios monster tale about an American who returns to his ancestral home in Victorian-era Great Britain, gets bitten by a werewolf and becomes one of the canine monsters.
Andrew Kevin Walker wrote the screenplay. A Fall start is scheduled.
Warner Bros is apparently championing a remake of a modestly successful John Landis comedy 'Spies Like Us' with Chevy Chase and Dan Ayrkoyd. Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer and Dave Mandel - the trio behind 2004's "Eurotrip", are at work on the project..."
Romanek is going to make Benicio Del Toro howl at the moon in Andrew Kevin Walker's THE WOLFMAN!!!
Hey folks, Harry here... In recent days we've had a lot of fanboy disappointment. Bad news on beloved projects turning from wet dream to clean-up on aisle 7. Well - today - a project that I've been VERY JAZZED ABOUT... Andrew Kevin Walker's THE WOLFMAN - the Victorian Period retelling of the classic Lon Chaney Jr THE WOLFMAN... starring Benicio Del Toro as Larry Talbot... well - it got its director... MARK ROMANEK.
You probably know Romanek from his amazing Music Video work - or the too few of you that saw his wonderful ONE HOUR PHOTO... you know him from that.
Over the last 3 years, I've gotten to know Mark Romanek quite well. We keep similar hours on AIM - and in numerous IM conversation he's exhibited quite the disdain for CG. Mark is an old school director - professing a desire to make films that are captured by a lens capturing the light and shadow in front of it.
I am SO happy at this reveal from Universal. It shows a real vision, by going with a director that absolutely keeps it real. From reading Andrew's script - I can't help but think that this will be an R-rated affair - and with Mark directing Benicio... I imagine the torment and torture of this cursed soul to be laid bare on screen... and I hope the transformation will be practical. I'm going to try to get Mark to talk with AICN soon about this. Because this is the most exciting Horror project out there for me right now.
An A-list horror film that is classic, violent and sexy without being just a nonsensical mess of CG. At least that's what I hope Romanek directing means!
Hard Case books pix
Screen time for crime
Papazian-Hirsch Entertainment has formed a producing partnership with James Polster and Charles Ardai to develop feature projects based on the Hard Case Crime novels.
First film, aimed for lensing later this year, will be "Little Girl Lost," based on the Richard Aleas novel about a young detective who discovers that his high school sweetheart has just been found brutally murdered on the roof of New York's seediest strip club.
"Richard Aleas" is a pen name for Hard Case Crime publisher Ardai, who will collaborate on the screenplay with Polster ("The Rape of Richard Beck") and James Hirsch. Robert Papazian and Hirsch will exec produce.
"These movies will adhere to the visual and storytelling style that have made the Hard Case Crime novels so popular," said Papazian and Hirsch, co-producers on HBO's "Rome" and the "Raw Feed" DVD thrillers distributed by Warner Home Video. "We want to capture everything that makes these books irresistible, from the great plotting and hard-boiled action to the film noir atmosphere, which just begs to be brought to the screen with musical scores by the legends of American jazz."
Hirsch told Daily Variety that the pics will be budgeted in the $5 million range.
Ardai, the founder and CEO of Internet company Juno, launched Hard Case in 2004 with the aim of reviving the pulp era crime novels of the 1940s and '50s. The imprint, a venture of Winterfall, includes novels by Stephen King, Mickey Spillane, Ed McBain, Pete Hamill and Donald E. Westlake, as well as pulp era authors such as Cornell Woolrich, David Dodge and George Axelrod.
Whilst John Carpenter may be the founding father of late 70's to early 90's genre movies, Peter Hyams proved over the same period to be one of the more reliable directors out there in that time.
Granted almost none of his films one would consider a masterpiece, but looking back on them his assorted filmmography delivered some flawed yet entertaining science-fiction tales and lightly enjoyable action thrillers that still hold up well today.
"2010," "Outland," "Timecop," "The Star Chamber," "The Presidio," "Sudden Death," "The Relic," "End of Days" - it was a pretty solid track record with admittedly the odd stumble ("A Sound of Thunder," "The Musketeer," "Stay Tuned").
Now, like Carpenter, he's finding much of his early works are about to get the remake treatment. Already the Michael Douglas-led "The Star Chamber" and Sean Connery-led "Outland" are being remade, now "Capricorn One" is also on the cards reports Moviehole.
Elliott Gould, James Brolin, O.J. Simpson, Karen Black, Telly Savalas, Sam Waterston and Brenda Vaccaro all starred in the original 1978 thriller about the first manned Mars mission.
The astronauts are pulled off the launchpad and forced for several months to work in a secret soundstage where they fake the landing expedition due to a major defect in the space vehicle which NASA just can't admit too.
Meanwhile a journalist is on the trail of the truth, yet every time he gets closer someone tries to take him out.
Peter Buchman ("Jurassic Park III") will write and David Dobkin ("Shanghai Knights") is set to direct the remake entitled "Capricorn Two" for Regency Films. Shooting is slated to start later this year.
Patrick Fugit, Clifton Collins, Jr. and Neil McDonough have joined that cast of "Horsemen," a crime thriller starring Dennis Quaid, Ziyi Zhang and Peter Stormare reports Variety.
"Horsemen" centers on a detective who has grown increasingly distant from his two young sons since the death of his wife and finds himself thrust into an investigation of serial killings rooted in the Biblical prophecy of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Principal photography has launched on Mandate Pictures production, directed Jonas Åkerlund ("Spun") from a screenplay by David Callaham. "Horsemen" will shoot for eight weeks in and around the Winnipeg area.
Lionsgate has picked up U.S. rights to Roger Donaldson's sexy thriller "The Bank Job," starring Jason Statham and Saffron Burrows reports Reuters.
The story is based on a real life unsolved daring robbery that took place in London in 1971 when a band of thieves tunneled their way into a safe deposit vault, taking millions of dollars in cash and jewelry.
A few days later a government gag order stopped all mention of the incident in the press. Currently in production in the U.K., shooting is due to end in March.
BERLIN — Three of Korea's top male stars will join hands in director Kim Jee-woon's Korean-style Western, "The Good, the Bad and the Weird."
Production company Barunson said that the Sergio Leone-inspired Western will star thesps Lee Byung-heon ("A Bittersweet Life") as "the good"; Jung Woo-sung ("The Restless") as "the bad"; and Song Kang-ho ("The Host") as "the weird."
The casting of the three top actors turns the pic into the biggest showcase of Korea's star system in recent memory.
The $10 million production will be set in Manchuria during the early 1900s, building off a string of Korean genre films from the 1970s that combined the aesthetics of the Western with outlaw movements aligned against Japanese colonial forces.Pic is scheduled to shoot from April to June in China, with a delivery planned for early 2008. Seoul-based seller Cineclick Asia is handling pre-sales at the EFM.
Emmanuelle Beart, who stars in Andre Techine's Competition title "The Witness" (CQ title), has joined supernational thriller "Vinyan," the English-language debut of Belgian director Frabice du Welz ("The Ordeal").
Beart will play a mother who travels to Thailand to find her lost child.
The film's title comes from the Thai word for a lost spirit that torments the living.
"Vinyan" was developed by Michael Gentile's Paris-based The Film together with UK's Film 4 and Lizzie Francke.
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France's Backup Films is handling sales and financing of the film at the European Film Market.
Shooting is set to begin in Thailand in May
Evo vesti koja ce obradovati Mehu Krljica -
Sony is bringing hit vidgame franchise "Metal Gear Solid" to the bigscreen.
Michael De Luca will produce the adaptation, with vidgame creator Hideo Kojima as exec producer. A bigscreen adaptation of the futuristic vidgame has been rumored since last May's E3 confab, but negotiations with Konami Digital Entertainment have been ongoing. Sony chair Yair Landau confirmed it was in the works following his keynote speech Thursday at the DICE vidgame confab in Las Vegas.
Columbia co-prexy of production Doug Belgrad hailed the franchise as especially cinematic in its storytelling and "loaded with well-developed, intriguing characters."
"Metal Gear Solid" has sold more than 20 million units since 1998, but its roots date back even further; the first "Metal Gear" game came out in 1987. Stealth action title became one of the industry's biggest hits and has four sequels, the last three of which came out under the "Metal Gear Solid" moniker. Another sequel is set for release this year.
"Metal Gear" games involve political intrigue and have a generally antiwar message.
CAA represents Konami and negotiated the deal.
Prilično je indikativno da se režiser ne spominje... Uwe je pre jedno godinu dana, verovatno više u šali, pomenuo da će on to potencijalno da režira ali je Kojima decidirano rekaod a od toga nema ništa...
Ne znam... MGS igre jesu filmične ali... Sumnjam u kvalitet ovoga. Holivud...
Brothers SHAWN, MARLON and KEENEN IVORY WAYANS are teaming up to bring THE MUNSTERS into the modern day in a new movie.
While none of the siblings will star in the project, Keenen Ivory is expected to direct the film, although a deal has yet to be made.
The classic 1960s TV series on which the movie is based told the story of a suburban family resembling a range of monsters from the 1930s, who couldn't understand why their neighbours were petrified of them.
:?
Sing along! Milli Vanilli: The Movie at Universal?
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with a little bit of oddness on this day of my birth. Jeff Nathanson (who went from SPEED 2 to back to back Spielberg movies (CATCH ME IF YOU CAN and THE TERMINAL) will write and direct a Milli Vanilli biopic for Universal.
I'd love to see this movie with a soundtrack a half-second out of whack, but Nathanson seems to want to make a respectful and serious film. In all seriousness, the story of Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan is a very sad one and the drama and tragedy involved I'm sure is incredibly appealing to Nathanson.
He's gotten the support of Pilatus estate and the cooperation of Morvan.
Biography by Steve Huey
Milli Vanilli. The mere mention of the name still calls up the same derision it did when the dance-pop duo's career came to a sudden and ignominious end: Fakers. Frauds. A blatant marketing scam. Their story has been retold countless times: after selling millions of records, Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan were revealed to be models who publicly lip-synced to tracks recorded by anonymous studio vocalists. They became the first act ever stripped of a Grammy award and came to symbolize everything people disliked about dance-pop: it was so faceless that every musician involved could remain anonymous without anyone knowing the difference, so mechanical and artificial that the people who constructed it had to hire models to give it any human appeal, so pandering and superficial that people bought it just for its attachment to a pretty face. Whether that assessment was fair or not, it was beyond easy to hold Milli Vanilli in contempt. Yet for all the scapegoating, they were far from the only dance-pop act to be fronted by lip-syncers in the late '80s (the Martha Wash-voiced Black Box and C+C Music Factory spring to mind), nor were they the only Europop act to employ similar marketing tactics. (They were simply the most successful and visible, since their incorporation of rap made them more appealing to Americans.) What's more, pop music had a long tradition of hits recorded by anonymous studio musicians, dating back to '50s instrumental combos and '60s bubblegum. Milli Vanilli had the bad luck to get caught in a hoax during the extraordinarily image-conscious MTV era and a time when dance music of any stripe was accorded virtually no critical respect anyway, before its producers were perceived as the real creative points of focus. It's not as though Milli Vanilli were acclaimed for their honesty of expression before the scandal broke; it's more likely that what fueled the backlash was public resentment over Rob and Fab's celebrity (why should they be famous if they couldn't sing?) and embarrassment over the fact that Milli Vanilli's marketing had worked like a charm on everyone right up through the Grammy committee.
Milli Vanilli was the brainchild of German producer Frank Farian, who'd previously masterminded the European disco group Boney M. and the session-musician rock outfit Far Corporation. Seeking to fuse European dance-pop with elements of American rap, Farian assembled a number of session musicians and vocalists, including rapper Charles Shaw (an Army veteran) and two middle-aged American singers living in Germany, Johnny Davis and Brad Howell (some accounts give his name as Howe). Realizing that he had a marketable record but a distinctly unmarketable image, Farian hired two aspiring models and former breakdancers, Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan, to pretend to be the group in videos, concerts, interviews, and the like. Pilatus had been born in New York in 1965, but grew up in Munich, spending some time in an orphanage after his parents (an American soldier and German stripper) gave him up for adoption. Morvan was born in 1966 on the island of Guadeloupe, lived in Miami for a time, and moved with his mother to Paris; he had been a skilled trampoline athlete until he suffered a neck injury in a fall. Both skilled dancers, the two had met sometime circa 1984 (differing accounts list their meeting place as Munich, Paris, or Los Angeles) and were attempting to make it as singers, dancers, models, or whatever they could. Their exotic look and long dreadlock extensions were just what Farian was looking for.
Milli Vanilli's first album, All or Nothing, was released in Europe in 1988 and was an instant success. Retitled Girl You Know It's True (after the lead single) and trimmed a bit, the record was issued in the U.S. in early 1989. Its catchy, lightweight pop-rap proved equally popular with American audiences; "Girl You Know It's True" raced up the pop charts to number two, and the next three Milli Vanilli singles — "Baby Don't Forget My Number," the ballad "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You," and the Diane Warren-penned "Blame It on the Rain" — all hit number one. Despite near-universal critical distaste (Farian's productions often recycled the same sounds and drum tracks), Girl You Know It's True sold an astounding seven million copies in the U.S. alone; internationally, Milli Vanilli sold approximately 30 million singles. In December 1989, as the fifth single "All or Nothing" was climbing the charts on its way to the Top Five, rapper Charles Shaw revealed to a New York reporter that Pilatus and Morvan had not actually sung any vocals on the album. Shaw quickly retracted his statements (apparently paid off by Farian to keep quiet), claiming that they were merely a PR stunt for his own album. Milli Vanilli was soon nominated for a Grammy award for Best New Artist, even though the rumors continued to swirl. And in early 1990, they won it, for the record beating out the Indigo Girls, Neneh Cherry, Soul II Soul, and Tone-Loc.
Success (or at least fame) was beginning to go to the duo's heads, particularly Pilatus, who was given to extreme mood swings and erratic behavior, and developed a cocaine problem. In an interview with Time magazine, Pilatus compared himself and Milli Vanilli favorably to Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Paul McCartney, and Mick Jagger, and was roundly ridiculed for his statements. Additionally, Pilatus and Morvan had been pressuring Farian to let them sing all the vocals on the next Milli Vanilli album. Exasperated with them, Farian exposed the whole scheme in November 1990 and the public was furious. Pilatus and Morvan were stripped of their Grammy (ironically, the committee had justified its vote by citing the duo's "visual impact"), and a class-action suit was filed against Arista Records, allowing anyone who believed they'd been defrauded into purchasing the group's records to apply for a rebate. Arista dropped the group and deleted Girl You Know It's True from their catalog, making it the biggest-selling album ever taken out of print.
In 1991, Farian attempted to re-form Milli Vanilli with the original session vocalists (including female backup singer Gina Mohammed), this time crediting them and billing them as the Real Milli Vanilli, while also adding a Pilatus/Morvan look-alike named Ray Horton. However, the resulting Moment of Truth album flopped. Pilatus, meanwhile, was unable to deal with the sudden fall from grace; after mixing alcohol and prescription drugs, he slashed one of his wrists in a Los Angeles hotel, then called police and reporters to the scene, where he had to be removed from the balcony he was threatening to jump off of. Attempting to prove that they really could sing if given the chance, Pilatus and Morvan regrouped in 1993 as Rob & Fab; however, with their credibility damaged beyond repair, their self-titled debut reportedly sold only 2,000 copies total, despite an appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show. Farian had also attempted yet another album, this time renaming his group Try 'N' B and retooling the lineup again to enhance its visual appeal (which meant discarding the original singers); however, Sexy Eyes also stiffed. From there, Pilatus hit rock bottom. Beginning in 1995, he was arrested for several separate incidents in Los Angeles involving assaults (including one man he attacked with a metal lamp base), vandalism, and attempting to break into a car. Convicted of four different misdemeanors, he was sentenced to several months in jail in 1996, and did the first of numerous stints in drug rehab centers for his cocaine addiction. Pilatus eventually returned to Germany; in April 1998, his body was found in a Frankfurt hotel room after he mixed a fatal combination of pills and alcohol. Morvan continues to pursue a solo career.
Suggest to Lynch that he's pushed the camera to its visual limits-giving Inland Empire a grainy, sometimes harsh look that might come from poor TV reception augmented by a broken contrast knob-and he gets even more excitable. "Yeah, it's bad quality," he says. "I'm not pushing it to make it worse. I'm seeing that it's out of focus and I don't give a shit! It's workin' for me. It's just beautiful to me."
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New Line's fast-tracking an untitled action pic starring Channing Tatum ("Step Up") as an undercover cop, preemptively snapping up a pitch by T. J. Scott and Kevin Lund and setting it up with Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey.
Story centers on a New York City cop who must infiltrate the underground world of free running, known as Parkour, to bust a seemingly unstoppable gang of bank robbers.
New Line bought the pitch Wednesday.
Tatum will be seen next in Paramount's Kimberly Peirce-directed "Stop-Loss" and Stuart Townsend's "Battle in Seattle." Scott and Lund, who previously set up a "Vivaldi" biopic at Imagine, will pen the screenplay.
Bowen and Godfrey are based at New Line through their Temple Hill banner. They made their debut with "The Nativity Story"; they're developing two other New Line projects -- rodeo romancer "Paper Wings" and political thriller "Material Breach" with Contrafilm partners Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson.
http://www.popboks.com/vesti/2_19_2007.shtml#v2
Tony Kaye ("American History X") is in negotiations to take over the directing duties from Samuel Bayer on the Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson thriller "Black Water Transit" reports Production Weekly.
Based on the Carsten Stroud novel, this action thriller follows the divergent agendas of crooks, cops and lawyers as they clash over a shipment of illegal firearms, mafia ties and a double homicide.
The film, which marks the first time Willis and Jackson have together since 1995's "Die Hard With a Vengeance", will still shoot in New Orleans. Shooting however has been delayed til early April.
As you should know writer/director and AITH alumni ERIC RED (BODY PARTS, COHEN AND TATE) has been gearing up for his next genre vice-grip, the supernatural thriller 100 FEET. The script is a character driven piece, and the proper casting in terms of the female lead was, if you ask me; crucial. Well Mr. Red and his production team over at Grand Illusions just locked their lead dame, and I'm elated to report that its a bang-on choice. Mr. Red you got the floor!
ERIC RED SAYS: "We've been fortunate to cast Famke Janssen ("X-MEN," "GOLDENEYE") in the role of Marnie. Famke is a beautiful actress of great presence and intelligence, completely dedicated to the realism of character and performance.
With Famke's timeless beauty, she will bring glamour and star power to the role of Marnie, reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn in the classic "WAIT UNTIL DARK." I'm certain the audience will adore watching her. I'm incredibly excited. Nobody could play the part better!"
So there you have it, a great gal for in my opinion, a badass script! 100 FEET is slated to start shooting this coming April in Brooklyn, New York and Budapest, Hungary. Here's the Synopsis for those who didn't catch it.
A young woman, Marnie Watson, is granted early release from her prison sentence for manslaughter (killing her husband - a violent NYC cop - in self defense) on condition she wear an electronic ankle bracelet and remain within her home (sličan zaplet ima DISTURBIA DJ Carusa), effectively under house arrest, for the remainder of her sentence. Her late husband's partner keeps tabs on her from a patrol car parked across the street, hoping she'll violate probation and he can send her back to prison. But the 100-foot radius her ankle bracelet allows isn't the worst of her problems. Her dead husband --now a malevolent ghost--is still in the house, where he died -- intent on savage revenge.(doduše u filmu DISTURBIA nije duh u pitanju nego klasična REAR WINDOW postavka)
Maggie Grace ("The Fog", TV's "Lost") has landed the female lead opposite Liam Neeson in the thriller "Taken," a co-production between Europa Corp. and 20th Century Fox says Reuters.
Grace is set to play the estranged daughter of Neeson's character who is kidnapped and forced into the slave trade. Neeson's character is a former spy who uses his skills to rescue her.
Pierre Morel will direct from a screenplay by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen. Shooting begins this month in Paris.
A spokesman in Rome said yesterday that religious organisation Opus Dei (the villains of "The Da Vinci Code") was collaborating in the production of a full-length feature film on the life of its founder, Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer. The producers said they were hoping to enlist Antonio Banderas and Robert De Niro for the leading roles
Fox Searchlight and New Regency will co-finance "The Night Watchman," a James Ellroy-scripted drama that will star Keanu Reeves reports Variety.
Reeves plays a cop who's always done what was needed to solve homicides and crack down on gang violence until he gets a wakeup call and decides he can no longer play the game that made him so effective.
David Fincher, Spike Lee and Oliver Stone have circled the project over the past decade, but it wasn't til the project moved to Fox that it picked up steam.
David Ayer ("Harsh Times") has been set to direct after he does a rewrite. Production begins April 30th.
ThinkFilm has picked up worldwide rights to the provocative, graphic abortion documentary "Lake of Fire," the first feature from director Tony Kaye since 1998's "American History X." The 2 1/2-hour feature takes a stark look at all sides of the abortion debate. "Fire" will be released theatrically in October, with a possible three- to four-hour TV version to follow. Kaye wrote, produced, directed and lensed the self-financed black-and-white film
Teaser za Russella M...
http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2007/02/zona-mrtvih-outcome.html
Warner Bros. and Initial Entertainment Grouphave acquired screen rights to bestselling Brian Selznick children's novel "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" as a potential directing vehicle for Martin Scorsese reports Variety.
The project's screenwriter John Logan, Scorsese and producer Graham King all previously teamed on 2004's "The Aviator".
The story concerns a 12-year-old orphan who lives in the walls of a Paris train station in 1930 and a mystery involving the boy, his late father and a robot.
Under the terms of Scorsese's deal with Paramount, that studio has the right to own half of any project Scorsese directs or produces elsewhere.
Scorsese remains attached to helm the Jesuit Priests in 17th century Japan flick "Silence," an adaptation of Eric Jager's historical novel "Last Duel," and a potential "Departed" sequel.
Animated feature helmer Brad Bird ("The Incredibles," "The Iron Giant") is rumoured to be tackling a live action adaptation of James Dalessandro's novel "1906" reports Slashfim.
The story is set around the great San Francisco earthquake and city fire told by a young reporter who delves into the corruption and greed within the city that helped fuel the disaster.
At one point Barry Levinson was in line to direct the Warner Bros. film. Bird is expected to start work after he completes Pixar's upcoming feature "Ratatouille".
Brad Bird je bog. Valjaće ovo. Ili ne...
Na Ghost House sajtu (http://ghosthousepictures.comingsoon.net/news.php?viewby=13) ima klipova sa snimanja 30 days of night, nisu preterano zanimljivi, osim atmosfere snega, krvi i noći koja obećava dobru adaptaciju (ako ne bude spotovske režije tj.)
Quoteako ne bude spotovske režije tj
Odnosno ako se pakao zaledi.
New Line's signed directors on a pair of high-profile projects, attaching Neil Jordan on future fantasy "Killing on Carnival Row" and Mark S. Waters on romantic comedy "The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past."
Jordan's also set to do a rewrite on "Killing on Carnival Row," which Arnold and Anne Kopelson will produce through their Kopelson Entertainment banner. New Line acquired "Carnival" in late 2005, preemptively buying Travis Beacham's spec centered on a Victorian city inhabited by humans, faeries, elves and vampires, with a detective pursuing a serial killer.
Jordan wrote and directed "Breakfast on Pluto," which recently won him Irish Film & Television Academy Awards in both categories. He also helmed Warner Bros.' upcoming "The Brave One," with Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard.
Hollywood Elsewhere indicates that "Nip/Tuck" creator and "Running with Scissors" director Ryan Murphy will next be helming "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", a film about the hurdles and roadblocks the iconic director had to go through to make his popular classic "Psycho."
When making "Psycho", the British helmer discovered barriers on all sides - the script was seen as way too dark and perverse, especially his twist of the lead female star getting killed off after 45 minutes.
Even more surprising is the news that Anthony Hopkins is already rumoured to be starring as Hitchcock, and Helen Mirren might co-star as his wife and collaborator Alma Reville.
Considering the subject matter, one expects Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh and scribe Joseph Stefano to figure in as characters. Universal is tipped to be the financier/distributor.
Kako kaže narodni pesnik, ,,Monahana sa obadva sina..."
Paramount Pictures is set to handle the rock 'n' roll epic "The Long Play" which will be developed as a directing vehicle for Martin Scorsese.
"The Long Play" follows two friends through 40 years in the music business, from the early days of R&B to contemporary hip-hop.
Variety reports that William Monahan ("The Departed") is set to rewrite the script by Rich Cohen & Matthew Weiss. Rocker Mick Jagger, who originated the project at Disney, will produce.
While Scorsese and Monahan have discussed continuing the storyline of best picture winner "The Departed," Monahan will pen "The Long Play" as his next assignment.
Oscar winning scribe William Monahan ("The Departed") is re-teaming with Leonardo DiCaprio and Vertigo Entertainment for Hong Kong thriller remake "Confessions of Pain" for Warner Bros. Pictures.
The Hollywood Reporter indicates that "Pain" follows two close friends, one a police detective and the other a private detective, who team to investigate the murder of the cop's father-in-law. As the investigation proceeds, they uncover evidence that shows that nothing is as it appears.
The original released last year was created by the team behind "Infernal Affairs" which "The Departed" was based on. "Pain" is being developed as a starring vehicle for DiCaprio who will also produce.
Monahan recently completed the script "Penetration" for Ridley Scott to direct, and his "Marco Polo" script is being developed as a star vehicle for Matt Damon.
Michael Bay indicates he might be interested in taking on directing duties on "Bad Boys III".
BEIJING, Feb. 16 -- Hong Kong director John Woo has given up his plan to remake French director Jean-Pierre Melville's classic movie "Le Cercle Rouge." Instead, another Hong Kong director, Johnny To, is taking over the job.
French distributor Studio Canal recently announced at the Berlin Film Festival the studio would cooperate with To on his first English-language movie.
The lead actor of the 1970 version of "Le Cercle Rouge," veteran French actor Alain Delon, revealed at a talk show that he intended to star in the Hong Kong director's remake of the movie.
Though Delon has not been confirmed yet, the producer said if he really joined the cast, he would have a major role.
The remake of "Le Cercle Rouge" will begin shooting this summer.
The producer of the remake, Arthur Sarkissian, who also produced the Hollywood blockbuster "Rush Hour," revealed they will choose actors for the movie next month.
(Source: Shenzhen Daily/Agencies)
J. Michael Straczynski, the man who created what remains one of TV most complex serial dramas "Babylon 5", is set to write the adaptation of "World War Z" by Max Brooks for Paramount Pictures reports IGN.
The novel, a clever collection of retrospective interview anecdotes, covers the accounts of nearly four dozen people from all walks of life who played different parts in a virus pandemic that turned most of the world's population into zombies and threatened to overwhelm the globe until we fought back.
Various chapters have some strong political bents - an ex-Apartheid official develops an inhumane but effective solution to the zombie plagues, Israel undergoes a controversial self-quarantine, North America becomes a wasteland whilst Cuba prospers, and China is essentially responsible for the outbreak thanks to the ecological disruption caused by the Three Gorges Dam.
"I'm adapting that for Paramount. For Brad Pitt potentially -- we'll see what happens. He might be the star in it. It's very political, very smart, very cagey" says Straczynski.
The main problem of course is structure - each chapter deals with a different character in a different situation so he is constructing the film around the interviewer who will travel from place to place visiting people.
He adds "I'm being very faithful to the book, letter by letter when I can, and I'm on about page 70 right now and I'm really happy with it".
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"Michael Bay indicates he might be interested in taking on directing duties on "Bad Boys III".
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Trainspotting", "The Beach", "28 Days Later" and "Sunshine" director Danny Boyle is set to make thriller "Ponte Tower" with lottery funding from the UK Film Council's Development Fund reports Teletext.
The film is loosely developed from the book by German novelist Norman Ohler and shot entirely in Johannesburg's 54-storey Ponte Tower, one of Africa's tallest skyscrapers. Michael Thomas ("Scandal," "Backbeat") is writing the script.
The skyscraper symbolised white affluence when it was built in 1975, but was known by the end of apartheid as one of the most dangerous addresses in the world as gangs infected the wind-ravaged hellhole it became.
The film's story follows a girl from Soweto who moves to the tower at the end of Apartheid and comes under the control of a charming drug lord.
French directors Michel Gondry and Leos Carax and South Korean helmer Bong Joon-ho are turning Japanese. Each filmmaker is in negotiations to write and direct a segment of the tentatively titled "Tokyo," a triptych feature telling three separate tales of the city.
The project will be produced by Paris-based Comme des Cinemas, company founder Anne Sawada said Wednesday.
"It will be just like 'New York Stories' but set in Tokyo," said Bong, who just finished the script for his segment on a 26-hour plane ride from Australia to New York to promote his new Magnolia Pictures monster movie "The Host." As with the other story lines, Bong's plot is under wraps but involves the relationship between a Japanese man and woman.
Bong is tentatively set to begin filming his segment in July or August, with the other shoots expected to happen at about the same time. According to a source close to the project, the filmmakers will be given liberal access to city locations in return for the Tokyo-centric subject matter.
Gondry, who won a screenplay Oscar for "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," is in postproduction on "Be Kind Rewind," produced by Georges Bermann's Partizan for New Line Cinema, with Focus Features handling international sales. Carax's credits include "Pola X," "Sans titre" and "The Lovers on the Bridge." Bong's credits include "Memories of Murder."
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Gondry is represented by CAA. Carax is repped by Artmedia.
Thanks to the success of the "American Pie" low-budget direct to video sequels amongst others, the studios have been setting up divisions to do the same with long thought dead franchises.
Now Paramount has joined the fray, starting up a new division to develop and produce sequels, prequels and remakes of popular titles from the libraries of Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, DreamWorks, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies reports Slash Film.
Amongst the titles that could be on the list: Beverly Hills Cop, Crocodile Dundee, Clueless, Collateral, Coming to America, Days of Thunder, Deep Impact, Event Horizon, Face/Off, Forrest Gump, Ghost, Grease, Indecent Proposal, Tomb Raider, Mean Girls, Mission: Impossible, School for Scoundrels, Star Trek, The Addams Family, The Brady Bunch Movie, The Italian Job, The Longest Yard, The School of Rock, and Top Gun.
Just as Foxy Brown led the blaxploitation charge in 1970's US, the Japanese had their own ass-kicking chick counterpart - Female Prisoner Scorpion.
The collection of four ultra-violent women in prison films detailed the lover of a bad cop who is falsely accused of a crime and sent to prison.
Meiko Kaji, who later went on to star in the 1973 cult hit "Lady Snowblood" which inspired "Kill Bill", played the role in all the films which were released twice a year in 1972 and 1973.
Now, Ryuganji is reporting that Mizuno Miki has signed on to take over Meiko's role in an adaptation that "merges Hong Kong kung-fu with wire-assisted action sequences".
The project is currently shooting in Hong Kong under the direction of Joe Ma ("Love Undercover" series), and co-stars Dylan Kuo as Miki's double-crossing copy boyfriend, as well as Ishibashi Ryo ("The Grudge 2") and Natsume Nana.
Since the cast is a collection of Hong Kong and Taiwanese actors, the dialogue will be tri-lingual -- shot in Cantonese, Japanese and English. A late 2008 release is planned.
Darren Lynn Bousman, the director of both "Saw" sequels, just closed a deal to remake David Cronenberg's famed 1981 horror pic "Scanners".
The story revolves around a scientist who infiltrates an underground movement of "scanners," whose telepathic abilities make them lethal weapons - including the ability to explode heads.
David Goyer will pen the script which will include the paranoia and genetic engineering themes prevalent in the original that are more credible these days.
An early 2008 production start is scheduled for release later that year.
Robert Downey Jr. and Jay Baruchel have signed on to star in the Ben Stiller-helmed comedy "Tropic Thunder" for DreamWorks Pictures and Red Hour Films says The Hollywood Reporter.
In the film, everything goes wrong during the making of a big-budget war movie, and the actors end up becoming the commandos they are playing. Downey will play Kirk Lazarus, the greatest actor of his generation and a four-time Oscar winner.
Baruchel will play Kevin Sandusky, an unknown actor on the set. Stiller, Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen penned the screenplay.
Shooting is set to start in July.
Hairspray is a film adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name. The Broadway musical was made after the 1988 film; thus the 2007 film is not technically a direct remake of the 1988 film but rather is an adaptation of the Broadway musical, which, in turn, was an adaptation of the 1988 film. The cast includes John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Nicole Blonsky, Queen Latifah, Amanda Bynes, Christopher Walken, Allison Janney, Zac Efron, and James Marsden. The 2007 film is produced by Zadan/Meron Productions in the United States and will be distributed by New Line Cinema.
Set in Baltimore, Maryland, in the 1960s, a "pleasantly plump" high school overweight adolescent, Tracy Turnblad (Nicole Blonsky) goes from being an outsider to celebrity trendsetter. It is the story of a girl, Tracy, whose dream is to dance on the Corny Collins Show, a local TV dance program based on the real-life Buddy Deane Show in Baltimore. She gets a chance on the show and becomes a celebrity overnight, and launches a campaign to racially integrate the Corny Collins Show. Gladly, she has the help from her mother Edna (John Travolta), father Wilbur (Christopher Walken), local African-American DJ Motormouth Maybelle (Queen Latifah), and Motormouth's kids Seaweed (Elijah Kelley) and Lil' Inez (Taylor Parks), but she also has to deal with the constant "raggings-on" of rival dancer Amber Von Tussle (Brittany Snow) and her mother Velma (Michelle Pfeiffer) who will stop at nothing to see that Tracy fails in her efforts. However, after referring to Tracy, in front of Corny Collins (James Marsden) as a "Trash-Can," Amber is given demerit points and loses her on-air crush, Link Larkin (Zac Efron), to Tracy.
TMZ reports that the creative team and stars from the original 1997 "L.A. Confidential" are in discussions with Fox-based Regency Enterprises about reteaming for a sequel to the Oscar-winning noir thriller based on James Ellroy's novel.
That novel was the third in a series of four Los Angeles-set stories by Ellroy, the first of those books was last year's poorly received Brian DePalma effort "The Black Dahlia".
What makes the story doubly interesting is that this planned sequel has no relation to "White Jazz", the fourth book in the series which uses some of the characters from 'Confidential'. Joe Carnahan ("Narc," "Smokin' Aces") has been planning to direct that project for some time with George Clooney onboard.
There was hope Guy Pearce would reprise his role of Ed Exley from 'Confidential' in "White Jazz", but the actor downplayed the possibility last month.
This direct sequel would be an original story from the sounds of it, and the likes of Pearce, Russell Crowe, writerBrian Helgeland and director Curtis Hanson may be involved.
Carnahan has spoken out about the project on his blog and said that as far as he knows "they are pushing ahead and have asked us to change the Exley character's name in WHITE JAZZ as New Regency apparently has the right".
He also talks about another character exclusion: "Those familiar with the book also know that 'The Dud' Dudley Smith is also featured prominently in it. We took the original LA CONFIDENTIAL into account when writing WHITE JAZZ so opted to remove him from the story. Now that Exley looks like he's out, it will really eliminate any incidental characters from WHITE JAZZ and allow it to be a stand alone and not dependant on the prior characters".
Director Marcus Nispel ("The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," "Pathfinder") is planning a film about the Charles Manson story reports Fangoria.
Nispel has various projects in the works, but the seriousness and inherent pressure of this project seems to intrigue him, not to mention it would re-team him with "Chainsaw" scribe Scott Kosar.
"This is different for both of us, because we don't see it as a great reason to do some damage and splash blood. It's a responsible movie. I love those ones that have a detailed account of reality, like BLACK HAWK DOWN, and you have to really pay attention to that--you can't go out and make a fantasy where anything can happen. But to do it takes discipline" says Nispel.
He adds it'll bear no relation to previous Manson-esque biopics like "Helter Skelter" - "Almost all of those films are told from a legal point of view, or what you'd hear in a trial. So the thing you have to do is look at it from an emotional angle... Scott found a very interesting point of view from an insider".
Nispel is still working on "Alice", the R-rated adaptation of the dark and twisted video game that subverts the classic Lewis Carroll "Alice in Wonderland" tale. He's also planning "Sublevel" about something unearthed seven levels below the Manhattan streets.
L.A. Confidental 2 !!!!
Ne mogu da verujem! Bez Ellroya to deluje skoro umobolno.
Mada Curtis i Helgeland ponovo zajedno zvuci primamljivo, nije mi bas najjasnija logika koja stoji iza ovoga.
Hollywoodland i Black D su ozbiljno propali, ako Zodiac i dobro prodje on se desava 70ih. Ovakva vrsta filmova usmerena je ka starijoj publici, iznad trideset, a nastavci kod njih ne prolaze mnogo dobro. Da li zato shto je Departed dobio oskara sledi ciklus policijskih trilera?
Director Zack Snyder ("300," "Dawn of the Dead") has set up the action fantasy "Sucker Punch" at Warner Bros. Pictures and his own Cruel and Unusual Films company says The Hollywood Reporter.
Set in the 1950's, "Punch" follows a girl who is confined to a mental institution by her evil stepfather, who intends to have her lobotomized in five days.
While there, she imagines an alternative reality to hide her from the pain, and in that world, she begins planning her escape, needing to steal five objects to help get her out before she is deflowered by a vile man.
Music will play a key role in the fantasy world, one populated with dragons, B-52 bombers and brothels.
Snyder, who is eyeing the project as a directing vehicle, will produce with partner and wife Deborah Snyder. He will co-write the script with Steve Shibuya, adapting it from his own original short story.
The IESB reports that at the press junket this weekend for the Mark Wahlberg drama "Shooter", producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura confirmed that as soon as "Transformers" wraps he will "immediately" jump onto a "G.I. Joe" film.
di Bonaventura hopes Wahlberg will play Conrad "Duke" Hauser in the story, field commander and second-in-command of the G.I. Joe Team. Hawk and Snake Eyes are slated to stand in for the good guys, whilst Destro and Stormshadow will be the evil Commander's sidekicks.
The general storyline will be set before the rise of COBRA, and focuses on how the future COBRA Commander started his terrorist group.
Ovo za L.A.C. 2 je sasvim suludo, prosto ne znam da li da poverujem da li se tako nešto uopšte razmatra kao moguće. Svojevremeno je bilo planirano da se snimi svojevrsni rimejk - tj. mini serija od 13 epizoda bazirana na romanu (i obogaćena novim zapletima). Urađen je samo pilot, i tu se stalo. Planiranje nastavka koji će se nasloniti na Hansonov film mi ne paše, ne vidim gde to može da vodi. Priča u originalnom filmu je zaokružena, Dudley Smith je zbačen iz igre, Ellroy is out, tako da bi morao da se nađe neki đavolski dobar scenarista da oživi čitavu stvar.
Summer Glau and Owain Yeoman are set to play the two models of Terminator (named Cameron and Cromartie respectively) that'll be hunting the heroes of Fox's upcoming TV series for next Fall - "The Sarah Connor Chronicles".
Lean Headey, who plays the titular heroinne, was out doing press for "300" recently (she plays the film's one major female role) and confirmed the casting to Sci-Fi Wire.
She added that one model would be good and one bad, but didn't point out which one is which. She confirmed they had just finished shooting the pilot in New Mexico which follows Sarah and her son John (Thomas Dekker) having made it to Los Angeles after the events of the second film "Terminator 2: Judgement Day".
Glau is best known for her work on the defunct but acclaimed Joss Whedon sci-fi series "Firefly" and its film spin-off "Serenity". She's also guest starred on "CSI," "Cold Case," "Angel," and "The 4400".
6'3 Welsh actor Yeoman has been a regular in several now defunct television series in recent years including 2004's "Commando Nanny", 2005's "Kitchen Confidential" and 2006's "The Nine" . He's also appeared in small roles in the films "Troy" and "Beerfest"
Kad je reč o LAC 2 ne znam šta oni misle, ali znam da je jednom na AICN chatovao Curtis Hanson i da ga nastavak priče zanima, mimo Ellroya. To je bilo pre par godina.
E sad, helgeland svakako nije čovek koji može da iznedri dostojan produžetak, ali recimo mislim da Andrew Kevin Walker jeste. On bi meni bio prvi pick za to.
Zatim ima ovih već pomalo zaboravljenih Scorseseovih pacijenata poput Nicholas Pileggija ili Richard Pricea?
A u krajnjoj liniji i Shane Black.
Last year's exquisite action surprise CRANK was so outrageously over-the-top that it nearly broke atmosphere and went hurtling into the cosmos. How could filmmakers Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor possibly exceed their debut's lunatic fusion of overkill?
Apparently they're gonna try anyway, as Variety says they "are in the early stages of a sequel" to the crazy Statham flick. That's literally the only information given about this potential follow-up (also at Lakeshore, who handled the original), so feel free to speculate about how another film could be approached. Will Statham's hyped-up hitman somehow return, despite the gratuitous abuse inflicted upon his person the first time? Or will the writing-directing duo present a brand new character forced to endure a series of adrenaline-fueled survival tactics?
John Milius adapting Task Force Faith
2929 Entertainment co-owner and CEO Todd Wagner announced that the company has optioned the story "Task Force Faith" by Julie Precious and hired John Milius ("Apocalypse Now," "Clear and Present Danger") to adapt it into a full length feature film. The film, which will be titled THE CHOSIN FEW, is a passion project for Wagner, who will produce.
THE CHOSIN FEW will tell of the Chosin Reservoir Battle early in the Korean War where a group of undertrained and ill-equipped U.S. Army soldiers fought back against the surprise attack of over 100,000 Chinese troops. The Chinese troops had surrounded a mere 15,000 U.S. Marines and 2,500 U.S. Army soldiers on different sides of the Chosin reservoir. After several furious days of fighting in sub-zero temperatures, the heroic actions of the U.S. soldiers allowed the Marines to battle their way out.
"For many years, these U.S. Army troops were thought to have 'cut and run' and were shunned for cowardice while the Marine troops received a Presidential Unit Citation but, over the years, a group of survivors and historians fought to shed a light on what really happened during this battle," says Wagner. "This is an extraordinary and powerful story about a 'forgotten war' and a piece of our nation's history, and I am proud to be a part of the team bringing this to life."
Milius is a writer and director who worked on such legendary films as "Jeremiah Johnson" (writer), "The Wind and The Lion" (writer/director), "Jaws" (writer), "Big Wednesday" (writer/director), "Apocalypse Now" (writer), "Conan the Barbarian" (writer/director), "Red Dawn" (writer/director), "Farewell to the King" (writer/director) and "Clear and Present Danger" (writer).
Precious, who is an Army veteran and former Korea analyst, is currently an employee with the Department of Defense in Washington D.C. She participates in creative projects on a freelance basis in an unofficial capacity. She is also completing a documentary on the 31st Regimental Combat Team battle.
Wagner will produce THE CHOSIN FEW with Marc Butan, president of 2929 Productions, and with Kent Kubena, who is overseeing the development of the project for 2929. Precious will serve as associate producer.
Quote from: "Zika Kisobranac"Precious, who is an Army veteran and former Korea analyst, is currently an employee with the Department of Defense in Washington D.C. She participates in creative projects on a freelance basis in an unofficial capacity. She is also completing a documentary on the 31st Regimental Combat Team battle.
odlično!
svetu je potrebna još jedna desničarska tirada u kojoj ćemo da navijamo za grupu odvažnih američkih soldata okruženih 'neprijateljem' a da se niko ne zapita ŠTA KOG KURCA ONI UOPŠTE TRAŽE NA TLU TOG 'NEPRIJATELJA'.
involvement zvaničnih organa i ratnih veterana, kao i džona-nisam-snimio-dobar-film-20-godina-milijusa, obećava još jedan izbalansirani prikaz američke spoljne politike i bacanje novog, kontroverznog svetla na slabo poznate stranice američke istorije.
ups!
sad će kunac da kaže:
'eto, opet Gul kritikuje film koji nije gledao i koji još nije ni počeo da se snima! pošto film potpisuje džon-crvena-zora-milijus, ovo svakako treba pogledati!'
iskreno da ti kazem, ne verujem da ce ista biti od tog filma, jer mi prica zvuci kao miks izmedju dalovog the great raid, koji je na salteru puko ko vokmen, milijusovih danas vec izandjalih pricha iz Ajkule, i prisljamcenog surfovanja na valovima ratnih filmova i americkog samoispitivanja u poslednjih nekoliko godina (marinac i ove istvudove ivo dzime). ovo je optioned knjiga, za sad...
samo je zanimljivo procitati koliko milijus, taman bio i moj omiljeni scenarista/reditelj, lagano postaje jos jedna nostalgicna relikvija. ne znam kako ostalima zvuci ovaj "jornada del muerte" vestern sa rvacima, ali meni sasvim mesecarski...
Šta je ovo?
Serbian scars (2007)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892392/
imali smo vec topik, i ja sam se pitao, ali niko nista ne zna, u prekidu je veza...
http://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/viewtopic.php?t=3961
Uh, izvinjavam se. :oops:
With only around a month to go before production was scheduled to begin, Reese Witherspoon has abruptly dropped out of Spyglass Entertainment's remake of "Bunny Lake Is Missing", much to the chagrin of director Joe Carnahan.
Witherspoon was set to star and produce the film which has been in the works for three years over at Sony Pictures who will distribute reports Variety.
Scripted by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Doug Wright, it is based on the 1965 Otto Preminger film about a woman who reports that her daughter Bunny Lake is missing - only to be confronted by charges that she never existed
Witherspoon's exit is having major ramifications - a rush is on to find a replacement actress, but even then it means the film will likely be pushed back.
That's a problem as Carnahan remains scheduled to shoot "White Jazz" immediately after. Evelyn O'Neill, manager of both Carnahan and Witherspoon, is rumoured to have lost the former as a client due to the mess.
Evelyn O'Neill je definitivno imao konflikt interesa. :)
Jel ima price zasto se Reese povukla ?
sutra 300, i very excite© :!: :!: :!:
jao trista mu bubnjeva! :?
Disney Returning To Classic Animation In 2009
John Lasseter, who currently holds the title of chief creative officer of the Walt Disney Co., selected a stockholders annual meeting in New Orleans Thursday to announce that Disney will return to hand-drawn animation in 2009 with a feature set in New Orleans. The feature, The Frog Princess, will be directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, who oversaw The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, and who were forced out by the studio's previous management when it decided to abandon hand-drawn animation in 2004. The movie will also feature the first African-American princess to appear in a Disney animated film. "We're going back to hand-drawn animation," Lasseter announced at the meeting. "This movie is going to be classic Disney and yet you have never seen this before." The studio said that it plans to rehire many of the animators it let go during the bloodletting following the failure of 2004's Home on the Range, Disney's last "2D" animated film.
Pa i bilo je već vrijeme!
Palm Pictures glams up with satire 'Hanai'By Gregg Goldstein
March 12, 2007
NEW YORK -- Palm Pictures has acquired North American rights to Meike Mitsuru's political and sexual satire "The Glamorous Life of Sachiko Hanai," centering on a Japanese call girl who gets caught up in international intrigue.
The project began as a Japanese softcore "Pink" film with the title "Horny Home Tutor: Teacher's Love Juice" but was expanded in length after gaining a Japanese cult following.
In the film, the title character gets shot in the head after a fight breaks out at her sexual role-playing club, allowing her to "understand foreign languages and solve complex mathematic formulas," according to the official plot line. She discovers a finger cut from the American president in her pocket and is soon using her newfound powers to stop evil forces from "pushing the button" to start worldwide nuclear war.
The Japanese-language production will be released in theaters in early April and on Palm's DVD label shortly thereafter. It had its North American premiere at the Film Society of Lincoln Center's New York Video Festival in July 2005 and will be eligible for Oscar consideration.
Palm Pictures head of theatrical sales Ed Arentz negotiated the acquisition with Hisami Kuroiwa of international sales agent Media Space.
A "Hell Ride" With QT & The Bishop
Posted: Sunday March 11th 2007 8:27am
Source: Production Weekly
Author: Garth Franklin
Biker movie veteran Larry Bishop ("Kill Bill: Vol. 2," "The Big Fix") is set to begin filming next month on "Hell Ride", a new Quentin Tarantino-produced horror flick reports Production Weekly.
Bishop will play bad-ass biker Pistolero, who along with his brother The Gent and Comanche, hit the road to avenge the death of Pistolero's old lady Cherokee Kisum, by the 666ers a rival motorcycle gang.
Bishop not only serves as star, but is writing, directing and producing the project as well. Shooting will take place in Los Angeles.
Speaking with Ottowa Citizen, Director Joel Schumacher talked a little about his next project - the Nazi-horror film "Town Creek".
Despite the Romanian filming location, this is "not really a vampire movie". In fact it's about something far more controversial - spooky reincarnations of the Third Reich's key members.
"It's about Hitler and Himmler and Goebbels' association with the occult -- this is what they based the Master Race on... the one thing about the Nazis is that they so loved themselves that they documented everything, and there are these great documentaries on Hitler's obsession with the occult. So it's a 'horror' movie based on that by a very intelligent young writer" says Schumacher.
The first half is set in 1936 at the height of Hitler's power, whilst the second half will be set during the present day and will deal with "ghosts of the past rising up to confront today's world".
Dave Kajganich ("The Invasion") penned the script, Ian Wingrove is doing the visual effects, and Dominic Purcell, Jesse Metcalfe and Joy McBrinn are so far the only confirmed cast members.
With "Assault on Precinct 13", "The Fog" and "Halloween" having gotten the remake treatment, and often talked about plans for a sequel/remake of "The Thing", it was only a matter of time before the last of director John Carpeneter's great late 70's/early 80's high concept thrillers got slated for the same treatment.
Scottish hottie Gerard Butler, leading the charge in current box-office champ "300", is attached to star in a remake of Carpenter's 1981 actioner "Escape From New York." Neal Moritz is attached to produce and scribe Ken Nolan ("Black Hawk Down") will pen the screenplay reports Variety.
The deal goes out this week to distributors who're already vying for the property. Butler would play Snake Plissken, the one-eyed convict who's charged with heading into the inescapable maximum security prison formerly known as Manhattan to liberate the U.S. president.
Kurt Russell originated the role and reprised it in the 1996 sequel "Escape to L.A." One is curious as to how the film's setup will be changed. In the original, terrorists hijack Air Force One and crash it into one of Manhattan's skyscrapers. In another key scene, Plissken enters Manhattan by landing a glider on top of the World Trade Center. Both elements will no doubt have to be altered to fit the post 9-11 world.
Last week saw the trades make a big deal over Reese Witherspoon's sudden eleventh hour departure from the Joe Carnahan-directed thriller "Bunny Lake is Missing".
Reports were that Carnahan was so angry about it that he fired his manager. Well that ain't the case it seems according to the man himself on his official site. Here's what he said about the issue:
"How about a situation where the press tries to stir it up. These things happen. Movies go away every day. Reese is dealing with a lot of stuff in her life. So am I. We were running up against it as far as time for prep and shooting and scripting, etc.
I had already commited to 'White Jazz' and the longer we stretched 'Bunny' the more in jeopardy the WJ schedule became. And there was just no way I could let that happen. I need a nice extended prep period for that flick, and now I've got it. That's it guys. I wish there were some truly tasty bits of gossip but there just aren't. Sorry".
Carnahan is now solely focusing on his next project "White Jazz" which begins filming in coming months.
Jack Black has signed on to star in the Ben Stiller-helmed comedy "Tropic Thunder," with Robert Downey Jr. and Jay Baruchel.
In the film, everything goes wrong during the making of a big-budget war movie, and the actors end up becoming the commandos they are playing reports Production Weekly.
Black will play Jeff "Fats" Portnoy, an overweight gross-out comedian, who's forced to kick his drug addiction while filming on location in the jungle. Downey will play Kirk Lazarus, the greatest actor of his generation and a four-time Oscar winner. Baruchel will play Kevin Sandusky, an unknown actor on the set and Stiller plays Speedman.
Stiller, Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen penned the screenplay. Shooting is set to begin in July.
Stepping away from superheroes for his next project, Bryan Singer is set to return to the thriller genre with an original, multi-character ensemble thriller set during World War Two.
The film finally re-teams Singer with his "The Usual Suspects" screenwriter Chris McQuarrie - the first collaboration since that acclaimed 1995 feature.
On top of that the film also marks the second film to be greenlit by the new United Artists and its head runners Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner reports Variety.
Singer and McQuarrie will produce the project which they came up with together in recent months and took it to UA. Production on the untitled thriller begins this Summer.
Whilst it's thought that one side effect of the deal is that the project will delay Warner Bros.' plans for mounting a sequel to "Superman Returns", Superman Homepage says the film is still on track for a March 2008 start of shooting.
It shouldn't have any effect on his plans to direct the series pilot for the US version of "Footballers' Wives".
Gerard Depardieu has joined the cast of the first film in Jean-Francois Richet's two-film project about infamous gangster Jacques Mesrine says The Hollywood Reporter.
"L'Instinct de Mort" (Death Instinct) and "L'Ennemi Public no.1" (Public Enemy No. 1), penned by Abdel Raouf Dafri and produced by Thomas Langmann's production company La Petite Reine, will highlight the murders and mysteries surrounding Mesrine, played by Vincent Cassel.
Depardieu will play Mesrine's fellow gangster and mentor in "Instinct," and familiar faces Marion Cotillard and Eva Green also are rumored to be attached to the near $50 million projects.
The confirmed cast for "Enemy" includes Samuel Le Bihan, Olivier Gourmet, Jean-Pierre Cassel and Gilles Lellouche
Charlize Theron, Colin Farrell, Ralph Fiennes and Willem Dafoe are attached to topline the Iraq-set action drama "The Hurt Locker" reports Production Weekly.
"Hurt Locker," follows the exploits of an elite bomb disposal unit. Forced to play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse in the chaos of war, an elite Army bomb squad unit must come together in a city where everyone is a potential enemy and every object could be a deadly bomb.
Kathryn Bigelow ("K-19: the Widowmaker") is directing from a screenplay she co-wrote with war reporter Mark Boal, who recently co-wrote the story for Paul Haggis' "In The Valley Of Elah." Principal photography is scheduled for later this spring.
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.premiere.com%2Fassets%2Fimage%2F2007%2FQ1%2F292007121640.jpg&hash=10e3185fbe6860bbd7ed9c1375c7aa39d76305ff)
The Mathieu Kassovitz-directed "Babylon AD," budgeted at $60 million, has resumed shooting in the Czech Republic after a two-week hiatus reports Variety.
Production delays and various crew retrenchments have cost the production both time and money, as has more unpredictable events like uncooperative weather. There is also pressure on them to vacate Prague's Barrandov Studios as the "Narnia" sequel is scheduled to shoot there very soon.
Vin Diesel plays a mercenary hired to escort a young woman (Melanie Thierry) who has been genetically tampered with, containing a virus that could destroy the human race. Michelle Yeoh plays a nun accompanying the young girl, and Charlotte Rampling also stars.
The three key actors are due on Friday in the Czech city of Ostrava, where they will spend the next week shooting scenes for the futuristic action-thriller based on a cult novel by Maurice Dantec.
Other actors await word on when they're to shoot their scenes, filming that should have been shot at the end of February. Fox will release the film next Summer.
"Sherlock Holmes" Gets ReinventedBy Garth FranklinFriday March 16th 2007 12:20amWarner Bros. Pictures and producer Lionel Wigram will adapt Wigram's upcoming comicbook "Sherlock Holmes" for the bigscreen.
The aim, according to Variety, is to reinvent Arthur Conan Doyle's sleuth and Dr. Watson in the same edgy way that Batman and Bond have been in the past two years.
Michael Johnson is penning the script for the project, expected to be the next directing project of "The Descent" helmer Neil Marshall who is currently filming "Doomsday" for Rogue Pictures.
The storyline is being kept under wraps, no word on if it will use some of Doyle's mysteries but Wigram does plan to showcase some of Holmes lesser known traits including sword fighting and bare knuckle boxing.
Holmes has been portrayed on film and TV more than any other fictional character, with more than 75 actors having played the London detective in 200 films and TV shows since 1900.
Basil Rathbone and Jeremy Brett (pictured above) are often cited as the most accurate, though the role has been portrayed by other memorable names including Peter Cushing, Ian Richardson, Peter O'Toole, Roger Moore, Christopher Lee, Frank Langella, Rupert Everett, Richard Roxburgh, Edward Woodward, Christopher Plummer, Peter Cook, John Cleese and Michael Caine.
Alexandre Aja ("Haute Tension") is back in the remake business. Having helmed last year's "The Hills Have Eyes" redux, Aja has now signed on to rewrite and direct "Piranha," Dimension Films' remake of Joe Dante's 1978 cult horror comedy film.
The remake is set at Lake Havasu, Ariz., a small, scenic town that is a spring break destination. When tremors tear open a crack in the lake floor, all hell breaks loose as ravenous Piranhas surface and people begin to disappear.
Aja is rewriting the script that Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger did for the project, at the time Chuck Russell was attached to direct.
Aja told The Hollywood Reporter that his goal is "not to remake 'Piranha,' but to create a completely new adventure paying homage to all the 'creatures' films that made me fall in love with the genre"
Sci-fi author Whitley Strieber's forthcoming novel, "2012: The War for Souls" will be a Michael Bay-produced (and possibly directed) film at Warner Bros. Pictures reports TMZ.com.
Scribes Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci ("Mission: Impossible III," "Transformers") are apparently producing the project along with Bay's Platinum Dunes company.
Strieber's book, due for release in September, deals with the assorted cataclysmic events scheduled to take place in 2012. The Mayan calendar famously ends December 2012, Nostradamus forecast a comet impact sometime before then, and alien theorists claim that's the time we get invaded.
Even some scientists predict that the fairly regular shifting of the Earth's magnetic poles will take place around that time and the resulting change will cause natural disasters of unknown proportions.
MOSCOW -- The producers of Russia's biggest-ever boxoffice success, "Day Watch," which took in $35 million here last year, are planning a sequel to one of the nation's most popular Soviet-era films, "Irony of Fate."
Beginning the buzz early, cinema booking agents, in Moscow this week for the 70th annual Russian International Film Market, were confronted with brash posters promising a new, as-yet-unnamed blockbuster from the makers of "Day Watch."
The film -- to be shot by "Watch" director Timur Bekmambetov and featuring "Watch" star Konstantin Khabensky -- will update a film that has become a cult classic since its Dec. 31, 1975 release and which holds a place in Russian affection equal to that in the U.S. for "It's a Wonderful Life."
Written and directed by Eldar Ryazanov, "Irony of Fate" tells the story of a group of friends in Moscow who get blind drunk while partying at a Turkish bath on New Year's Eve.
One of them is supposed to fly home to Leningrad to join his wife to celebrate the New Year, but by mistake they send Muscovite Zhenya instead, who is too drunk to notice.
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Arriving in Leningrad, Zhenya takes a taxi to a street bearing the same name and looking identical to his own region of Moscow. He makes his way to the fourth floor, lets himself into what he believes is his flat with a key that works without a hitch, undresses and goes to bed.
When the flat's owner, Leningrad beauty Nadya, returns to her apartment, the comedy begins.
The film, which captures the absurdity of a Soviet system in which identical apartment blocks and identical lives were elevated to ideology, has become part and parcel of every Russian family's New Year's Eve celebration, with television channels across Russia running the movie every Dec. 31.
First Channel, which produced both "Day Watch" and its predecessor "Night Watch," confirmed Thursday that Bekmambetov and Khabensky are working on a new project scheduled for a 1,000-print release at the end of the year.
Anatoly Maksimov, one of the producers of "Day Watch," declined to either confirm or deny that the film will be "Irony of Fate," saying only that "it will be interesting to see what Bekmambetov and Khabensky come up with."
Maksimov added that the promotional posters on display at the film market were deliberately designed to spike curiosity about the precise nature of the new film. More informative adverts will be released during the summer, he said.
But sources close to the project independently confirmed the film will be an updated version of the Soviet story and referred to it as "Irony of Fate 2."
Angelina Jolie is set to join the cast of Universal Pictures action film "Wanted" which Timur Bekmambetov will direct.
Based on a graphic novel, James McAvoy plays a young man who discovers his father is an assassin, only to learn shortly thereafter that his dad has been murdered.
The youth is drafted to follow in his father's footsteps. Jolie will play an assassin who teaches the ropes to the wannabe killer. Morgan Freeman also stars.
According to Variety, Jolie took the role after a rewrite by Dean Georgaris ("Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life") to tailor the character for her.
Shooting is set to begin in Eastern Europe in May.
Kevin Macdonald, who directed Oscar winner "The Last King of Scotland" and acclaimed moutain climbing drama "Touching the Void", has signed on to helm "State of Play" for Universal Pictures.
"State of Play" is an adaptation of the highly acclaimed, 2003 award-winning BBC miniseries that tackles the intersection of politics and journalism. It revolves around an elected government official and his former campaign manager-turned-journalist for a high-profile national paper.
When two seemingly unrelated slayings are linked by a single phone call, the two friends find themselves on opposite sides of an investigation. Matthew Michael Carnahan wrote the adaptation, which moves the action to Washington.
No word if original series stars Bill Nighy, James McAvoy, John Simm, David Morrissey, Polly Walker, Philip Glenister, Benedict Wong or Kelly Macdonald will appear in cameos.
Paul Abbott, who created the 2003 series, is executive producing. A late 2007 start of shooting date is being planned.
An all-star cast will provide voices for the main characters in Academy Award nominee Shane Acker's animated epic "9", which is currently in production for Focus Features. Focus CEO James Schamus made the announcement today.
Elijah Wood (of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Focus' Academy Award-winning Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) will voice the title role of 9. Joining him are Academy Award winner Jennifer Connelly (of Focus' upcoming Reservation Road), actor/filmmaker Crispin Glover (whose films as actor include River's Edge), Academy Award winner Martin Landau (Ed Wood), two-time Tony Award winner Christopher Plummer (who returns to Broadway this spring, starring in Inherit the Wind), and John C. Reilly (Talladega Nights).
Scripted by Pamela Pettler, 9 is being produced by Tim Burton, Timur Bekmambetov, and Jim Lemley. Focus creative executive David Gerson is overseeing the project for president of production John Lyons. Focus is financing 9 and holds worldwide rights to the movie.
9 is a feature-length expansion of Mr. Acker's short film of the same name. The action-packed tale takes place in a world parallel to our own, in which the very legacy of humanity is threatened. A community of fully mobile rag dolls living a post-apocalyptic existence find one of their own, 9 (Mr. Wood), displaying leadership qualities that may help them to survive. The conflicted but resilient community includes 1 (Mr. Plummer), a domineering war veteran; 2 (Mr. Landau), an aged inventor; 5 (Mr. Reilly), a stalwart mechanic; 6 (Mr. Glover), a visionary and artist; and 7 (Ms. Connelly), a brave warrior.
Mr. Schamus said, "This exciting and thought-provoking story has already drawn a strong filmmaking team together to work with Shane in bringing his visionary fantasy world to life. These splendid actors will provide compelling characterizations to go with the visual brilliance."
Mr. Acker received dual Masters degrees from UCLA in Architecture and Animation. His 9 short won the Gold Medal at the Student Academy Awards as well as "Best in Show" honors at the 2005 SIGGRAPH Electronic Theater. At the 2005 (San Diego) Comic-Con, Mr. Acker won Best Animated Film (for the 9 short) and a Special Judges' Choice Award. He was an Academy Award nominee last year, as the 9 short was up for Best Animated Short Film.
Emile Hirsch ("Alpha dog," "The Girl Next Door") is in talks to star in "Speed Racer," the live-action version of the anime cartoon being directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski says The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on the classic 1960s series created by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida that was retooled for North American audiences, "Speed Racer" follows the adventures of young race car driver Speed (Hirsch) in his quest for glory in his thundering gadget-laden vehicle, Mach 5.
The movie will feature other characters from the show, including Speed's family and his mysterious arch-rival, Racer X who has a mysterious connection to Speed.
Joel Silver is producing the film, which the Wachowskis are writing as well as directing. The plan is for the Wachowskis to shoot in Germany this summer for a May 9th 2008 release worldwide.
Slabo sam pratio poslednjih nedelja pa ne znam da li je pominjan negde (nisam ništa iskopao pomoću searcha), ali ovo bi moglo biti interesantno:
http://www.behindthemaskthemovie.com/
http://imdb.com/title/tt0437857/
You think you know how different "Speed Racer" will be from the other Wachowski brothers movies? Think again.
At the junket on Friday for "The Reaping", producer Joel Silver revealed that the upcoming anime adaptation was going to be rated 'G'. This is a far cry from the R-rated territory they've stuck to so far.
Silver tells magazine Collider that "They love [Frank] Capra movies, they wanted to make a movie that could have real sentiment. And they feel that a lot of the adult films they see or are aware of are very cynical. But they feel that when they come to the family movies, some of the animated movies that we see are, have a great sense of - they feel they return to a kind of filmmaking that they love, so they feel like they can do that in this movie."
He adds "It doesn't have to be a cynical story, it can be a movie that is as human and as accessible, and is sentimental. So you're going to see a kind of real story, and then technologically, you're going to see things that you've never even dreamed of, or you've seen before".
Meanwhile, Warner Bros. has sent Dark Horizons the following video interview with Emile Hirsch in which he talks about being cast in the film:
"House of Wax" & "The Reaping" screenwriters Chad and Carey Hayes have been given the job of writing the script for a remake of "The Blob".
The 1958 original starred a young Steve McQueen, and was remade in 1988 with Kevin Dillon. Twenty years on comes this version which changes the backstory of the sentient amorphous substance.
"It's a B.L.O.B: Biological Lethal Organic Bomb. It was created by our own government in the 50s, they beta tested it, it almost got out of control, but they confined it. Now it's back. But it's a fast blob, there's nothing slow, it's got major attitude. It's like Shaun of the Dead or Tremors" said the Hayes brothersto Bloody-Disgusting.
The brothers also say that the story features an ensemble cast with a female lead.
Anonto Corbijn's Ian Curtis biopic "Control" has been filming for some time now, and The Newcastle Sentinel uncovered some small bits of new information whilst speaking with extras on the set.
New Order, the band Joy Division became after Ian's death, have recorded the film's soundtrack, and the score is also expected to include music by the Sex Pistols, David Bowie and Roxy Music.
The band made of actors are actually going to perform in the film as well in several scenes. Members of the Black Cobra kick-boxing club were enlisted to act as bouncers during a riot at a Joy Division gig.
Producer Orlan Williams adds "Even the decision to film in black and white is important. When people read about the band the first time, everything was in black and white - the photographs, the NME".
The project hits UK cinemas in September.
Focus Features is developing "Hanna," a reverse spin on "The Professional" from tyro scribe Seth Lochhead.
In this version, a 14-year-old raised by her father to be a cold-hearted killing machine must learn how to be a girl. In Luc Besson's 1994 bigscreen version, an orphaned girl played by Natalie Portman befriended her neighbor, a hitman.
Marty Adelstein and Scott Nemes are producing "Hanna."
Adelstein Prods. recently set up "Hurricane Season," an adaptation of the Neal Thompson book about a football team's unlikely triumph in post-Katrina New Orleans, at HBO.
They are also producing "The Experiment," the English-language remake of "Das Experiment" that Paul Scheuring will write and direct for Inferno Entertainment. They previously produced "Black Christmas."
Lochhead is repped by Circle of Confusion and William Morris.
Martin Scorsese is looking to direct Leonardo DiCaprio in the film adaptation of Jordan Belfort's upcoming tell-all autobiography "The Wolf of Wall Street" for Warner Bros. Pictures.
"The Sopranos" scribe Terence Winter is onboard to write the project which DiCaprio and Scorsese will produce though their Appian Way and Sikelia Productions reports Variety.
In "Wolf of Wall Street" DiCaprio would play Belfort, a Long Island penny stockbroker who served 20 months in prison for refusing to cooperate in a massive 1990s securities fraud case that involved widespread corruption on Wall Street and in the corporate banking world, including mob infiltration.
The question now is where "Wolf" stands on the list of Scorsese's multiple potential directing projects which include rock & roll epic "The Long Play", historical drama "Lost Duel" and an adaptation of the kiddie novel "The Invention of Hugo Cabret".
The IESB has gossip from a scooper claiming that New Line is trying to get a new "Freddy" film up for a late 2007 start of production. Here's a sample:
"It probably won't be the much-rumored "prequel" film, but either a new "Freddy Vs..." movie or another 'solo' adventure for Freddy - with one treatment in particular, floating around, getting quite a lot of buzz; its simply about the new young couple (hence, young CW-esque stars get to headline) who buy into their first home together... yep, you guessed it... THAT house.
The other option is a new "Freddy Vs. Michael" movie. There's a lot of red-tape to get through there. John Carpenter is trying to help sort it out. This film seems to be the most popular option on the table at the moment, so if they can get it up, they will. My money is on this one, too."
The comments match words from actor Robert Englund who heard the studio was in talks with Carpenter about this kind of possibility.
Antibody Films and Corbin Bernsen's Public Media Works are teaming on "Dead Air," a horror film starring Bill Moseley ("Grindhouse") and Pat Tallman.
Bernsen will direct from a script by newcomer Kenneth Yakkel and play a small role. Story revolves around a radioshow team attempting to warn its listeners after a huge explosion turns zombies on the loose in L.A.
Shooting's scheduled to commence in April in Los Angeles.
Bernsen just completed starring in and directing "Donna on Demand," produced by Antibody and Public Media Works. Bernsen produced along with Antibody's Jesse Lawler and Chris Aronoff.
That film noir thriller stars Susan Ruttan ("L.A. Law"); Dan Lauria; Bernsen's real-life mother, Jeanne Cooper ("The Young and the Restless"); and soap vet Adrienne Frantz.
:!:
prve slike Ramba sa seta :!: dobro se drzi :evil:
http://www.flynetonline.com/2007/03/rambos-last-mission-in-thailand.html
Koliko god da me je zgrozio Slajov danasnji izgled, toliko me je nasmejao komentar:
QuoteAt 3/23/2007 03:49:00 PM, !¨#¨Stallone_gIrL¨#¨! said...
Sly is the best!!!I have 25 of his movies!!!!He is the man!!!He need to come to Croatia because I am crazy about him!!!I am from Croatia!!!That is right acros the Italy!!!Sly will know!!!My name is Josipa and I am 12!!!!!Sly please come to Croatia!!!
Inace, cura ima i blog na kom se, izmedju ostalog, mogu naci Slajov scenario za Rokija i uputi za steroide i hormone kojima se Slajmaster sluzi.
haha! puko sam od smeha! :!:
Quentin Tarantino's "Inglorious Bastards" looks to "probably be the very next thing I do" said the "Grindhouse" director to Slash Film at a junket earlier this week.
"Robert will probably be doing Sin City 2 coming up fairly shortly. I am going to kind of go on the road with this, around the earth here. I haven't really done it in a big way in a long time where you spend six months doing it. But I also like writing on the road, it's a really good time to do that so I will probably finish up 'Inglorious Bastards' while I am promoting 'Grindhouse'" says Tarantino.
Set in World War II, the story revolves around a group of soldiers on their way to be executed, when they get the chance of a reprieve. Tarantino's 600-page script will likely be released as two to three parts of a single movie.
The likes of Michael Madsen, Tim Roth, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Paul Walker, Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy, Johnny Depp, John Travolta, Harvey Keitel, Fred Williamson, John Jarratt, Mickey Rourke and Christopher Walken have all been rumoured for the project.
The official site is open for this supernatural thriller with Laura Harring, John Hannah and Pete Postlethwaite, directed by Lamberto Bava, son of Italian horror master Mario Bava.
http://www.ghostson.it/splash.html
Blood Meridian (2009)
Directed by
Ridley Scott
Writing credits
Cormac McCarthy (novel)
William Monahan (screenplay)
Release Date:
2009 (USA)
Genre:
Western
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
"The men as they rode turned black in the sun from the blood on their clothes and their faces and then paled slowly in the rising dust until they assumed once more the color of the land through which they passed." If what we call "horror" can be seen as including any literature that has dark, horrific subject matter, then Blood Meridian is, in this reviewer's estimation, the best horror novel ever written. It's a perverse, picaresque Western about bounty hunters for Indian scalps near the Texas-Mexico border in the 1850s--a ragged caravan of indiscriminate killers led by an unforgettable human monster called "The Judge." Imagine the imagery of Sam Peckinpah and Heironymus Bosch as written by William Faulkner, and you'll have just an inkling of this novel's power. From the opening scenes about a 14-year-old Tennessee boy who joins the band of hunters to the extraordinary, mythic ending, this is an American classic about extreme violence.
Following its successful adaptation of John Le Carre's "The Constant Gardener", Potboiler Productions is preparing a new film based on Le Carre's latest book, "The Mission Song" reports UK Teletext.
Set against the background of the chaotic East Congo, the story involves the planning of a Western-backed coup in the province of Kivu, told from the worms-eye view of the hapless translator.
Like 'Gardener' it will deal with asssorted political and racial issues including the greed and amorality of local bureaucrats and Western interests, and the apathy of the British press concerning the ongoing humanitarian crisis of the Congo War.
Joe Fisher, writer of TV drama "Soundproof" and 1998's "The Tichborne Claimant," is writing the adaptation.
No director has been set yet. "We're at least a year away from filming," producer Simon Channing Williams said.
Paula Patton ("Deja Vu," "Idlewild") has signed on to star opposite Kiefer Sutherland in 20th Century Fox's "Mirrors," which Alexandre Aja ("The Hills Have Eyes," "High Tension") is directing.
The story centers on a cop-turned-department store security guard who discovers that there is something evil living inside the store's old mirrors.
He traces haunted occurrences back to the building being a hospital and a schizophrenic patient's evil spirit trapped in a mirrored room.
Patton will play Sutherland's soon-to-be ex-wife, a coroner with the New York Medical Examiner's Office who has a hard time believing her husband's claims.
Shooting begins in early May.
I've often heard fights between men over who has got the biggest penis, but now one such fight is literally becoming headline news.
A casting battle in ensuing over DJ Caruso's upcoming John Holmes biopic over at New Line Cinema. Various actors are throwing their hats in to play the man who remains arguably the 20th century's most famous porn star.
At present Edward Norton remains tipped to take the role, but none other than Justin Timberlake is campaigning hard to slip on the fake dong (although rumours say he may not need one) and perform the role says Contact Film.
The film will take a darkly comic, but ultimately tragic look at Holmes' life including the drug abuse and waning years as he succumbed to AIDS. More importantly though it's said to be featuring real sex scenes ala "Shortbus," so whichever star takes it will certainly have to measure up.
Talks are also apparently underway for other roles in the film which include Ron Jeremy, Tracy Lords and Harry Reems. The film will also be displayed using the Real 3D technology (sadly no IMAX co-release planned). A Summer 2008 theatrical rollout is expected.
Warner Bros. Pictures has hired Mark Burton ("Madagascar," "Chicken Run") to pen the big screen adaptation of James Turner's comedic action adventure comic "Rex Libris" reports Variety.
The story follows an everyday guy who becomes part of a secret sect of librarians who protect the world's knowledge and most dangerous secrets from falling into the wrong hands.
In their global exploits, Rex and the other librarians are aided by an ancient god living beneath the library.
Acclaimed Irish director Neil Jordan will rewrite and helm "Heart-Shaped Box," an adaptation of the horror novel by Stephen King's son Joe Hill, for Warner Bros. Pictures.
The story centers on a rock star obsessed with the occult who buys a suit on eBay that is claimed to be haunted the ghost of its former owner.
He's soon forced to confront the ghost and the demons of his own past - before the ghost kills him. Tom Pabst wrote the original draft and Akiva Goldsman is producing.
D'Works Ani is master of 'Mind' spec
By Tatiana Siegel
April 3, 2007
DreamWorks Animation has acquired Alan Schoolcraft & Brent Simons' superhero sendup spec "Master Mind," with Ben Stiller and Stuart Cornfeld producing through their Red Hour Films banner.
DreamWorks Animation veterans Cameron Hood and Kyle Jefferson are attached to make their feature film directorial debut with "Master Mind," a satirical take on the superhero genre centering on a supervillain who loses his joie de vivre after accidentally killing his archrival, Uberman, in the opening scene of the movie.
"They have put the film on the fast track, which in animation terms means it will be coming out in the next 15-20 years," Stiller joked.
The project marks the first time Stiller has collaborated with DWA in a production capacity. He voiced Alex the lion in DWA's "Madagascar" and in the upcoming "Madagascar: The Crate Escape."
Chris Kuser will shepherd the project for DWA.
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Red Hour's Lara Breay, who brought the project into the shingle, will oversee development.
"(Stiller's) creativity and signature sense of humor will lend itself perfectly to this project," DWA CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said. "As for Cameron Hood and Kyle Jefferson, they are two valued members of our DreamWorks Animation family. Their short 'First Flight' was such a beautiful, original piece, and we believe the promise it showed will be on full display in 'Master Mind.' "
Hood and Jefferson made their animation helming debut in 2006 with "First Flight." Before that, the Toronto natives worked on DreamWorks' "The Prince of Egypt," "The Road to El Dorado," "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron," "Shrek," "Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas" and "Shark Tale." They are handled by WMA and Management 360.
Schoolcraft & Simons also are busy penning a sequel to "Small Soldiers" for DreamWorks Pictures. They are repped by ICM and manager Brian Lutz.
Susan Sarandon and John Goodman are in negotiations to play the parents of Emile Hirsch in the Wachowski brothers directed live-action version of "Speed Racer" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on the classic 1960s anime series, "Speed" follows the adventures of young race car driver,and his quest for glory.
The show revolved around Speed's family, and the Wachowskis are being selective about who they pick for those roles.
Goodman is playing Pops, a race car owner and builder. Sarandon's character is the backbone of the family as well as the Mach 5 Go Racing Team.
Casting is under way for the characters of Speed's girlfriend, Trixie, and his mysterious archrival, Racer X.
Shooting begins in Germany this summer for a Summer 2008 release.
Jim Caviezel is in negotiations to star in "Only in New York," an indie crime thriller that French helmer Pitof ("Vidocq," "Catwoman") will direct says Reuters.
The script, written by Seth Zvi Rosenfeld and Geebee Dajani, follows a recently paroled street hustler looking for a new life and seeking redemption only to find his path blocked by the combustible melange of New York elements that once did him in.
"New York" will begin production in June in Toronto.
Pogledao sam trejler za četvrti DIE HARD i mogu reći da se nadam da će biti prijatno iznenađenje kao što je bio T3.
Iako mi je Len Wiseman potpuno pogrešno rešenje za reditelja, ipak je negde razumno uzeti nekog gladnog young guna, kao što je Renny bio kad je radio dvojku da odradi parni sequel.
Trejler mi je malo nekoherentan, počinje jedno tri puta ali i dalje se nadam najboljem.
Comicbook author to write 'Area 51'
Paramount taps Morrison to work on film
By PAMELA MCCLINTOCK, DAVE MCNARY
Morrison
Paramount Pictures has hired comicbook author Grant Morrison to pen the feature adaptation of vidgame franchise "Area 51."
Christine Peters will produce through her Par-based CFP Prods. with Penn Station's Dean Georgaris and Michael Aguilar, along with Stan Winston.
Par picked up to the film rights to "Area 51" from Midway Games in 2004. Game was released in April 2005.
Set in the U.S. government's most top-secret military facility, storyline revolves around a hazardous materials specialist who is called in to investigate a viral outbreak that could be extra-terrestrial in nature.
Georgaris penned an earlier draft of "Area 51."
Morrison is a bestselling comicbook and graphic novel author who has written runs for popular series including DC Comics' "Justice League of America," "Doom Patrol" and "Animal Man." He's also written for Marvel Comics' "New X-Men" and "Fantastic Four."
His revisionist Batman book, "Arkham Asylum" has sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide, while his most recent screenplay, "WE3," is being developed at New Line.
Viacom topper Sumner Redstone owns a majority of shares in Midway Games.
A spinoff vidgame, "Blacksite: Area 51" will be released by Midway this summer.
Morrison is repped by Creative Artists Agency.
(Ben Fritz contributed to this report.)
O, Alahu, zašto nas ovako kušaš... Area 51 je bio u najboljem slučaju mediokritetski šuter. Morrison će, ne sumnjam, da se strastveno iživljava, ali ovo će biti monumentalno sranje...
FROM FLASH TO GREEN ARROW
'Super Max' film to focus on DCU villains
By Mike Cotton
Posted April 7, 2007 10:25 AM
Maybe it was giving up the gig writing and directing "The Flash" for Warner Bros., but it seems like David Goyer's a little bit more into villains these days.
Just weeks after he and Warners envisioned very different takes on the Flash, Goyer sold the studio on an idea that focused on the more villainous side of the DC Universe.
"Super Max" is Goyer's take on supervillain incarceration in the DCU. Revolving around a wrongly convicted Green Arrow being whisked away to the super max prison for out-of-control heroes and villains (where he's forced to face a number of inmates he put there), Goyer says the flick—which he's developing with writer Justin Marx—isn't just a Green Arrow film.
"He's Green Arrow for the first 10 minutes of the movie, and then he's arrested and his secret identity is revealed," says Goyer, who also has plans to do a graphic novel or miniseries that would tie in to the possible film. "They shave his goatee and they take his costume and send him to prison for life, and he has to escape. It's like 'Alcatraz,' and he has to team up with, in some cases, some of the very same villains he is responsible for incarcerating in order to get out and clear his name. Of course, tons of people try to kill him while he's in there. We've populated the prison with all sorts of B and C villains from the DC Universe. For the fans, there will be all sorts of characters the hardcore comic book junkies will know, but they're all going to be there under their human names and no one is wearing a costume, but there will be a lot of characters with powers and things like that."
Crime Insiders
Truands (France)
By LISA NESSELSONA Mars Distribution release of an Eric Neve presentation of a Carcharodon, La Chauve Souris, StudioCanal production, with participation of Canal Plus, CineCinema. (International sales: TF1 Intl., Issy-les-Moulineaux, France.) Produced by Eric Neve, Frederic Schoendoerffer. Directed by Frederic Schoendoerffer. Screenplay, Schoendoerffer, Yann Brion.
With: Benoit Magimel, Philippe Caubere, Beatrice Dalle, Olivier Marchal, Mehdi Nebbou, Tomer Sisley, Ludovic Schoendoerffer, Anne Marivin, Alain Figlarz, Andre Peron, Cyril Lecomte, Ichem Saibi, Christophe Maratier.
Very bad men do very bad things on a daily and/or nightly basis in "Crime Insiders," an extremely violent gangster pic awash in brutal guys, guns, dope, prostitutes, night clubs and foul language. Portrait of career criminals going about their menacing business is visceral without being interesting. Pic's major distinction is displaying far more murders than most Gallic fare (outside the horror genre). Venture got the rare 16-and-over rating in Gaul, while "Apocalypto" was approved for 12 and up. While almost certainly marketable offshore, soulless shoot-'em-up is a step backward for Frederic Schoendoerffer ("Secret Agents").
Although pic's high body-count is achieved mostly with large, noisy weapons on Paris streets, law enforcement types figure in only one scene. Nearly an hour in, when cops bust crime lord and racketeer Claude Corti (Philippe Caubere) -- whom we've seen apply a power drill to a man's knees and a knife to his eyeballs, in addition to ramming a large metal rod up an underling's rectum -- it's for possession of counterfeit vehicle registration forms.
Claude goes to prison and his associates have to decide whether to run things faithfully in his stead or try to take his place. Restless widescreen camera and lots of brooding closeups give a you-are-there feeling to the sordid proceedings.
Caubere, a legit dynamo last seen on screen in hits "My Father's Glory" and "My Mother's Castle" some 15 years ago, chews the scenery with textbook malice, injecting a micron of humor with his loving mistress, Beatrice (Beatrice Dalle).
A seemingly endless supply of nubile, compliant young women runs the gamut from pole dancers to prostitutes and from sluts to whores, with rapes and beatings so standard as to be banal. Matter-of-fact male and female full-frontal nudity is capped by a few very rough sex acts.
Impeccably groomed, semi-scowling Benoit Magimel is inscrutable as Franck, an ultra-professional contract killer Claude holds in high regard. Grizzled Olivier Marchal (the ex-cop who helmed "36") is OK as Franck's older, reliable partner-in-crime. A gallery of tough lugs and a few handsome young crooks are on the endangered species list from frame one.
Protags feel at home in top-tier restaurants and luxurious hotels, and live in elegant digs with classy views. But to its credit, pic makes shaking people down and/or killing them thoroughly unglamorous.
At one point, Franck is shown watching a scene from the helmer's father Pierre's classic, "317th Platoon," on TV. Comment seems to be that administering expedient brutality -- for self or for country -- is just part of what some men are obliged to do.
Camera (color, widescreen), Jean-Pierre Sauvaire; editor, Irene Blecua; music, Bruno Coulais; production designer, Jean-Marc Kerdelhue; costume designer, Nathalie Raoul; sound (Dolby), Jean-Pierre Laforce; assistant director, Ivan Fegyveres. Reviewed at UGC Danton, Paris, Jan. 18, 2007. Running time: 105 MIN.
Script Review: Grant Morrison's We3 Grant Morrison has adapted his comicbook miniseries We3 into a feature script for New Line, and I've been lucky enough to read a copy. Luckier still, it's amazing. It's even better than the source material. In fact, this is the single best unproduced script I have ever read. Yep. And I really mean it.
What's so great? The answer to that, if I'm really going to cover it, is very long. I'll do my best, though, and I'll share whatever I think is fair to share from the script - so expect some minor spoilers, certainly as regards the first two thirds of the plot.
This is going to take more than one installment to do justice, so to start off with, tonight, I'm going to tell you the basics of what's going on, introduce the characters and some of the big ideas and give you a general overview of the story. Then, in further installments, we'll look at some of the scenes, set-pieces and sequences in more detail, and cover some of the really good stuff that I won't be able to boil down to just a few lines.
In a nutshell, We3 is the story of a cruel and inhumane military weapons research project and it's victims. It just so happens that the three characters at the forefront of this story, those who suffer the most, are a trinity of household pets. Well, at least, they used to be household pets but now Bandit the dog, Tinker the cat and Pirate the rabbit have been transformed into the flesh components of an incredible team of cyborg weapons.
In armoured shells and equipped with an array of very powerful weapons, these animals, the We3 are being used by the US military in the kinds of covert operations where no witnesses remain.
From the first page of the script:
A squadron of US troops, together with insurgent guerrilla soldiers, is making an attempt to retreat across the grounds through a hail of crossfire which comes from the shabby Presidential palace.
It's a sweltering Central American night and bullets zip through the air. This night raid on Guerrera's stronghold is going badly for the rebel forces.
Zip, spang of tracer fire. Men drop. US troops and insurgent forces crouch behind statuary and parked trucks.
It is amidst this carnage that we first meet the We3, the animal weapons. In heavy armour and under the remote influence of a joystick-wielding control team, they enter the palace and assassinate the dictator. It's a stunning opening, plunging the reader (and eventually the viewer) into a brilliantly orchestrated action and suspense sequence. Obviously, it's utterly unique as the We3 are nothing like anything we've seen before. Armoured animals, loaded with weapons, agile and able to navigate the palace like no soldier ever could.
It's also in this sequence that Morrison first starts to impress a political viewpoint - but more on that in a future installment.
Also very important at this stage, however, is establishing the nature of the We3 project - defining what the armoured animals look like, how they move, what they do in the heat of action. All of these details will be recalled, or counterpointed later.
With no dry, spoken exposition but a whole truckload of action, much of the essential information we need to garner in act one is related to us.
After the military mission, and the titles, we're off to someplace completely different: the kitchen of Roseanne Berry, a recently bereaved animal communication scientest. Morrison notes that she 'tends to emphasise the plain, studious aspect of her appearance and carries a weight of sorrow and guilt'. I have imagined Anglea Bettis in the role, or Maggie Gyllenhaal - though Bryce Dallas Howard would perhaps be more likely. Either way, it's a truly plum part - ladies, call your agents now.
After a short series of clean, clear and unobtrusive character-setting scenes, Roseanne is on her way to work. En route, she stops and purchases a newspaper - headlines SENATOR DAN WASHINGTON AHEAD IN THE POLLS' and 'GUERRERA REGIME COLLAPSES IN NIGHT OF VIOLENCE...', the secondly more obviously relevant now - and crosses paths with a homeless beggar. This beggar is Frank. He's going to return later.
And then, Roseanne arrives at her workplace and, surprise surprise, she's a key part of the We3 project. The animals arrive too - still in their armoured shells, and wheeled on gurneys, back from the wars.
Today's an important day for the project. Senator Dan Washington is visiting, and being shown around by Major Samson, with whom he has a history (Samson is described as 'a tall man, uncomfortable in his skin who stands stiffly and formally at all times and lives haunted with the memory of whatever mistake he made years ago that saw him wind up here at the head of this no-hope project') and Dr. Senjei Honda ('a dishevelled, stout Japanese man in a lab coat').
Washington is given a stunning demonstration of the animal control technology:
...a group of rats are running around in an unnaturally purposeful way. In fact, stranger still, many of the rats are carrying TOOLS in their nimble little fingers.
Let's follow a rat carrying a screw. It hands the screw to a second rat who lines it up with a hole in a piece of metal.
Then a new and more grotesque creature lumbers into view - a surgically-altered rat whose entire head has been replaced by a spinning drill bit. As one rat carefully holds the screw in place, the drill-head aggressively screws it in with a series of devastating headbutts.
The rats are bulding an engine.
Now, while Washington is still stunned, he's taken to meet the Weapon 3, or We3. Roseanne unlocks the animal's helmets and we see what's inside for the first time...
...a scared dog, an angry cat and a confused rabbit. These are Bandit, Tinker and Pirate and they used to be pets. Now, they're hardwired into weapons systems and sent to kill or be killed.
Each animal has a device attached to it's head - into it's head - that enables them to communicate verbally though electronic voiceboxes. As Roseanne explains "Humans have a part of the brain known as Wernicke's Area, which allows us to process our feelings into language. This apparatus works as an artificial Wernicke's, augmenting the animals' natural abilities. Feelings are assigned to words, which are then processed through speakers in the armor." This is a brilliant conceit that really makes the script fly. The exchanges between the animals, or between the animals and humans, are limited to a very small vocabulary of little more than a dozen different words between the three creatures. The range of expression, however is huge.
Like most good drama, the emotions in play during the We3 script are big and... well.. dramatic. A small vocabulary, when applied directly to the emotional subtext, is a powerful way of stripping the drama down and hitting it home hard.
So, onwards. The Senator continues his tour, off to meet Weapon 4, a newer and more brutal 'biorg' that is being developed, while Roseanne receives bad news: the We3 are to be decommissioned. It seems that Weapon 4 is to supercede them immediately.
A key scene:
HONDA
These animals are test specimens. Laboratory rats. As scientists, you and I both understand the protocols.
ROSEANNE
I'd like to take a memento.
HONDA
I remember a rather long discussion about the dangers of sentimentality when you came to work for me.
She gives him a hard stare,
ROSEANNE
I remember too.
He relents a little, becomes softer.
HONDA
But please, there's absolutely no need for you to be here when it happens. Say the necessary good-byes to the animals today. I'll instruct the Euthanasia Team to wait until you've cleared your locker.
He thinks he's being kind, she can't believe he's so cold.
HONDA
We are about to become politically fashionable, Roseanne. Your contribution will not be neglected.
He makes a tense tiny nod.
HONDA
Please. Take anything you like as a keepsake.
Something in Roseanne snaps. Her eyes burn.
So, guess what? Now you've got the set-up, I won't need to spell it out. Roseanne releases the animals and they flee the compound. Bandit has a longing for 'home' and leads the others off looking for it. But what is 'home'? As they understand it, home is somewhere they won't have to run anymore. I can understand that.
Much of the film is a long chase, a blend between one of Disney's Fantastic Journey films and, perhaps, The Iron Giant by way of Robocop or another hard, gristle-strewn actionaer. It is also a brilliant and incisive exploration of freedom, instinct, will the universe's natural orders... and the desire to identify yourself as an individual.
There is an absolutely incredible series of action sequences - which we will look at individually, and in more detail, at a later time. They are brutal, harsh, imaginative and, most importantly, always relevant.
Roseanne would appear, from this set-up, to be the film's human heroine though this isn't truthfully the case. Things aren't so simple. As noted, she is recently bereaved, and she feels immense guilt about her relationship with her deceased father as well as with the We3 animals. Remember the phenomenon of 'suicide-by-cop' that got talked about a lot a few years ago? The idea was that depressed people would do ridiculous things - hold up liquor stores, go on shooting sprees - so that they might be executed by the police. Roseanne's release of the We3 animals back at the beginning of their journey has an undercurrent of this kind of tragic feeling. She certainly expects to die, at least for a moment, in the melee that ensues. She even say "Kill me", as though under her breath and to herself but seemingly meaning that the animals should kill her, plough right through her, as they escape the labs in a blaze of violence.
The possibility of Roseanne's redemption is a key part of the story; the animal's perspective on her need for redemption, or possibly lack thereof, makes it even more interesting.
Throughout We3 the animals are just what they are. Bandit is a dog, Tinker is a cat and Pirate is a rabbit. I've spent plenty of time with each of these species and was absolutely convinced by their portrayal here. They haven't in anyway been subject to daft anthropomorphism. It's crucial, really, that they are real animals with real animal attitudes, personalities and psychology. I also believe it is essential that they are rendered as realistically as possible in the film, also. Where possible, a real dog, cat and rabbit could be used - no doubt adorned in mo-cap ping-pong balls so that their armour might be CG-created from the neck down.
Having said that... Weta's King Kong was so convincing that while I know exactly how they faked him I still can't see anything but a real animal.
It is on page 43 that the animals are clear of the compound; there is a total of 114 pages in the script. It's as soon as page 44 that the We3 having their first conversation. Bear in mind as you read this excerpt that the voices are synthesized, the language a product of their surrogate Wernicke's.
Bandit ignores the cat as she gnaws halfheartedly at her prey. He's thinking, considering his next move very carefully. He inclines his head, sniffs. Sniffs. Stops. Faces east, into the light wind.
BANDIT
HOME.
He addresses the others, clearly their leader.
BANDIT
DANGER HERE. We3 HOME NOW.
He starts down the hill, purposefully.
PIRATE
?HOME? EAT. ?HOME? EAT.
Pirate looks to Tinker, chomping at her bird.
PIRATE
2! COME 2!
Tinker looks around.
TINKER
2 WHERE?
Pirate bounds down the hill after Bandit.
PIRATE
2 HOME! 2 HOME!
Tinker sneers. Tightens her claw around the dead bird.
TINKER
2 STAY.
She lifts the bird to her mouth but her eyes are following the others.
TINKER
EAT.
The others vanish into the trees.
Tinker drops the bird and it falls to the forest floor, uneaten. Her stealthy hiss of a voice gives her words the weight of prophecy.
TINKER
We3 NO HOME WHERE.
Then she calculates her best chances...and runs after the others, disappearing down into the dappled shadows, descending into a valley.
That will be the largest extract I'm going to take from the script at any time, but I really wanted to indicate the relationship between the animals. I think that page pretty much speaks for itself (if you pardon the expression).
So, we're ve just got started. I wanted to impress upon you the premise of the script, the approach to the animals' interrelationships and some idea of who Roseanne Berry is. These are all important things if you are to understand just what this film is trying to do.
If you've read the comics you'll know a lot about the plot that I haven't shared. But there's plenty you won't know too.
Next time, we'll talk about Weapon 4, about what becomes of all of those rats, about some elements of the visual style implied on the page and, maybe, unless I can resist it, I'll talk you through a big pile of notes I made while reading the script.
You see, reading We3 it was obvious to me how to approach this film, what I would do if I were the director. It all leaped out at me: details of sound, of design, of approach to character, concepts that determined how camera would be used, how the film would be lit. And on and on. I chewed it all over, like I do when preparing for a shoot that I'm actually going to get to do. I began the very beginning of the preproduction process, perversely for a film I haven't a hope in hell of ever being any more involved in than I am now. But I think my thoughts will be interesting, and will reveal even more about the ideas in We3.
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Interview: Smokin' Joe Carnahan Talks to Cinematical About Ramping Up 'White Jazz,' Pablo Escobar and Why 'Bunny' Went Missing
Posted Apr 6th 2007 10:01AM by Ryan Stewart
Filed under: Action & Adventure, Drama, Casting, Deals, Fandom, Scripts & Screenwriting, Interviews, George Clooney
This fall, writer/director Joe Carnahan will start production on one of the most talked-about properties in Hollywood -- the closing chapter of James Ellroy's famed 'L.A. Quartet,' White Jazz. Following The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, and L.A. Confidential, Jazz is a work that's been described as 'unfilmable,' because of its frequent dips into stream-of-consciousness, its almost total lack of good-guy characters and its endless perversions, not to mention the Byzantine narrative, typical of Ellroy. But Carnahan is confident that he's going to crack it, and could hardly contain his enthusiasm for the project when I recently spoke with him -- the director is making himself available this week to promote the April 17 release of the Widescreen DVD Edition of Smokin' Aces. Among other things, we talked about the architectural and musical influences he's drawing on, how it will stand apart from L.A. Confidential, and who he's envisioning alongside George Clooney in the film's major roles.
Also on the agenda was his other major passion of the moment, a full-throated telling of the Pablo Escobar story, which he hopes to jump onto after Jazz is completed. His enthusiasm for that one is already so high and his knowledge of the main character so deep that when hearing him talk, it seems like he's ready to start shooting the picture next week. Throughout the course of the interview, we also talked about the recent media furor over Reese Witherspoon's departure from Bunny Lake is Missing, the current Hollywood rush to remake Sam Peckinpah, the spec script he's currently working on, and whether or not we could see more of the Smokin' Aces characters sometime in the future. My list of things to bring up also included MI:3 and how he managed to coax a decent performance out of acting novice Alicia Keys in Aces, but we didn't even have time to get into that stuff. If you're a Carnahan fan, as I am, it's a fun read, so enjoy.
Do you see the ending of Smokin' Aces as an ending or a beginning? It seems to me like Ryan Reynolds' character could go to jail and become a villain -- he'd just be swimming in a different pool of corruption.
JC: I saw it as the end of that particular bit of hypocrisy that he was kind of revolting against, I guess -- the idea that it's just better to just bring both of these situations into the ground than it is to kind of allow them to continue. I can never kind of fathom a character's journey beyond the moment when you go to black, any more than when people ask me what Jason Patric did with the tape recorder at the end of Narc, you know what I mean? Even in Blood, Guts, like, what happens down the road with these characters? I love the ambiguous kind of endings. I think often times, that's what life really is -- there's no concrete path for you to take. It's always kind of a jumble of variables. Behind this door could be a beautiful woman, and behind the same door could be a tiger, you know? You don't know. So I always look at it as the end of that particular journey, that particular story, but I certainly wouldn't preclude revisiting that.
It seems like a lot of your stories are about the establishment having to go the extra mile to deal with someone they can't really control -- it's certainly the case with characters in your upcoming projects. Dave Klein, Pablo.
JC: You're absolutely right. That's absolutely dead on-the-money.
I don't see Pablo as a Robin Hood figure, by the way -- you don't either, do you?
JC: I don't, but I think its interesting because Javier Bardem and I have been in, like, this four year courtship and we just met, like, last week. I think Pablo saw himself as like this great benefactor and this guy who was ultimately in charge of the protection of Colombia's underclass, which I find patently, laughably absurd. He really kind of cast himself in that role. But think about it, listen -- if some guy runs out and cheats on his wife, there's always a rationalization. 'Well, I was drunk, well I was this, well I was away from home.' You know? We do that. We create this, and this guy just created that rationalization on this grand scale, you know? And could basically lay off the murders of thousands of innocent people to some kind of bullshit kind of self-styled, larger goal that he was indeed this great, historic figure and had a responsibility to ... it's nonsense. Any rational person looks at that and says its nonsense, and yet look at what this guy was able to do. Look at what he wrought in the time that he was rampaging across that country.
I heard that his jail cell, after they caught him, was like a palace.
JC: It was Club Med, man. It was in a place called La Catredal, which is a hillside overlooking Envigado, which is where he grew up. He was as imprisoned, dude, as you and I are if we want to go out on a Friday night and go to a club or go have dinner. It's like, the guy was literally leaving the prison grounds. You know when, in a situation where their version of the Attorney General -- Colombia's version of the Attorney General, a guy named Eduardo Mendoza, goes to remove Pablo from this prison and the prison guards turn their guns on him ... when people read that script they can't believe it was that bad, and it was that bad. So it's really one of those stories that I kind of feel fated to tell, you know what I mean?
I imagine the action scenes will be daunting -- U.S. squads, Colombian Army people, Pablo's people, all clashing.
JC: Well, it's funny because a lot of those things were very sub rosa. It was very kind of 'black-op,' we were only supposed to be consulting and even at the end of the film, there's a very ... I made it very deliberately kind of convoluted, like 'what happened?' I 'suggest,' because obviously, making friendships and having these people who had intimate knowledge participating on some level in the whole Pablo Escobar hunt ... I used what they told me. There's a supposition that a Delta sniper had wounded Pablo as he's running across the roof but not killed him; basically immobilized him until the search bloc of the Colombia National Police could get to him and kind of give him the coup de grace, the shot to the head, double-tap from three feet out. So there's all these interesting kind of theories and stories, and there's stuff that I didn't put in, that I put in the epilogue, that's them shaving Pablo's beard down to just a Hitler-like mustache that they left, his morgue photos. Their desire was to show the world what Pablo was to Colombia -- Hitler. That's heavy-duty, man. That goes a long way toward undoing the popular myth that he was, like you say, this Robin Hood figure.
So is Javier on board? What's the story there?
JC: He and I are constantly battling, but I'll get him if it's my last ... I'm gonna get him. He knows. He's a marked man, so we're gonna firm it up here soon.
So tell me about Los Angeles, 1958. What's your vision of White Jazz? Is it going to be stardust-heavy, 'Oh, look, there's Lana Turner' kind of vibe like L.A. Confidential had?
JC: I really wanna go, and I said this ... someone asked me to give a baseline description and I said 'imagine an episode of Cops shot in 1958.' That'll be the vibe on White Jazz. I think we've kind of done the glamour-puss angle, and I think L.A. Confidential certainly did it beautifully, it was very, very kind of stylized. Which is not to say that there's not going to be, you know, a great kind of style in it, but I'm really interested more in grounding it so that it doesn't feel necessarily like this period film. Even the visual presentation we put together -- you're seeing this kind of great, modernist architecture, you know, like what John Lautner was doing at the time, and the art scene with Frank Stella or Miro or all these great kind of ... the West Coast jazz scene, Brubeck, that's kind of the vibe that I'm going for. Miles Davis. Really making this more of, again, that kind of mid-century explosion of art and music, and really letting that be the kind of guiding force behind it, as opposed to making it like this ... all 'period suits'. I really want to try to make it as accurate a reflection of L.A. at that moment in time as I can, and it was very exceedingly hip and Bohemian and forward-thinking and all that stuff. I want to try to incorporate that into the film.
Okay, here's one thing that's been kind of stuck in my head. Clooney played a spree-killer in From Dusk Till Dawn, and he was the nicest spree-killer of all time. In Out of Sight, he was the nicest bank robber ever. How is this guy going to hurl Sanderline Johnson out of a window?
JC: Yeah, listen. Clooney wants ... you're obviously familiar with the book, there's the scene where he has the nightmare that he's chopping up the Japanese colonel with a samurai sword and winds up being Junior Stemmons, so ... actually, I just gave you a plot point. Oh, Jesus. Who was it in the book ... it was Johnny Duhamel in the book, and my brother and I changed it. So there are scenes that are kind of unbelievably grotesque and unfathomable and despicable and I think George's willingness to go there ... you make a very good point, a very salient point. I don't think there's anything nice about Klein. You're right, the spree-killer in From Dusk Till Dawn, George never has a moment like with Sanderline Johnson where he just kills an innocent guy. I think that, in and of itself, will set the pace and the tempo for what's to follow, and listen, George wants that. He's made that very clear to me: "I have no other desire than to play what's in that script." And what's in that script is a pretty despicable guy at times, and pretty nefarious and nasty and selfish.
You'll probably dial down the racism and stuff, just so you don't jolt people out of the movie, right?
JC: Yeah, there are certain things that are kind of running themes in there that I don't want, that I'm not interested in, the racism of that time in particular; that's kind of Chief Parker's LAPD. Their legacy is not one of kind of multi-ethnic support and acceptance, and certainly not where African-American, where black Los Angeles -- 'Darktown', as Ellroy refers to it in the book. You have to be very, very conscious of that and at the same time, I'm not going to shy away from it. I don't want to make a film where it's like 'wait a minute, there's no racism? I can't believe that.' Then it becomes this kind of gentrified, kind of lame ... you know what I mean?
You gotta find a balance.
JC: Yeah, you do. So that's always a tricky equation, but I think it's something we address in the script without making it ... I think it's really interesting, where my brother and I deviate from the book is the kind of the 'slayer of the evil' at the end is not the character that was used in the book. I always thought that as much as I love White Jazz, it became almost unfilmable at some point, because there are so many strands, so much, and it became so psychotic ... that's what made it such a great book, but those things would not carry over into the filmic realm, I thought, with ease. We couldn't figure out a way to translate em,' so there's a paring down that I think is really essential, that we did, that I'm really happy with.
Are you beefing up the role of Glenda Bledsoe into a big, leading lady part?
JC: Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's definitely a much bigger role than it was in the book.
Who do you like?
JC: I'm a huge Charlize fan. I would love her for that. I was taunting her at an Oscar party that I was gonna come chasin' her, so I really like Charlize. But there are so many wonderful, amazing actresses that could blow that thing out of the water, that you never want to limit yourself ... but she would be, like, an early favorite.
Are you keen to work with Liotta again any time soon?
JC: Yeah, I'd love to put Ray in White Jazz. I'm a huge, huge Ray supporter. I have a great ease of use with him, that I think is pretty great.
Junior Stemmons? Welles Noonan?
JC: It's funny, because we're casting about for ... it's interesting, because the Pete Bondurant role is a tough one to fill. Ray was probably 6'3, 6'4 in Narc and all bulked up and he could certainly pull that off. But I don't know. I don't know where I'd put him. Welles Noonan is interesting, because Ray is so non-patrician New England.
He pulled it off in Hannibal.
JC: He did, he pulled it off in Blow, too. But yeah, you're right, in Hannibal he kind of pulled off the kind of effete bureaucrat.
When I heard they were re-doing Straw Dogs, I thought of you for some reason -- do you have any interest in a full-on Peckinpah remake?
JC: You know what, if I was ever gonna remake a Peckinpah film, it would be Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia. That's my favorite Peckinpah film. I'm surprised they haven't remade The Killer Elite -- that's something I would have thought they'd try to remake. But they're doing so much of that shit. Even what I was gonna do with Bunny Lake, I had reservations about trying to follow Preminger. But there are certainly films that are worthy of a remake. Listen -- if Rod Lurie is going to do Straw Dogs, I'll go see that movie. You know what I mean? And certainly a movie that not a lot of people remember. It still has to be probably the single most disturbing rape scene in a movie.
I don't think I remember that scene clearly, actually. It's been a while.
JC: Oh God, who's the actress. Susan ... what the hell is her name? It's her basically with her old English boyfriend, and what starts out as this kind of flirtation becomes this rape, and you're cross-cutting to Dustin Hoffman, completely ineptly trying to hunt quail and he can't figure out the shotgun and the gun's going off. Meanwhile, his old lady's bein' railed by these English blokes. It's really deeply disturbing. And that movie's 1972.
Speaking of Bunny Lake, that whole situation was, what? The blogosphere getting hold of routine business and blowing it up into something?
JC: As they're wont to do. It's always, like, 'let's try to make something.' Honest to God, man, it was something of nothing. I had a window before I really had to get aggressive about White Jazz, and we thought we could pull it off, and as we got closer, and as Reese was kind of ... you know, Reese was going through her own kind of personal travails and so on, and it just became untenable. There was no great, dramatic arc where there was some big blowout or anything -- it was just like, 'damn, I don't think we can do this.' And I don't think she was really keen to spend a bunch of time away from her kids, so I think at the end of the day, it was for the best for everybody. We didn't wind up doing something that would have felt rushed and forced and, like, 'how the fuck are we gonna do this?' And I got my summer off, which I want, because I'm really kind of going to ground on White Jazz, to make this thing spectacular.
Do you have a start date?
JC: I start prepping in late July, early August, for a November start.
What's this spec you're finishing? Ghost Walkers? Is that a quick one you might want to fit in, like Bunny Lake?
JC: No, no, no, it's actually funny because as we're handling these calls all day I'm trying to ... it's a spec that my friend, I purchased [it] from him, the idea. He wrote a short story, and it's actually called The Grey. It's this really great kind of man against nature story that I own 100 percent, so I'm really excited about it. I'm almost done, I've written it as a spec. It's got some pretty incredible stuff in it, but a very simple story. These guys go to down into the Alaskan -- it's like the Yukon -- and they start getting basically hunted by this pack of rogue wolves. It's just really exciting and cool. That's something that, I don't know, listen, anytime I write something I always say 'I'll write it for someone else,' and then I really get into it and it becomes like this inseparable process, and I'm like 'I gotta do it!' So I don't think so. I think if I do anything, I'll do some TV, but I just can't afford to do any kind of a feature right now, with White Jazz looming.
At a press conference for "Perfect Strangers", actor Giovanni Ribisi revealed that he has been cast as a young Albert Einstein in an upcoming biopic to be helmed by Italian director Liliana Cavani.
"It's great and the script is really great, and I'm really excited about it" says Ribisi, who says that shooting will begn "in July, I think, and there's another movie called The Stanford Prison Experiment after that."
The story starts with the blossoming of his relationship with his first wife, Mileva Maric through to his death. The role of Mileva has yet to be cast. Italy, Barcelona and Princeton will be used for filming.
Bryan Singer and Gus Van Sant get in a slap-fight over Harvey Milk!!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with a story that's the talk of the trades this morning.
Bryan Singer and Gus Van Sant have competing Harvey Milk projects. Harvey Milk was the first openly gay elected official in America, the supervisor of San Francisco. He was assassinated, along with Mayor George Moscone, by another supervisor, Daniel White.
Singer is collaborating with Chris McQuarrie once more on his project. McQuarrie has a WW2 script that Singer is going to direct with Tom Cruise in the lead, the first time they've worked closely on a project since THE USUAL SUSPECTS.
Van Sant had been toying with this project for years, having even gone so far as to write a script a few years back. Now he's hired Dustin Lance Black (BIG LOVE) to script this one.
Singer's is called THE MAYOR OF CASTRO STREET and is at Warner Independent. Van Sant's is untitled.
The plan is for Singer to squeeze the drama in between the WW2 flick and the SUPERMAN RETURNS sequel.
Obviously, both men have a passion for this particular story, which is incredibly dramatic, tragic and, sadly, still not too far removed from modern politics. I guess it's a good thing that the bullets aren't really flying anymore, but the thoughts haven't progressed much.
Christina Ricci is joining Larry and Andy Wachowski's live-action adaptation of the 1960s cartoon "Speed Racer" for Warner Bros. Pictures and producer Joel Silver.
Emile Hirsch, Susan Sarandon and John Goodman already have boarded the high-octane project, which is based on the anime series created by Tatsuo Yoshida for Japanese audiences and later imported to the U.S.
"Speed" centers on a young race car driver, Speed (Hirsch), and his quest for glory in his thundering, gadget-laden vehicle Mach 5. Ricci will star as Speed's girlfriend Trixie, his formidable ally on and off the track.
The show revolved around Speed's family. In the big-screen adaptation, Goodman will play Pops, a race car owner and builder. Sarandon is on board as Pops' wife, the backbone of the family as well as the Mach 5 Go Racing Team.
The Wachowskis, who are writing and directing, are eyeing a summer shoot in Berlin with a summer 2008 release.
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The film will be a Warners presentation in association with Village Roadshow Pictures of a Silver Pictures production.
The casting is a change in direction for Ricci, who has tended to star in such indie-oriented fare as "Monster," "Penelope" and the recent "Black Snake Moan." She also appeared on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," a turn that earned her an Emmy nomination last year. Ricci is repped by ICM, Brillstein-Grey and attorney Melanie Cook.
E ovo sam citao, ovo je ludilo prica!
Tony Scott is setting his sights to bring the story of Hollywood agent-turned-pro-war documentary filmmaker Pat Dollard to the big screen.
Scott, via his production banner Scott Free Prods., has dipped into its discretionary fund to option the Vanity Fair article "Pat Dollard's War on Hollywood" as well as to option Dollard's life rights. Dollard and the article's author, Evan Wright, will write the screenplay.
The article portrayed Dollard, who nurtured the career of a then-unknown Steven Soderbergh, as the stereotypical Hollywood agent with a drug-fueled lifestyle and a collection of ex-wives. Dollard chucked the "Entourage"-esque world, embedding himself with Marines in Iraq, where he joined patrols and survived several bombings. Dollard went from wearing Armani suits to combat gear, hair styled in a Mohawk and the word "die" shaved into his chest hair.
The article described his attempt to sell the documentary, titled "Young Americans," as well as his making a concurrent docu, an incoherent porn filmed by a rehab sidekick, which echoed "Auto Focus," a film that Dollard produced.
The material fits into Scott's oeuvre, as he often focuses on off-kilter characters like Hollywood model-turned-bounty hunter Domino Harvey, whose life was depicted in his film "Domino." He most recently directed "Deja Vu." Scott is repped by CAA.
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Wright wrote the book "Generation Kill," also about the Iraq War, which is being adapted into a miniseries for HBO. He is repped by ICM and attorney Alex Kohner of Barnes Morris Klein.
Dollard is repped by
Scott Free has a first-look deal with 20th Century Fox, where the project might land.
New Line has picked up comedy pitch "The Latin Lover" from Spanish movie star Santiago Segura ("Torrente"). The story revolves around two seasoned lotharios who place a wager on whether they can transform their country club janitor into a debonair playboy in an attempt to determine whether the art of seduction is an innate talent or something that can be taught...
Bruce Campbell To Take A Vacation Preview screenings for My Name Is Bruce have been going on - both privately, and also to the public at one special event in Oregon. Reaction has been fairly positive, though hardly ecstatic.
Campbell's The Man With the Screaming Brain was really quite an awful film, unfortunately, so any signs this one will be better at all are gratefully welcomed. Mark Verheiden's script isn't half bad, by all accounts, and the premise is certainly a belter. And when hasn't Campbell come across as the most charismatic screen presence you can imagine?
Okay, apart from Screaming Brain?
Word is creeping out from these Bruce screenings, however, that Campbell is close to an agreement to star in Richard Stanley's next film, Vacation. Apparently budgeted at just a little over a million dollars, the film tells the tale of some Americans abroad. Not quite your typical fish-out-of-water yarn, however - in this case, the Americans have upped sticks after an apocalyptic cataclysm has pretty much wiped out the west and are trying to start new lives in the Middle East, whether the Middle East likes it or not.
Campbell is to play a US businessman who, with his stripper girlfriend, tries to climb the power structure in this new order. Sounds like you can take this couple out of America, but you can't take America out of this couple.
Stanley's Dust Devil is a bonafide winner and the fully-loaded recent DVD from Severin is well worth anybody's money. Apparently, his first film Hardware is soon to be bonafide winner too - a director's cut is on the cards for DVD release later this year. This edit reportedly fixes all of the niggles that dampened the original version - principally the unrealistic character interactions and some key moments of thematic and subtextual relevance that were snipped for being 'redundant'.
Red to direct, write '100 Feet'
Janssen attached to star with Cannavale
By STEVEN ZEITCHIKEric Red, the writer behind cult-horror classic "The Hitcher," has signed on to write and direct thriller "100 Feet" with Jonathan Sanger's Grand Illusions Entertainment.
Pic, which is set to go into production shortly, centers on a woman who murders her abusive husband and is then haunted by his ghost. Famke Janssen ("X-Men") is attached to star with Bobby Cannavale.
Sanger was exec in charge of production on Par's "Mission: Impossible II" and served as producer on pics such as "The Elephant Man" and "The Producers."
He will produce "100 Feet" with fellow Grand Illusions principals Ed Elbert and Sarah Ryan Black, as well as Gotham real-estate and soundstage magnate David Steiner of Steiner Studios.
A remake of Red's "The Hitcher" earned $16 million at the box office for Focus genre label Rogue earlier this year.
In 2000, Red found himself in the headlines after a vehicle he was driving crashed into a pool hall on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles and killed two people.
After a six-month investigation, Red, who said he blacked out before the incident, was never brought up on criminal charges; he was found liable for damages in civil court. This is his first major film gig since the event.
Production also will mark the first collaboration between Steiner and Grand Illusions since Steiner entered a production and financing agreement with the shingle in the fall. Steiner, who is now a partner in Grand Illusions, will partly finance "100 Feet."
Movie also will be partially shot at Steiner Studios.
Grand Illusions also is set to go into production on WWII pic "Beast of Bataan," which is being helmed by Fred Schepisi.
Inace BEAST OF BATAAN je svojevremeno trebalo da rezira Verhoeven...
genijalna vest!
I'd heard various names bandied about for the upcoming second attempt at the Hulk, but the winner has turned out to be a delightful surprise.
Edward Norton has been set by Marvel Studios to play Bruce Banner in Universal Pictures "The Incredible Hulk", which is set for a June 13th 2008 release reports The BBC.
The new film begins with Banner on the run, trying to avoid capture long enough to cure the condition that turns him into a misunderstood green menace.
The choice marks a return to more mainstream fare for the acclaimed young actor after two indie films and last year's sleeper hit "The Illusionist."
Filming begins this summer in Toronto under the helm of Louis Leterrier ("Transporter 2," "Unleashed") and is said to have a less self-serious take on the material than Ang Lee's 2003 effort.
Anthony Hopkins has revealed that he may well be playiing the father of Benecio Del Toro in Universal's upcoming redux of "The Wolfman".
He tells Rotten Tomatoes - "There's also a chance I may play the Wolfman in London in a movie with Benicio Del Toro...He said he just wants to make sure that the deal is all in but I play the Wolfman's father in Paris. A wonderful part."
He adds that his agent has the script and is very keen for him to play the role, although he hasn't yet read the script for himself.
The Wolfman is a remake of the 1941 classic The Wolf Man starring Claude Rains and Bela Lugosi. It tells the story of a man who is bitten by a werewolf and turns into one himself.
Things are getting hot on Roman Polanski's $130 million historical epic "Pompeii" about the fall of the ancient city when nearby Mt. Vesuvius underwent a volcanic eruption.
Italy's RAI Cinema has acquired all Italian rights, Spain's Ciudad de la Luz studios will be used for most of the film's production, and Pathe Distribution is in negotiations to take French rights reports Variety.
Set designer Allan Starski scouted the real Pompeii archeological site in Italy last month and pre-production is already underway.
90% of the shoot is expected to be done on Spanish soundstages, backlots and locations. A projected August start has been set for the five-month shoot.
tako mu i treba kad nije proučav'o propas' italijanskog pepluma. :)
Fox 2000 has optioned screenwriter Tom Rob Smith's debut novel "Child 44" for Ridley Scott to direct and his Scott Free company to produce reports Variety.
Set in Stalinist Russia, storyline revolves around an officer in the secret police who is framed by a colleague for treason.
On the run with his emotionally estranged wife, he stumbles upon a series of child killings and launches his own rogue investigation, even though it means risking his own capture.
Smith made a two-book deal that gives the option of a sequel. Scott's next project is the DiCaprio-led political drama "Body of Lies" which begins filming in August.
Clive Owen and Tom Tykwer are INTERNATIONAL!!!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. I love me my Tom Tykwer. PERFUME was vastly, vastly overlooked. His next flick is THE INTERNATIONAL and he nabbed Clive Owen to star, a team-up that has me pretty excited.
Owen will play an INTERPOL agent that goes after the world's largest and most powerful banks, who he believes are involved in arms brokering and murder. Of course, the corruption runs deeper than he could imagine.
The director and star make this one a big project for me. It starts shooting in September and is produced by John Woo... let's hope Owen doesn't drop out. heh.
Warner Bros. Pictures has hired scribe Mark Poirier ("Smart People") to pen the untitled Russian bride project set up with Todd Phillips. Based on David Benioff's 2002 article "Goodbye to Romance," storyline revolves around a group of American men who travel through Russia searching for brides. E. Max Frye penned an early script.
Statham in 'Death Race' driver's seat
By Borys Kit
April 23, 2007
Jason Statham is in talks to topline "Death Race," a remake of Roger Corman's cult classic being made by Universal Pictures. Paul W.S. Anderson is writing the script and directing the futuristic actioner, which is being produced by Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner via their C/W Prods. as well as Anderson and his Impact Pictures partner Jeremy Bolt.
Released in 1975 as "Death Race 2000" and starring David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone, the movie told of a dystopian future America in which the president presides over an ultraviolent road race from New York to Los Angeles. One of the ways that drivers score points is by mowing down innocent bystanders using their heavily armed cars.
"Race" originally was set up at Paramount as a Cruise vehicle. The project was among those put into turnaround after the Sumner Redstone-Cruise imbroglio. Sources said that when it heard "Race" was free, Universal, spearheaded by David Linde, moved quickly to secure it.
Roger Corman is exec producing. Scott Bernstein is overseeing for Universal.
A late summer/early fall start is being eyed.
Anderson, repped by UTA and Ken Kamins, has made his name making movies in the sci-fi mold. He most recently directed "AVP: Alien vs. Predator" and counts "Resident Evil" and "Soldier" among his credits. Impact is producing the upcoming adaptation of "Castlevania" for Rogue/Crystal Sky.
Statham, repped by CAA, most recently starred in the action movie "Crank."
EXCL: David Goyer on Scanners Remake
Source: Edward DouglasApril 20, 2007
Likely to be forever dubbed the "man of many projects", David Goyer has ably jumped from screenwriter to producer to director, his latest project in the latter role being the thriller The Invisible, about a teen who discovers that no one can see him then has to discover why that is.
Having finished that up, Goyer has put his screenwriting cap back on to adapt and update David Cronenberg's classic 1981 horror film Scanners for The Weinstein Company, and when ComingSoon.net/ShockTillYouDrop.com spoke to the multi-hyphenated filmmaker, he let us know how that was going and what his take will be.
"That's going really well, it's been a lot of fun," he told us. "I'm not producing it, just writing it. That's the thing, if it's the right project, I'll certainly write for people again. They came to me and I love that movie so much, and I'm such a Cronenberg fan. It seemed possibly rife for remake only because it's been so long since the original had come out"
Cronenberg himself directed a remake of a classic horror film when he made The Fly in 1986, but he has been vocally adverse about people remaking his movies. "I haven't talked to him," Goyer admitted. "I hope to when I finish the script, but if it were me, and someone were remaking one of my films, I wouldn't want to be involved. It would be too weird. I would just go say, 'Go with God and hopefully it will be good.' I've heard that way back when he'd prefer that they not remake his movies, but he remade 'The Fly.' I liked the original 'Fly' and I liked his movie, so I think that as long as they're not just slavish duplicates of one another or if you can take the spirit of the original and do something different. That's what I'm hoping to do here. I'm hoping to analyze what it was that Cronenberg did in the first 'Scanners' film. His films are always very political in their own ways, very subversive. So I'll analyze what he was doing at the time—there's a lot of subtext in his movies—and then say, 'What's going on now?' and apply the same rules. Necessarily, you're gonna get a slightly different film, because that film was made as we were moving into the Reagan area and we're living in a very different world now. That's going to reflect a different kind of movie."
Although most people would hope that by the time this remake comes out, things might be different in our country, Goyer's not so optimistic. "No, no, we're still going to be in a post-9/11 Iraq quagmire world. That's the world I'm drawing from right now and I'm sure we'll be stuck in that world for another decade."
Since exploding heads aren't nearly as impressive or shocking as they were 25 years ago, he added that they'll definitely have to "top themselves."
Check ComingSoon.net next week for our exclusive, extensive interview with David Goyer, talking about his upcoming thriller The Invisible, which opens on April 27.
Principal photography begins today on Twentieth Century Fox and EuropaCorp's action thriller "Hitman" directed by Xavier Gens (Frontières). Timothy Olyphant (Deadwood; Live Free Or Die Hard) stars in the title role with co-stars including Dougray Scott (Mission Impossible II; Desperate Housewives), Olga Kurylenko (Paris je t'aime), Robert Knepper (Prison Break), Ulrich Thomsen (Festen) and Michael Offei (Casino Royale). The screenplay was adapted by Skip Woods (Swordfish) from the hugely successful video game franchise.
EuropaCorp's Pierre-Ange LePogam is producing for Twentieth Century Fox with the main unit shooting in and around the Bulgarian capital of Sofia for a total of 12 weeks. A second unit will shoot in locations including South Africa, Istanbul, St. Petersburg and London.
Agent 47 (Olyphant) has been educated to become a professional assassin for hire, whose most powerful weapons are his nerve and a resolute pride in his work. 47 is both the last two digits of the barcode tattooed on the nape of his neck, and his only name.
The hunter becomes the hunted when 47 gets caught up in a political takeover. Both Interpol and the Russian military chase the HITMAN across Eastern Europe as he tries to find out who set him up and why they're trying to take him out of the game. But the greatest threat to 47's survival may be the stirrings of his conscience and the unfamiliar emotions aroused in him by a beautiful, damaged girl...
Director Xavier Gens cut his teeth as a trainee AD on a variety of big-budget films (Maximum Risk; Ronin; Le Bossu) and directed some 40 music videos as well as an award-winning short before making his impressive feature debut with EuropaCorp's Frontières (Borders). HITMAN's behind-the-scenes team includes Frontières' cinematographer, Laurent Barès.
The film will be released in France through EuropaCorp Distribution and in the rest of the world through Twentieth Century Fox. Twentieth Century Fox is a unit of Fox Filmed Entertainment, a segment of the Fox Entertainment Group.
If financing can be put in place, Terry Gilliam confirms to The Sydney Morning Herald that next up for him is "The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus Gilliam", a film set in a travelling show which has an attraction that allows patrons to go inside a man's mind.
He also brought up his famed disaster - "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" which fell apart during production. Gilliam says "I've spent the last five years trying to get the rights to the script back. We're very close to getting them and then we'll make the film again."
Johnny Depp would again play an advertising executive who travels back in time and is mistaken by Don Quixote for Sancho Panza - "We can't make it without him and we can certainly make it a lot more easily now with him. It's quite extraordinary because at the time, Johnny meant nothing to the studios. Now they'll kill to have him there."
Finally adaptations of both "The Defective Detective" and "Good Omens" remain on the cards.
Picturehouse and New Line have landed all international rights to the comedy performance documentary "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights -- Hollywood to the Heartland."
Ari Sandel's film follows the actor as he leads a team of unknown comics on a monthlong tour across 30 cities in the US. In addition to showcasing stage performances with such guests as Justin Long and Dwight Yoakam, the film takes a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of Vaughn and comedians Bret Ernst, Ahmed Ahmed, Sebastian Maniscalco and John Caparulo.
The move renders void a deal announced by the Weinstein Co. at September's Toronto Film Festival. A minimum of $7-$8 million is expected to be spent on the film's marketing and a Spring 2008 release is planned.
Fox attracts Goyer for 'Magneto'By Borys Kit
April 27, 2007
David Goyer has been drawn in by the power of "Magneto."
The multihyphenate, whose thriller "The Invisible" opens today, has come aboard to develop with an eye to direct the "X-Men" spin-off for Twentieth Century Fox.
The project, which is in the early stages of development, focuses on a young Magneto, the villain of the "X-Men" movies, and his friendship with a young Professor X, and how the two eventually became mortal enemies. The characters would not be played by Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart, who originated them in the series, but by actors in their 20s.
Goyer will be working off a script by Sheldon Turner.
Lauren Shuler Donner and Avi Arad are producing.
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Fox and Marvel are already hard at work on another "X-Men" spin-off, "Wolverine." That project, which already has a working screenplay, is on the fast-track hunt for a director and will likely be made before "Magneto."
CAA-repped Goyer wrote the screenplay for the upcoming Regency sci-fi movie "Jumper." He also directed 2004's "Blade: Trinity," the New Line movie based on the Marvel Comics vampire hero, and exec produced the Marvel/Sony superhero flick "Ghost Rider."
Jodie Foster is set to play Leni Riefenstahl in a controversial project about Adolf Hitler's favourite film director reports The Guardian.
Riefenstahl, a dancer and silent film star, moved into directing and captured the attention of Hitler at a 1932 Nazi rally. Riefenstahl's films becoming a part of the Nazi war propaganda, most notably 1934's documentary "Triumph of the Will" glorifying Hitler and the Nuremberg rallies.
Despite being banned in certain places, 'Will' used ground-breaking photographic techniques and innovative editing to result in what's considered one of the "most brilliant pieces of propaganda ever made" which gave the regime a mythic quality.
Riefenstahl was said to have used slave labour from concentration camps on her films, a claim she denied until her death in 2003. Producers on the new film claim they will "not whitewash any aspect of Riefenstahl's past."
This film project has been in development for years and finally seems to be back on track with British writer Rupert Walters currently penning the script, a director to be locked by Summer's end and shooting to begin late next year.
Riefenstahl commented once on the idea of Foster playing her, an idea she disliked as "Foster would not allow her to refuse any of the film". Her choice to play her? Sharon Stone.
Fox Searchlight and New Regency are lining up Hugh Laurie (TV's "House") to join the cast of the David Ayer-directed, James Ellroy-penned crime drama "Night Watch" (aka. "The Night Watchman") reports Variety.
Story follows a Los Angeles cop (Keanu Reeves) who's become wedded to the bottle after his wife's death and is framed by a onetime mentor (Forest Whitaker), for the killing of a fellow officer.
Laurie and Chris Evans would play internal affairs officers. Shooting begins this month.
Producer Roy Lee ("The Ring," "The Grudge") has revealed to The New York Times that he's still moving forward with his plans to remake the infamous "Battle Royale" despite recent events such as the Virginia Tech massacre reports The New York Times.
Set in a future where kids are rebelling against the state, the Government creates a Battle Royale where a class is chosen each year, at random, to head to a deserted island and kill each other. The one remaining classmate wins.
New Line has been pursuing the rights to the film since last year but no deal has been signed yet. Lee says his Vertigo Entertainment is still moving forward, but "the killings have seriously shaken the prospects" for his version which will now "be a little more sensitive to some of the issues".
He also confirmed that their planned remake of Asian revenge flick "Oldboy," a film that was said to have influenced gunman Seung-Hui Cho, had been halted long before the massacre.
John Cusack is attached to star in Jan de Bont's action thriller "Stopping Power" for Intermedia Films. Skip Woods ("Swordfish") will write "Power" with Eric Red ("The Hitcher") says The Hollywood Reporter.Cusack is set to star as a test pilot who sets off on a series of high-speed chases to save his kidnapped daughter from an escaped thief.
The film is one of six new projects that Intermedia will be offering at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Others include Agnieszka Vosloo's "After.Life" with Kate Bosworth, Jodie Markell's adaptation of Tennessee Williams' "The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond,", and Simon Crane's hired assassin thriller "The Killer's Game."
CANNES 2007 - BOLL AG Lineup - CARLTON HOTEL Suite 235/236
We are pleased to announce BOLL AG's exciting CANNES 2007 lineup. A lot of the films we presented to you at last AFM are now completed or nearing completion, and are or will be ready for delivery over the summer.
We will be screening the newly finished POSTAL, BLOODRAYNE 2 (work print), and the final cuts of SEED and of course IN THE NAME OF THE KING, starring Jason Statham and an all star cast.
IN THE NAME OF THE KING will get a 2,500 screen release in the United States this fall, and we will formally announce our distribution plans in the coming days.
We are also very excited to announce the brand new acquisitions of:
THE 5TH COMMANDMENT starring Rick Yune (Fast and Furious, James Bond Die Another Day) Keith David (Mr. and Mrs Smith, Crash, Delta Farce) and Dania Ramirez (X-Men The Last Stand), an action thriller about a top Hitman who becomes the target when he turns down a contract to kill his brother; and ONE WAY a classic Thriller starring Til Schweiger and Michael Clark Duncan. Both films are screening at the Market.
Budgeted at US$60,000,000, the action packed Adventure-Fantasy stars Jason Statham, Ray Liotta, Claire Forlani, Leelee Sobieski, Matthew Lillard, Burt Reynolds, John Rhys Davies, Ron Perlman, and Kristanna Loken.
The film is premièring in Germany and the United States this coming November.
We will also be screening a working copy of BLOODRAYNE 2 and POSTAL, as well as the final cut of Uwe Boll's latest opus of Violence and Gore, SEED, that follows the rampage of a mad mass murderer. The film stars Ralph Moeller, Michael Paré and Will Sanderson, and is based on a true story.
Additionally, Uwe is currently preparing FAR CRY, a US$ 40 million action film based on the popular videogame, as well as ALONE IN THE DARK 2. Both films will shoot this summer.
Product Information
Completed:
IN THE NAME OF THE KING (A DUNGEON SIEGE TALE): Action-Adventure-Fantasy (2007) - Produced by Dan Clarke and Shawn Williamson. Directed by Uwe Boll. Cast: Jason Statham (Crank, The Transporter), Ray Liotta (Narc, Goodfellas), Claire Forlani (The Medallion, The Rock, Meet Joe Black), Leelee Sobieski (The Wicker Man, Joy Ride), Matthew Lillard (Scooby-Doo, Screams) Burt Reynolds (Boogie Nights, Deliverance), John Rhys Davies (Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones), Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Alien 4), Kristanna Loken (T3, Bloodrayne), Will Sanderson (House of the Dead, Bloodrayne). Budget: $60 Million.
Based on the popular video game. A man named Farmer sets out to rescue his kidnapped wife and avenge the death of his son -- two acts committed by the Krugs, a race of animal-warriors who are controlled by the evil Gallian.
SEED: Horror/Thriller (2007) - Produced by Shawn Williamson. Directed by Uwe Boll.
Cast: Will Sanderson (Dungeon Siege, House of the Dead, Bloodrayne), Michael Paré (The Virgin Suicides, The Philadelphia Experiment) Ralph Moeller (The Scorpion King, Gladiator) - Budget: $10 Million.
Sam Seed, an insane mass murderer, is scheduled for execution at the hands of Warden Wright. Before the executioner throws the switch, Wright steps in front of Seed, "Do you have any last words?" Seed, " I'll see you again." After three attempts to electrocute, complete with boiling blood that steeps from his eyes, he's still alive. The executioner, Wright & the doctor collectively agree, that the breathing Seed be pronounced dead. He is bound and buried alive. After biting & clawing his way to the surface, Seed, the blood soaked, enraged madman, is now bent on vengeance. The reign of violence that follows will redefine the boundaries of extreme gore, physical & mental torture explored through cinema. Based on a true story. Seattle 1972.
THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT: Action/Thriller (2007) - Produced by Patrick Cole and Rick Yune. Directed by Jesse Johnson. Cast: Rick Yune (James Bond Die Another Day, The Fast and the Furious, Snow Falls on Cedar), Keith David (Mr & Mrs Smith, Crash, Delta Farce), Dania Ramirez (X-MEN III - The Las Stand), Roger Yuan (Batman Begins, Syriana, Shanghai Noon) - Budget: $7 Million.
A top Hitman becomes the target when he turns down a contract to kill his brother and her client. In the vein of Romeo Must Die, see the trailer at www.t-5-c.com
ONE WAY: Thriller (2006) - Produced by Til Schweiger and Joseph Steinberger. Directed by Reto Salimbeni. Cast: Til Schweiger (The Red Baron, King Arthur), Michael Clarke-Duncan (Sin City, The Green Mile), Lauren Lee Smith (The Last Kiss), Eric Roberts (DOA: Dead or Alive, The Cable Guy, The Specialist) - Budget: $8 Million.
To cover up his infidelities and protect his upcoming marriage, a star advertiser helps free an accused rapist by giving a false alibi and suffers the brutal revenge of the victim.
BLOOD MONEY: Action/Thriller (2006) - Produced by Matthew Chausse and Ho Sung Pak. Directed by Wayne Kennedy. Cast: Peter Greene (Blue Streak, Pulp Fiction, The Mask), A. Martinez (Santa Barbara, General Hospital), Sherilyn Fenn (Darkness Falls), Roger Smith (American Gangster, Final Destination), Ho Sung Pak (The Book of Swords, Alone In The Dark).
A story of Betrayal, Death and Redemption in the Mean Streets of LA. Shady cop Craig Barnes is forced by the mob into tracking one of their former Hitman off on a killing spree after the cold execution of his wife. A deadly game of cat and mouse ensues, but only one will survive.
IN POST PRODUCTION:
POSTAL: Comedy/Action (2007) - Produced by Shawn Williamson. Directed by Uwe Boll. Cast: Zack Ward (Transformers, Freddy vs. Jason, Almost Famous), Dave Foley (Kids in the Hall, Sky High, Blast from the Past), Chris Coppola (Beowulf, Spawn), Erick Avari (The Mummy, Planet of the Apes), Ralf Moeller (The Scorpion King, Gladiator), Seymour Cassel (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums), David Huddleston, Verne Troyer (Harry Potter, Austin Powers) - Budget: $15 Million.
A cult action favorite with millions of fans around the world, the hit video game POSTAL finally comes to the big screen. Filmmaker Uwe Boll directs the political satire in the tradition of Falling Down and Wag The Dog. Living on Social Security and unemployed, Dude desperately seeks employment, but instead finds a life of violent action and adventure when he teams up with a financially strapped cult leader and his uncle Dave, in an effort to rip off an amusement park, only to find that the Taliban are trying the same heist simultaneously...
BLOODRAYNE 2: Action/Horror (2007) - Produced and directed by Uwe Boll (House of the Dead, Alone In The Dark, Bloodrayne) Cast: Natassia Malthe (DOA: Dead or Alive, Elektra), Zack Ward (Postal, Trade, Transformers) , Michael Pare (The Virgin Suicides, Bloodrayne, The Philadelphia Experiment)
After BLOODRAYNE´s enormous success in DVD sales (domestic DVD release by Universal Studios), the BLOODRAYNE franchise continues with this new exciting chapter. BLOODRAYNE 2 brings back the sexy and dangerous vampire slayer Rayne. Half-human, Half-vampire, Rayne has a mission to fulfill: destroy all vampires, and put an end to the tyranny of the undead. In this new chapter of the saga, we follow Rayne from old Transylvania to the wild west. Based on the best selling videogame by Majesco.
BROTHERHOOD OF BLOOD: Horror (2007) - Produced by Nicole Ackermann and Marc Burman. Directed by Michael Roesch and Peter Scheerer Cast: Victoria Pratt (House of the Dead 2), Sid Haig (The Devil's Rejects, Kill Bill Vol 2), Jason Connery (Shanghai Noon) - Budget: $1 Million.
A team of vampire hunters face a threat that even the vampires fear: The mighty vampire demon Vlad Kossei. The vampire sovereigns killed Kossei many hundreds of years ago, but now he has returned. In his new body, he will take revenge and destroy everything in his way. But he has not yet regained his old strength... Website: www.brotherhoodofbloodmovie.com
IN PRE-PRODUCTION:
ALONE IN THE DARK 2: Horror/Thriller (2007) - Produced by Uwe Boll - Director: TBA Cast: TBA. Budget: TBA.
After the US theatrical release of ALONE IN THE DARK by Lions Gate, and the enormous success of US and International DVD sales, BOLL AG brings the franchise back to the screen When night falls, and the creatures of the dark crawl out of the shadows, there is only one man standing between us and the forces of Evil. His name is Edward Carnby. One of the most popular characters in video game history returns for a second mission. Based on the best selling video game series by Atari.
FAR CRY: ACTION/ADVENTURE (2007-2008) - Produced by Uwe Boll - Director: Uwe Boll Cast: TBA. Budget: US$40 million
A fizzing rocket hurtles towards Jack Carver's boat. He barely manages to escape before the ship is torn into pieces by the explosion. That was not quite how Carver had imagined the journey, when young journalist Valerie Constantine had engaged him for the trip. Jack and Valerie make a narrow escape into the jungle. Hunted recklessly by the mercenary troops, they try to reach the other side of the island to capture a ship at the harbour. Whatever the secret of that island, its keepers aren't going to divulge it to anyone voluntarily...
Based on the video game FAR CRY, the number one selling PC game in over 100 countries.
Also Completed
GARDEN OF LOVE: Horror/Comedy - Produced by Holger Fleig. Directed by Olaf Ittenbach. Cast: Natacza Boon, Bela B. Felsenheimer, Anika Julien
Come see the underground cult classic gore fest by Master of Horror Olaf Ittenbach. Twelve years after the small Verlaine community gets decimated by a mysterious killer, sole survivor Rebecca is forced to return on the scene of the crime. There, she will have to face her inner ghosts, as well as the deceits and lies of people surrounding her, and discover the truth about the Verlaine massacre.
Completed and Ready for Delivery
THE CABIN MOVIE: Comedy/Drama (2005) - Official Selection, Toronto Film Festival - Produced by James Liston, Directed by Dylan Akio Smith. Cast: Ben Cotton (Slither, The Chronicles of Riddick), Arabella Bushnell (Man Feel Pain), Justine Warrington (Vice).
The cabin movie is a darkly comic look at the nature of desire, the value of monogamy, and the definition of sexuality when a group of friends travel to a secluded cabin in an attempt to revitalize their lives through bizarre games of sexual dysfunction.
George Clooney and Grant Heslov
George Clooney and his Smoke House partner Grant Heslov will co-write a dramedy for Warner Bros. Pictures detailing how the CIA, with help from Hollywood, used a fake movie project to smuggle a handful of Americans out of Tehran during the 1979 hostage crisis.
Warners has snapped up the film rights to Joshuah Berman's Wired magazine article on the real-life intelligence tale and set it up with Smoke House to produce.
As with any Smoke House project, "Escape From Tehran" is a potential directing and starring vehicle for Clooney.
Project is the first Heslov and Clooney have penned together since 2005's "Good Night, and Good Luck."
Berman's article in the current issue of Wired centers around CIA operative Tony Mendez, a master of disguise who was put in charge of rescuing six Americans hiding out in Tehran. He came up with the idea of using a bogus movie and contacted Hollywood makeup artist John Chambers.
Chambers and Bob Sidell, also a makeup artist, launched Studio Six Prods. (an allusion to the six Americans awaiting rescue) and announced their first movie project, to be shot in Iran. Both Variety and the Hollywood Reporter were duped into writing news stories on the film after Studio Six took out trade ads.
Mendez went to Tehran in January 1980 and told the Americans to pretend they were Canadians on a scouting trip for a big-budget Hollywood epic. The ruse worked.
Smokehouse VP Nina Wolarsky brought in "Escape." David Klawans ("Nacho Libre") is attached to produce.
UTA repped the magazine article.
Heslov and Clooney launched the Warners-based Smoke House last year after Clooney parted ways with former partner Steven Soderbergh.
Clooney is currently directing and starring in the 1920s sports pic "Leatherheads," which Smoke House is producing for Universal.
Mann & DiCaprio Do L.A. Noir
"Heat," "The Insider" and "Collateral" director Michael Mann has delivered a pitch for his next directing effort, his first film since last year's box-office fizzer "Miami Vice".
Penned by "Gladiator" and "The Aviator" scribe John Logan, the project is a "L.A. Confidential"-esque untitled noir drama that takes place on the old MGM lot in the 1930s reports Variety.
Leonardo DiCaprio is poised to play the kind of private detective studios once relied on to clean up the scandals created by its stars. He's hired to investigate whether a starlet murdered her husband.
A shootout scene that unfolds in the Trocadero nightclub on Sunset Boulevard is a centerpiece of the film, whilst yesteryear celebs like Judy Garland and Bugsy Siegel are worked into the story.
The script was delivered to studios late last week, and sources say a deal is expected soon, but so far many studios have been reluctant to bite due to its $120 million pricetag (and Mann's tendency to go over budget).
At present only New Line has made an offer for $100 million, but Sony, Paramount and Fox are said to be circling. A February start-of-shooting date is planned.
Shooting began this week in Glasgow on "Doomsday," a sci-fi thriller set in 2033 from Neil Marshall - the director of the recently acclaimed cave-diving horror flick "The Descent".
A report up at The Evening Times revealed that the normally quiet Marwick Street in the suburb of Haghill was transformed into a hellish ghetto of burnt-out cars, gun-toting soldiers, and boarded-up tenements for filming on the £15million project.
Bob Hoskins and Rhona Mitra were on hand (pictured above on the set) to film scenes from the film which paints a grim portrait of a Scotland cut off from the rest of the world in the wake of a deadly virus. During a 30-year quarantine Scots scientists develop a cure for the disease but the victims have been forgotten by the rest of the world.
Most of the film has already been shot in South Africa's Cape Town, but the scenes this week in Scotland involved gun battles and simulated helicopters.
Liv Tyler will star opposite Ed Norton in Marvel Studios' "The Incredible Hulk," signing on to play Betty Ross, the longtime love interest of Dr. Bruce Banner/the Hulk says The Hollywood Reporter.
The movie will unfold with Ross estranged from Banner (Norton), but with the pursuit of the Hulk heating up and Banner on the run trying to cure his condition, Ross finds herself swept back into his life.
Louis Leterrier is directing the movie, slated to begin filming this Summer in Toronto. The role of Betty was played by Jennifer Connelly in the 2003 Ang Lee feature.
DreamWorks has won the week-long bidding war for "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson's next movie, committing at least $65 million adaptation of Alice Sebold's best-selling 2002 tome "The Lovely Bones."
Sebold's book tells the story of a 14-year-old who has been raped and killed, and now watches over her family and killer. Insiders tell Variety that the acquisition deal came in at just under $65 million, but that might not include a $25 million contingency fee.
The move isn't a surprise though. DreamWorks fought hard for the film rights to Sebold's book several years ago before the rights went to Jackson, whilst Jackson's "King Kong" was made at Universal when it was being run by current DreamWorks CEO-co-chair Stacey Snider.
Jackson is set to begin shooting in October in Pennsylvania and New Zealand from a script he co-wrote with "Lord of the Rings" collaborators Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh. Film 4 will produce in association with Dreamworks.
Paramount, which owns DreamWorks, will distribute "Bones" worldwide, with Jackson promising to deliver the film by the fourth quarter 2008.
The Scotsman has gone into detail on the plot for "Doomsday," the currently filming next project of Director Neil Marshall ("The Descent," "Dog Soliders").
Here's the official breakdown: "Scotland has been cut off from the outside world for about 30 years, following the outbreak of a deadly virus, caused by genetic tampering.
Hadrian's Wall has been rebuilt to keep the Scots out of England. But the Scots have a cure for the virus, and when England is threatened by a new outbreak, a crack military team goes over the wall to get it, led by Rhona Mitra.
Marshall himself adds some more details to the story - "She goes through from the wall up to Glasgow and then farther north. The farther north she gets, the more back in time she goes. It's like a Heart Of Darkness journey.
There's a Kurtz character (Malcolm McDowell) running a feudal society and living in a castle. He used to be a scientist - he's the guy who found the cure and he's taken on this kind of God-like stature up there."
Chris Smith ("Severance") has revealed "Triangle" will be his next project - a psychological horror film set on an ocean liner in the Bermuda Triangle.
"it's a movie that will play in time loops, like a character getting stuck in a glitch. That's what the Bermuda Triangle is and this character has to combat her way back" Smith told Shock Til You Drop.
Smith says that he's been working on a script for this film for about four years, and that it is a major step up for him in terms of budget and scale.
Warner wants 'Weekend Warrior'
Actor Birch to write supernatural comedy
By MICHAEL FLEMINGWarner Bros. has acquired "Weekend Warrior," a comedy pitch that will be produced by Andrew Lazar through his Mad Chance banner.
Movie will be scripted by Bill Birch, an actor who is attached to the WB pic "Pre-Astronauts."
"Weekend Warrior" revolves around an armchair home-repair enthusiast with no construction skills who unwittingly becomes a superhero who fights supernatural forces bent on destroying the world. Idea is to create a "Ghostbusters"-like comic romp that's heavy on special effects.
Lazar is currently in production at Warners on "Get Smart," the Pete Segal-directed comedy that stars Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson and Alan Arkin.
Walt Disney Pictures has tapped scribe David Benioff to bring his take to the long-gestating action project "Gemini Man."
Benioff -- who'll pocket a fee of $2 million -- will be doing a ground-up reworking of the story of an over-the-hill hitman forced to do battle with a younger clone of himself.
Pic will be produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, who boarded the project about nine months ago; Bruckheimer toppers Mike Stenson and Chad Oman will exec produce along with Angry Films' Don Murphy. Jason Reed will act as creative executive for the Mouse.
Over the years, a number of writers have been linked with the project, including "Armageddon" and "Next" scribe Jonathan Hensleigh.
On the eve of the bowing of "Shrek the Third," Mike Mitchell ("Sky High, "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo") is in negotiations to direct "Shrek 4" for DreamWorks Animation says The Hollywood Reporter.
Penned by Tim Sullivan, the fourth installment will chronicle the continuing adventures of Shrek and his buddies. Josh Klausner recently penned a rewrite.
The "Shrek" series is a massive moneymaker for Dreamworks, the first taking in $484.4 million worldwide, the second one a whopping $920.7 million.
Latino Review reports that Robert Rodriguez ("Sin City," "Spy Kids") is tipped to be handling Warner Bros. live-action feature "The Jetsons."
The storyline will be based on the popular animated Hanna-Barbera TV show, which revolved around the travails of a family in the distant future.
Meanwhile they also report that Bryan Singer's "Valkyrie", the upcoming WWII film about a German assassination attempt on Hitler, looks set to have a stellar cast of English acting veterans to star alongside Tom Cruise.
Amongst them are four legends - Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Kenneth Branagh, Stephen Fry. "Little Children" star Patrick Wilson is also in discussions for the film.
Problem - you have a Marvel comic superhero character and want to put him into a feature, but can't justify the expense of a stand-alone franchise.
Solution - shove him into a "Fantastic Four" sequel. Talking with The Los Angeles Times, Director Tim Story revealed his motivations for the upcoming sequel "Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer" - and in doing so hinted at bringing in another character in a future sequel that has been struggling (and failing so far) to get a film of his own.
"I've got to tell you, to get the 'Fantastic Four' and turn it into a franchise, the first thing I thought was, 'Will I get the Silver Surfer'? Or someone like [the superhero] Black Panther, who was introduced in their book, get Djimon Hounsou and go do it?' But there are so many other great villains and stories - I feel like I hit the jackpot" says Story.
The Black Panther was the first modern African-American superhero. Created in 1966, he uses a heart-shaped herb that grants the person who consumes it enhanced strength, agility, and perception.
Summit Entertainment has unveiled its slate of development projects over on Variety with one in particular drawing attention - a new version of "The Osterman Weekend."
Based on the acclaimed 1972 novel by "The Bourne Identity" author Robert Ludlum, the story has the host of an investigative news show becoming convinced by a CIA agent that the friends he has invited to a weekend in the country are engaged in a KGB conspiracy that threatens national security.
The second and shortest of Ludlum's works, the book was famously adapted once before in 1983 by legendary helmer Sam Peckinpah ("Straw Dogs," "The Getaway," "Convoy"). The final film of Peckinpah's career, it starred a stellar cast including John Hurt, Craig T. Nelson, Rutger Hauer, Dennis Hopper, Meg Foster, Burt Lancaster and Chris Sarandon.
The resulting film however was a legendarily incomprehensible mess, thanks mostly to a convoluted script which took many liberties with the work, and Peckinpah's ill health and slow psychological breakdown brought on by years of major substance abuse.
Ludlum himself offered to rewrite the overly complex and confusing script for free, but differences between the producers and Peckinpah prevented this from happening. Peckinpah was fired when he refused to re-edit the film after very confusing test screening results.
"Mr. and Mrs. Smith" scribe Simon Kimberg will make his directorial debut on this new incarnation of the project, a more faithful and more contemporary version of Ludlum's work (ie. will probably swap secret KGB agents for terrorist sleeper cell members) with shooting expected to start late this year.
Other porjects on Summit's slate include "Labyrinth," a Hilary Swank-led remake of the French thriller "Dedales"; an adaptation of Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight" novel series about a family of vampires; and a sequel to last year's Channing Tatum dance movie "Step Up."
Ethan Hawke has signed on to star in Lionsgate's futuristic vampire film "Daybreakers" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Australian horror veterans Peter and Michael Spierig ("Undead") wrote and direct helm the high-concept project, which begins shooting in July in Australia.
Hawke will play a researcher in the year 2017, when a plague has transformed most of the world's population into vampires. As the human population nears extinction, vampires must capture and farm every remaining human or find a blood substitute before time runs out.
However, a covert group of vampires makes a discovery that has the power to save the human race. Weta Workshop will create the creature effects.
Dino and Martha De Laurentiis will partner with a trio of German producers to turn Frank Schatzing novel "The Swarm" into a big-budget ecological disaster film reports Variety.
Story is about an alien presence that exists quietly on the ocean floor and is compelled to destroy humanity after its eco-system is disrupted by pollution. Scientists race to stave off an apocalypse.
Ted Tally ("The Silence of the Lambs," "Red Dragon") has been set to adapt the novel. The De Laurentiis have a first-look deal at Universal, which will be first candidate to distribute.
Roth cast as 'Hulk' villain
Actor to play Abomination
By MICHAEL FLEMING
"The Incredible Hulk" will be matched against the oversized adversary Abomination, and Tim Roth will play the villain's alter ego, Emil Blonsky.
Roth joins Edward Norton and Liv Tyler in the Louis Leterrier-directed drama, which is being financed by Marvel Studios and distributed by Universal Pictures on June 13, 2008.
While Roth's deal is still being negotiated, he becomes the latest piece in a reinvention of a franchise, following the self-serious Ang Lee-directed "Hulk."
Blonsky is a KGB agent who deliberately exposes himself to the gamma rays that caused Bruce Banner to morph into the Hulk. Blonsky has upped the dosage, making him larger and stronger than the Hulk, but unable to change back to human form. He blames Banner for his problem, and makes his best efforts to destroy the Hulk.
"The Incredible Hulk" is being produced by Avi Arad, Gale Anne Hurd and Marvel's Feige. Jim Van Wyck, David Maisel, Ari Arad and Stan Lee are exec producing. Zak Penn wrote the script.
Roth stars this fall in "Youth Without Youth," the Francis Ford Coppola-directed drama for Sony Pictures Classics. He also stars with Naomi Watts in "Funny Games" for Warner Independent Pictures.
The Los Angeles Times reported recently that filmmakers/SOUTH PARK creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker (pictured) have signed on to produce and direct GIANT MONSTERS ATTACK JAPAN!, a homage to kaiju and other Nipponese genre fare scripted by J.F. (UNDER SIEGE) Lawton. The screenwriter told the Times that despite the duo's rep for raunchy fare, "Trey and Matt said that they felt that they could do a G movie or a PG movie easier than they could a PG-13, because it's their nature to push an issue." He notes that he intended the film to appeal to young viewers amd carry a less restrictive rating, saying, "I'm not sure exactly where the ratings board is on monster-to-monster violence, what their reaction is to men in rubber suits wrestling but never getting hurt."
That's right, no digital FX here—the GIANT MONSTERS will be created via the old-school actors-in-rubber-costumes techniques that have made the films of Godzilla et al. beloved by generations of viewers. "I was terrified when I wrote it that people would say, 'OK, great, we'll do this and we're gonna CGI all the monsters,' " Lawton says. "And Matt and Trey want to do it with guys in rubber suits, which is what it needs to be. There's something really special about that."
The film's story is told through the eyes of an 8-year-old boy who goes to live in Tokyo when his father takes a job there, and discovers that enormous creatures, ninjas and other staples of the country's pop culture all really exist, and are accepted as facts of life there. Paramount and Nickelodeon Films are producing GIANT MONSTERS ATTACK JAPAN!, which goes into production once Parker and Stone wrap up the current season of SOUTH PARK and then helm the teen comedy MY ALL-AMERICAN.
Ovo poslednja vest je super !!!Nisam siguran da ce uopste imati slicnosti sa Hondinim "masterpiecom"Destroy All Monsters iz 1968,ali se iskreno nadam da cemo videti ne samo Godzillu,vec i Gigana,Mothru,Hedoru,Ghidoru,Rodana...i jos po neka cuvena "cudovista" iz ere maketarenja !!!!(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsmilies.sofrayt.com%2F%255E%2Fu%2Ffu.gif&hash=5f9b3e5cd90953e5093903ad1d34a325e4bc1199)(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsmilies.sofrayt.com%2F%255E%2F0%2Fturok.gif&hash=6421d7227f8ba7d97ce81fa41df4f5c7f4394e4a)
Pretpostavljam da Cripple još spava, pa nije video ovu vest (a možda ju je postovao pre neki dan a meni promaklo):
http://news.yahoo.com/s/eonline/20070510/en_industry_eo/2e84a59d36ed_408d_8838_6b4918130e32
Terminator Will Be Back, Without Arnold by Gina Serpe
Thu May 10, 8:08 AM ET
Los Angeles (E! Online) - The Terminator is making good on its coming-back word. The Governator, not so much.
The Halcyon Company has announced plans to revive the cyborg-battling movie series with at least three more films, after the production company purchased all rights to the dormant franchise for an undisclosed, though likely eight-figure, sum.
But while Halcyon founders Victor Kubicek and Derek Anderson are looking to begin preproduction on Terminator 4 as soon as possible, they will do so without a leading man. Or man-machine.
Plot details for the fourth film have been kept under tight wraps, though are said to pick up with John Connor, heir to the rebellion, in his thirties, leading the remainder of the human race in its ever-worsening battle against the machines. As the film will mark the beginning of a new trilogy, rather than a continuation of the previous three installments, its unlikely that the Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, will even take part in the film reinvention, other than perhaps a cameo.
Of course, there are other reasons why the Ah-nuld won't be featured on the big screen. He has a bit of a schedule conflict due to matters of a more gubernatorial nature.
T4 has already been fast-tracked for production, with Halcyon looking to get the installment in theaters by summer 2009. As it is, Schwarzenegger will be leading the state of California through 2011.
While a spokeswoman for the governor asserts that "no law says he couldn't" star in the reimagined flick if he wanted to, the project was nonetheless "not even on his radar."
Still, the franchise's new minders aren't worried about extending the brand beyond Arnie.
"With T3, we included many incidental details and plot points that, along with the ain narrative, set the stage for an entirely new set of inter-related stories covering the future adventures of John Connor and the Terminators," producer Moritz Borman said. "This new Terminator trilogy will build upon the already huge worldwide Terminator fan base, which was both revitalized and expanded with the global success of T3."
In fact, T3, along with T2 and, well, plain old T, have grossed just over $1 billion worldwide since Terminator was first released in 1984.
"The Terminator franchise represents by far the most popular and successful franchise not owned by a major studio," Kubicek said. "We see this global franchise as a cornerstone of Halcyon's future business plans."
A very large cornerstone.
In addition to the big-screen cyborg saga, the company snapped up all future merchandising and licensing rights to the franchise, future revenue generated by T3: Rise of the Machines and a portion of the rights to an almost guaranteed TV series based on the films.
Warner Bros. has already filmed a pilot for The Sarah Connor Chronicles, an hourlong show based around the Terminator character and mythology surrounding the movies. According to Variety, Fox has already expressed interest in the project, and could opt to pick up the series at next week's upfronts, when the fall prime-time schedules are unveiled.
"Lord of the Rings" filmmaker Peter Jackson is being lined up to tackle yet another internationally beloved literary property - "Tintin".
Both the trades report that Jackson and Steven Spielberg would each direct one of three back-to-back installments of the franchise based on Herge's series of Belgian comics.
What is surprising though is that these will be CG-based, 3D digital motion-capture movies, ala "The Polar Express" and the upcoming "Beowulf." No word yet on who'll helm the third. They will be adaptations of three of the 23 books based on the character, but which ones have yet to be revealed.
Kathleen Kennedy, Spielberg and Jackson will serve as producers on the three films to be released through Dreamworks Animation. Jackson's WETA corporation produced a 20-minute test reel which brings to life the characters.
Jackson told Variety that the aim is "making them look photorealistic; the fibers of their clothing, the pores of their skin and each individual hair. They look exactly like real people --but real Herge people." Spielberg added "We want Tintin's adventures to have the reality of a live-action film, and yet Peter and I felt that shooting them in a traditional live-action format would simply not honor the distinctive look of the characters and world that Herge created."
Whereas superhero comics dominate the American market, in Europe and other areas of the world it has been comics like Tintin and Asterix which have left a far more indelible impression on the last few generations of young adults.
In the comics, Tintin is a young reporter and world traveler who in his time has been to the moon, sided with South American guerillas, taken down Eastern European royal conspiracies, uncovered a lost tribe of Incans and much more.
The books were famous for never speaking down to kids and frequently including adult elements of drug smuggling, murder and politics along with frequent offbeat humor and memorable characters like the low-tempered Captain Haddock or the eccentric Professor Cuthbert Calculus.
Spielberg is a lifelong Tintin fan and first optioned the film rights just before Herge's death in 1983. Various attempts have been made to bring the property to life on the big screen but lapsed due to other issues.
It's expected that both will get to work on the project once they wrap up their involvement in both "The Lovely Bones" and the fourth "Indiana Jones" film. Teletext UK reports that Hayden Christensen is already the bookies favourite to land the lead role.
IGN Filmforce recently caught up with Dark Castle Entertainment VP David Gambino to talk the status of the "Sgt. Rock" comic adaptation.
Gambino says John Cox's screenplay for the proposed film is "fantastic and everybody's really happy with it," and that discussions are currently underway as to how to shoot the WW2-set picture.
"It's really just about trying to attach cast right now and really decide what the movie is going to be, how we're going to make it. There's been talk about possibly doing it like a 300, really making it like a graphic novel come to life, but no decisions have really been made on that." says Gambino.
One comment he did make sounds concerning in that the film may be overly jingo-istic and could come under fire for being politically naive - "We're living in times now where people are questioning whether or not we should be in Iraq, and I think World War II was the last war where it was pretty clean-cut who was the good guy and who was the bad guy. I think audiences still love that, they still love going back to that era where the politics of the time were very clear as to who we wouldn't want to take out and who were the heroes. And Sgt. Rock tries to capture some of that."
Fox Atomic bets on 'Beth'
Columbus' 1492 to produce Doyle's debut
By PAMELA MCCLINTOCK
Fox Atomic is falling head over heels for Larry Doyle's debut tome "I Love You, Beth Cooper."
Studio specialty arm has picked up the film rights to the novel and set it up with Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan to produce through their 1492 Pictures.
Doyle, a magazine writer and TV scribe, will pen the screenplay.
As with any project 1492 produces, "Beth Cooper" is a potential directing vehicle for Columbus.
Comic romp follows the adventures of geeky high school valedictorian who decides he has nothing to lose by making a play for a popular cheerleader, declaring his love during the graduation speech.Doyle's TV credits include "The Simpsons" and "Beavis and Butt-Head." He writes for a number of mags, including the New Yorker and Esquire.
"Beth Cooper," which hit bookstands earlier this month, has landed on a number of summer reading lists. Tome was published by HarperCollins imprint Ecco.
Fox Atomic is currently in theaters with sequel "28 Weeks Later," which opened over the weekend at No. 2, taking in roughly $10 million. Fledgling specialty unit will release "The Comebacks" on Oct. 26, and is preparing to go into production this summer with "The Rocker."
Doyle is repped by CAA and the Gernert Co.
Director James Toback is planning a feature documentary about former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson which traces how the fighter self-destructed and let a fortune and his ring legacy slip away reports Variety.
Toback will prepare "Tyson" using more than 30 hours of recently completed interviews with the ex-champ. The director said his subject pulls no punches in chronicling every aspect of his rise and fall.
Amongst the topics - his time under the wing of promoter Don King, marriage to actresss Robin Givens, his knockout of Buster Douglas, the prison term for a sexual assault conviction and biting off Evander Holyfield's ear in the ring.
ICM will sell worldwide rights when the doco is completed this Fall.
Madonna's hubbie Guy Ritchie ("Snatch," "Lock, Stock & 2 Smoking Barrels) is returning to his strengths by helming caper movie "RocknRolla" for Dark Castle Entertainment and Warner Bros. Pictures.
"RocknRolla," penned by Ritchie, follows a Russian mobster orchestrates a crooked land deal, putting millions of dollars up for grabs and attracting all of London's criminal underworld.
A dangerous crime lord, a sexy accountant, a corrupt politician and a band of petty thieves are among those double-crossing one another.
Casting for "RocknRolla" is under way with filming to take place in London at end of the end of June. It marks the rejuvenated Dark Castle's second project after "Whiteout" which is currently filming.
Lakeshore, Butler to play 'Game'
'Crank' duo's thriller begins shooting in January
By ELIZABETH GUIDER
Posted: Wed., May 16, 2007, 8:00pm PT
Lakeshore is "cranking" it up again.
Company headed by chairman and CEO Tom Rosenberg is reteaming with "Crank" creators Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor on "Game," a high-concept futuristic thriller that will star Gerald Butler. It's one of Lakeshore's more ambitious projects, though not as costly as its most expensive, the $75 million "Runaway Bride" of a few years ago.
Neveldine and Taylor have written the script and will direct the movie, which will begin lensing in January.
Athough no details were available, the company is also set to produce, probably late next year, a remake of "Fame," which will go out domestically through MGM.
The more immediate "Game" will be produced by Lakeshore's Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi and Skip Williamson, and Lakeshore will retain foreign rights.
Stateside, Lakeshore is deciding what to do with the film since it has deals with MGM and Warner Bros. and also works occasionally with Screen Gems and Lionsgate, Rosenberg said. ("Crank" went out domestically via Lionsgate.) On the foreign front, "Game" will get talked up by Lakeshore's sales team in Cannes.
This latest pic is set in a dystopian future of implanted nano-devices, where the ultimate online simulation environment is humans remote-controlling other humans in mass-scale, multiplayer online gaming. The lead character, played by Butler, is a worldwide sensation, and the top-ranked warrior in a game called "Slayers." With his every move tracked by millions, he battles to regain his identity and bring down the entire system.
"As the world witnessed in '300,' Gerard Butler is a commanding performer, connecting with an audience on many levels. He is the perfect actor to play Kable, a man who represents the fight against the ruthless commercialization of our lives," Rosenberg said.
Butler will next star opposite Hilary Swank in the romantic comedy, "P.S. I Love You," directed by Richard LaGravenese for Warner Bros.
Lakeshore will soon commence its second collaboration with the duo, on the thriller "Pathology," directed by Marc Schoelermann. "Pathology" is being sold here in Cannes.
David Dinerstein, who took over as president of worldwide marketing and distribution in January, absorbed some of the international oversight duties formerly performed by British exec Peter Rogers. Latter, who was London-based, ankled several months ago.
Lakeshore has six features in various phases of production, including an adaptation of Philip Roth's novel "The Dying Animal" starring Penelope Cruz and Ben Kingsley.
As for "Fame," Dinerstein said doing a remake is something of a no-brainer, and will likely reflect the renewed interest around the globe in music and dance movies.
A few of Lakeshore's recent pics, including "Blood and Chocolate," did not perform well at the box office. But Dinerstein said the Lakeshore portfolio has had some notable successes, both domestically and internationally, with pics including not only "Million Dollar Baby," ($220 worldwide) and "Runaway Bride" ($310 worldwide) but also smaller pics like "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" ($150 million worldwide) and "Underworld" ($100 million worldwide).
"In all fairness, businesses are built on portfolios. Our aim is to produce projects with universal appeal -- but also made for the right price," said Dinerstein, who had stints at Miramax and Paramount.
Universal buys 'Remarkable' pitch
Carnahan to direct Bateman in revenge film
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Carnahan
Universal Pictures has acquired "The Remarkable Fellows," a pitch for an action buddy comedy that Joe Carnahan will write to direct. Jason Bateman, who hatched the film's premise, will produce with Carnahan and Richard Gladstein.
Bateman, who was part of the manic ensemble of Carnahan's last film, "Smokin' Aces," cooked up an outline with the writer-director and then hooked the studio.
Carnahan is writing the script before he begins pre-production on "White Jazz," the adaptation of the James Ellroy book that was scripted by Matthew Michael Carnahan and will star George Clooney.
"The Remarkable Fellows" revolves around two brothers who take over the family business, which involves exacting revenge for clients.
Bateman will play one of the brothers. The duo, who are "part James Bond and part Ricky Jay," get assignments "from their father and carry them out all over the world," Bateman said. "The revenge scenario is dependent on the intricacy of the plot. If the president of a major bank was sleeping with the French ambassador's wife, the banker would call these guys."
Bateman is about to start the Peter Berg-directed "Tonight, He Comes" alongside Will Smith and Charlize Theron. He'll next be seen starring in the Berg-directed "The Kingdom," which Universal releases Sept. 28, and then stars with Natalie Portman in the Zach Helm-directed "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium," which Mandate and Fox Walden release Nov. 16.
He's repped by UTA and 3 Arts, Carnahan by Endeavor.
This time it's no April Fools joke kids.
Robert De Niro and Al Pacino will star together for the first time since Heat in £30m crime thriller Righteous Kill" reports Teletext.
Jon Avnet will begin a two-month shoot in August in Connecticut on the story, which pairs the stars as detectives on the trail of a serial killer.
"This was one of the hardest deals we've done," producer Randell Emmett said. "When we realised we had a chance to get them together we leapt at it."
Nickelodeon Movies has picked up "Bro-jitsu," a book proposal from pop scientist Daniel H. Wilson, for an adaptation to be produced by Marc Rosen and Lynda Obst.
Wilson will pen the screenplay, his first.
The deal marks the first project that Rosen and Obst have set up since teaming to form Rosen-Obst Prods. in March.
Wilson, who holds a doctorate in robotics, is the author of "How to Survive a Robot Uprising: Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion," which is set up at Paramount, and the new "Where's My Jetpack?: A Guide to the Amazing Science Fiction Future That Never Arrived." With "Bro-jitsu," Wilson plans a comedic instruction manual looking at sibling rivalry using a martial arts approach of offense-defense.
"(Wilson) feels like sibling rivalry drives the world and that we are all somehow formed by our siblings," Rosen said. "He is tapping into universal aspects like noogies and floogies and Indian burns. It's our first sale, and we couldn't be happier."
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Chris Salvaterra was instrumental in the deal and will oversee for Nick, which is looking at "Bro-jitsu" as a family comedy.
Wilson is repped by literary manager Justin Manask.
First Sun has acquired the rights to remake Dario Argento's classic 1977 horror movie "Suspiria" an plan to remake it as an English-language film.
"'Suspiria' has a unique style that we want to reinvent for today's generation. We intend to create a concept that will encompass cinema, videogames, fashion and music and that revives the original for those who did not experience it. The Gothic resurgence is very strong around the world at the moment ... and we feel that a new version of 'Suspiria' will fit very well" said 'Sun' co-founder and director Luca Guadagnino ("Melissa P.") at a press conference in Cannes yesterday.
Guadagnino added that he is seeking an international director not necessarily associated with the horror genre. First Sun is also in talks with writer Scott Heim ("Mysterious Skin") and David Gordon Green to adapt, and production is slated to begin next year.
The original refurbished Italian-language version of the film is set to screen today at Cannes in honor of the 30th anniversary of its release.
CANNES -- France's two hottest Jeans -- Reno and Dujardin -- were on the Croisette Friday touting their new $20 million pic together "Cash."
Movie, being pitched by sales agent TF1 Intl. as a sophisticated comedy actioner in the vein of "Ocean's Eleven" or "The Thomas Crown Affair," began shooting on the Riviera 10 days ago.
Two thesps play the heads of rival criminal gangs, while Valeria Golino plays a cop chief trying to stop their antics. Leggy blonde Alice Taglioni co-stars.
It is being helmed by vet scribe Eric Besnard, whose writing credits include Mathieu Kassovitz's upcoming "Babylon A.D."
"Cash" is the first film to come out of former Gaumont managing director Patrice Ledoux's new indie shingle Pulsar. Ledoux said he has a pic in the works with Gaumont, "My Daughter's 14," with Daniel Auteuil.
Russian director Alexei Sidorov ("Shadow Boxing") has signed to helm the $5 million action thriller "The Tourist" says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story deals with amateur snipers who travel to war zones to act out their computer game fantasies for real. As yet no cast has been signed.
The script is by former elite forces soldier and commercials director Tom Petch and based on his experiences in Serbia. Shooting begins in Hungary this Fall.
Get ready for melting clocks ... in 3-D.
Showing a bit of the flair for which Salvador Dali was famous, the producers of a Dali biopic proclaimed at Cannes that they plan to shoot the entire film with Panavision digital 3-D cameras.
"Dali was crazy about 3-D films when they started in the 1950s," notes writer/director Philippe Mora. "This is the film spectacle Dali would want you to see."
Producer Peter Rawley adds, "This film will put you inside the extraordinary surrealist vision for the first time."
Mora and Rawley are searching for thesps to play Dali from age 20 to 80. They're hoping to begin shooting in the fall and are looking for European co-production partners, particularly in Spain, France and the U.K.
The 3-D enhancement could give "Dali" something to distinguish itself from another Dali biopic. "Dali & I: The Surreal Story" will explore the painter's relationship with art dealer Stan Lauryssen.
No 3-D there, but it does have its own calling card: Al Pacino as its star.
Myriad Pictures and Killer Films will produce an adaptation of James Ellroy's memoir "My Dark Places" reports Reuters.
Ellroy's 1996 book tells the true story of his mother's murder, a troubled adolescence that followed and his later investigation into the crime.
The event, which occurred when he was 10, was key in developing the writer's fascination with Los Angeles-based crime tomes such as "L.A. Confidential" and "The Black Dahlia."
The producers are in talks with several directors, including Tom Kalin ("Savage Grace"), to potentially helm. Robert Greenwald was previously attached to direct. No date is yet set.
Latino Review reports that Marc Forster, Tony Scott, Alex Proyas and Jonathan Mostow are the alleged frontrunners to direct the next James Bond film it seems.
Of the four they say Forster ("Monster's Ball," "Finding Neverland") is the front runner. Have to admit either him or Proyas ("I Robot," "Dark City") seem the best choice, but none of them particularly sit just right.
Meanwhile a source for CHUD says that the opening action scene of the upcoming "Indiana Jones IV" will pit Dr. Jones against Russians agents in Area 51. Seems much of the story will delve from Erich von Däniken's 1968 novel Chariots of the Gods?" which centers on the theory that many ancient civilizations' technologies and religion were given to them by space travelers who were welcomed as gods.
LaBeouf will apparently play a 50's guy thrown together with Indy who only later discovers that they're related. Crystal skulls are also said to play a key component.
CANNES -- Producer Emmanuel Benbihy has assembled a who's who of hot helmers to head to New York to shoot his upcoming project "New York, je t'aime" (New York, I Love You), with names including Zach Braff, Mira Nair, Park Chan-Wook and Fatih Akin.
Benbihy said in an interview that other directors signed to contribute to the $14 million project to date are Yvan Attal, Wang Xiaoshuai, Emanuele Crialese, Albert and Allen Hughes and Andrey Zvyagintsev.
Three more directors are to be added to the 12-strong lineup on the movie, which has the support of the city and state of New York and is co-produced by Benbihy's producer partner Marianne Maddalena, whose credits include Wes Craven's "The Hills Have Eyes" and the "Scream" trilogy.
The project also has backing from the recently announced Future Films and Grand Army Entertainment funding pact (HR 5/16).
"With 'NY, I Love You,' we really want to surprise audiences with young, hip filmmakers with their own personal style and movie language," Benbihy said.
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Producers are planning a first-quarter 2008 delivery with plans to submit the movie to unspool at next year's Festival de Cannes.
Each director will create a five-minute segment about a love encounter in a district of the five boroughs for a 100-minute long final cut.
"The idea is to give the impression of a community of directors," Benbihy said.
A 13th, as-yet-unchosen, filmmaker will fashion a series of the transition sequences to make the movie much more fluid than "Paris, Je t'aime."
With no credits to be shown until the end of the film, the audience will have a single narrative experience.
"Hopefully, with 'NY, I Love You,' critics will have more difficulty choosing their favorite or least favorite segments. They'll all be good. We want to give the illusion of unity as much as possible and bring the narrative challenge a step further," Benbihy said.
The film, unlike its mostly French-language predecessor, will be shot almost entirely in English. "We'll try to be as representative of the city as possible, that's the idea," Benbihy said.
Benbihy is also sketching plans for "China, I Love You," aiming for summer 2008.
"We hope we've started a new movement in cinema, a different way to make movies," Benbihy said.
The producer wants to roll out a series of U.S.-based projects for foreign directors who want to shoot in the territory.
He added: "The Cities of Love concept is about people. It has nothing to do with politics. We want to show that love is universal. It's the right time to say 'New York, I Love You.' "
Warners books Hughes brothers for 'Eli'By Borys Kit
May 22, 2007
Albert and Allen Hughes are coming aboard to direct "The Book of Eli," a postapocalyptic Western written by Gary Whitta for Warner Bros. Pictures. Joel Silver is producing with Silver Pictures' Susan Downey and Erik Olsen.
The script, which Warners bought earlier this year, centers on a lone hero who must fight his way across the wasteland of postapocalyptic America to protect a sacred book that might hold the key to saving the future of humanity.
Ironically, it was a book that was the key for the Hughes brothers getting the job to helm the feature. The duo had read the script, agreeing that it had been the best thing they had read in years, and knew they wanted it to be their next project. Using their own funds, they produced a hardcover tome that featured notes, comic panels, color photos and storyboards on how they envisioned the movie.
During a meeting with Warners production head Jeff Robinov, the duo dropped the book on his desk, saying, "This is what we want do to." That led to a sit-down with Silver Pictures, who loved the brothers' take as well as their passion.
The most recent movie the brothers directed was 2001's "From Hell." They are attached to direct "The Ice Man," a hit man biopic being produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Jason Blum, and "Kung Fu," based on the 1970s TV series, for Warners and Legendary. The studio is hoping to roll on "Eli" before year's end.
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Whitta, who is writing "Diablo" for Legendary and Blizzard Entertainment, is repped by UTA, Circle of Confusion and attorney Howard Abramson.
Cannes isn't usually a time to be shy. Sellers trumpet exactly what they're selling to whom -- even if the film doesn't exist.
That maxim makes the case of the untitled Larry Charles project fairly unusual. Originally fostered by First Look, it migrated to IM Global (the recently renamed sister company of Intermedia) in April. Sold as Charles' "Borat" followup, the pic is narrated by Bill Maher about "the role of institutional religion around the world."
Based on a 10-minute promo reel seen by about 200 buyers Friday, the pic promises a blend of comedy and reportage that could attract significant controversy. A one-page "statement of intent" by Charles was released at Berlin, and some territories started responding then.
In order to avoid the uncomfortable situation of providing picketers with an address to which to mail anonymous threats, IM is doing its best to withhold names.
But as the list of territories sold grows -- it's at nearly 19 after France, the U.K. and Benelux were sewn up Saturday night. Italy, Russia, South Korea and Latin America are already gone. Six Japanese distribs are bidding.
The big question now: Who will buy the film in the U.S., Maher's home turf? And how readily will they want to be known as the grinches who stole Christ?
"The filmmakers are in no hurry to sell domestic," said Stuart Ford, managing director of IM Global. "We have comfortably covered more than 100% of the production costs through foreign sales."
The pic has completed production but has not yet been cut.
A raft of domestic buyers were still in the hunt as of Sunday, among them New Line, Picturehouse, Miramax, the Weinstein Co., Focus, Paramount Vantage and several others.
Some who saw the footage believe it would be extremely difficult for a division of a major studio to handle the pic. Handily enough, though, Cannes 2007 is stocked with deep-pocketed indie players capable of distributing on their own.
The producers, Palmer West and Jonah Smith ("A Scanner Darkly," "Waking Life"), fully financed the film. CAA is handling sales.
Among other IM Global titles attracting interest, "Speed" helmer Jan de Bont's "Stopping Power" has sold in a few overseas territories, and a domestic deal is expected by fest's end. Gulf Film grabbed Mideast rights, and Japan went to Gaga.
Pic, budgeted at $50 million and set to start shooting in August in Berlin, stars John Cusack as an American tourist whose daughter is kidnapped. An average dad who just happens to be an experienced test pilot, he engages in a cat and mouse hunt for his daughter, and the pic culminates in a 51-minute, real-time chase involving cars, helicopters and jets.
'Locker' to be filmed in Jordan
Shooting on actioner to begin in summer
By ALI JAAFARJordan's Royal Film Commission has confirmed that Kathryn Bigelow will lense "The Hurt Locker" in Jordan this summer. Iraq-set action drama follows the expoits of an elite American bomb disposal unit.
"Jordan is a safe, professional environment in which to work and a very welcoming place," said "Locker" producer and scribe Mark Boal. "The assistance of the government and the personal support of His Royal Highness Prince Ali has made it ideal for filmmakers."
RFC execs, in Cannes to drum up awareness of filming in the country, also announced that Costa Gavras will chair the Arab-Franco film week in June. Events will include seminars, workshops, screenings and a local preem of Laurent Herbiet's "Mon colonel."
Gallic promotional film body will send a delegation of producers, including Salem Brahimi, to take part and meet aspiring Jordanian helmers.
"We hope it will be an inspiration to the young filmmakers," said Pernilla Frykholm, the RFC's project manager.
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"Kathryn Bigelow will lense "The Hurt Locker" in Jordan this summer.
bolje bi bilo da režira neil jordan!
http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2007/05/free-mct.html
Sam Neill and Ethan Hawke have joined the cast of Lionsgate's vampire thriller "Daybreakers" reports Screen Daily.
The story takes place in 2017 as of a clandestine group of vampires discovers the key to saving the human race from a plague. Weta Workshop will create the effects on the project.
"Undead" filmmakers Peter and Michael Spierig wrote and directed the film with shooting scheduled to begin in Australia this July.
Shooting is apparently underway on "Bruno," the film version of comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's third most famous character creation after Borat and Ali G.
Defamer reports that Cohen, dressed in full Bruno regalia (minus the mohawk), showed up at the Foreign Trade Association luncheon at the Omni Hotel in downtown Los Angeles yesterday.
When Borat became a huge hit, Universal offered Sacha Baron Cohen $42 million to make a follow-up based on one of his third most popular character. Well production has apparently begin as Bruno showed up at the Foreign Trade Association luncheon at the Omni Hotel in downtown Los Angeles yesterday. According to a spy, Cohen's character was sans mohawk.
A scooper described his look: "He's dressed in leather pants, black vest and a black t-shirt. The hair is kinduva flock of seagulls/sad boy from the cure look - rusty brown hair mopped over to one side and the tips are a frosty blonde."
Hoping to avoid the lawsuits that came with "Borat," signs were posted that a documentary was in the process of filming, whilst some "were offered $20 to sign a release and be interviewed for a documentary about American culture and world trade."
After completing work on the upcoming Malcolm Lee-directed comedy "The Better Man," Cedric the Entertainer will play a serious role in the upcoming drama "Night Watch" opposite Keanu Reeves and Forest Whitaker.
Cedric tells Blackfilm that "I play an informant named Scribbles. There are all these corrupt cops and they getting information from this modern day "Huggy Bear", but it's not comedic. I'm a street guy and I'm on some drugs a little bit. The director said that this would be a great serious role for me."
Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans, Terry Crews, Common and Naomie Harris also star in the project due out in 2008.
Warner Bros. Pictures has picked up an original comedy project from Ken Kaufman ("The Missing," "Space Cowboys"), with "Meet the Parents" helmer Jay Roach on board to direct and produce says The Hollywood Reporter.
The dark comedy follows two party-loving male friends who are as close as brothers. When one of them dies in a fluke accident, the other succumbs to grief, until he meets a stranger who eerily resembles his dead friend, only shorter and nerdier.
He then sets out to corrupt him and refashion him into his lost buddy.
Venezuela Giving Danny Glover $18M to Direct Film on
Epic Slave Revolt
by Rory Carroll
CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela is to give the American
actor Danny Glover almost $18m (£9m) to make a film
about a slave uprising in Haiti, with President Hugo
Chávez hoping the historical epic will sprinkle
Hollywood stardust on his effort to mobilise world
public opinion against imperialism and western
oppression.
The Venezuelan congress said it would use the proceeds
from a recent bond sale with Argentina to finance
Glover's biopic of Toussaint Louverture, an iconic
figure in the Caribbean who led an 18th-century revolt
in Haiti.
It will also give seed money for a film version of The
General in His Labyrinth, Gabriel García Márquez's
novel about the last days of Simón Bolívar, who
liberated much of South America from Spanish
colonialism.
Glover, 60, who starred with Mel Gibson in the Lethal
Weapon series, and more recently with Eddie Murphy in
the film DreamGirls, is a civil rights activist and
supporter of Mr Chávez's radical leftwing policies.
A document from the congress's finance commission said
the culture ministry would be a partner with Glover
and give $17.8m for "scripts, production costs,
wardrobe, lighting, transport, makeup and the creation
of the whole creative and administrative platform".
The project could mark a breakthrough for Villa del
Cine, a new government-funded studio outside the
Venezuelan capital, Caracas, which is part of Mr
Chávez's effort to combat what he sees as American
cultural hegemony.
Glover, who visited Caracas at the weekend, told the
Guardian that he would direct the film, titled
Toussaint. "It's so advanced that you can taste it.
We've scouted locations within 75km [45 miles] of
Caracas. I can do everything I need to do with this
film from here." He said he had been in talks with the
government, but was unaware that a decision had been
made until journalists tipped him off about the
congress's announcement. "That's the first I've heard
of it," he said.
He suggested that there was still some uncertainty
over whether the venture would go ahead. "One of the
major axioms in theatre is never talk about anything
until the deal is signed. There's a lot of
deliberation that goes on before something actually
happens."
It appeared that the congress timed the announcement
to coincide with a media conference in Caracas hosted
by the television network Telesur, a Venezuela-funded
regional answer to CNN. Glover is on the board.
It would not be the first declaration to run ahead of
reality. Mr Chávez once said the director Oliver Stone
planned to make a film about him, but it came to
nothing. However at the president's request, Villa del
Cine, which was inaugurated last year, is making a
film about Francisco Miranda, who lit the fuse of
South America's liberation. A lavish production with
hundreds of extras and battle scenes, its costumes and
sets could work for the Haiti film.
Toussaint Louverture is a towering figure in the
region's history. A freed slave of African descent, he
led thousands of slaves in successful campaigns
against British, Spanish and French troops before
being betrayed, captured and exiled. He died in 1803,
just before his followers succeeded in establishing
the island's independence. William Wordsworth wrote a
sonnet about him.
Glover said he wanted to educate the US about the
story. "It's been essentially wiped out of our
historic memory, it's been wiped clean."
The actor is chairman of the TransAfrica Forum, an
advocacy group for African Americans and other members
of Africa's diaspora, and a vocal critic of the Bush
administration. Along with the singer Harry Belafonte,
Glover is the best known celebrity supporter of Mr
Chávez, whom he considers "remarkable". He is a
regular visitor to Venezuela.
Venezuela's congress, which consists entirely of
Chávez supporters, also said it would give $1.8m to
develop a screen treatment of The General in His
Labyrinth, by a Venezuela-born director, Alberto
Arvelo. Some rate Gabriel García Márquez's account of
the final days of Bolívar along with the Colombian
writer's better known novels, One Hundred Years of
Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera.
To build consciousness of what Mr Chávez calls
"21st-century socialism", the government has funded
nationwide screenings of Charlie Chaplin's classic
film Modern Times, about the exploitation of US
factory workers during the depression.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited
2007
Kao potpuni McT geek nisam mogao da odolim a da ne primetim sledecu koincidenciju. RUN je naime film koji je prvobitno trebalo da rezira guess who?
Dutch FilmWorks unveils big budget Cannes haul
Tim Dams in London
02 Jun 2005 04:00
Netherlands distributor Dutch FilmWorks has unveiled a string of big budget acquisitions from this year's Cannes film festival.
Buys include Peter Hyams' $60m The Chaser from Signature Pictures. An action film filled with special effects, it is about a bank robbery which takes place in Key Largo during a tornado.
It also bought Renny Harlin's Run, a high concept thriller sold by Arclight, which is centred on a huge car chase in Rome, and action picture The Life And Death Of Bobby Z, starring Paul Walker and sold by Nu Image, which is set to begin production in September.
From IAC, Dutch FilmWorks also bought the fifth instalment in the Highlander series – Highlander: The Source - with stars Christopher Lambert and Adrian Paul - and psychological horror film The Dark Hours from Fabrication.
The company also snapped up a number of Asian titles: manga title Dragon Head and Japanese action film Muscle Heat, both from Pony Canyon. Samurai Commando: Mission 1549, a sci-fi fantasy action film, was bought from Horizon.
He-Man returns to big screen
Joel Silver teams with WB for adaptation
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Marks
Silver
Warner Bros. and producer Joel Silver are working with Mattel to turn "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" into a live-action film.
Justin Marks is set to write the script. Silver will produce.
Deal, which is contingent on Mattel formally approving an outline for the project, is another example of Hollywood overhauling a 1980s-era pop-culture touchstone in the hopes of seeding a tentpole pic. The sale comes just a few weeks before the July preem of DreamWorks' Michael Bay-directed "Transformers," which began as an '80s animated series and toy line.
He-Man was born as a Mattel action figure, and the toymaker created an animated series in hopes of selling dolls. The series became a cult favorite, but the brand was hardly helped by its first bigscreen incarnation, the campy 1987 flop "Masters of the Universe" that starred Dolph Lundgren as the title character and Frank Langella as his nemesis Skeletor.
The toymaker, which now licenses "He-Man" for high-end merchandise sold to hardcore collectors, has been wary of going Hollywood again. An attempt by Fox 2000 to make another movie, this time with director John Woo, ended in futility as the toymaker didn't spark to the screen plans.
For Mattel, the stakes are potentially high as success could mean an entire relaunch of a toy line.
The franchise has been reimagined by the producer and the writers and pitched to Mattel as a classic good vs. evil battle, using the kind of visual effects strategy employed in "300." A warrior is touted as the last hope of a magical land called Eternia, which is being ravaged by technology and the evil Skeletor.
Many of the characters in the Middle Earth-like universe will be informed by the mythology created in the four different cartoon series done since the 1980s.
The story was hatched by Marks and Neil Ellice, the latter of whom will co-produce. Silver Pictures, which is turning the Japanese animated series "Speed Racer" into a live-action film to be directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, sparked to the potential. Silver Pictures exec Navid McIlhargey brought it in and will be involved in a producing capacity.
The viability of the "He-Man" universe is evidenced by the traffic that has occurred since rumors of a screen resurrection hit the Internet. Contrary to Web rumor, the lead role has not yet been cast.
WMA-repped Marks is writing a number of scripts, including "One Free Murder," for producer Kevin Misher. But he's found a niche reimagining branded properties. He's turning the animated series "Voltron" into a live-action film for producer Mark Gordon; he's developing a screen version of the vidgame "Street Fighter" for Hyde Park; and he's scripting a feature for Warners based on DC Comics character the Green Arrow.
he-man stripovi su izlazili do skora, možda još i izlaze - mrzi me da gledam,
a i voltron je imao strip inkarnaciju, prošle godine valjda.
transformersi kao da nisu ni prestajali :)
Comedian Lee Evans ("There's Something About Mary") has signed up to co-write and star in a bizarre new comedy entitled "I Was Hitler's Weatherman" reports Time Out London.
Evans will star as young Jew who goes into hiding during the war and assumes the identity of Nazi meteorologist Ernest Deisin.
He excels at the job however, so much so that he is soon promoted to Hitler's personal meteorologist. Stuart Urban ("Our Friends in the North") will direct.
Evans has co-written the script with Stuart Silver, and acclaimed thesp Stanley Tucci is currently in talks to play Hitler.
Warner Bros. Pictures has acquired the film rights to Irish author Derek Landy's debut comic-horror novel "Skulduggery Pleasant" reports Variety.
Set in contemporary Dublin, the story follows a wise-cracking skeleton detective and his young female accomplice, who together try to stop the return of the evil Faceless Ones.
The deal includes any potential sequels in the planned nine-book series. Landy ("Boy Eats Girl," "Dead Bodies"), who has penned several horror films, will adapt.
IGN News is reporting that Christophe Gans ("Silent Hill") has signed on to direct a $70 million big screen version of the Capcom action title "Onimusha."
The story focuses on a 16th Century Samurai who is after a resurrected bad-guy and on a mission to save a princess. Shooting will begin later this year in China for a 2009 release.
Gans will be working from a Leslie Kruger and John Collee ("Master and Commander") script. There is no word on cast so far, but several studios have expressed interest.
John Woo is attached to direct and produce the video game adaptation "Ninja Gold" for Fox Atomic reports Reuters.
"Ninja" centers on a ninja warrior, part of a centuries-old legacy and bloodline, forced to confront the reality of covert warfare in the modern world. The Yakuza, the Russian mob and millions in stolen South African gold figure into the action.
Game creator Warren Spector ("Deus Ex," "Thief: Deadly Shadows") worked with Woo to create the cast of characters, themes, and story. As a result he'll be able to handle the film without the need to heavily consult with the game creators.
A script is in the works with filming aiming to begin next year, no timetable as yet for the game. The film however will be more "reality-based" than the game.
"John Woo's Stranglehold," a game that serves as a virtual sequel to his classic "Hard Boiled," hits PS3 & XBox 360 in August.
Dennis Iliadis ("Hardcore") is in negotiations to direct Rogue Pictures' remake of the 1972 horror flick "The Last House on the Left."
Adam Alleca ("Home") has been hired to rewrite the script, which tells the story of a pair of teen girls who are kidnapped, raped and murdered by a gang of thugs.
The killers unwittingly seek refuge in the home of one of the victim's parents. When they learn what their guests did, they exact revenge.
Wes Craven, who wrote and directed the original, is producing the remake with partners Marianne Maddalena and Sean S. Cunningham.
The aim is to do a remake that's loyal to the original, but aim for a more realistic tone than the original video nasty - most notably the exaggerated killers.
The original remains banned in several countries. Scribe Alleca previously approached Craven about remaking his 1991 effort "The People Under the Stairs."
Shooting begins on 'Left' sometime next year.
Depp set to play poisoned Russian exile Litvinenko
Jason Burke in Paris
Sunday May 27, 2007
The Observer
Johnny Depp is lined up to play murdered Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko in the film of a book that still has no ending, his widow told reporters at the Cannes film festival yesterday.
Marina Litvinenko was at the festival for the showing of a controversial documentary about the death of her husband, who was poisoned with a radioactive substance in London last year.
Rebellion: the Litvinenko Affair was directed by a close friend of the former spy and in effect accuses the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, of organising the murder, as well as of embezzling humanitarian funds and laundering profits from the mafia.
'It is a very factual document... which shows who Litvinenko was and who are the people who try to keep a free press alive in Russia,' said Thierry Fremaux, artistic director of the festival.
'I'm very happy everyone around the world will see this. It's very important to know what happened in London in November, said Marina Litvinenko. It's very important it never happens again, in any country, to anybody.
'Believe me, it's not easy to be here at the Cannes Film Festival, where there are all these superstars. But the world has changed.'
The film has already been bought by distributors across Europe. Warner Bros has acquired the film rights for Marina Litvinenko's book and American director Michael Mann, known for The Last of The Mohicans and Heat, is being tipped as a likely director.
Last week, the UK's director of public prosecutions recommended that Andrei Lugovoi, a former KGB officer currently in Russia, should be tried for Litvinenko's murder. Lugovoi, who now heads a private security firm, had tea with Litvinenko at London's Millennium Mayfair Hotel on the day he fell ill. Traces of the radioactive isotope polonium-210 have also been found in a string of places Lugovoi visited in London.
Lugovoi denied any involvement in the Litvinenko's death and said the charges against him were 'politically motivated'. The formal submission of a request for Lugovoi's extradition is expected to take place before the end of the week. However, the Kremlin said Russia's constitution did not allow its nationals to be extradited.
The Cannes festival, usually known more for glamour than diplomatic rows, has already caused controversy on the international political stage in recent days.
The festival was targeted by Tehran after a feature-length cartoon, Persepolis, based on the best-selling books by exiled Iranian author Marjane Satrapi, was shown mid-week.
Exclusive: Weitz Brothers Making Elric
Paul to direct fantasy adaptation?
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So his adaptation of The Golden Compass is already being hyped by studio New Line as the new Lord Of The Rings (rather inaccurately if you ask us, since the books share little in common). But that's not enough fantasy limelight for the guy who, up until now, was best known for small-scale comedies like American Pie and About A Boy. Nope, along with his brother and former co-director Paul, Chris Weitz is going to take on the biggest fantasty-literature property as yet untouched by movieland: Michael Moorcock's Elric saga.
Elric of Melniboné, aka Elric Kinslayer, aka The White Wolf first appeared in print in 1961, and is the anti-hero of more than a dozen books. A physically weak, perpetually sickly albino who's the outcast Emperor of a race of cruel, ancient decadent people, he's no musclebound Conan-type, instead drawing his power from the spirit-sucking runesword Stormbringer, an evil entity with whom he struggles for his own soul. And he's frankly one of the greatest fantasy characters out there – albeit one who's going to be fiendishly hard to make work on screen.
"Of the great classic fantasy series it's the one that hasn't been done yet," Weitz tells Empire online. "My brother Paul and I liked those books growing up and we've met Michael Moorcock and he trusts us to take those books forward." The Weitz's Depth Of Field production company will be behind the adaptation, although no director is yet attached. Weitz does have one in mind, though: "I'd really like it if my brother directed them," he says.
They're already planning a "Justice League" movie, so it comes as no surprise that Warner Bros. Pictures has also picked up DC Comics title "Teen Titans" for a big-screen treatment says The Hollywood Reporter.
Starting in 1964 as a sort of junior Justice League, the team comprised of Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Wonder Girl and Speedy.
It hit big success in the 80's when they were re-imagined as college age young adults which allowed it to explore mature themes. Robin become Nightwing, and characters Cyborg, Starfire and Raven were introduced.
This live-action version, said to be a dark and serious adaptation, is being produced by Akiva Goldsman's Weed Road productions. Mark Verheiden will pen the script.
Denise Richards will star in "A Beautiful Life," a drama to be directed by Argentine filmmaker Alejandro Chomski ("Reggaeton," "Today and Tomorrow") reports Variety.
Richards will play an exotic dancer and marks a first for Richards who moves from broader mainstream pics to an edgy indie film. Wendy Hammond penned the script.
Jesse Garcia ("Quinceanera"), Dana Delany, Debi Mazar and Michael Madsen also star. Shooting begins in Los Angeles this summer.
Hideo Nakata ("The Ring 2") is attached to direct 20th Century Fox and Regency Enterprises's "Inhuman" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Loosely based on a Japanese murder case, Taka Ichise ("The Grudge"), Roy Lee and Doug Davison will produce using a script by Eric Heisserer ("Dionaea House," "Alien Wars").
Nakata and Ichise previously worked together on the original Japanese films that inspired the US "The Ring" and "Dark Water" remakes.
Ovaj Dionaea House sam citao, to je Warnerov projekat, nevidjeno smece...
Paul W. S. Anderson has signed on to direct and relaunch Universal Pictures' action project "Spy Hunter," based on Midway Games' popular 1980s arcade game.
Anderson will soon script a treatment that a scribe will then adapt into "Hunter's" script. It's expected it will be Anderson's follow-up project to the remake of "Death Race 2000" which begins shooting in August.
John Woo and The Rock had previously been attached to a big-budget version of "Hunter" that fell apart due to budgetary reasons.
"Hunter" is an action/driving game featuring the G-6155 Interceptor, a fictitious car that is beset by a wide array of enemy vehicles.
Chuck Gordon, Adrian Askarieh ("Hitman") and Jeremy Bolt are serving as producers. Anderson remains attached to produce the video game adaptation "Castlevania."
Jim Carrey will star in the sub-$20 million dark comedy "I Love You Phillip Morris" reports Variety.
Based on a book by Houston Chronicle crime reporter Steve McVicker, the fact-based film casts Carrey as Steven Russell, a married father whose exploits landed him in the Texas criminal justice system. He fell madly in love with his cellmate, who eventually was set free, which led Russell to escape from Texas prisons four times.
"Bad Santa" scribes Glenn Ficarra and John Requa penned the script and will make their directing debut. Timing is unsure as Carrey is plotting back-to-back films to be finished before the SAG contract expires next summer.
John McTiernan is set to direct the Las Vegas action thriller High Stakes for Persistent Pictures and Velvet Octopus, says The Hollywood Reporter.
Written by Ronnie Christensen, the story revolves around two friends who find themselves in over their heads when they realize they are the living collateral of a high-stakes bet.
Matt Rhodes is producing the project, which is scheduled to begin shooting in the fall in Shreveport, La., and Las Vegas.
McTiernan, whose credits include Die Hard, Die Hard: With a Vengeance and The Thomas Crown Affair, most recently directed the John Travolta-Samuel L. Jackson starrer Basic.
Je l to onaj scenario gde postoji scena car chase-a dugachka 20 minuta?
ne to je RUN a scena je valjda 50 minuta:)
Matt Damon will reteam with his "Bourne" director Paul Greengrass on an adaptation of "Imperial Life in the Emerald City" for Universal reports Variety.
Damon would play a composite character based on figures in Washington Post scribe Rajiv Chandrasekaran's tome about chaos in Iraq.
At present, scheduling issues are being worked out.
Oren Moverman is adapting Orson Scott Card's "Empire" into a large-scale drama by Warner Bros. and Silver Pictures reports Variety.
Set in the near future, the novel casts an America in chaos. The assassination of the president and veep plunges America into civil war and a team of special forces operatives try to unravel the conspiracy and save the country.
Card's novel "Ender's Game" is also being developed by WB as a big-scale sci-fi film by director Wolfgang Petersen.
Walt Disney Studios has entered into a multiyear, first-look deal with legendary comics creator Stan Lee and his production company POW! Entertainment.
Specifics were not disclosed, but Lee and his production company will develop and produce all forms of entertainment for various platforms.
"The big thing is we're trying to do projects that are high concept, stories that will lend themselves to franchises," said Lee, whose POW! stands for Purveyors of Wonder.
Lee is the co-creator of many of the most popular Marvel Comics superheroes that have gone on to starring roles in today's tentpole movie marketplace, from Spider-Man to the Fantastic Four to the Hulk.
"Stan has so many fantastic new ideas for films, and we can't wait to get started," said Oren Aviv, president of production at Walt Disney Studios. "Stan Lee is a living legend in the world of pop culture, and his characters and stories have been the inspiration for some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters. We're very excited to be working with him and his talented team in creating some incredible new motion picture experiences."
A major component of the agreement is home entertainment, as Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment president Bob Chapek was instrumental in bringing the deal to Disney. Chapek will work closely with Lee on many of his projects.
"(We) feel very fortunate to be collaborating with him on a wide range of new projects for all divisions of our company," Chapek said. "His track record is impressive by any measure, and (the home entertainment unit) is sure to benefit from his creations."
Lee made his first non-Marvel venture at the height of the dot-com boom with Stan Lee Media, with the intent of creating superheroes for the Internet. The venture collapsed, however, amid a stock manipulation scheme.
Lee, who was never implicated, created POW! in 2005. The venture so far has seen the creation of a Sci Fi Channel movie as well as two direct-to-DVD movies, "Mosaic" and "The Condor."
He also craeted the 2003 Spike TV cartoon series "Stripperella," featuring the voice talent of Pamela Anderson.
Amy Smart has been cast alongside Kiefer Sutherland and Paula Patton in Alexandre Aja's in 20th Century Fox's remake of the Korean horror film "Mirrors," currently in production in Romania says Bloody Disgusting.
The story follows a security guard at a high-end department store who begins to investigate mysterious deaths occurring in front of the stores' mirrors. He soon discovers that there are murderous reflections out for revenge.
Cameron Boyce, Erica Gluck, Mary Beth Peil, John Shrapnel, Jason Flemyng, Tim Ahern, Julian Glover, Josh Cole, Ezra Buzzington, Ioana Abur, Bart Sidles and Roz McCutcheon also star.
It's eccentric vs. disappointing in the race to helm the upcoming "Wolverine" spin-off feature film for 20th Century Fox.
The IESB reports that there are two names on the short list of directors the studio has in mind - DJ Caruso & Len Wiseman.
Caruso has been a player in the movie field for many years, initially a producer of mid-90's thrillers like "Drop Zone," "Point of No Return" and "Nick of Time." Lately though he's been more known for his directorial work on films like "Taking Lives," "The Salton Sea," "Two for the Money" and the recent hit "Disturbia". He's also worked on shows like "The Shield" and "Smallville."
Len Wiseman on the other hand is still a fresh face, mostly known for his work writing and directing the "Underworld" movies, his movie star looks, and a gorgeous wife in the form of Kate Beckinsale. His first major job is this Summer's upcoming "Live Free or Die Hard."
Caruso seems to be the favourite, but is being highly sought by others at the moment. If "Die Hard" is a success for Fox however, it makes sense for Wiseman to be attached.
David Goyer has already signed on to direct the "Magneto" spin-off movie.
Tobe Hooper ("Texas Chainsaw Massacre," "Poltergeist") is tipped to direct the thriller "Training Ground" for the London-based Midsummer Films says Shock Til You Drop.
The story follows eight backpackers traveling along the Silk Road who lose their mode of transportation via an avalanche.
Seeking a nearby town they stumble upon a desolate Al Qaeda training camp and discover plans for the destruction of several U.S. cities, unbeknownst to them Los Angeles has already suffered a dirty bomb attack.
They make off with the plans and are subsequently hunted down by the Al Qaeda members eager to get their information back.
Andy Briggs penned the script, and shooting begins this Fall in Romania.
He's talked a bit about his upcoming horror film "Red State", now "Clerks" helmer Kevin Smith has finally spilled the beans on his next comedy - "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" - to The Los Angeles Times.
Smith describes the film as "a bawdy sex comedy with heart" and the story as being "about two friends who have managed to trudge into their 30s with a satisfying lack of accomplishment. But a 15-year high school reunion and dire rent problems spark the novel moneymaking idea of pulling together an amateur porn enterprise."
The idea, vaguely similar to last year's "The Amateurs," and Smith's reputation was good enough for Harvey Weinstein who's forking over a cool $15 million to finance the project.
Joel Eisenberg ("Out of the Black") and Iron Mountain Media have picked up the life rights to renowned publisher William M. Gaines says The Hollywood Reporter.
"Ghoulishly Yours, William M. Gaines," will revolve around the banding together of an anti-establishment group of comic book creators, led by a reluctant Gaines, as they produce their controversial yet hugely popular line of comic books like "Tales From the Crypt" and Mad magazine.
Those publications later led Gaines to face Senate subcommittee hearings over accusations of perpetuating juvenile delinquency.
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20 Movies Not Coming Soon to a Theater Near You
Despite big names, strong buzz, and built-in fans, some films still find 'development hell' a very real place.
By Stephen Saito
In a summer full of threequels, it might seem as though Hollywood has run out of original ideas — but we beg to differ. For every Shrek the Third, there are hundreds of scripts (and even some completed films) in studio vaults that have been waiting to emerge. Some have stars ranging from Tom Hanks to Johnny Depp attached and still find themselves waiting to see the light of day. For every film that collects dust but eventually gets its happy, Hollywood ending — like Dreamgirls or the full-steam-ahead Speed Racer — there is a dream project like Stanley Kubrick's Napoleon, which likely died with the director.
Here are just 20 of the films we'd still like to see dug out of development hell and brought to a multiplex near you.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
Potential Cast: Natalie Portman and Tobey Maguire
Michael Chabon is probably sick of his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by now. The author went through 10 drafts of his 2000 novel about Sam Clay and Josef Kavalier, two immigrant cousins who meet each other in America during World War II to create a comic book called The Escapist. With a few superhero moves of its own, the film was greenlit by producer Scott Rudin at Paramount with The Hours director Stephen Daldry onboard to direct, while Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman were set to star. However, the stars weren't aligned at Paramount, who put the film in turnaround in 2007 after turnover in the studio's management.
Project Status: Chabon said recently in a Washington Post web chat that Rudin "assures me that there is no reason to despair and that it will all come back together again."
Closer star Natalie Portman never got around to joining The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.
A Cold Case
Potential Cast: Tom Hanks
Perhaps the title was self-fulfilling Before Kathryn Morris's Lily Rush ever solved her first moldy mystery on the CBS procedural with a similar title, A Cold Case was ready to be Tom Hanks's dramatic follow-up to the 2004 comedies The Ladykillers and The Terminal. One Hour Photo helmer Mark Romanek had signed on to bring his acutely dark vision to the film based on the true-life story of New York investigator Andy Rosenzwieg, who before retiring set out to solve the 27-year-old murder of his best friend. John Sayles and Forrest Gump scribe Eric Roth worked on the adaptation of Philip Gourevitch's bestseller, but A Cold Case frosted over when Hanks chose to conduct The Polar Express instead.
Project Status: Romanek has scared up The Wolf Man as his next film, but Hanks reportedly is still attached to the project, so we can only wait and see if Hollywood warms up to A Cold Case again.
Tom Hanks may have cracked The Da Vinci Code, but A Cold Case is a different matter.
A Confederacy of Dunces
Potential Cast: Will Ferrell, Mos Def, Drew Barrymore, and Lily Tomlin
The 2003 Nantucket Film Festival seemed like the end of a long journey for producer Scott Kramer. Back in the early '80s as an executive a Fox, Kramer had set up an adaptation of John Kennedy Toole's Pulitzer Prize-winning, New Orleans-set character study of the portly underachiever Ignatius J. Reilly, starring John Belushi and Richard Pryor and set to be directed by Harold Ramis. Now Will Ferrell, Mos Def, and All the Real Girls' David Gordon Green picked up where they had left off by participating in a public table-read of the Confederacy adaptation, co-written by Kramer and Steven Soderbergh and set to start filming by the end of the year. But as is wont to happen on films with the eccentricity of Confederacy, Paramount shuffled their feet, even with Ferrell and Drew Barrymore onboard, and Dunces was done in by studio ambivalence and issues concerning ownership of the book rights.
Project Status: Green told Roger Ebert in April 2006 that "the project is in development once again." However, Green is currently directing the Judd Apatow-produced stoner comedy The Pineapple Express.
Will Ferrell slayed audiences in Anchorman, but his dramatic A Confederacy of Dunces has been weighted down in development.
Dino
Potential Cast: Tom Hanks, John Travolta, Hugh Grant, Adam Sandler, and Jim Carrey
Amidst the 1990's swing of nostalgia for the retro cool of the 1950s, Warner Bros. commissioned a script from Casino screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi about the life of Dean Martin, which would reunite Pileggi with Casino director Martin Scorsese. A planned cast of Tom Hanks as Martin, John Travolta as Frank Sinatra, Hugh Grant as Peter Lawford, Adam Sandler as Joey Bishop, and Jim Carrey as Jerry Lewis was lined up for Scorsese's first biopic since 1981's Raging Bull. But Dino suffered a kick to the head when Warner Bros. allowed Scorsese a window to direct Gangs of New York for Miramax. Its long and expensive shoot led to the Rat Pack pic being shown the door.
Project Status: Scorsese would fulfill his commitment to Warner Bros. in 2003 by making The Aviator, a biopic about Howard Hughes, but Dino remains on the shelf.
Click's Adam Sandler was set to star as Rat Packer Joey Bishop in Dino until the project was checkmated.
The Dreyfus Affair
Potential Cast: Ben Affleck and Don Cheadle
Now that Brokeback Mountain has brought cowboys out of the closet, it finally might be time for a studio to take The Dreyfus Affair out of its closet as well. Everyone from Barbara Streisand to Nancy Drew helmer Andrew Fleming has wanted to direct an adaptation of Peter Lefcourt's satire about the national pastime turning into a national identity crisis when two baseball teammates round third base with each other. During the film's pre-production at Disney, Garth Brooks caused a stir when he took an interest to star in the film, if only the main character Randy wasn't gay. Ben Affleck and Don Cheadle would get as close as anyone to actually making the film in the late 1990s, with New Line for Dr. Doolittle director Betty Thomas. But as Lefcourt recently said in a panel discussion, one of the stars bowed out when a studio head told him his career wouldn't recover from playing a gay character on screen.
Project Status: Thanks to the Brokeback effect, Lefcourt is once again inching towards the plate with another adaptation.
Talk to Me's Don Cheadle was ready to play ball in the gay baseball satire The Dreyfus Affair
Dieter
Potential Cast: Mike Myers, Jack Black, Will Ferrell, and David Hasselhoff
If Saturday Night Live character Mary Catherine Gallagher could make it to the big screen, it should've been a walk in the park for Dieter, Mike Myers' effeminate German talk-show host. In fact, Universal felt the same way in 2000 and gave Myers the leeway to concoct a wild adventure involving his Kraftwerk-inspired creation traveling to America to rescue his beloved monkey from the clutches of David Hasselhoff. With Will Ferrell and Jack Black signed on to play Dieter's U.S. compatriots, Dieter was all set to be Myers' first success away from the Austin Powers franchise. However, shortly before production, Myers wouldn't approve the script that he actually cowrote, leading to an ugly legal battle between Myers and the film's producer Brian Grazer.
Project status: Myers and Grazer ultimately settled their differences out of court and even made a movie together (The Cat in the Hat), but Dieter's monkey remains caged.
Nacho Libre's Jack Black couldn't save the day for Mike Myers' Dieter.
Halo
Even by Hollywood standards, it was strange to see Master Chief hand deliver the Halo script, written by 28 Days Later scribe Alex Garland, to all the major studios, and stranger still when no studio immediately committed to the film adaptation of the mega-selling Xbox game in early 2005. Studios held firm when faced with the demands of the game's creator Microsoft, which included complete creative control and a $10 million fee for the rights. Since established franchises are few and far between, Fox and Universal agreed to team up on the project and, shortly after, Peter Jackson came aboard to produce with Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro in talks to direct. But that's where Master Chief started to run out of bullets. In 2006, Del Toro bowed out to direct Hellboy 2 and Jackson hired first-time director Neill Blomkamp to shore up the alien flood. Unfortunately, the studios balked at the cost of bringing the flood to the screen, which was said to be close to $200 million.
Project Status: Jackson has said recently that he hopes the release of Halo 3 the video game will make studio heads realize what they're missing.
The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson may be one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, but he couldn't lift up Halo.
Hands on a Hard Body
Potential Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and Hilary Swank
Robert Altman's films were known for their open-ended conclusions, and the late Nashville director continued that tradition even in death, leaving behind an array of work as scattered as the dialogue in his films. The unfinished projects include a tell-all autobiography and a satiric film called Paint about a murder mystery in the art world that would've starred Salma Hayek. Yet the furthest along was a fictional adaptation of the documentary Hands on a Hard Body, which was planned to start shooting in February 2007. Billy Bob Thornton, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and Hilary Swank were all prepared to put their hands on the $10 million Picturehouse comedy about eccentric characters who hope to win a truck by holding on to it the longest.
Project Status: Picturehouse chief Bob Berney was publicly skeptical of an Altman-less Hard Body, but left the door open by not making an official decision. If a project does come to pass, might we suggest A Prairie Home Companion's assistant director Paul Thomas Anderson for the gig?
The Rock carried a big gun in Doom, but he could never put his Hands on a Hard Body.
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Potential Cast: Tom Cruise
True to its ambitious title, Dave Eggers' memoir of his unexpected guardianship of his eight-year-old brother after both their parents die of cancer was hailed by critics in 2000, became a bestseller, and ultimately became the subject of a bidding war between New Line and Miramax. Eggers chose New Line after the studio offered him $2 million, complete creative control, and the right to cowrite the screenplay. New Line could also offer Paul Thomas Anderson, who had just completed Magnolia for the studio and could possibly lure Tom Cruise to star. But once About a Boy author Nick Hornby and High Fidelity scribe D.V. DeVincentis turned in a script, New Line made the heartbreaking move to put the film into turnaround. Universal picked up rights to the film for Kimberly Peirce, director of Boys Don't Cry, but she left the tearjerker and finally settled into the Iraq War drama Stop-Loss.
Project Status: There may be too much in development costs going against Genius, but we're still hoping it's a Work in progress.
Tom Cruise evaded aliens in War of the Worlds, but missed a chance at showing his human side in A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote
Cast: Johnny Depp and Jean Rochefort
For anyone who wants the whole story on how The Man Who Killed Don Quixote conquered Terry Gilliam, just rent the "unmaking of" documentary Lost in La Mancha. A quick recap: Gilliam had set out to adapt Miguel de Cervantes' classic about the self-styled conquistador, starring Jean Rochefort as the titular protagonist and a pre-Pirates Johnny Depp as the contemporary marketing exec who drops into the past and gets mistaken for Quixote's sidekick Sancho Panza. A hernia injury to Rochefort, a hailstorm that literally wiped out the production, and a host of other obstacles left Gilliam chasing windmills himself after the film's financing fell through.
Project Status: No stranger to long-gestating projects — including an adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Good Omens — Gilliam remains hopeful about finishing Don Quixote, saying in 2006 that he and cowriter Tony Grisoni were close to getting back the rights to their script. At least the Brazil director is in good company: Orson Welles adaptation of Quixote was also left unfinished.
Johnny Depp was the ultimate candy man in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but he might not have been meant to be The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.
Megalopolis
Potential Cast: Nicolas Cage, Russell Crowe, Robert De Niro, Paul Newman, and Kevin Spacey.
Francis Ford Coppola has almost as impressive a career of films that never came to fruition as he does of films that have. Coppola's list of projects-not-made include his long-in-the-works adaptation of Jack Kerouac's On the Road (which he will now produce for Motorcycle Diaries director Walter Salles) and a personal take on Pinocchio (following the tragic death of his son in 1985) that led to a lengthy legal battle with Warner Bros. over the film's rights. As much as we'd like to see either of those films directed by Coppola, The Godfather director really broke our heart when he announced he was scrapping Megalopolis, an ultra-ambitious epic about the battles between art and commerce, history and the future, told through the architectural restructuring of New York City. The film, however, was hatched in early 2001 and crumbled in that same year following the September 11 attacks.
Project Status: Coppola isn't ruling out a return to the sci-fi epic, recently telling Ain't It Cool News, "I have abandoned that as of now. I plan to begin a process of making one personal movie after another and if something leads me back to look at that, which I'm sure it might, I'll see what makes sense to me."
Adaptation's Nicolas Cage never got a chance to reunite with his uncle Francis Ford Coppola on Megalopolis.
The Onion Movie
Cast: Steven Seagal
Unlike the rest of the films on this list, The Onion Movie was actually produced, but you won't find any trace of it on IMDB. The trail of tears begins back in late 2003, when the minds behind the satirical rag signed with Fox Searchlight to make a no-holds-barred sketch-comedy movie. Under the guidance of producer and well known spoofer David Zucker of Airplane fame, The Onion's then-editor Robert Siegel and writer Todd Hanson penned a script that tackled cultural mores with skits called "Who Is the Rapist?" and even convinced Steven Seagal to play himself as a superhero named "Cock Puncher." Fox Searchlight didn't see the humor. Now the only evidence that the film even exists is a review on the website JoBlo from a reader who "wanted to poke my eyes out" after seeing a test screening.
Project Status: In March 2007, The Onion's president Sean Mills said they were no longer associated with the film — but call us a glutton for punishment or just eternal optimists for still wanting a peek.
Steven Seagal actually played a character named Cock Puncher even though The Onion Movie got punched out
Rendezvous With Rama
Potential Cast: Morgan Freeman
When Morgan Freeman started his own production company in 1997, the first film announced was Rendezvous With Rama, an adaptation of 2001: A Space Odyssey author Arthur C. Clarke's novel about a human crew who investigates an alien starship. Regarded as a classic among the sci-fi community, Rama also boasted a director worthy of such material, Freeman's Se7en helmer David Fincher. Ever since then, the film has become a veritable black hole of Freeman and Fincher's careers, emerging every so often online in the form of a conceptual sketch or a teaser clip, but nothing more. As Fincher went on to direct Fight Club and Panic Room, the $100-million film always seemed to be next on the director's slate, yet we're still waiting for this Rendezvous to happen.
Project Status: Freeman's Revelations Entertainment still has a poster of Rama prominently displayed on its home page with Fincher as the film's director.
10 Items or Less star Morgan Freeman is still holding out hope that he'll Rendezvous with Rama.
Save Us Joe Louis
Potential Cast: Terrence Howard
We're as surprised as anybody that two films written by What Makes Sammy Run? author Budd Schulberg, a writer best known for his script for 1954's On the Waterfront, are making this list of unmade classics. The most intriguing, however, is Save Us Joe Louis, a drama about the 1930s rivalry between the African-American boxer and German Max Schmelling shortly before World War II. Spike Lee, who planned to direct the film in September 2001, told The New York Times earlier that year, "The subject matter is wonderful: Hitler, Goebbels, F.D.R., Mussolini. We see it in the same genre as the David Lean epics such as Lawrence of Arabia and The Bridge on the River Kwai." Nonetheless Joe Louis wasn't heard from again until 2005, when Lee insisted that the film would follow Inside Man. He even found a leading man in Hustle and Flow's Terrence Howard, but Lee's busy schedule after his first hit in years has left the director without time to lace up his boxing gloves.
Project Status: Call it a TKO for now, since Lee has the potential Tom Cruise thriller Selling Time and a sequel to Inside Man in the works.
Terrence Howard had another chance for Pride if only Spike Lee could pull together the biopic Save Us Joe Louis.
Tripoli
Potential Cast: Russell Crowe
Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe had been looking for a follow up to Gladiator and thought they found it when they set sail to the shores of Tripoli, a period drama penned by The Departed screenwriter William Monaghan. Crowe would play William Eaton, the U.S. diplomat during the Jefferson Administration who in the early 1800s sought to overthrow the ruler of Tripoli on the Barbary Coast by uniting the region's Christian and Muslim soldiers. Ben Kingsley had signed on to star alongside Crowe, and filming was supposed to start in 2003 after Scott had finished making Matchstick Men. But Fox, the studio producing Tripoli, had another Russell Crowe oceanic epic in the works with Master and Commander and deemed Tripoli not seaworthy at the time.
Project Status: Since Crowe and Scott disembarked from Tripoli to do two other films together, Keanu Reeves has been bandied about as a potential replacement for the lead, and Monaghan said in a 2007 IGN interview that "Tripoli will get made. There's no way it can't be."
Tripoli would've reunited Russell Crowe with Gladiator director Ridley Scott.
The Turtle and the Hare
Potential Cast: Michael Caine, Brenda Blethyn, Bob Hoskins, and Orlando Jones
After Chicken Run had become a massive international hit in 1999, the claymation geniuses at Aardman Animation set their sights on a faux documentary about the world's most famous race. By the time production started on the stop-motion film in February 2001, Michael Caine stepped up to the starting line in the role of Maurice the Tortoise, with Brenda Blethyn, Bob Hoskins, and Orlando Jones rounding out the cast of voices. But when the filmmakers decided the script needed some work in July 2001, Tortoise slowed to a halt and Aardman decided not to split hares by turning their full attention towards Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.
Project Status: The Aesop's fable fell further down Aardman's list of priorities when computer-animated films became all the craze, and the studio turned its attention to the CG rat's tale Flushed Away. Still, Aardman signed a new production deal at Sony, so Tortoise is said to be closer to coming out of its shell.
Children of Men's Michael Caine knew slow and steady would win the race playing the Tortoise in the Aardman film, but the race never started.
Untitled Phil Spector biopic
Potential Cast: Tom Cruise
Long before Phil Spector was on trial for murder, Tom Cruise began developing a biopic of the legendary music producer who shepherded into superstardom artists ranging from the Ronettes to Ike and Tina Turner. Cruise enlisted his Jerry Maguire director Cameron Crowe, but their script about the "wall of sound" inventor stumbled when the duo couldn't figure out an ending. Even though Crowe left the Spector project to direct Almost Famous, Spector's specter has never really left Crowe: the director cast the music producer's daughter in bit parts in Almost Famous and Elizabethtown. Also, in an eerie coincidence, Lana Clarkson, the slain actress at the center of Spector's trial, made her acting debut in Crowe's Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
Project Status: Though the jury is literally out on Spector's real-life fate, the music producer is more likely to be the subject of a TV movie than a big screen one. Still, who wouldn't pay to see Cruise as a crazily coiffed Spector?
Cameron Crowe had the musical know-how for a Phil Spector biopic from his days at Rolling Stone, just not an ending for the film.
Used Guys
Potential Cast: Jim Carrey, Ben Stiller, and Emily Mortimer
Used Guys' futuristic premise may be downright quaint by the time someone revives this Ben Stiller-Jim Carrey comedy that an unnamed senior executive at Fox told The New York Times was a "prescription for unhappiness." With an estimated budget of $112 million, two $20 million comedy kings, and a decidedly strange premise about a world where men had been eradicated and replaced by "pleasure clones" — two of whom would be played by Stiller and Carrey —the film was a gamble. After all, who wants to be stuck with the next Adventures of Pluto Nash? But with Meet the Fockers director Jay Roach onboard to direct, Used Guys seemed like a safe bet. Profit participation beyond the two stars' regular fees and Carrey's commitment to another film (Ripley's Believe It Or Not, which also ultimately did not happen) were cited as reasons why we'll never get to see Roach's planned egg-shaped cars.
Project Status: Just like the men of Used Guys, the project seems extinct.
The Number 23 star Jim Carrey was ready to play a Used Guy until Fox pulled the plug.
What Makes Sammy Run
Potential Cast: Ben Stiller
While we can't say for certain what makes Sammy run, we do know that he's running a marathon and not a sprint. That may be because Budd Schulberg's What Makes Sammy Run is the ultimate Hollywood insider novel and, at the time of its publication in 1941, any studio wanting to adapt the tale of the ruthless and self-serving Hollywood screenwriter Sammy Glick would most likely find themselves part of its sordid storyline. Ben Stiller bought the rights to the book in the mid-1990s and wrote a script with Jerry Stahl, the man he played in Permanent Midnight, to direct for Warner Bros. In 2001, when Stiller moved his production company to DreamWorks, the then-burgeoning studio paid $2.6 million to Warners to have the project move along with him, but the ubiquitous Stiller hasn't been able to fit the film into his schedule.
Project Status: Stiller is currently directing Tropic Thunder, his first film since Zoolander which means Sammy will have to keep running offscreen.
Ben Stiller wanted to put his days of monkeying around in films like Night at the Museum behind him with the drama What Makes Sammy Run?
Wonder Woman
Potential Cast: Sandra Bullock
Not even Wonder Woman's golden lasso has been able to rein in the seemingly endless development that keeps Princess Diana of the Amazon in perpetual procession to the silver screen. As with all DC Comics characters, Wonder Woman seemed bound for the big screen via DC's corporate sibling, Warner Bros. However, no one besides Lynda Carter has ever been formally fitted for Wonder Woman's halter top since producer Joel Silver took control of the project in 2001. While Sandra Bullock and Jennifer Lopez were bandied about to put on the bulletproof bracelets, Antz screenwriter Todd Alcott took a stab at the film, followed by a series of scribes leading up to Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon being hired to helm in 2005. His version, said to be set in the present day and star an unknown, wasn't deemed wondrous by the studio. Warner Bros. unceremoniously dumped Whedon by buying a version set during World War II and written by two unknowns, though the studio claimed it was only a preemptive measure against a plagiarism lawsuit.
Project Status: Silver is considering leaving Wonder Woman in a league of her own until she can join a film about the DC all-star crime-fighting squad, the Justice League.
Real life husband and wife Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany will team for the psychological thriller "Born" reports Variety.
The story revolves around a couple who settle down in a seemingly idyllic English town to raise a family. Their perfect life is shaken when the husband, a claymation artist, discovers his characters are acting out a nightmare that comes to life.
Guillermo del Toro, Lawrence Gordon and Lloyd Levin will produce. Stop-motion animated sequences, produced by Chiodo Bros. Prods. ("Elf," "Team America") will be integrated into the pic.
Daniel Simpson will direct and co-wrote the project with Clive Barker and Paul Kaye. Production begins mid-August in the UK.
Timur Bekmambetov ("Night Watch," "Day Watch") is currently working on the comic adaptation "Wanted" and revealed some surprising details about the project.
The Mark Miller comic followed an ordinary office worker who discovers that he's actually the son of one of the greatest supervillains that ever lived, and now that his father is dead he must take his place.
Bekmambetov however revealed to MTV News that some definite changes are in order for the story - namely that the supervillain group whom he and his father belong to will now have a more mystical quality:
"He soon finds himself carrying out the death orders of the Fates, literal weavers of every human's lifeline...We built a huge textile factory in Prague. The production designer, John Myhre, built this huge set and we've created a mythology in this world of weavers. The hero will discover the whole world. It looks ordinary, but it's not. It's an industrial world filled with weaving machines, lots of traps, lot of looms flying back and forth and predicting the future. The looms weave these fabrics, and the fabrics have a pattern, like a binary code, that has information. The weavers can read the fabric - they see the structure of it and they can read its messages. Then they know who has to be killed to keep the balance of the world."
Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman and James McAvoy star in the film which is due out late next year.
Ne znam da li da se nerviram ili da se radujem što je za ekranizaciju odabran jedan od manje interesantnih 'alternativnih' superhero stripova iz poslednje decenije. S jedne strane, ima toliko boljih predložaka za ovaj tretman (nekih napisanih i od strane samog Millara), s druge, ZNAM da će u transferu u drugi medij čak i Wanted koji nije mnogo pametan ni u originalu, zaglupeti, pa je bolje da se nisu dohvatili nečeg boljeg.
William Hurt has joined the all-star cast of Universal Pictures "The Incredible Hulk" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Louis Leterrier directs the story which sees Bruce Banner/Hulk (Edward Norton) on the run, trying to avoid capture long enough to cure the condition that turns him into a monster.
Hurt will play Gen. Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, the man who has dedicated his life to capturing the Hulk -- and who also is the father of Banner's love interest, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler).
Roth plays the villain Emil Blonsky/the Abomination, whilst Zak Penn wrote the script. Shooting begins this Summer in Toronto.
Jennifer Aniston will produce and potentially star in the DreamWorks period musical "Goree Girls" reports Reuters.
Margaret Nagle ("The Lost Boys of the Sudan") is adapting a 2003 Texas Monthly article about a group of eight women serving time in Texas' Goree Prison during the 1940s.
They formed one of the first all-female country and western acts in the country and captured the hearts of millions of fans in the process before they were eventually pardoned.
Director Martin Campbell ("Casino Royale," "Goldfinger," "The Mask of Zorro") is attached to helm Paramount's thriller "36" says The Hollywood Reporter.
A remake of the acclaimed 2004 French-language thriller "36 quai des orfevres," the story revolves around two detectives who try to solve a series of armored car robberies in the hopes of landing a promotion promised to whoever catches the perpetrators.
Author-screenwriter Richard Price ("Freedomland," "Mad Dog and Glory") has been tapped to overhaul Dean Georgaris' screenplay and reimagine the two detectives in their 30s. Robert De Niro, who is producing and was attached to star, will now bow out of the acting role due to the reinvention.
Campbell is presently readying 20th Century Fox's thriller "Unstoppable" as his next project.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has confirmed the company's next independently financed project will be a new version of "Captain America" reports Sci-Fi Wire.
Mixing a period story with a contemporary one, the PG-13 superhero film is currently being penned by David Self ("Road to Perdition") with a director to be announced shortly.
"We'll have to play with Captain America as being a patriotic propoganda machine on one hand but also being a very human Steve Rogers, ... [an] interesting, fascinating hero in his own right," Feige told reporters on the set of "Iron Man."
Shooting begins this time next year.
Sam Neill, Guy Pearce and Miranda Otto will star in new Australian crime drama "How to Change in 9 Weeks" for Icon Films says The Hollywood Reporter.
The thriller is based on the story of a 15-year-old Australian student, Rachel Barber, who went missing in Melbourne in 1999 and was found to have been murdered by a former childhood friend, Caroline Reid.
Newcomers Kate Bell and Ruth Murphy have been cast in the key roles of Barber and Reid while Pearce and Otto will star as Rachel's parents. Neill plays Caroline's father, David Reid, and Rebecca Gibney plays her mother. Justine Clarke also stars.
One unusual element is that director Simone North and producer Tony Cavanaugh have enlisted Sidney Lumet to serve as a mentor for North in her debut feature as a writer-director.
Shooting begins this week in Queensland this week before moving to Melbourne. "Weeks" is scheduled for release in Australia in early 2008.
The manager of Carice van Houten ("Black Book") has told the Dutch press that she will play the wife of Tom Cruise's character in Bryan Singer's WWII drama "Valkyrie"..."
Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment have set David Goyer to write and direct a new take on the H.G. Wells classic "The Invisible Man" reports Variety.
Conceived as a sequel to Wells' original tale, the story centers on a British nephew of the original Invisible Man.
Once he discovers his uncle's formula for achieving invisibility, he is recruited by British intelligence agency MI5 during WWII.
Brian Grazer will produce. Goyer recently directed "The Invisible," "Blade: Trinity," and is planning to helm "X-Men" spinoff "Magneto."
AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Ahead of Friday's opening of "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer," Marvel Studios has begun the process of bringing another of its comics to the big screen: the elite superhero team the Avengers.
Zak Penn, who wrote the screenplay for Marvel's upcoming "The Incredible Hulk," is slated to pen the live-action adaptation that would be titled "The Avengers."
On the other side of town, Warner Bros. Pictures is developing its superhero superteam, "Justice League of America," with Kieran Mulroney and Michele Mulroney having submitted a draft adapting the DC Comics series.
While Penn has not begun his screenplay, those who have read the Mulroneys' draft give it a thumbs-up, and a search for directors is about to begin.
One challenge facing the writers is which heroes to include in their scripts.
While the roster for the Avengers has changed since its inception in 1963, growing to include the likes of Spider-Man and X-Men hero Wolverine, the classic iteration of the team consisted of Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and the diminutive Ant-Man and Wasp. Other members have been the Hulk, the bow-and-arrow-wielding Hawkeye and the probability-altering gypsy Scarlet Witch.
Many of these heroes are getting their own starring portrayals in other movies, with
Robert Downey Jr. as "Iron Man" already shooting; "Hulk" scheduled for a summer start, with Ed Norton starring; a "Thor" script being written by Mark Protosevich; and "Ant-Man" being developed by Edgar Wright ("Hot Fuzz"). Marvel wants to wait until all those films have entered the market before unleashing "The Avengers."
Marvel, which had licensed out some of its characters to various studios, owns the rights to most of the Avengers with the exception of Hulk, which Universal has.
"Avengers" has acted as the company's answer to DC Comics' best-seller "Justice League of America," which was banded together such A-list heroes as Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Aquaman, Flash and Green Lantern as well as the Martian Manhunter.
One question that the respective companies will have to address before either movie is green lighted is whether to include the marquee superheroes such as Superman and the Hulk in ensemble projects.
If "The Avengers" and "Justice League" ultimately do include the biggest names among the superhero fraternity, then the question would turn to casting. Should Warners try to get
Christian Bale and
Brandon Routh, who star as Superman and Batman in their respective movies, into the ensemble films? Should Marvel talk to Norton and Downey about starring in "Avengers?"
The answers could be years in the making.
Talking with IGN UK, film producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura revealed that he's still hoping to move ahead with a sequel to 2005's supernatural actioneer "Constantine".
He says "I know all the filmmakers want to try to make number two. We love the character. We're hoping that we can find a way to make even, I'll say, a darker, harder version of it. We're not at that place yet where we really have the ability to get that done, but I know Keanu wants to play that and all of us think that there is a natural, new and darker adventure with Constantine."
di Bonaventura also talked briefly about the two "G.I. Joe" scripts in development and the maligned Skip Woods' draft - "Skip had literally, from the day he finished his contract to the day that draft came in, seven weeks [to complete it] because of the timeline that was being required by the overall deal. So, it has been judged in some circles, I think, harshly, and I think unfortunately like all creative processes it was just the very beginning of it. And I know that Skip is working hard on his next draft and is going to nail it."
He adds that the process is going to take some time - "Snake-Eyes and Scarlett, Nemesis and Destro and Cobra and Duke and Heavy Duty: These guys have to be rendered as characters that the fan base recognizes and loves, and in a way that the movie can deliver a cool experience that you want to relate to. And that's an evolutionary process."
Y tu mamá también" stars Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna are re-teaming for the dramedy "Rudo y Cursi" (aka "Rough and Corny") which is currently shooting in Mexico.
Penned & directed by Carlos Cuarón (Alfonso's brother), the story is a tale of love and hate between professional soccer-playing brothers says Reuters.
Alfonso Cuarón and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu co-produce. Filming began three weeks ago near a Cuarón-owned banana plantation in Cihuatlan.
Jude Law and Forest Whitaker are set to headline futuristic adventure thriller "Repossession Mambo" for Universal Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
Miguel Sapochnik makes his feature directorial debut on the film, which centers on a repo man made up of artificial organs who, after receiving a heart transplant, struggles to make payments and must go on the run from his former partner.
Eric Garcia and Garrett Lerner penned the screenplay. A September start date is being targeted.
Talking with News 24, FHM's sexiest South African woman Tanya van Graan will appear in both the upcoming third "Starship Troopers" film and a new Jean Claude Van Damme project.
The model confirmed that she'll begin shooting "Starship Troopers: Marauder" in Cape Town in a few weeks. The project, which began shooting recently at Table Mountain, sees Casper van Dien cast again as Johnny Rico. Graan says she plays "one of the seven troopers who must help to save the earth."
Shooting on the presently untitled Van Damme film begins in July in Cape Town. Graan's role is more of a cameo in that one.
A flurry of casting rumors have sprung up in the last few hours on the upcoming "Watchmen" comic adaptation that Zack Snyder ("300") is directing.
A posting on actor Paddy Consindine's official site (via Coming Soon) indicates the actor is no longer up for the role of Rorschach, and the offer has now gone out to Jackie Earle Haley ("Little Children," "All the King's Men").
Coming Soon talked with Haley's "Little Children" co-star Patrick Wilson about Snyder's recent comments that he's pretty much set for the role of Nite Owl. Wilson replied "I don't know if I'm allowed to talk about this stuff. It's been confirmed on a lot of websites, I'll just say that."
Pushed further, he added "I would blab my mouth cause I certainly haven't been told to keep quiet. It's just out of respect for them trying to get everybody else on board before I go ahead and blab my mouth, but it's pretty cool. It's exciting stuff."
Finally, Aint it Cool reports that with Keanu Reeves and Billy Crudup no longer set to play Dr. Manhattan, actor Jason Patric ("Speed II," "Sleepers") is now the current favourite for that role.
They also indicate that Thomas Jane has beat out the likes of Ron Pearlman and Nathan Fillion for the role of the ill-fated The Comedian.
Owen Wilson and Nick Nolte have joined the Ben Stiller-directed DreamWorks comedy "Tropic Thunder" reports Variety.
The story follows a group of actors who go on location to shoot a war movie, only to find that reality replicates their plot.
Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Brandon Jackson, Steve Coogan, Danny McBride, Bill Hader, Jay Baruchel, Matt Levin and Andrea De Oliveira are already onboard to star.
Stiller, who wrote the script with Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen, will begin filming this summer in Hawaii and Los Angeles.
Michael Bay's production company Platinum Dunes will begin production this August on the thriller "Half to Death" reports Filmjerk.
The story follows a young college freshman living the same day over and over again, one that always ends with her brutal murder by an unknown attacker. As a result she must race to find the killer to stop it from happening.
Finnish video director Antti Jokinen will make his feature directing debut, from a screenplay by one-time "Buffy" comic book writer Scott Lobdell.
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"from a screenplay by one-time "Buffy" comic book writer Scott Lobdell.
Lobdel je inache gotovo sam pisao sve XMen naslove od pochetka 90ih pa do negde 98. godine - bilo je tu jos pisaca ali je on sam stvorio taj XMen filing koji je mene i privukao ovoj franshizi. Posebno bih istakao Generation X serijal koji je vodio prvih 30ak brojeva...
Comedian Jack Black and director Todd Phillips ("Road Trip," "Starsky and Hutch") are teaming for Warner Bros. comedy "Man-Witch" reports Variety.
In the comedy, Black will play a schoolteacher who suddenly discovers he has witchlike abilities.
Taken in by a coven, he is persuaded to attend a school for witches, only to discover that his classmates are all girls.
Jay Reiss ("Lonny the Great") is penning the script and Phillips is being eyed to direct.
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"In the comedy, Black will play a schoolteacher who suddenly discovers he has witchlike abilities.
Taken in by a coven, he is persuaded to attend a school for witches, only to discover that his classmates are all girls.
iako ne volim bleka, moram reci da sam se glasno nasmejao procitavsi ovaj sinopsis :!:
Aardman Features ("Wallace & Gromit," "Chicken Run") has unveiled four film projects as part of their new three-year deal with Sony Pictures. According to Variety, the four films on their slate include:
"The Cat Burglars" - A claymation comedic heist movie about milk-thieving stray cats. Steve Box directs, "Life on Mars" creators Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharoah will write, and the tone has been described as both "family-friendly Tarantino" and "Ocean's Eleven meets Wallace & Gromit."
"Pirates" - Comedy adventure based on the "Pirates" series of books penned by Gideon Defoe. Andy Riley and Kevin Cecil (TV's "Hyperdrive") will pen the script, and "Chicken Run" helmer Peter Lord will direct.
"Operation Rudolph" - A Christmas action movie showing Santa's North Pole operation as an exhilarating ultra-high-tech military procedure on a massive scale, revealing how Santa and his huge army of combat elves get around the whole world in one night. "Borat" co-writer Peter Baynham is penning the script.
"Untitled Nick Park Project" - Details are not yet released, but it is not another "Wallace & Gromit."
The Kingdom' Gambles That Entertainment Can Trump Politics
Frank Connor/Universal Pictures
From left, Ali Suliman, the director Peter Berg and Ashraf Barhom on the set of "The Kingdom," a terror thriller that stars Jamie Foxx.
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By MICHAEL CIEPLY
Published: June 19, 2007
LOS ANGELES, June 18 — "The Kingdom," a coming film about the F.B.I.'s pursuit of Islamic bad guys in a not particularly hospitable Saudi Arabia, appears on the surface to tread on treacherous and polarized political ground. But after a test screening before a deliberately diversified audience in the London borough of Wandsworth earlier this year, the director Peter Berg began to suspect that his terror thriller might survive its birth into a contentious world, after all.
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The Kingdom
Syriana
World Trade Center
United 93
300
Munich Asked who would rate the film "excellent," eight Muslim men and women in traditional dress — presumably some of the picture's toughest customers — were among those who raised their hands, Mr. Berg said over breakfast here last week.
Asked why, another young Muslim woman responded with an unexpectedly salty term for high-powered action.
By Mr. Berg's account, the screening audience in a working-class British neighborhood had bought into the film's notion that conventional movie values — buddy bonding, boisterous action and a relentless determination to get the bad guys — could bridge the deepest cultural chasm. Universal Pictures will soon discover whether ticket buyers around the world feel the same.
In a somewhat unusual gambit Universal marketers have begun to punctuate the summer movie season with extensive promotional screenings of "The Kingdom," though it is not scheduled for release until Sept. 28. Fox successfully did something similar last year with its off-center comedy "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan."
Universal's idea is to show that however little viewers may hunger for movies about real terror — "Syriana," "World Trade Center" and the Universal-distributed "Munich" and "United 93" found limited audiences for their downbeat, introspective takes — "The Kingdom" is different. It's Middle Eastern politics with considerably less agonizing.
Cooked up four years ago by Mr. Berg; Michael Mann, who is a producer on the film; and the writer Matthew Michael Carnahan, "The Kingdom" is intended, in Mr. Carnahan's words, to figure out "what would a murder investigation look like on Mars?"
The film follows a team of F.B.I. investigators, led by Jamie Foxx's special agent Ronald Fleury, as they break political barriers and cultural taboos to investigate a bombing in Saudi Arabia not unlike the real-life attacks on Western residential compounds in Riyadh. Those occurred in May 2003, just as Mr. Berg began working on "The Kingdom."
The film's buddy is a Saudi police colonel played by Ashraf Barhom ("Paradise Now"). Its baddie is the bomb-building leader of an Islamic terror cell. The heroes' modus operandi carries a whiff of "Rambo" and more than a touch of Mr. Mann's trademark creation, the classic police show "Miami Vice."
"We wanted to get guys who do procedural homicide work," Mr. Mann explained in a telephone interview. "Two of those guys from the most oppositional backgrounds you can imagine, a Saudi cop and an African-American from Washington, would have more things in common, wanting to make bad things not happen, than all the cultural differences between them."
Viewers conditioned by the self-doubting Israeli assassins of Steven Spielberg's "Munich" or the mind-bending complexities of Stephen Gaghan's "Syriana" may be startled by Mr. Berg's more kinetic approach. Mr. Foxx's character is perfectly willing to join a T-shirted Jennifer Garner and colleagues blasting their way through a trouble-infested Saudi neighborhood when the situation calls for it, local standards of female propriety notwithstanding.
A lack of filmmaking infrastructure and precedents ruled out shooting in Saudi Arabia. (Even "Lawrence of Arabia," whose story spanned the Arabian desert, was largely shot in Morocco and Spain.) But Mr. Berg, 43, known to many for his portrayal of Dr. Billy Kronk on the series "Chicago Hope" and who is an executive producer on the television series "Friday Night Lights," still pursued an air of authenticity.
With the help of a Saudi friend, he visited the kingdom, though he received no official support from the Saudi government, he said. The film was shot in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, as well as in Washington and Arizona.
Initially several Saudis were retained to provide cultural advice, though one, Mr. Berg said, was distanced from the project after he developed a crush on Ms. Garner. Rich Klein of the Kissinger McLarty Associates consulting firm was a key political adviser.
"It became an exercise in honesty," said Mr. Klein, a former State Department official who patrolled matters as small as the styling of the characters' thobes — long-sleeved Saudi robes — or the likely back-story of an American diplomat played by Jeremy Piven.
The Saudi embassy's press office in Washington did not respond to queries about the film.
In editing "The Kingdom," Mr. Berg said he tinkered only slightly to keep the movie's sympathies from straying into a zone that might seem unacceptably anti-Muslim or pro-Western. A softer scene, for instance, portrays a Muslim family praying. It went in and out of the movie several times, Mr. Berg said, but finally remained in, as necessary leavening.
"Everybody wants good," Scott Stuber, the film's other producer, said, speaking of the prayer scene. "It's important for the good people to band together."
Mr. Carnahan said he wrote drafts that were far more political and "nihilistic" than the finished film. And he fretted for a time that Mr. Berg's insistence on honoring basic values of the buddy-cop genre might be "dumbing this movie down." But, Mr. Carnahan said, he also came to believe that wrapping his notions about shared responsibility for the world's ills "in conventional movie plot and conventional movie characters" was the way to reach people.
According to at least some independent evidence, that is beginning to occur. "The Kingdom" drew applause at a recent screening in Los Angeles, and a fair number of whoops when Saudi and American heroes scored on the movie villains.
And, not unlike "300" — an action film about ancient Spartans that earlier this year stirred unexpected debate about whether it was pro- or anti-President Bush — "The Kingdom" has already provoked some conflicting opinions about its real message.
"About time we had a pro-American movie," started one thread among several chewing over the film's sympathies on an IMDB.com message board recently. By contrast, Mr. Berg said, one of the traditionally dressed Muslim women at his London screening said she had read the movie as being "about the absurdity of military solutions" to Middle Eastern problems.
For Universal, which spent more than $70 million to make the film and will invest tens of millions more to market it, the task will be to keep such ferment from overwhelming its own message: that even the most divisive situations can be served by a popcorn movie, if done right.
"We now accept the fact that this is the dynamic of the world we live in," said Marc Shmuger, Universal's chairman, speaking of the attempt by Mr. Berg and company to plant a genuine entertainment on top of an all-too real problem.
"I love that," he added. "I really respond to that."
Mamoru Oshii, best known internationally for the two Ghost in the Shell movies, will direct The Sky Crawlers, an animated feature scheduled for Japanese release in 2008.
The Sky Crawlers is based on series of novels by Hiroshi Mori concerning an alternate present day where young "Kildren" fight a war as entertainment for adults. After reading the novel, Director Oshii praised it as "a work that should be made into a movie for young people now....It is time to face this new perception to our existence through the Kildren, who live indefinitely in eternal adolescence, and this theme should be dealt with now."
kakav car! :!:
Cool! Taj čovjek mi je simpatičan, prvenstveno zbog filma Anđelovo jaje.
NEW YORK -- The award-winning Romanian drama "The Way I Spent The End of the World" from exec producers Martin Scorsese and Wim Wenders has been acquired for North American distribution by Film Movement.
Director Catalin Mitulescu's film won the 2005 Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Award and Un Certain Regard best actress award for star Doroteea Petre at the 2006 Festival de Cannes.
Petre plays Eva, a teenager who accidentally breaks a statue of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu with her 7-year-old brother during the last year of the leader's rule. After being prosecuted for the incident, she escapes the country, and her brother hatches a plan to assassinate the leader with his school friends.
Film Movement will distribute "World" exclusively to its DVD club members in July, followed by a first-quarter 2008 limited theatrical platform release and a home video release to retail and online outlets several months later.
The deal was negotiated by Film Movement president Adley Gartenstein with Valentina Merli from Pyramide International.
Kate Hudson is set to star opposite Dane Cook in Lionsgate Films' "Bachelor No. 2" reports the trades.
Jordan Cahan's screenplay centers on Tank, man who is hired by men who have been dumped to take their ex-girlfriends out on nightmare dates, thereby convincing the women to return to their boyfriends.
Rrouble arises when Cook's character is hired to take out Alexis (Hudson), the ex-girlfriend of his best pal.
Howard Deutch directs and production is slated to begin in August in Boston for an early Fall 2008 release.
Paramount Pictures has picked up up Adam Cozad's spec "Dubai" which Lorenzo di Bonaventura and actor Eric Bana will produce.
The story centers on a young economist who is set up by Iranian operatives in Dubai. They use him in a plot to instigate the collapse of the U.S. economy; he's forced to go on the run to prove his innocence.
A passion project of Bana's, who helped shop the script around last week, there's no word as to whether he'll actually star in it.
Kremen
Lee Marshall in Taormina
27 Jun 2007 17:16
Dir: Aleksei Mizgiryov. Russ. 2007. 83mins.
Perhaps the Taormina festival catalogue errs a little on the side of enthusiasm in comparing Aleksei Mizgiryov's debut feature Kremen to Taxi Driver. But there is something in the claim: like Scorsese's classic, this is a tale of a disturbed, asocial innocent with a rigid moral code who takes on a corrupt metropolis and, in his own way, wins. Though over-stylised at times, Kremen sticks in the mind thanks to the edgy weirdness of the central character and the darkly resonant quality of the story, which feels like a contemporary take on a traditional Russian folk tale – complete with odd logical leaps and gaps in the flow of the narrative.
Made on a tight budget, Kremen occupies an uneasy niche somewhere between the action-avenger genre and the arthouse, and this may limit its box-office appeal at home, where it has just opened. Elsewhere it will benefit from being seen in a few other festivals after its two launchpads (the other was Sochi, the main Russian indie fest, where Kremen picked up a prize for Best Debut). Abroad, audiences who enjoy the mix of revenge themes and skewed social observation offered by Korean directors like Park Chan-wook may take to it.
Newly arrived in Moscow from the struggling oil town of Almetevsk, solemn young Anton (Antropov) heads for the house of an uncle long established in the big city, who seems a little bemused to see him. Fresh out of the army, Anton plays the cool hard guy, breaking bottles and walnuts on his head and telling anyone who will listen that "my word is like flint" (The film's Russian title translates literally as "flint"). But this tough act is belied by his appearance: gawky, crew-cut Anton looks more like a 16-year-old boy scout with delusions than a hardened Red Army recruit.
It's difficult to work out whether there's much going on beneath the surface of Anton's serious, deapan face; but Antropov's slightly stiff, unemotional performance suits the character well. Only in his unrequited passion for his pretty blonde cousin Zina (Bezborodova) does he show any signs of weakness; but his reaction to rejection is never (or only for a split-second) self-doubt. He simply clocks the setback and doggedly renews the assault.
We would feel sorry for Anton if he wasn't such a neo-Dostoyevskian psychopath – and the tension between these two impulses of sympathy and repulsion is maintained throughout. Even the music helps in this respect: the film's soundtrack consists mainly of an obsessively repeated string and woodwind piece by Philip Glass (commissioned for but cut from Godfrey Reggio's film Koyaanisqatsi) based on a series of wavering, queasy minor chords that mirror the audience's ambivalence towards the hero.
When Anton joins the Moscow police, his lack of humour and strict (though rather homemade) sense of justice seem sure to be stream-rollered by his easy-going corrupt colleagues, who run a prostitution racket, let off a murderer in return for a huge bribe and frame a penniless immigrant in his stead, and knock back the vodka like there's no tomorrow.
But he's so impervious to threats and blandishments that it's his fellow officers, led by likeable bad guy Sergeant Chakhlov (Kulichkov), who end up fazed by the implacable moral code of a man who exacts payback for every single injustice he suffers, or sees inflicted on others.
The script reveals Anton's credit-and-debit worldview gradually and laconically, giving just enough information at just the right time. Colours stay dark throughout, with yellow-lit night scenes suggesting the moral sickness Anton discovers in the city.
The stylised feel of the exercise – at its most extreme in the final shoot-out – is emphasised by halting editing, slowed down by fades to black. Mostly this works, though certain Pinter-style passages of dialogue are less easy to take.
Production companies/backers
CTB
Nasha Kino
International sales
InterCinema XXI Century
Producer
Sergei Selyanov
Screenplay
Yuri Klavdiyev
Aleksei Mizgiryov
Cinematography
Vadim Deyev
Production design
Denis Chibanov
Main cast
Yevgeni Antropov
Dmitri Kulichkov
Anastasiya Bezborodova
Sergei Shekhovstov
Tatyana Nastashevskaya
Aleksandr Golubyov
Russell Crowe is in negotiations to reteam with his "The Quick and the Dead" co-star Leonardo DiCaprio in Ridley Scott's spy thriller "Body of Lies" for Warner Bros. Pictures.
An adaptation of Washington Post columnist David Ignatius' novel, it centers on idealistic CIA agent Roger Ferris (DiCaprio), newly stationed in Jordan, who develops an intricate scheme to sow seeds of suspicion among the terrorists he is hunting.
However, the plan puts his life in turmoil and threatens his relationship with the head of Jordanian intelligence. Crowe will play DiCaprio's manipulative boss Ed Hoffman if he approves of a new script polish being done by Steve Zaillian.
William Monahan wrote the adaptation, previously known as "Penetration," and a late-summer start date is being targeted.
New Line Cinema has optioned the Aran Shetterly book "The Americano: Fighting for Freedom in Castro's Cuba, an Untold Story" reports Variety.
Robert Schwentke ("Flightplan") is attached to direct the pic centering on William Morgan, an American who became a key figure in the Cuban revolution in the late 1950s.
Commanding the legendary Cuban fighting column known as the Tigers of the Jungle. The blond, gold-plated pistol packing fighter became caught up in the conflicting agendas of guerrilla leader Castro, U.S. mobsters and the FBI.
When he turned against Castro after the Cuban leader embraced communism, Morgan was executed in 1961. The script for this film adaptation will be written by Mark Bailey.
Schwentke is currently readying "The Time Traveler's Wife" with Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams starring.
Elisha Cuthbert has confirmed to Cinematical that she's just signed for the Tim Allen family comedy "The Six Wives of Henry Lefay."
The story follows a girl who must organize her father's funeral in the midst of dealing with six ex-wives.
Cuthbert says "It's so funny. It's so much fun, and it's gonna be great to work with six different actresses. It's gonna be a great time, so I'm looking forward to that."
Shooting begins in mid-August.
Millar je sreo Timba:
Hey you,
I think I may have to rethink my position on foreigners. Normally, they annoy me as you know because they eat strange food and can't speak English, often waving their hands and shouting when they needn't. I hate travelling in general, but especially travelling to countries that aren't called America or Australia. Even Canada's a bit shit, a big chunk of the population speaking French for no good reason except to irritate. And so the trip to Prague didn't seem so alluring. My only experience of Eastern Europe was a solo trip to Bulgaria (which was shit) and the movie Hostel (which was terrifying). I feared this report might never be written and I'd end up tied to a chair, raped and murdered for the amusement of a Spanish IT specialist at the cost of 30 thousand US dollars. Comic writers don't come cheap.
But you know what? It was brilliant. Despite a five hour delay in Amsterdam, I had a great time and there is nothing-- I mean NOTHING-- more surreal than wandering around enormous, high school-sized sets of something that lived only in your head just a few years before. I wandered around Wesley's apartment, touched the bedframe you saw on the splash page of issue two, sat on the chair where he was being toughened up just a few pages later and watched, in awe, the final edit of the scene from the end of the first issue. I promised Universal's white-hot PR chick I wouldn't get more specific, but trust me when I say I'm still grinning from how good this looks. In a country where you can get a Big Mac for the equivalent of 50 cents you can imagine what 100 million dollars looks like on-screen. I saw the first 25 minutes of the movie itself and it's jaw-dropping. As we all know, the super-villains are quite different kinds of villains now, but this first act is almost scene for scene the first two issues of the comic, right down to the dialogue and the captions. I couldn't be more happy with it. Timur is amazing. The west doesn't know what they're getting next March or how great he is yet. I instantly clicked with him as a guy and we're talking about another project together. I genuinely think he's the next big thing, perhaps the best action director around at the moment.
McAvoy in particular is just brilliant. He's a nice wee guy and grew up just a few miles from me, having gone to all the same pubs and football matches I did as well as the big water complex (The Time Capsule) just a few hundred yards from where I lived through the nineties. He brings Wesley to life like nobody else I could imagine, that weird combo of cool and geeky, terrified and remorseless as he makes the jump from a guy who can't break up with his bird to a guy blowing hundreds of people away without even blinking. He's a TRIUMPH, darlings, as is Angelina and Morgan Freeman. Angelina was shooting the main day I was on the set and could not have been more friendly. It was weird meeting here after seeing her face on the cover of almost every magazine in the airport, but she's very easy-going, super-smart and pretty hot too. She can engage about everything from Henry Kissinger to British comedies and has a huge DVD collection, her impression of Little Britain's chav teenager being a jaw-dropper as it's the last thing I expected to come out of her mouth. Got on very well with her and she seemed into the material so all looking good.
My only complaint, really, was the food. I arrived first day and found that these huge marquees had been built for the 500 people on the set where top chefs put together top nosh for the crew and extras. But it was all a bit rich for this lowly Scot and I asked where the nearest McDonalds was. One of the producers was aghast, saying these were some of the best chefs in the world and I just shook my head and explained that if they were as good as McDonalds THEY would have restaurants dotted all across the globe. We had drivers for the visit and I disappeared with one of them, buying TWO Big Macs (one for lunch and one for heating up later for dinner). I can report that the Czech Big Macs are every bit as good as the American ones so a big thumbs up. My wife asked me what Prague itself was like, but in truth I didn't really look around. As soon as shooting and dinners were over I parked myself in an Irish bar called Caffrey's (on the old Square) and stayed in there all night watching English TV and getting rat-arsed with the team. But their Guinness was excellent. So it's a country worth checking out if you're into a) McDonalds and b) Guinness. I heartily recommend it.
Home with a ton of photos, but sadly can't share them until Summer's out the way and PR campaign begins. Spidey and his amazing friends are still dominating the box office here so they asked me to hold off on posting these pics until they give the green light (cameras generally banned during the shooting of any movie). But these pics are so friggin' cool I can barely contain myself. I sent a pic of me and Angelina to an old school friend I hadn't been in touch with for a few years under the headline "Have you met my new bird?" and his reply was a near-instant "You lucky c*nt!". So it's worth its weight in gold already. It's true, though, I AM a lucky c*nt.
It's good to be back.
Your boy,
MM
Angelina Jolie has been apparently been offered the chance to co-star with Pierce Brosnan in his sequel to 1999's "The Thomas Crown Affair" reports Moviehole.
Based on the classic 1964 Peter Ustinov heist flick "Topkapi", the original follows a small time crook living in Greece who ends up playing both sides as he works for both the Turkish authorities and a gentleman thief determined to steal a jewel-encrusted dagger from the famed palace in Istanbul.
Brosnan told the site a few months back that "(Topkapi) is much loved by people who love that genre of film, and it has a sentimental resonance to it. So we just took 'Thomas Crown' off the shelf, kind of dusted it off, and took 'Topkapi,' which is much loved, and is also in the canon of the MGM library, so it didn't cost us anything. This version of 'Topkapi' will have a different part, different woman, and different affair... and we're using wonderful locations."
Ovo sam čitao kada je bilo nuđeno Srđanu i prilično je bezveze...
Warner Independent has hooked Jonathan Jakubowicz ("Secuestro Express") to direct its Spanish-set drama "Queen of the South" reports Variety.
Based on Arturo Perez-Reverte's bestselling novel, and described as an Iberian-set female version of 'Scarface,' the story revolves around a Mexican woman who escapes to Spain after her drug mule boyfriend is killed.
She then becomes a drug kingpin and seeks revenge for her boyfriend's murderers. Albert Torres ("Henry Poole Is Here") recently did a rewrite of Hanna Weg's script.
Eva Mendes, Penelope Cruz and Jennifer Lopez are eyeing the project, but casting has not yet begun. Production is scheduled to begin in the Fall.
Universal Pictures has set Jim Carrey to star in and produce the comedy "Sober Buddies" reports Variety.
The story follows a hard-partying software exec assigned a court-appointed Sober Buddy to keep him under control during a critical business trip to Las Vegas.
A perfect plan falls apart when the Sober Buddy (Carrey) falls off the wagon. Andrew Kurtzman, currently penning a film adaptation of the cartoon characters "Mr. Peabody and Sherman," is writing the script.
Carrey hasn't chosen his next film but is deciding between two or three roles he'll take on before next June's potential strike - the title character in Tim Burton's "Ripley's Believe It or Not!," as a gay prison escapee in the dark indie comedy "I Love You Phillip Morris," and as a reluctant nursemaid to his ailing wife in the Fox comedy "Me Time."
"Transformers" hottie Megan Fox, no doubt the subject of many 'hands on a hard body' jokes that'll be flying next week, has joined the cast of "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People" says Reuters.
Simon Pegg, Kirsten Dunst, Jeff Bridges and Danny Huston star in the story about the disastrous stint of a contributing editor (Pegg) at a magazine. Fox will play a young Hollywood starlet getting her first taste of fame.
Robert B. Weide directs Film 4's adaptation of the Toby Young memoir which told of his time working in the pseudo-glitzy world of Vanity Fair.
Tobin Bell tells MTV News that he will reteam with "Saw" franchise director Darren Lynn Bousman for "Repo! The Genetic Opera."
The near future set, hyper-violent rock opera follows a group of legalized human organ repossession men. The project is unique in that there is no dialogue per se, rather seventy seven hard rock songs right from the beginning to the very end.
Bousman describes the setup - "Murder becomes sanctioned by law. So, if you buy a heart and can't afford it, someone can burst through the door and take your heart out...and they don't get in trouble for it. The very first scene sees [some repo men] singing while they are ripping the spinal cord out of someone."
Bell says that "Yes, I can sing. I'm a guitar player and a singer...I did hear some of the music, and it's great. I think this movie is going to be remarkable."
Jason O'Mara (TV's "In Justice," "Men in Trees," "The Agency") is set to star in the lead role of the US remake of "Life on Mars" reports Variety.
O'Mara will play Sam Tyler, a detective who is suddenly transported to the 1970s - where he encounters a serial killer who may have something to do with the present-day abduction of his girlfriend.
Canadian actress Rachelle Lefevre (TV's "What About Brian," "Life on a Stick") has been cast in the female lead role of Det. Annie Cartwright.
The original British series ran on the BBC for sixteen episodes across two seasons in 2006 and earlier this year. It starred John Simm ("Sex Traffic," TV's "State of Play" & "Doctor Who") and has become an award-winning international hit.
Edited versions of the original series still air on BBC America. The remake, being produced by David E. Kelley ("Boston Legal," "Ally McBeal"), begins production mid-August and if picked up will air sometime mid-season.
Spanish helmer Alex de la Iglesia ("The Oxford Murders") will write and direct a live-action version of Belgian Edgar Pierre Jacobs' comic book "La Marque Jaune" (The Yellow Mark), part of Jacobs' long-running "Blake and Mortimer" cartoon series says Variety.
The story follows Captain Francis Blake and science professor Philip Mortimer as they attempt to solve the crimes of a mysterious character known as The Yellow Mark.
The $34 million, English-language international co-production for La Fabrique de Films is being penned by Jorge Guerricaechevarria with an October 2008 date targeted for shooting.
Wooohooo! A baš danas pričam s bratom o tom sjajnom stripu!
:!:
Director Joe Carnahan ("Narc," "Smokin' Aces") has confirmed on his blog that he's finished the last draft of the script for his adaptation of James Ellroy's "White Jazz".
Fans though should expect changes since he's not legally allowed to use the Ed Exley character which Guy Pearce played in "L.A. Confidential".
Carnahan says "My brohter and I were forced to basically construct a doppelganger, giving him all of Exley's traits and speech patterns. We're hoping it works. On paper. It's fantastic."
He also revealed the first pre-production artwork showing off the 1958 Los Angeles-era in which the story is set.
Fox Searchlight Pictures announced today that principal photography began in Los Angeles on "The Night Watchman." Keanu Reeves stars as Tom Ludlow, a veteran LAPD cop who finds life difficult to navigate after the death of his wife.
When evidence implicates him in the execution of a fellow officer, he is forced to go up against the cop culture he's been a part of his entire career, ultimately leading him to question the loyalties of everyone around him.
Academy Award® Winner Forest Whitaker will play Captain Jack Wander, Ludlow's mentor and superior. The stellar cast also features Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans, Jay Mohr, John Corbett, Cedric the Entertainer, Amaury Nolasco, Terry Crews, Naomie Harris, Martha Higareda, Kirstin Pierce, Common and The Game. The screenplay is based on an original script by James Ellroy, with current revisions by David Ayer. Ayer, known for bringing gritty realism to films such as Training Day and Harsh Times, is directing.
"The Night Watchman," a Fox Searchlight and New Regency financed project, will be released by Fox Searchlight. Claudia Lewis, President of Production is overseeing the project with Kara Francis, EVP of Production, New Regency. The film is being produced by Erwin Stoff, Alexandra Milchan and Lucas Foster.
Although it had been expected that Bryan Singer would do "Superman: The Man of Steel" sequel once he wrapped up work on the WW2 Tom Cruise flick "Valkyrie", that may no longer be the case.
Producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan tell Rotten Tomatoes that they have Singer lined up to direct "The Mayor of Castro Street," a story of gay rights activist Harvey Milk, within the next year.
Meron says "The next Superman, that's a ways off" and Zadan adds "Don't worry about it. Trust me. We may even start preproduction on Harvey Milk while he's on post production on the Tom Cruise movie."
Original plans had a "Superman" sequel aiming for a Summer 2009 release which means production would have to begin by mid-2008 at the latest. With both "Valkyrie" and "Castro" on his plate, it could be done but would be a rush job in all three cases - something that no-one wants.
He may have been able to sit down and talk at length with Cuba's Fidel Castro, but the Iranian Government isn't as amenable for filmmaker Oliver Stone.
The Los Angeles Times reports that officials have denied a request by Stone seeking permission to do an extensive interview for a documentary on Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Iranian filmmakers were said to be actually lobbying the President to accept the request, but Iranian media advisor Mehdi Kalhor came back with this response - "It is true that [Stone] is known as a dissident in the U.S., but he is still part of the Great Satan...We believe that U.S. cinema is devoid of culture and that their art is only a stratagem."
Stone himself, who has yet to receive an official denial on the request, says "I have been called a lot of things, but never a great satan...I wish the Iranian people well, and only hope their experience with an inept, rigid ideologue president goes better than ours."
A compromise may be possible however, as an unnamed advisor went on to say that they would allow him to make a documentary if an Iranian filmmaker was allowed to make one of President George Bush.
Wrong Turn" director Rob Schmidt is set to the helm an adaptation of Stephen King's "Insomnia" reports Dread Central.
The story follows the recently widowed Ralph Roberts who develops acute insomnia. His sleepless nights wandering the town soon become stranger when he starts noticing not only varied color auras streaming out of people's heads, but two odd like men dressed like surgeons and up to no good.
The story marks an odd choice for adaptation as it ties in countless references to King's "Dark Tower" series and a few other King books like "It", along with featuring both visions of a giant catfish and an act of domestic terrorism (an explosives-packed bi-plane aiming to kamikaze an anti-abortion rally).
Schmidt confirms that due to the varying ages of the main characters (they get younger as the film progresses), the plan is to hire actors in their thirties in age make-up (courtesy of Stan Winston) that will be removed progressively.
Friday, July 06, 2007
Eye To Eye With Beowulf
You might recall the big heap of Beowulf images I posted here at film ick. They originally appeared online at Aint it Cool and, after they were quickly pushed into pulling them down, I hosted them for a week or so, until the legal quagmire got too deep. Until now, they were probably the best idea I had of how the film was shaping up. The billboard images from last week added a little too - including our first look at Grendel.
Just now, though, I've been reading Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman's script (excitingly, the script bears the name of the cast member it belonged to, but I won't reveal who in case they get into trouble) and I'm even more excited for the film than I already had been. And you probably already know I'm absolutely nuts for Zemeckis and Gaiman, not to mention 3D cinema.
Simply put, this script exceeded my every expectation. Not only is it a lean, vicious retelling of the story, but as it whips along it drips evocative images from every paragraph.
Be wary of spoilers as you read on...
So, here's a little from the opening to whet your appetite. We begin in Herot, the greatest mead hall in all the land as a rowdy crowd of thanes celebrate their victories. Hrothgar, "as fat a King as you are ever likely to see", is carried in on his portable throne, "draped in nothing more than haphazardly wrapped bed linen as if he just came from f*cking". He beats on his chest to be put down, and then proceeds to hand out treasures.
His first award is for Unferth his "wisest advisor, violator of virgins and boldest of brave brawlers" - but Unferth is busy at the 'p*ss pit' asking "So, if Christ Jesus and Odin got into a fight, who do you think would win?"
This raucous party, half drunken orgy, half celebratory ceremony is quickly cut short:
Suddenly THE GREAT DOOR EXPLODES as if something of tremendous force rammed into it, splintering the wooden frame and buckling the great iron hinges... but the door holds.
HROTHGAR'S eyes go from sleepily closed to wide as saucers. PEOPLE start sitting up, worried. Warriors reach for their swords and kinves and spears.
There is a pause. A BEAT OF SILENCE which goes on almost longer than we can bear and then...
There is a second EXPLOSIVE RAM to the frame of the massive door, breaking it free from its hinges and causing the wood to splinter.
For a brief moment, we see the SHADOW OF A MONSTER from behind the broken door.
Then it enters. Candles snuff out with the cold wind that accompanies it. HROTHGAR rises in his seat, terrified.
HROTHGAR
My sword! My sword!
Unferth and Aesher draw thier weapons. The horror on their faces hints to us the nature of the monster which has erupted into the mead hall. They stand frozen in astonishment.
THE GREAT FIREPIT suddenly ROARS larger and wilder than before, consuming the spit and pig in its flame. What was once a warm source of heat suddenly becomes dangerous and ominous.
We see the MONSTERS SHADOWS cast onto the heavy stone wall of the hall by the golden light of the firepit. It isn't just one shadow, it's many shadows overlapping eachother, dancing wildly together to composite a figure of massive size. The interloping shadows overtake the SHADOW OF A THANE... it lunges forward and lifts him up above it's head... there's a HORRIFYING RIPPING SOUND and the shadow thane is suddenly two shadows, a pair of legs and an upper torso.
And the destruction continues, until Hrothgar confronts the monster. It flees, still semmingly unafraid, just somehow done here. Hrothgar identifies the monster as Grendel.
Next:
GRENDEL, silhouetted by the cool light of the full moon, shambles into his lair - a cave mouth inside of which there
is a placid pool of clear water. He is dragging the bodies of TWO DEAD WARRIORS into the cavern.
Grendel drops the bodies of the dead warriors into a corner f the cave where the bones of mean, both bleached and fleshy, litter the floor. It is a strange and unnverving place.
A mask is dropped onto the floor. A mask constructed from the skulls of two baby whales and decorated with bits of human hair and bones... painted with mud. From its size we can imagine that Grendel likes to wear it.
Someone else is there...
GRENDEL'S MOTHER is sitting a little way away, in the shadows near the cave pool and swathed in a dark cloth. What we can see of her skin glitters, like gold.
Grendel's mother's VOICE is melodious and young.
GRENDEL'S MOTHER
Grendel? What have you done?
Grendel turns suddenly, surprised by her voice - like a boy who has been caught masturbating.
GRENDEL
Moth-er? Where are you?
GRENDEL'S MOTHER
Men? Grendel, we had an agreement. Fish and wolves and bear and sometimes a sheep or two. but not men.
GRENDEL
You like men.
GRENDEL'S MOTHER
These men are too fragile, Grendel. They do me little good. And you must be more crafty. Bring them to me alive, at least... with their seed intact. You see, they will hurt us if they can. They have killed so many of us, the Giant-breed, the Dragon-kind.
As you can see, Gaiman's up to his usual tricks with folklore in the greater context - Dragons alongside Giants alongside Grendel.
Months later, Grendel attacks again. Hrothgar despairs:
HROTHGAR
When I was young, I killed a dragon, in the Northern Moors. But I'm too old for dragon-slaying now. We need a hero, a Siegfried, to rid us of this curse upon our hall.
UNFERTH
I say we trap the beast. Brute strength fails against such a brute. Let us use cunning.
HROTHGAR
These creatures know cunnng, Unferth. They are cunning.
UNFERTH
Our people wait for deliverance, my King. Some of them pray to the Christ Jesus to lift this affliction. Other sacrifice goats or sheep to Odin or Heimdall.
They need a hero and, of course, that's where Beowulf comes in. He journeys across a tempestuous sea to find Hrothgar, and to pledge to kill Grendel.
After his first meeting with the King, they immediately spark up a banquet in Herot, knowing it will lure the monster in...
This first confrontation occurs around the fourty five minutes mark - so you know it won't be the last. But it is fought as though it is. Bloody, relentless and absolutely without restraint they set about each other with everything they have, and anything they can grab. Smashing, punching, headbutting, kicking, biting, slashing, throttling... the repeating, resounding slam of viscera on viscera again and again and again.
There is no out-and-out victor this time, but one side does far more than draw first blood and the stakes are set even higher for their future confrontations.
What we have, in essence, is a bloody, sweaty dragonslaying story but at full scale, visually and narratively. The mythology is suitably epic, the images make the saga resonate at every turn, the ideas are teased out subtly, exposing the depth of the story in ways that, perhaps, we care about far more than most of the poem's original audiences would ever have even dreamt of. This is the Beowulf that makes sense for a 21st Century audience without perverting or denying the truth of the original tale.
A few years back, Zemeckis had recruited Gaiman to write another screenplay for him, adapted from Nicholson Baker's The Fermata. Like the original book, that script full of upfront sexuality and featured a protagonist of dubious morality, to say the least. Zemeckis was looking to make a resolutely adult film, away from the all-ages fare he was best known for. He just has: Beowulf will satisfy that desire also, without a doubt.
As such, I think Beowulf might be quite a hard sell to casual audiences - a motion capture film, released widely in 3D is something we might assume to be family fare, not a lusty, grimy epic. Another marketing problem might be that the characters' outlooks are also a little alien, in some respects, though truly universal in most. I don't the numerous references to incest will help much either.
Where I have no doubt it wil succeed, however, is with critics and movie lovers. This is the bareknuckle version of The Lord of the Rings and I think people will honestly be knocked onto their behinds. On the page, it is hard, fast and perfectly under control and with Zemeckis in charge, I think we can expect a bullseye that splits the target.
On page 110 of the script, Gaiman and Avery have noted 'We are utterly convinced of it: this is where our budget is going'. They've certainly got a point - though I won't tell you just what incredible, but hellish, spectacle they have invented. But I might note on every page 'this bit won't be cheap either' - and that, I suppose, is one of the amazing assets of the performance capture technique. Fashinoning an epic battle between man and winged beast above the moors (just for example - hint hint) would take, relatively speaking, little more resource than creating a small, intimate scene in the King's chamber. In making Beowulf in this fashion, Gaiman, Avary and Zemeckis have been able to imagine whatever it was they wanted, knowing that their only limitation was the vision of Zemeckis, the cast and crew - and if you ask me, that's no kind of limitation at all.
Bewoulf opens in the US in November. Go see it.
Seattle
Sex and Death 101
By KEN EISNER
An Arclight Films presentation of an Avenue Pictures Prods., Sandbar Pictures production, in association with S and D Prods. (International sales: Arclight Films, Los Angeles.) Produced by Cary Brokaw, Lizzie Friedman, Greg Little. Executive producer, Aaron Craig Geller. Co-producer, Jerry P. Jacobs. Directed, written by Daniel Waters.
Roderick Blank - Simon Baker
Gilian/Nell - Winona Ryder
Miranda - Leslie Bibb
Trixie - Mindy Cohn
Fiona - Julie Bowen
Hope Hartwell - Frances Fisher
A promising concept is gradually run into the ground in "Sex and Death 101," a would-be black comedy that lacks both laughs and gravity. Racy subject matter, the marquee appeal of the rarely seen Winona Ryder, and the occasional protrusion of plastic breasts guarantee some aud interest, but bet-hedging blandness and weak production values make this anodyne sex romp best suited to cable and vidstore crypts.
Aussie up-and-comer Simon Baker has almost enough charm to carry the day, but even that wears thin when he's asked to provide the emotional center of a tale that is more silly than sinful.
Baker plays fast-food potentate Roderick Blank --handsome, successful (although we never see him working) and a killer with the ladies. Yet he's initially ready to give up the bachelor life to wed one of many interchangeable blonds the pic presents as the face of standard-issue desire. Trouble comes when he receives an odd email containing the names of all the women he has ever slept with -- or will ever sleep with.
One can see how such knowledge might add confusion to already chilled feet, and Rod soon ankles the wedding in favor of easy pickings. Against the advice of a trusted assistant (Mindy Cohn, doing well with her feisty-lesbian shtick), he rushes headlong into his prefab pornucopia. As presented by writer-director Daniel Waters, who scripted the influential "Heathers," the sexual situations are utterly lacking in heat or suspense -- which may be the point for a guy knowing exactly who will next butter his buns, but it makes chilly viewing for the rest of us.
Pic is routine in all other aspects. Surprisingly, respected lenser Daryn Okada's images are barely above tube level, with sleek sitcom the dominant design mode here. Only contrast comes from white-on-white segs repping some kind of sci-fi purgatory where Rod goes to figure out what's happening to him. These are arresting, but use of a single set and similar jokes quickly becomes repetitive.
More enervating is the monotonous dialogue, which has the same brand of writerly locutions spilling from almost every mouth. Since Roderick and his pals are simply stock guy characters, and most of the women -- including Leslie Bibb as a veterinarian (with no practice) whom Roddy falls in love with -- are more like models than people, the satire feels both sour and unrooted. Pic is also riddled with implausibilities, such as the notion that our horny hero would hang onto the email list for dear life but never look at the last name on it.
That handle, as viewers will guess, has to be Death Nell, a goth-clad gal notoriously knocking men unconscious across the country. Fortunately, this is Ryder's part, and the former Heather -- despite a nonsensical explanation about what turned her into an avenging angel -- manages to invest it with some needed humanity. In their climactic scene together, the leads evidence a chemistry elsewhere missing from the proceedings.
Playing it safe throughout, Waters ensures the conventional music, staging, and phallo-centric humor can all add up to a happy ending that congratulates viewers for skirting the margins of sex and death while never even getting close to the abyss.
Camera (color), Daryn Okada; editor, Trudy Ship; music, Rolfe Kent; production designer, John Larena; art director, Helen Harwell; set decorator, Peggy Paola; costume designer, Julia Caston; sound (Dolby) Richard Taylor; assistant director, Eric A. Pot; casting, Andrea Stone. Reviewed at Seattle Film Festival (Contemporary World Cinema), June 17, 2007. Running time: 100 MIN.
With: Tanc Sade, Patton Oswalt, Cindy Picket, Dash Mihok, Neil Flynn, Thom Bishops, Sophie Monk, Corinne Reilly, Marshall Bell, Rob Benedict, Natassia Malthe, Polyanna McIntosh.
ScreenDaily Home > Production Listings > Story
Jar City (Myrin)
Dan Fainaru in Cannes
04 Jul 2007 15:50
Dir. Baltasar Kormakur. Ice-Ger. 2007. 93mins.
It starts with the death of a little girl and it ends in a cemetery. In between these grim bookends, Jar City, Baltasar Kormakur's remarkable new whodunit, forges pitilessly ahead, through a maze of facts systematically unearthed one after the other, to reveal not only the culprit of a seemingly pointless crime, but also the suffocating pressure of an in-breeding nation suffering from genetic complications.
To all intents, Jar City looks just like any other thriller, in which the police tries to find out who killed a sleazy old man with a shady past. Though it never deviates from this avowed purpose, the prevailing heavy mood established by the opening sequence already announces something terribly wrong going on between parents and children, which cannot always be blamed on genes.
Deeply ingrained in Icelandic soil, which comes up as a constant reminder all through the picture, richly textured with everything from a crime story to heart-breaking personal tragedies and past sins that refuse to stay buried, this is possibly Kormakur's best effort to date, strongly confirming his position as one of Iceland's leading filmmakers.
Despite impressive performances and great technical credits, the film has mysteriously managed to stay out of international festivals for the first nine months of its existence (it enjoyed a strong theatrical release in Iceland late last year). It now however looks more than ready for solid play beyond home, not only at film events but also, if Trust Films Sales treats it right, in a wide arthouse release.
Working from a best selling novel by Arlandur Indridasson, Kormakur's script thrusts forward in two separate directions and timespans which finally converge into one. The first concerns the death of a little girl from a genetic brain defect, and her father's obsession to discover the roots of the disease. The second, given a larger exposure, focuses on the investigation into the murder of an old pervert, Holberg, found dead in a cellar infected by unbearable stench.
The bereaved father, Orm (Atli Rafn Sigurdarson) breaks into the data bank holding the genetic information for all the Icelandic population, to find similarities between his daughter's case and others that might have happened before, then apply his findings to his own personal history.
Meanwhile Erlendur (Ingvar Sigurdsson), a world-weary police inspector, and his assistants, try to collect information that would explain why anyone would bother to kill the derelict Holberg. While digging into his past they uncover rape cases that have never been brought to justice, a trio of rednecks who terrorised a small town and a corrupt policeman covering it all up.
Erlendur also has to cope at the same time with his daughter, Eva (Agusta Eva Erlendsdottir), a rebellious drug addict looking for money to terminate an unwanted pregnancy.
Once it all comes together, and it does, Jar City packs quite a wallop. Kormakur's sombre mood is prevalent throughout, moving from moments of infinite sadness (the little girl's death) to gruesome realism (the rat infested subterranean den under Holberg's floor).
He certainly has a point when he protests against the scandalous monopoly held by one private company which holds all the genetic records of all Icelanders, which can then be used for both commendable and nefarious purposes.
Yet despite his evident anger, he refuses to take sides and invites the audience instead to reach its own conclusions.
Then there is Kormakur's fiendish sense of humour. It may find best display in his depiction of food, like the police pathologist munching his lunch while dealing with the more scabrous causes of death of the cadavers on his table; or the inspector delightedly dissecting the head of a sheep he has bought for dinner.
But it can also refer to the embarrassment of Erlendur's assistant (Bjorn Hlynur Haraldsson) who has to go from one sweet old lady to another and enquire whether they had been raped in their youth; or the dismay of the same assistant when the burly criminal he chases through the marshes, stops, turns around and instead of being the prey, is about to turn into the hunter.
The perfectly controlled performance by Sigurdsson in the lead is solidly seconded by a cast that never falls behind. Elisabet Ronaldsdottir's cutting keeps the pace alert at all times, while Bergsteinn Bjorglufsson's camera alternates between forbidding dusky images and 16 mm footage underlining the rough edges.
Frequent musical interventions from the mournful choir in the background may be a bit too insistent at times, but they certainly contribute to the dense atmosphere of the entire picture.
Production companies/backers
Blueeyes Productions
Bavaria Entertainment
International sales
Trust Film Sales
Producers
Agnes Johansen
Lilja Palamdottir
Baltasar Kormakur
Screenplay
Baltasar Kormakur, based on novel by Arnaldur Indridason
Cinematography
Bergsteinn Bjorgulfsson
Editor
Elisabet Ronaldsdottir
Music
Mugison
Main cast
Ingvar Sigurdsson
Agusta Eva Erlendsdottir
Bjorn Hlynur Haraldsson
Atli Rafn Sigurdason
Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce till headline Overture Films espionage thriller "Traitor" says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story centers on a CIA operative working undercover with a terrorist group who becomes a terrorist suspect. Cheadle is the undercover agent, while Pearce is an FBI agent investigating terrorist activities.
"The Day After Tomorrow" scribe Jeffrey Nachmanoff will direct from his own script, which is based on an original idea from comedian Steve Martin. Cheadle will also produce the film that was previously set up at Disney but dropped when Nina Jacobson left the Mouse House.
The film is set to shoot in early September in Toronto and Morocco.
Alex Proyas ("The Crow," "I, Robot") will direct "Dracula Year Zero," Universal's origins tale about Vlad the Impaler and one of several films about the Romanian royal who inspired Bram Stoker's vampire tale.
Scribes Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless tell Variety that the goal was to show Vlad when he was still vital and to explore the fact that he's considered a hero in Romania for fending off the Turks.
The aim was too play off the horror and the sympathy you have for a character that "sells his soul to the Devil to save his kingdom and family." Michael De Luca produces.
Amongst other historical "Dracula" projects under consideration right now are a script by former "Queer as Folk" star Charlie Hunnam, Brad Caleb Kane's adaptation of "The Historian," and the Sylvian White-directed "Castlevania" adaptation.
Studios are hunting the next big propertyBy Stephen Galloway
July 10, 2007
At some point within the next two weeks, producer Laura Ziskin and the top brass of Sony Pictures Entertainment will sit down together for the first time since "Spider-Man 3" opened May 4 to discuss the franchise's future.
It's a crucial meeting, all the more so because director Sam Raimi will be there. And Raimi, who has sent contradictory messages about his future plans, might at last indicate whether he'll helm the next installment.
"It would be great to have everybody back," Ziskin says. "But no one is going to sign on the dotted line until we have a script. These are the questions being discussed now. The one thing we have answered definitively is: There will be more 'Spider-Man' movies. We just haven't answered what shape they will come in and (Sony) hasn't given us a release date."
The upcoming meeting "will be the first step in a process," Ziskin adds. "'Spider-Man' will continue; I can't tell you every person who will be involved."
It goes without saying just how critical the "Spider-Man" franchise is to the studio's bottom line; at press time, the franchise had netted upwards of $2 billion in boxoffice receipts, not to mention home video revenue and other income from ancillary ventures. But it is hardly unique in today's Hollywood.
As the fifth film in Warner Bros. Pictures' "Harry Potter" series, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," opens tomorrow in an estimated 4,100 theaters across the country -- the series will conclude after two additional features -- the major studios are more than aware that the franchises on which they have rested their fortunes are at a turning point. Many of the series are financially top-heavy or their stars haven't committed to another installment or there's an expiration date written on them.
After May's wildly successful "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" -- which had grossed upwards of $300 million in domestic boxoffice at press time -- the Walt Disney Co. is uncertain whether Johnny Depp will agree to star in a fourth "Pirates" adventure. However, Depp has indicated that he might be open to the idea if the right factors are in place.
At Warner Bros. Pictures, "Ocean's Thirteen" appears to be the last in the Vegas-based caper series. While studio president and CEO Alan Horn says of the most recent film, which had grossed roughly $109 million at press time, "The (financial) performance is comparable to 'Twelve' and may exceed it," there are "no plans" for an "Ocean's Fourteen."
At Universal, the third installment in the studio's spy-fi franchise, "The Bourne Ultimatum," opens Aug. 3. The movie was meant to cost $130 million, but sources say there were considerable reshoots and the budget may have topped out far higher than that. So far, star Matt Damon has made no commitment to any future features. Meanwhile, Universal is in preproduction on the planned 2008 release "The Mummy 3," with the film set to follow young star Luke Ford -- who could become the lead character in future "Mummy" adventures -- and a new iteration of "The Incredible Hulk," also set for a 2008 release, starring Edward Norton.
At Fox, 2006's "X-Men: The Last Stand" appears to have concluded the franchise -- at least in its present form. Instead, the studio is developing two possible spin-offs: "Wolverine," starring Hugh Jackman, and "Magneto," which would follow the character portrayed by Ian McKellen as a much younger man.
Also at Fox, the future of "Fantastic Four" is unclear after the second installment, "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer," dropped 66% in its second weekend, following an exceptional $58.1 million opening. Fox is developing a "Silver Surfer" follow-up and is considering another "Fantastic Four" sequel, but no script is in development, sources say. (Fox's surprise success "Live Free or Die Hard," showed the long-term value of the best franchises.)
At this point, most studios are adopting one of two strategies: either trying to keep their popular franchises alive or looking to launch new series. DreamWorks Animation is under way with a fourth film in its "Shrek" series for distributor Paramount, and Paramount is reaching even further back with a new installment in its landmark "Indiana Jones" franchise set for release next year. The studio also is embarking on a new "Star Trek" film with J.J. Abrams directing, and there is plenty of speculation that "Transformers" might become a vibrant new franchise for the studio based on its boxoffice take this past week.
Meanwhile, Universal is optimistic about its planned 2008 Benicio del Toro-starrer, "The Wolf Man," and that year's "Hellboy 2: The Golden Army," and Disney currently is shooting "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," a sequel to 2004's Nicolas Cage-starrer, "National Treasure," with an eye toward that becoming an ongoing franchise.
Replacing the existing franchises, though, is a herculean task.
"(Franchises) are critically important, more so now than ever," says Hutch Parker, vice chairman of 20th Century Fox Film Group. "In a market that is getting increasingly cluttered with third-party productions -- often financed by hedge funds and other sources of financing -- franchise pictures cut through the clutter, courtesy of their unique relationship to the audience, and have a currency around the world that very few other kinds of pictures do."
That currency means much more than just boxoffice. According to a recent report from the MPA, theatrical boxoffice now accounts for only 19% of a movie's total revenue stream. In other words, for every $100 million that a movie makes at the boxoffice, it makes almost $400 million more from other media. With big franchises like "Spider-Man" and "Harry Potter," that can mean billions in revenue.
"Even if you have to spend a lot of money, the return on your investment, if you hit, is huge," Ziskin says. "You don't get that anywhere else."
Part of the challenge, executives say, is finding material that will connect with the broadest possible audience in a meaningful way. "You need to define how you are going to seek out the underlying material," explains David Linde, co-chairman of Universal Pictures. "You have to look everywhere, but with a strong perspective on your own business strengths."
That hunger for potential franchise material is something London-based literary agent Michelle Kass experienced firsthand when she came to Los Angeles in May with her client Derek Landy's novel "Skulduggery Pleasant," a fantastic tale of a young female detective who teams up with a wisecracking ghost. Kass and Landy were wooed by several major studios, even meeting with Steven Spielberg, before executive Kevin McCormick persuaded them that Warners was the right home for the project with a deal that gave Landy around $1 million, along with the right to script the film and be involved with creating his own video game.
Most franchises do not come cheap, and the more successful the franchise, the more each episode tends to cost. "Shrek" is a case in point. Insiders say Cameron Diaz earned 3% of first-dollar gross on 2004's "Shrek 2," which made upwards of $436 million during its theatrical run.
Similarly, insiders say star Tobey Maguire's pay for the "Spider-Man" films has increased dramatically. He was paid $4 million for 2002's "Spider-Man," but sources report he received $17.5 million for 2004's "Spider-Man 2," with 5% of the back-end -- 5% of Sony's receipts after exhibitors get their share. (The film grossed more than $373 million domestically.)
Maguire earned $15 million for "Spider-Man 3," with an even higher back-end of 7.5%; the film has brought in more than $333 million domestically to date.
To avoid the whopping bite of back-end deals, Sony instituted a mandatory cap of 25% on gross participation on all its films -- meaning, it will not give away more than a quarter of its receipts, no matter what.
Disney reportedly managed to protect itself on "Pirates" by making an arrangement wherein there would be no first-dollar gross participants, enabling the studio to recoup all its costs before making any payments to director Gore Verbinksi, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Depp. "They get a share of the profits at 'cash break zero,'" says one insider, "which means when the studio has recouped both the cost of the picture, plus (prints and advertising) -- only then do they start paying."
Bruckheimer and Depp's agent, Tracey Jacobs at UTA, declined to comment.
Expense has been a prohibitive factor in maintaining many franchises. New Line's deal for its upcoming Aug. 10 release "Rush Hour 3" involved paying Chris Tucker $20 million against 20% of the back-end. Fox also had to add several million dollars to its above-the-line costs for "X-Men: The Last Stand" because Jackman only had signed on for the first two films, and he received $20 million for "Wolverine," though Parker declined to comment on Jackman's salary.
But the stars are not the biggest factor in making franchises so expensive. "One of the cost categories that has grown exponentially is the visual effects component," Parker says. "Even as recently as five years ago, it would represent a much smaller piece of the budgetary pie. Today you could find yourself spending significantly more on visual effects than on the cast."
The studio has been so eager to get "Wolverine" out next year that it has committed to go into production the instant Jackman finishes Baz Luhrmann's epic romance "Australia," which Fox is tentatively set to release next year. "The idea is, they can finish him out in September or October and put this one on the fast track so they can get it out next summer," says one source.
For the time being anyway, it seems that "Wolverine" is the best hope for continuing the "X-Men" movie franchise. "There is no script for an 'X-Men 4,' and there is none in the works," avers producer Lauren Shuler Donner.
Meanwhile, Sony, which released 2006's "Casino Royale" to roughly $167 million at the boxoffice, would love the rights to the James Bond franchise, though MGM is unlikely ever to let them go. As it stands, Sony has the right to distribute the upcoming Bond film theatrically, with MGM set to handle the film's release on cable and home entertainment.
"On the next Bond film, Sony is a 50-50 financier with MGM," says one source familiar with the arrangement. "But, according to their deal, in five years, MGM can buy Sony's 50% back. That was true on 'Casino Royale,' too: They can buy Sony's half back in five years, and there's plenty of TV and DVD money in those movies."
Indeed, MGM holds the rights to all future outings, and the resurrected studio is equally determined to make the most of Bond. Executives recently renegotiated the company's deal with star Daniel Craig to continue as 007, significantly upping his salary though declining to give him a share of back-end.
But perhaps the most controversial project MGM is involved with is the potential "Lord of the Rings" prequel, "The Hobbit." New Line has said that the project is in development and has the rights to produce the project, though MGM has the rights to distribute the finished film. Studio chairman Bob Shaye has insisted that Peter Jackson -- who is suing New Line for additional monies he alleges are owed him from the "Rings" franchise -- will not direct the J.R.R. Tolkein adaptation and is said to be searching for another helmer to take over the project, a decision that is not sitting well with Jackson's legions of vocal fans.
The company has high hopes that its planned December release "The Golden Compass" could spawn another major fantasy series, but there are risks associated with the production. "I hear it cost $180 million," one insider says. "That means it has to do $360 million worldwide, plus 20% to show a return on investment. This will have to do $400 million or $450 million worldwide to justify a second film."
New Line declined to comment on the film's budget.
"Everybody is throwing money to try and find the next big franchise," observes veteran attorney Peter Dekom.
Some studios have been more successful than others. Disney enjoyed rousing success with 2005's "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," which brought in more than $291 million during its domestic theatrical run, and a follow-up, the planned 2008 release "Prince Caspian," is filming in New Zealand. Additionally, Michael Apted has signed on to direct a third installment in the franchise, "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," which is set to begin production early next year for planned release in 2009.
Fox also had terrific success with 2002's "Ice Age" and 2006's "Ice Age: The Meltdown," which together earned more than $371 million at the boxoffice. Perhaps not surprisingly, a third installment is in the works.
Warners, too, is proceeding with a second installment in its latest "Batman" series. "The Dark Knight," which is set for a summer 2008 release, reteams Christian Bale as the angsty superhero with director Christopher Nolan after the pair scored an estimated $205 million domestic boxoffice take with 2005's "Batman Begins."
The future of the studio's recent comic book adaptation, 2006's "Superman Returns," is somewhat more dubious. That film cost $209 million (even after various tax rebates) and marketing costs sent
expenses upward of $300 million, but director Bryan Singer's Man of Steel picture made only $201 million domestically. While insiders say the movie was profitable, the studio mandated major cost cuts before proceeding with a sequel.
"If we do a sequel to 'Superman,' we want it to be less expensive," Horn acknowledges. "I have to see a screenplay before I say yes to anything. But the studio would be willing to spend as much as $175 million if the screenplay and other factors warranted it."
Still, Singer has announced that he plans to direct a second "Superman" project.
Universal is taking what Linde describes as a multipronged strategy, with a goal to "promote and invigorate good, established tentpoles -- 'Mummy,' 'The Hulk' and 'Hellboy' -- and consistently create new potential franchises like (the planned 2008 releases) 'Wanted,' 'Wolf Man' and 'Death Race.'"
Ultimately, Linde's regime, and those of his peers at the other major studios, will sink or swim based on their ability to deliver these franchises.
ne zaboravite na soavija večeras u 21h na II programu rts-a!
nadam se da će neko da ga snimi, jer ja neću moći da gledam!!!!
Naomi Watts has signed on to star opposite Clive Owen in the action thriller "The International" for Sony Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
The plot centers on an obsessive Interpol agent (Owen) who spearheads an investigation into one of the world's most high-profile and powerful banking institutions in an attempt to expose them for worldwide arms brokering, corruption and murder.
Watts will play a Manhattan assistant district attorney who partners with the agent to take down the bank. Eric Singer wrote the screenplay and Tom Tykwer is directing. Shooting will take place in Berlin.
Lionsgate has acquired domestic distribution rights to an untitled documentary about religion directed by Larry Charles ("Borat") and featuring Bill Maher reports Variety.
Charles followed Maher all over the world as the irreverent host interviewed people about God and religion - determined to find a way to make the subject funny.
They filmed in Israel and other Middle East hot spots in shoots that made "Borat" seem like a cakewalk. Lionsgate expects a several hundred to perhaps 1,000 screen release next Spring.
Tim Robbins, Martin Landau, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Harry Treadaway have joined 20th Century Fox's fantasy "City of Ember" reports the trades.
The Gil Kenan-directed, Walden Media/Playtone project has Robbins playing an inventor holding a secret to the magical, glitteringly lit city whose power generator is failing.
Landau will play the boss of Robbins' character's teen son (Treadaway), who works at the city's mysterious Pipeworks as the son seeks to save the city with a fellow teen.
Jean-Baptiste will play a tough greenhouse worker. Bill Murray, Toby Jones and Saoirse Ronan are already set to co-star.
An October 2008 theatrical release is already planned through Fox. Shooting is presently under way in Belfast, Ireland.
Jim Carrey will star in and Peyton Reed will helm Warner Bros. Pictures comedy "Yes Man" reports MTV News.
Based on a memoir by British author Danny Wallace, the story centers on a man who decides to change his life by saying yes to everything that comes his way.
Along the way he wins $45,000, meets a hypnotic dog, obtains a nursing degree, travels the globe and finds romance. David Heyman and Richard Zanuck will produce with shooting aiming to begin as early as this Fall.
Shoreline Entertainment has optioned the film rights to adult indie comicbook "The Living Corpse," created by Ken Haeser and Buz Hasson.
Shoreline CEO Morris Ruskin will produce the project as a live-action feature written and helmed by Justin Ritter.
"The Living Corpse" -- initially self-published by Haeser and Hasson -- weaves the tale of a zombie who has vague memories of his past life. His mission is to keep the rest of the walking dead in their graves.
Comicbook was recently picked up by publisher Zenescope Entertainment.
He's done corporate downsizing, guns, Bush and health care, now Michael Moore has targeted the subject of his next doco - homophobia.
Moore has revealed that the anti-gay Christian right movement might be the topic of his next documentary. According to SlashFilm, he told magazine The Advocate that "I think it's a very ripe subject for someone like me to make a movie about. Simply because we are not there yet and it remains one of the last open wounds on our soul that we are not willing to fix yet."
He goes on to say "There is nowhere in the four Gospels where Jesus uses the word homosexual. The right wing has appropriated this guy ... and they have used him to attack gays and lesbians, when he never said a single word against people who are homosexual. Anyone who professes to be a Christian and does that is certainly not following the teachings of Jesus Christ."
Don't expect big changes from HBO without Chris Albrecht at the helm, his replacements pledged Thursday at the network's Television Critics Assn. presentation.
Co-president Richard Plepler and Michael Lombardo, president of the programming group and West Coast operations, are staying the course set by Albrecht, who was ousted in May.
"I consider Chris a friend, and it's been a very difficult transition with him not being with the company," Lombardo said. "The genius of Chris was he assembled an unbelievable group of programmers who all remain. It feels like we are just continuing to do the work we have been doing."
But Plepler acknowledged that HBO isn't likely to outdo "The Sopranos."
"The issue with 'The Sopranos' is, it's such a transcendent thing, an iconic piece of work, (that) everyone asks the question, 'What's next?' " he said. "Truthfully, nothing will ever top 'The Sopranos.' "
Still, HBO is putting its best foot forward on the series front. The network said it has teamed with "American Idol" creator/executive producer Simon Fuller for an American version of the hit BBC comedy "Little Britain."
The much anticipated 10-episode sixth season of Larry David's comedy "Curb Your Enthusiasm" will launch Sept. 9 and will run in the Sunday 10 p.m. time slot. During the "Curb" TCA session, David indicated that he hasn't decided whether the series will continue beyond the coming season and that the season finale leaves that door open.
Preceding the "Curb" season premiere is the debut of HBO's new racy drama "Tell Me You Love Me," which will run in the signature 9-10 p.m. time period.
Much of the discussion in the session devoted to "Love Me" centered on its graphic sex scenes, which HBO entertainment president Carolyn Strauss defended as key to a series that strives to capture the reality of relationships.
"I know the sex is getting enormous amounts of attention, but you really can't tell the story of intimacy without sex as an important part of your took kit," she said. "If you're not doing that honestly, you're not telling the story."
Just in time for the 2008 presidential elections, HBO has renewed "Real Time With Bill Maher" for a sixth season. The show returns for the second half of its fifth season Aug. 24; Season 6 is slated to kick off in 2008.
One deviation from the Albrecht playbook that spurred questions from TCA critics: The execs waffled on plans set by their predecessor to produce a pair of movies that would wrap up the story line of the canceled series "Deadwood." Plepler put the odds for greenlighting a film at "50-50," citing the fact that members of the cast are committed to other projects and the willingness of the series' creator, David Milch, to pursue it.
"If David is game for this and we can figure it out, we'll figure it out," Lombardo said.
Another factor that will play a part in resuming production in "Deadwood" will be the fate of Milch's new series, "John From Cincinnati," which Plepler spoke supportively of but stopped short of a renewal announcement.
"The show is really finding an audience, and the audience is staying consistent," he said. "I think it's important to see where it goes, where David takes us, and we'll make that decision at the end of the season."
As for other returning favorites, Plepler noted that "The Wire" will come back for its final season in the first quarter of next year.
Ricky Gervais' comedy "Extras" will end its run with a one-hour special, written by Gervais and Stephen Merchant, that will be filmed in August. Gervais is also in discussions with the network for a one-hour stand-up special that could air next year.
Plepler and Lombardo also touched on the upcoming big-screen treatment for "Sex and the City," which is being financed and distributed by New Line Cinema. But when the subject turned to a "Sopranos" movie, Lombardo made it clear that no such plans are in the works, "Nobody has had any conversations with David (Chase) about feature films (regarding 'Sopranos')," she said.
"I don't think David has had a conversation with himself about it," Plepler joked.
The execs also discussed at length reactions to the "Sopranos" finale, particular the debate over its final blacked-out moment. Asked about its meaning, Plepler spoke eloquently of how to interpret those final seconds, but Lombardo begged off.
"I don't know, my TV went out," he joked.
James Gandolfini also was on hand for TCA but in a different capacity, as host and executive producer of the documentary "Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq." Although he made sure that the focus was kept on the injured soldiers featured in the program, he offered his motivation for participating in the program.
"I was playing this tough guy on TV and I wanted to meet a few real ones," he said.
HBO has handed out a six-episode order to "Britain" stars Matt Lucas and David Walliams. In the original series, the two play a variety of recurring characters in sketches that spoof contemporary life in the U.K.
"The new series will be a sketch show set in contemporary America," Walliams said. "We are taking some existing characters and writing new material for them, as well as introducing new characters and ideas."
The HBO series, which will be filmed in the fall for a 2008 debut, will be produced by HBO Entertainment in association with 19 Entertainment and MBST and Little Britain. Fuller is executive producing with Larry Brezner, David Steinberg, Lucas and Walliams.
On the longform front, HBO Films has added another screen adaptation of a small British play, Antony Sher's one-man show "Primo."
Meanwhile, "The Pacific," the long-gestating World War II miniseries set in the Pacific theater, likely will bow in third-quarter 2009.
Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal are set to make a film about the rise of Mao Zedong and communism in China reports reports Variety.
Their Tribeca Films has optioned the Roy Rowan memoir "Chasing the Dragon: A Veteran Journalist's Firsthand Account of the 1949 Chinese Revolution."
As a correspondent for the Shanghai bureau of Time and Life, Rowan covered China's civil war and observed close up the rise of Mao and his army. Along the way, Rowan fell for a Chinese interpreter who may have been a spy.
Jon Marans and Yuri Sivo will write the screenplay and Rowan will be a consultant. The plan is to weave the story into a love story meets epic drama.
The project has no connection with Stephen North's film biopic on Mao entitled "Challenging Heaven."
"Fight Club" & "Dancing at the Blue Iguana" actress Christina Cabot has joined the cast of Marvel Studios and Universal's "The Incredible Hulk" reports the trades.
Cabot will play an aide of General Ross (William Hurt) who pursues Bruce Banner (Edward Norton). Liv Tyler and Tim Roth also star.
Shooting begins, under the helm of Louis Leterrier, this summer in Toronto for release next June.
The mystery of 'Mandy Lane' has been solved.
Senator Entertainment has picked up the US distribution rights to Occupant Films' horror feature "All the Boys Love Mandy Lane" which was originally scheduled for a limited release this coming Friday.
The Weinstein Co. picked up worldwide rights at last year's Toronto International Film Festival, but in recent weeks it became clear the studio was essentially dumping it as no marketing material became available.
Inside sources claim there were big differences of opinion as to both the scale of the release and to its marketing. The recent failures of Weinstein's "Grindhouse" feature, and the downturn in horror flicks in general, only exacerbated the problem.
Now, Senator plans to release "Mandy Lane" on 1,000-plus screens in early 2008. Directed by Jonathan Levine and written by Jacob Forman, "Mandy Lane" stars Amber Heard as an idolized high school student who accompanies five friends on a weekend trip to a ranch, where each is eliminated by a mysterious killer.
Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty will headline the Kathryn Bigelow-directed Iraq War drama "The Hurt Locker" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Written by former journalist Mark Boal and inspired by true events, "Locker" follows an elite Army Explosive Ordinance Disposal team in present-day Baghdad that fights an onslaught of bombs and snipers.
Renner will play the leader of the team, while Mackie and Geraghty are members of it. Ralph Fiennes and Guy Pearce both cameo, the former as a mercenary, the later as another team member.
Filming is scheduled to begin next week in Jordan and Kuwait.
'Locker' lands 3 in Iraq storyBy Borys Kit
July 17, 2007
Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty are toplining "The Hurt Locker," an Iraq War drama from director Kathryn Bigelow. Ralph Fiennes and Guy Pearce also have cameos in the film.
Written by Mark Boal and inspired by true events and recently declassified information, "Locker" follows an elite Army Explosive Ordinance Disposal team in present-day Baghdad that fights an onslaught of bombs and snipers.
Renner will play the leader of the team, while Mackie and Geraghty are members of it. Fiennes is a mercenary; Pearce is another member.
Bigelow, Boal, Nicolas Chartier and Greg Shapiro are producing.
The film is a Voltage Pictures/First Light/Kingsgate Films production. Voltage Pictures will handle sales on the film and financed it with Grosvenor Park.
Filming is scheduled to begin next week in Jordan and Kuwait.
Boal is a journalist, previously a writer-at-large at Playboy, and was embedded with a bomb squad several years ago. He extrapolated his experiences into a fictional story grounded in real events.
"The idea is that it's the first movie about the Iraq War that purports to show the experience of the soldiers," Boal said from Jordan. "We wanted to show the kinds of things that soldiers go through that you can't see on CNN, and I don't mean that in a censorship-conspiracy way. I just mean the news doesn't actually put photographers in with units that are this elite."
Boal said the idea of doing a topical movie is one factor that led him to jump into the movie business.
"If you look at the history of war movies, with the exception of a couple of movies during World War II that were more like propaganda, swashbuckling jingoistic stuff, most war movies don't come out until the war was over," he said. "It's really exciting for me, coming out of the world of journalism, to have a movie come out about a conflict while the conflict is still going on.
"The medium of film can be revelatory about a topic," he added. "It's not commenting on something that is history, it's showing something that is real, in today's life."
Renner most recently starred in Fox Atomic's "28 Weeks Later" and will next be seen in "The Assassination of Jesse James" opposite Brad Pitt. He is repped by CAA, Untitled Entertainment and Nelson Felker Toczek Davis.
Mackie, repped by Endeavor, Inspire Entertainment and Loeb & Loeb, recently wrapped shooting Kimberly Peirce's Iraq War drama "Stop Loss," which is set stateside.
Geraghty, repped by Endeavor and Roklin Management, appeared with Mackie in "We Are Marshall." His credits include "Jarhead," Sam Mendes' drama about the first Gulf War, as well as "Bobby."
Fiennes worked with Bigelow in "Strange Days." He is repped by CAA, Dalzell & Beresford in the U.K. and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols and Adler.
Pearce is repped by CAA, Shanahan Management in Australia and attorney David Webber.
After teasing us the other day with the idea of helming another "28 Days Later" sequel, "Sunshine" Director Danny Boyle talked with Slashfilm about what story possibility would he explore:
"It's to do with Russia actually. It's to do with that part of the world. NOT FRANCE. The second film hints that it gets to France eventually, and wipes out the French. But this third idea is actually more to do with Russia, but that's actually all I can say."
Don't expect this baby too soon however - "I don't know whether it will happen" admits Boyle.
GAVIN HOOD TO DIRECT WOLVERINE FEATURE FILM
Despite the mixed results of strong box office and lukewarm reviews of X-Men 3, Marvel and Twentieth Century Fox are moving ahead with the film franchise based on Marvel's mutants, as Variety has announced that Gavin (Rendition) Hood will direct the Wolverine feature film. Hugh Jackman is slated to reprise his role as the character.
The film is scheduled to begin production in November for a 2008 release. Lauren Shuler-Donner, Hugh Jackman (through his Seed Productions) and Jackman's production partner John Palermo will produce. The film was written by David (Troy) Benioff.
From the trade:
Hood is the South African director whose 2005 film "Tsotsi" won the foreign film Oscar. He was among several hot young directors vying for "Wolverine" and sources said Fox brass was swayed after viewing his latest film, "Rendition," the politically charged New Line drama starring Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal, Meryl Streep and Peter Sarsgaard. It opens Oct. 19 and premieres at Toronto.
Using several resources that include the Marvel Comics lore, along with the more recent Weapon X graphic novels by Frank Miller, "Wolverine" mixes action with an origin story about how Logan emerged from a barbaric experiment as an indestructible mutant with retractable razor-sharp claws.
According to Variety 20th Century Fox has made the production of Wolverine a "top priority" thanks to the X-Men film franchise's $1 billion box office gross worldwide.
Newsarama Note: Frank Miller has never written any "Weapon X graphic novels." He did, however, illustrate the 1982 Wolverine miniseries, which was written by Chris Claremont. The Weapon X graphic novel most likely implied in the Variety story would be the collected storyline from 1990-1991's Marvel Comics Presents which was written and drawn by Barry Windsor-Smith. We assume the trade mistook the 17 year old Weapon X for the 25 year old Wolverine when it was mentioning "recent Weapon X graphic novels by Frank Miller."
"Knocked Up" star Seth Rogen and writing partner Evan Goldberg are in final negotiations to co-write and produce "The Green Hornet" for Sony Pictures.
"Hornet" follows the adventures of Britt Reid, a bored playboy who inherits his father's crusading newspaper, the Daily Sentinel. By night he is a masked hero, fighting crime with his sidekick Kato, who has incredible martial-arts skills.
Rogen is also surprisingly attached to star as the classic crime-fighting hero - a role that Hollywood hunks George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Jake Gyllenhaal have previously been linked with.
The character is best remembered for the 1966 ABC series that starred Van Williams as the Green Hornet and Bruce Lee as Kato.
Fox 2000 has won a fierce bidding war for the film rights to "The Passage," a partial manuscript intended as a trilogy for Ridley Scott to produce and possibly direct.
The 2016-set dark tale revolves around the government conducting secret tests with human subjects to see if a South American bat virus can cure cancer. Instead, it unleashes a swarm of bloodthirsty vampires out of the test subjects, which include death row inmates.
Meanwhile, an orphan named Amy discovers that she has unusual powers, seemingly related to the crisis that quickly overtakes civilized society.
Justin Cronin ("Mary and O'Neil") penned the postapocalyptic vampire story under the alias Jordan Ainsley, and the book will be published Summer 2009. Scott is presently working on "Nottingham," a reworking of the Robin Hood tale.
Rodar y Rodar has teamed with Becker Intl. to produce an $8.3 million English-language remake of Guillem Morales' 2005 psychological thriller "El habitante incierto" (The Uncertain Guest).
The producers aim to work with some of the original's crew, shoot mostly in Spain, but set the film in London. Morales will supervise the screenplay, written by U.K. scribe William Davies, and helm the remake.
The original "Habitante" follows an increasingly delirious architect's obsession with a man who's taken up residence in his house, just as the architect is separating from his girlfriend.
Plans are for the remake to be "more open, bigger, less abstract, more realist and take in lots of London detail" said Rodar producer Mar Targarona to trade paper Variety.
Plans are also to include some top-level US & UK talent. Shooting will take place next year.
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"The original "Habitante" ...
mda, ovom filmu malo doterivanja ne bi falilo, jer original ne isporučuje mnogo više od beskrajne dosade.
evo jednog filma koji zvuči nadasve zanimljivo (barem meni!), mogao bi neko da proveri ima li ga za skinuti od braće pirata...
THE NEW GOD
"Tora, Tora, Tora! Pearl Harbour was our only choice. Our race was corrupted from the day we lost the war..." Karin Amamiya, lead singer of ultra-nationalist hardcore punk band The Revolutionary Truth looms centre stage, barking out aggressive but heartfelt anti-American sentiments to a dwindling audience.
Troubled music for troubled times, one might think, though on the surface at least, there seems to be little immediate to worry about for the citizens of modern day Japan, currently one of the safest places on the planet. However, in recent times, and especially since the death of Emperor Hirohito marked the end of the Showa Period in 1989, the Heisei Period has seen a marked revival in the nationalist movement.
Nationalism, with its indelible associations of racism and the military right wing is a fairly dirty word to most people, and a subject which most would prefer to waft aside without giving a second thought. But for documentary maker Tsuchiya, who stood amongst the cowed observers at the gig with which the film opens and viewing the proceedings firmly from the other side of the political fence, there's something more heartfelt about Amamiya's plea. "I shivered. I don't know why. I felt her pain, somehow, like a reflected light beam stabbing the heart."
The New God documents Tsuchiya's attempts to delve beyond the political rhetoric and intimidating facade of the fascinatingly complex figures of Amamiya and guitarist/band-leader Hidehito Itoh of The Revolutionary Truth, in the process discovering that all three of them have a lot more in common than their seemingly diametrically opposed standpoints might first lead one to believe. Handing Amamiya a DV-camera in which to film herself in a series of talking head shots, over the course of little over a month, he manages to get a whole lot more than he initially bargained for...
At the beginning of the film, Amamiya is beginning to question her own beliefs in Right Wing Nationalism after a trip to Pyongyang in North Korea at the invitation of The Japanese Red Army to see the effect of communism on the daily lives of its citizens. At first she is welcomed with open arms by her compatriots, seemingly unworried by their opposing political beliefs. As someone points out, "Left or right is just a label for someone caring about their race. Anti-imperial America is what we agree on."
However, once the drinking stops and the politicising begins, she confides to her camera in the privacy of her hotel room that her own views might be causing some problem with the older activists. "I'm not sure you really understand Japan", one of the communists tells her after being shown a video of one of The Revolutionary Truth's concerts, to which Amamiya concurs with a rather meek "hai".
Nevertheless, she is markedly struck by the way that the North Koreans are bound together by a common value system "Words such as solidarity touched my heart as a nationalist". In contrast, she sees the only shared values the Japanese possess is via consumerism and value systems imposed from outside. "The Japanese can't make friends. Only cut their wrists and call sex lines."
It is statements such as these that throw light on where Amamiya is coming from in her politics. At numerous points in the film she confesses that a troubled upbringing and 9 years of bullying at the hands of her school classmates left her feeling an outsider. Nationalism provided a channel for her feelings of ostracism and self-loathing. Similarly, in an unguarded moment, Itoh confesses he embraced nationalism to stop being a nerd. "When did you force these two ideas, 'to stop being a nerd', and 'anti-America' together?", asks Tsuchiya. "Well, after joining the Nationalists, actually", Itoh capitulates.
With such moments of honesty, both Amamiya and Itoh cease to become threatening political extremists and start really developing as fully rounded and sympathetic characters, plagued by self-doubt and fully aware of their irreconcilable idealism. It's an angle which Tsuchiya pursues admirably as he becomes closer to the two band members, turning the film into a three way dialogue between the film maker and his subjects. "I know what she means. Something has created an emptiness covering Japan. To her it's America, to me it's the emperor system", he muses between scenes.
Both Itoh and Amamiya's viewpoint is that the modern Japanese, dulled by the "suffocating peace" of the Heisei Period (literally meaning 'attainment of peace') have forgotten their roots and are content to remains as "America's fat dog", and that as a result Japan has lost any significance in world politics. They argue that the deaths of Japanese soldiers during the Pacific War should not be forgotten as they were acting in the interests of the emperor at a time when every man and woman worked their life for the country. In a nutshell, to deny your nation's history is to deny your national identity, especially in such a culturally and racially heterogeneous society "where it's easy to fake national and racial identity".
Whilst Itoh and Amimaya's desire for a return to the 'Nation as Family' rather than America's hollow individualism might merely be seen as wilful nostalgia, the underlying desire for a shared value system and common identity is perhaps not so outrageous: "The emperor is the moral, not the system", as Itoh says. Translating these wishes into a political agenda is however slightly more problematic. As Tsuchiya points out, his problem with nationalist politics is that it excludes non-nationals, a factor which Amamiya admits had always bothered her about the right wing Nationalist Party of which the two musicians are active members.
It is really after her return from North Korea that sees Amamiya's growing disillusionment with political process, sparked off by the lacklustre reception of her talk on her pilgrimage at a meeting of a neo-right wing group, who'd rather revel in drunken rhetoric and "jabber in their cups to feel their camaraderie". Itoh's street-level activism, yelling "You fuckers are all just lifestock!" down a megaphone to indifferent passers-by doesn't seem to be much more effective either.
In true Spinal Tap form, Tsuchiya's presence seems to act as a catalyst for problems already latent within the band, and so a new "liberal" guitarist is drafted in to ease the tension. Umitaro Tanaka is the 'Lukewarm Water' role between Amamiya's 'Fire' and Itoh's 'Ice'. "Singing the national anthem before the gig just isn't my thing" he mumbles during a band practice session. After meeting hostile receptions from audiences and being kicked out of a series of venues, one begins to wonder whether it is perhaps the medium rather than the message that is the problem.
Of course, it is Amamiya's presence that fuels the whole endeavour, invoking a fair degree of sexual tension between the two males as we see her being drawn away from Itoh's radical polemic to the film-maker's more liberal suave. We see Itoh yawning and nodding off when excluded from a heated drunken political discussion between Amamiya and her new hero figure in a bar. Later Amamiya bounces up and down appreciatively gushing "Kakkoii!" ("Cool!") as Tsuchiya nonchalantly sums up his political stance; "All I know is that my work says it all". When Itoh tries to get in on the act shouting "Yes, it's great to be creative, isn't it!", he is silenced by a condescending "Go and bake a cake then!" from Amamiya.
Both entertaining and thought-provoking, not to mention frequently incredibly funny, the transformation of The Revolutionary Truth's stance via its rejection of both hard line right-wing and left-wing politics to a more comfortable form of nationalism is absolutely riveting from start to finish. At a time when the old political arguments are ceasing to have any relevance, Tsuchiya introduces us to two absolutely remarkable characters whom we might otherwise dismiss completely out of hand, as he reminds us that, whether left or right, politics at the end of the day is about people. All hail The New God!
Latino Review reports that "Happy Feet" director George Miller is tipped to direct Warner Bros. Pictures' "Justice League of America."
Superman, Batman, The Flash, Wonder Woman and the Green Lantern are all tipped to be teaming up for the big-budget action spectacle.
According to Collider, the "Justice League" film is more of a priority for WB than the sequel to "Superman".
Kiernan and Michele Mulroney were hired to pen the script back in February.
Guillermo del Toro is involved in a remake of Peter Medak's 1980 horror flick "The Changeling" for Rogue Pictures says Dread Central.
Details are still scarce about the project or if it will follow the original's story about a grief stricken man aiding a young boy's ghost in unraveling the dark secrets of his home.
Del Toro is expected to only produce, not direct the remake.
British director Paul Greengrass can effortlessly go from political dramas such as Bloody Sunday to commercial thrillers such as the last two Bourne films, and in between with United 93. His latest film, The Bourne Ultimatum, seems the perfect post-9/11 film, given what is happening in contemporary America, but ask the director about the film's politics and he won't have a bar of it, as PAUL FISCHER discovered.
Question: How important was it for you stepping into Ultimatum to ensure that this was as politically relevant as you could make it given the fact you'd done United 93 and we are living in this post 9-11 world, eavesdropping and lack of privacy, etc. Was it important for you to ensure collected all those concerns I'm sure you must have had?
Greengrass: You know the thing is when you come to a Bourne movie you come to have some fun. That's honestly the truth of it, I mean me personally. It's a Saturday night movie. It's the movie I'd go to if I were going out for a Saturday night and I'd want to have a great time and have the best ride of the summer. I'm answering your question. I'm not being facetious, I'm being honest here. That, front and center, is what a Bourne movie is going to be. It's gotta be true to the character and true to the world the character lives in. Now, the Bourne world is the world that's outside our door. If you opened your door in New York or Paris or London or whatever you got to believe that whatever story it is that Bourne's engaged in could be happening there. But I don't come to a Bourne movie to make any kind of statement. What attracts me to Bourne's world is that is a real world and I think I'm most comfortable there. But I come to a Bourne movie to have fun as a filmmaker, to strut my stuff and that's part of the fun of franchise filmmaking. You get to build a ride and bring it out in the summer and compete with all the other great movies out in the marketplace. So yeah, there is an awful lot 'cos we've all made...a lot of people come back... they were there for Supremacy and you're kind of feeling around the set is that we're going to be the best. You've got to believe that. It's quite sporting in a way. For me it kind of feels like we're going to win. When you're directing a franchise movie you want to foster that because you know they're very, very arduous long tiring complex frustrating sometimes activities. But you must never lose the sense of adventure. You know, the sense of excitement. Now what makes Bourne special I think is that it marries that with intelligence, with cool story telling, doesn't underestimate its audience and it's got this kind of gritty real contemporary landscape. That to me to answer your question is that's the dash of Worcester sauce. That's the little bit of chili but it's not the meal. That's what I think about it. When I go off and do my movies, I'll make the chili the whole meal.
Question: Paul, you take the viewer that's watching this movie on a very exciting and visual journey and I'm just curious because of the various locations you went in, what were some of the challenges in many of the cities that you happened to run up against if any?
Greengrass: Every one of them was a hideous nightmare. That's the truth of it. But one of the things that I like to say when I'm making a film--it's a bit of a mantra for me is whatever our problem is is our opportunity. It's certainly true in a Bourne movie. One of the things that makes the Bourne movies so exciting I think is you do get to go on a journey. Generally through the franchise that journey is in Europe. This time obviously towards the end it comes back to New York. Unlike a lot of films if we're in Tangier, we're in Tangier. We're not on the backlot somewhere. That makes for tremendous logistical difficulties and tremendous difficulties in shooting. If you're going to say let's mount really a very large sequence on Waterloo Station. That's the busiest terminal in London, you know. Hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people are going through that place every hour. You can't lock it down. They wouldn't let you and you can't do it, so what you have to do is see that as an opportunity not a problem. What you get is the texture of life within it and all the things I believe very, very much as a filmmaker is that if you create a film set which is the classic way it's done which is highly sanitized, you know. There's a perimeter around it and you know, you effectively erect a wall around yourself and then you've got a sanitized space where you can make your movie inside that. That's fine but I think the problem is you become cut off from the real world, so I like to have a set that has what's going on, you know. It makes for problems, but what you get in return for that is the vibrancy, the energy of a huge mainline station or Tangier or New York and it shows. Its part of what makes the Bourne films special, I think.
Question: How did you shoot that in Waterloo?
Greengrass: With enormous difficulty! You have to think carefully about how you're going to do it. What you do is you design the sequence that is in many, many pieces so in fact you're planning to shoot in many different parts of the station. What you have to do is never be in the same place twice because what happens is that people get to know you're there and a crowd starts to build up. What you have to do be like a...it's impossible to be like a true guerilla unit because it's a huge...it's a Bourne movie...it's a huge movie, but you've got to move from place to place and be unpredictable so people don't know where you are and then move on fast. You've got to schedule it so you're not there for too long a period of time in any one time. So you might go for 2-3 days and then disappear and go off and do something else and then come back for 2-3 days a week or two later. If people get to know you're going to be there, then the crowds are going to build up and what it means, of course, it puts prodigious demands on the actors because they never know from one hour to the next which bit of the sequence... well even I didn't know... you've just got to seize your moment. It makes for opportunity. I think that my films--I'm not doing across the board here-- but it's certainly true of Bourne Ultimatum--you're trying to bring together two forces that essentially are going in opposite directions. And those 2 forces are structure, order, planning, story, all the things you can lay down in advance logistically, narratively whatever it is. Then you've got the force of freedom, improvisation, the moment, the happy accident, the unstructured bit of filmmaking. I think what I try to do all the time is bring those two into the closed possible proximity and where the two meet that's where a Bourne movie should be. It means that they're fresh, you know. A Bourne movie is not an airline meal. It's made on the run, you know. It doesn't always work believe me but you know. With this tremendous self belief in the team, we've got in my view the greatest movie star in the world. He's perfect for the part. Fantastic producers in the studio who allow us to make this huge franchise movie in this incredibly edgy, bold way actually, and together as a team we get there, I hope.
Question: Looking at the production notes before you started, I was glancing through them and I noticed there was a page of stunt performers. Now when you craft your scene do you do the stunt aspect first or do you do the script and then kind of work the stunt in and a comment to add to that the fight scene in Tangiers was the most exhausting, exhilarating scene I've ever seen. I thought will someone just die. It was just on the edge of everything so I just had to tell you that.
Greengrass: Well, the answer is that you...how do you design a big action sequence? First of all you have to attach it initially in its broadest sense. It's just my view. I think it's tremendously important when you're looking at action in a movie and I think it's one of the reasons why Bourne films people love them, you've got to pay very close attention to how it's set up. You've got to have a real reason for your character to move into action as opposed to oh, let's just have an action sequence. So how you set up the narrative and the issues that are in play that demand the central character to go into action are very, very important and you have to choreograph that carefully and if you do it carefully and satisfactorily by the time you hit the action your audience is loving it because they've been primed to go. Then you've got to conceive of action in an original way that is consistent with Bourne and his world. That means that when Bourne is in a corner you can't just have him, you know, pull out some kind of technology and get himself out of trouble or suddenly have some kind of magic powers that get him out of hole or he's a superhero so he can just swat them aside. You've got to think through the thought process of a real man absorbing information at high speed, making a choice and then executing it with pace and precision. When you're making the film, that's what you've got to show all the time every time. You see that throughout all those action sequences and then the last fact you've got to pay very close attention to I think and I've tried to do it in the two I've done is that whenever you go into action, the action has got to lead to character development. The character has got to be changed during the course of the action. It's got to be selling your something profound about the character as opposed to it just happening. So if you think of that whole Tangiers sequence that's you know, it resolves itself with a core character moment of shame about Bourne, he's right there and he's had to kill again and all of that. So when you marry those three things together then I think you get satisfying action. To answer the question about what was the question--about the fight? The fight is essentially a violent ballet. That's what it is in reality. What you're looking to do is... first you have to commit to the actors doing it, not the stunt men. That's number 1. Stunt men may help enormously and always do in preparation of the fight. When you prepare a fight you go into a rehearsal room and they'll be stunt performers and you start to work out with stunt performers to begin with how and the actors how the fight might unfold. You can't be exploring dangerous elements with your leader. Then as you get the shape the actors will come in and we'll start to build it up and change it and evolve it and they let their own ideas in. Then you start to work on the precision and the pace of it. It's a tremendous amount of work that goes into these things before they ever hit the floor. Then once you're on the floor, the moves, the dance is set. It's a dance, that's what it is. Then what you're working on is if the tolerance is that between safe and somebody getting knocked out for 6 years then you're looking to get that tolerance to there.
Question: And you nailed it.
Greengrass: I didn't, they did. And that takes, believe me, unbelievable stamina for those two actors, day after day after day. Incredible exertions of power, courage--because you're getting hurt in those things. You can't smash around like that for a week or whatever it is in confined spaces really...when you're in front of it it's absolutely ferocious. It's like they're fighting. They are fighting. And then the last thing you need is an incredible trust that's earned from rehearsals. Trust that when that guy throws that punch it's going to be real and he's got to trust that the other guy is just going to be that far away and you've got to decide who's in charge of the moves because you both can't be in charge. It's like ...incredible. Very exciting to watch if you're a director.
Question: Was there any debate whether or not to keep the ending a bit more ambiguous rather than to show Bourne swimming away? Was there ever a moment where you felt you should leave it hanging just a little bit?
Greengrass: Not really to be honest. Not at all in fact to be absolutely honest. I'm always a very, very strong proponent myself of Bourne standing clear and unbroken at the end. I think it's ...but that's because Bourne is a very moral character at heart. He never expresses any moralizing but he's essentially a character--that's why we love him because he's got a dark past and he's renounced it and he's trying to make like a new chapter for himself. He's seeking the light, always. Also he's an outlaw. He's us against them and they're never going to catch him, so I never want Bourne to be caught. That's something I always want to believe that he's out there, because he's the person who says I won't get fooled again. Where's the answers? You're lying to me. I just love that about the character.
Question: Paul, how has Matt Damon changed working with him over the course, he's said it's been 7 years. 5 years worth of movies doing this kind of incredible adventure--this trilogy and secondly I couldn't help but think as I watched David Strathairn through the movie I kept chanting Cheney, Cheney, Cheney. He seems to epitomize the government guy who is convinced that he's right and does everything wrong and only has a belief in himself. How conscious were you of making that kind of political statement in this movie?
Greengrass: Honestly and truly I'm not ducking it not at all. I mean it's like...I don't think he actually looks like Dick Cheney does he? No, it never occurred...better hair right. No, I mean it's a Bourne movie it's not a private political soap box for me or anybody else. I'm not ducking it; it's honestly how I feel. But as a franchise it's aggressively contemporary and that's part of its appeal. It's not topical though, and there is a difference between contemporary which is good in a Bourne movie and topical which would be Dick Cheney which would not be good because I wouldn't want to go out on a Saturday night and see Dick Cheney in a movie. That's the truth of it you know.
Question: Audiences at screenings cheer when the CIA gets its ass kicked repeatedly. Were they cheering because they knew they were the bad guys or because it was the CIA?
Greengrass: We're all engaged in the world. That's why the Bourne franchise works because you go on a Saturday night or whenever you go but it's an action adventure but the character has real heart and soul and a real moral component existing in the real world. He makes choices about the world. When he says I'm no longer Jason Bourne and renounces all the black ops that have scarred his life effectively for 7 years of course that has power, but I think it feels earned by the film. I think it feels earned in particular by the franchise, by the 3 films which goes to your 1st question which is how Matt's changed. I think one of the things that's most interesting to me and I really look forward and this is a funny thing to say but the last time I watched this film is when it comes out on DVD I'm going to sit and watch Identity, Supremacy and Ultimatum back to back and that will be it--done for it. I know what I'll see. I'll see he's my friend, Matt, and I love him but I'll see a wonderful, wonderful actor going through 7 years of his life. Bourne aging and being tempered by his journey through the dark paranoid conspiratorial Bourne world and that I think is part of what I think why Ultimatum seems to work. It's very hard when you make a film and you hope it works and you dream it works and you work your butt off to try to make it work but you never know. You'd have a much better sense of the film than I would at this point but I think one of the things that always did feel very powerful to me making it was this sense of Matt tempered. He's 7 years older than he was when he was in Bourne and the character of Bourne knows so much more now than Jason Bourne did when he was fished out of the water at the start of Identity who knew nothing. He didn't even know what his name was. He didn't even know he'd been in the CIA, now he's gone through 2 movies and the character you find in Ultimatum is still in the ...he still has the full range of his skills. He's down the road towards finding the answers to his quest but he knows he faces formidable adversaries who will probably never be beaten. Somewhere Matt manages to convey that and it crackles with contemporariness there. I think we all...and that goes to the Cheney thing, I don't think it's about Cheney or any one government or anything like that. I think there's something about a character facing the huge problems and challenges of the contemporary world and meeting them with head on with courage, allowing for darkness and mistake, but ultimately always moral. That's incredibly, incredibly inspiring and that's honestly what I think. That to me is what it's about and I think that's why you enjoy the ride and that's why I think people love the character because it speaks to them but not in a partisan way. It just speaks to the way the world is. It's full of difficulty and challenge and violence and ultimately if you can keep struggling toward the light you find the road.
Question: How much authorship do you feel for these films? You didn't do the 1st one but your style is so identified with the whole series just from the last one.
Greengrass: How much sense of authorship? Well, I'm not ducking it but the truth is I'll duck it. No, franchise filmmaking is a group activity. It really is. The scale of the activity is huge; both logistical, financial, budgetary, resource wise it's just you operate 360 degrees in a cruel time frame to make these things happen. No one person is the author of a Bourne film. The truth is it's a coalition of people who share the same vision for Bourne and his world and we...its remarkably collaborative and collective. Oh listen we disagree and we have tremendous old cat fights about can't go this way, we should go this way and from time to time and somebody will have to judicate, whether it's me or whatever. But that's why they're so great because I've never had an argument in a Bourne film--ever. Like an argument, a bad...we've had you know, but never once. It's a fantastic...that's one of the reasons they work--a brilliant team effort.
Question: Paul, what did your Oscar nomination mean to you?
Greengrass: It was very nice. I was actually on the set of Bourne Ultimatum at that time and everybody was very nice. It meant a lot to me most of all because of the journey we took with all those families. They were so incredibly supportive of us and it meant the world to them and of course on a personal level it was a great honor, but it meant most because they felt acknowledged in this city, by Hollywood. And I think that was fantastic.
Roger Avary is attached to write and direct an adaptation of the 2001 ID Software video game "Return to Castle Wolfenstein" reports Variety.
Producer Samuel Hadida, who worked with Avary on the script adaptation of "Silent Hill," is also producing this.
The original 'Return' game was a sequel to the 1992 "Wolfenstein 3D", the first popular game of the 'first person shooter' genre which now dominates all gaming.
In 'Return', U.S. Army Ranger B.J. Blazkowicz leads a team of agents into Castle Wolfenstein in order to investigate the Nazis' SS Paranormal Division.
IESB.Net reports that "Underworld" and "Live Free or Die Hard" helmer Len Wiseman is currently in talks to develop and direct both "Gears of War" and "Escape from New York" for New Line Cinema.
Written by Stuart Beattie and slated for a 2009 release, "Gears of War" is an adaptation of last year's hit XBox 360 video game about soldiers on an alien planet fighting hordes of creatures.
Also slated for 2009 is the Ken Nolan-penned remake of John Carpenter/Kurt Russell classic "Escape from New York" with Gerard Butler stepping behind the eye patch of Snake Plissken.
Od Harija sa AICNA -
Mark Protosevich's brilliant THOR script to be directed by STARDUST's Matthew Vaughn!!!
Hey folks, Harry here... The week before I got married, I got a whole host of scripts. About 20 to be exact and in and amongst those was the latest script by Mark Protosevich (I AM LEGEND, JOHN CARTER OF MARS)... THOR.
I'm a huge THOR geek. Even got that Mjolnir replica they issued a few years back - and I constantly hope a burglar breaks into my house so I can smash his face with my uru hammer. (joke... kinda).
So when this script hit... I'm a huge fan of Protosevich... worked with him for quite some time on John Carter and he's a great guy to work with... intensely passionate about the material he's working on... and I kinda hate that I didn't get the script from Mark, cuz when he turned in his draft on JOHN CARTER - it came accompanied with a soundtrack cd he had made (that looked like Mars) that was made up of the music he was listening to, as he wrote the script. Richard Kelly does this too.
Anyway - I sat down and dove into the script. This isn't a Donald Blake, doctor on vacation story. Instead, this is a genuine TALES OF ASGARD story. In the first few pages the creation of everything takes place... the origin of the gods, their universe and how midgard (that's are place in the universe) came to be.
It has Thor and Loki as brothers - the best of friends... and it shows how that goes bad. The origin of the uru hammer, Thor being thrown from Asgard to being a mere mortal... it's a HUGE story - easily the most awesome script that a MARVEL project has ever had.
About 3 weeks ago, I heard they were talking to Matthew Vaughn... I'm a huge fan of Matthew's STARDUST. However, I'm sure Matthew knows this... but the tone of STARDUST and this THOR script are very very different. There can be no tongue in cheek, no broad comedy... this is an intense story or deception, quests and battles amongst gods. Protosevich channeled all the best from Kirby's universe and I hope to Odin that they take their visual cue from his work.
This has the chance to literally kick everything we have coming up's ass.
It's an epic step forward in ambition for Matthew Vaughn - I know MARVEL loves this script - I just hope they allow this project to live up to its potential. Now they have the hardest task of all... finding Thor. Me - there's a half crazed part of me that wants Ernest Borgnine to play ODIN - ala his Ragnar from THE VIKINGS. But that's probably just me.
Warner Bros. has picked up the rights to Oni Press' comicbook series "Maintenance," for McG's Wonderland Sound & Vision to produce and for the helmer to possibly direct.
Joe Ballarini is adapting the project, which follows the exploits of two janitors who work at Terrormax Inc., the world's leading manufacturer and supplier of weapons and doomsday devices to supervillains. As comicbook's conceit goes, if they're not too busy cleaning up toxic spills and performing menial repairs on time machines, they just might save the world.
"Some of the films that made me want to become a director like 'Back to the Future' and 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' are based on action, comedy and ground-breaking special effects," McG said. "It is my goal to make 'Maintenance' in the same tradition."
Comicbook series was created by Jim Massey and illustrated by Robbi Rodriguez.
Eric Gitter, who runs Oni's entertainment arm, Closed On Monday, will produce along with McG's shingle, Wonderland, which recently inked a three-year first look deal with WB.
Steven V. Scavelli will executive produce. Peter Schwerin, Joe Nozemack and James Lucas Jones will serve as co-producers.
Ballarini scripted "Witch Hunters," set up at New Regency that Kopelson Entertainment will produce. He also wrote "The Legendary McClouds" at Paramount, and MGM's "F+."
WB will release "Whiteout," based on another Oni graphic novel, sometime next year. Gitter is producing "Scott Pilgrim," with Marc Platt, and "Leading Man," both of which are set up at Universal. Oni also sold the rights to "Courtney Crumin" and "The Damned" to Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald at DreamWorks.
William Hurt and German actor Daniel Bruhl have joined Julie Delpy's upcoming drama "The Countess" reports MTV News.
The film tells of Elizabeth Bathory, the famed Hungarian blood Countess of the 16th century. Of Hurt's character, Delpy says "he is playing the most Machiavellian [character]. He's not a murderer. He's a very powerful man. There's a lot of political intrigue."
Radha Mitchell and Vincent Gallo also star in the "romantic drama with a hint of a thriller" which begins shooting at the end of October.
Whilst Mark Wahlberg is still the first choice to play Duke in the "G.I. Joe" film adaptation, now comes word that a certain "Transporter" may join the cast.
The IESB reports that Jason Statham is the first choice for Joe's British sidekick 'Action Man'. The characters will still be based from the original cartoons, toys and comics but with a globe-trotting flavor.
Skip Woods script was apparently written with Wahlberg and Statham specifically in mind and they are the first choice for Duke and Action Man. Elements of Woods' script and another one are being used for the new final draft.
Meanwhile it's been revealed at Latino Review that "The Mummy" helmer Stephen Sommers will not be directing the project after he apparently demanded too much money for the gig.
Director Tarsem Singh ("The Cell") is set to helm the Warner Bros. Pictures science fiction thriller "The Unforgettable" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Originally titled "Species X," the story centers on a cop who in the course of a murder investigation realizes that he is not human and uncovers a war between good and evil aliens.
Kurt Sutter (TV's "The Shield") wrote the screenplay which is based in the 'same universe' as the well-reviewed and quite creepy 2005 PC & Xbox 360 videogame "Condemned: Criminal Origins."
That game's sequel, "Condemned 2: Bloodshot" will be released early 2008 and is expected to tie-in with the film. Basil Iwanyk, David Goyer and Jason Hall will produce.
When Edward Norton said that he wrote the screenplay for the upcoming "The Incredible Hulk" at this year's San Diego Comic Con, people were left wondering what happened to original scribe Zak Penn's work? Now, The Los Angeles Times has the answer:
"Marvel hired [Zak] Penn, who wrote three drafts over a year. By spring 2007, Penn was about to go off to promote his movie "The Grand," but the studio and the director, Louis Leterrier ("The Transporter"), still felt that the screenplay needed work.
When Norton came in to meet about starring as Banner in April, the film had already been greenlighted and there were just three months before shooting was scheduled to begin. Norton had well-established (if underground) writing experience and strong ideas about how to separate the film from any confusion over its connection to the 2003 Ang Lee version by casting it in a more distinct, starting-over vein like "Batman Begins" or "Casino Royale."
So Norton's initial deal included payment not just for his acting services but for his writing talents too, with his draft contractually stipulated to be turned around in less than a month. As it turned out, Norton delayed work on another screenplay job to do "Hulk," and he continues to tweak the script as principal photography hits its halfway point outside Toronto."
Penn meanwhile is presently writing a big-budget version of another Marvel comic - "The Avengers."
Variety reports that HBO and "Deadwood" creator David Milch are prepping what could be his next project - a NYPD police drama.
Sources say the project will follow a Vietnam veteran who returns to the U.S. in the early 1970s and joins the New York City police force.
With Milch's "John From Cincinnati" now officially canned, the cops project has now been revived. The anticipated pair of "Deadwood" movies to finish off that series is sadly seen as a longshot as the actors move on to other roles.
Rosario Dawson will produce and star in "The Gemini Division," a live-action/motion-capture animation online sci-fi series and any potential TV series, feature film and game variations of the property says The Hollywood Reporter.
Electric Farm Entertainment will produce 100 three-minute episodes of "Gemini," which will star Dawson as a New York cop investigating the bizarre murder of her husband and who uncovers a global conspiracy involving the creation of simulated life forms that have assimilated with the unsuspecting public.
Dawson is not a stranger to the sci-fi genre, she created the comic book "Occult Crimes Taskforce" and is developing a feature based on it with the Weinstein Co., to which she is attached to star and produce.
Jennifer Aniston is in final negotiations to join New Line Cinema's ensemble comedy "He's Just Not That Into You" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Connolly, Bradley Cooper, Justin Long, Ginnifer Goodwin and Drew Barrymore are already set to star in the Baltimore-set movie of interconnecting story arcs dealing with the challenges of reading or misreading human behavior.
Aniston will play a woman in a long-term relationship with a boyfriend who will not commit to marriage. Ken Kwapis will direct and Barrymore will produce.
Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein ("Never Been Kissed") wrote the adaptation of Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo's best-selling social commentary book. Shooting begins early September in Los Angeles.
Bruce Dickinson-penned Chemical Wedding starts shooting
Wendy Mitchell in Edinburgh
16 Aug 2007 14:58
London-based Focus Films has started production on supernatural horror film Chemical Wedding. Julian Doyle, who edited Terry Gilliam's Brazil and Time Bandits, will direct.
The story is based on an original screenplay by Bruce Dickinson, frontman of Iron Maiden. Dickinson will provide the soundtrack to the film.
Warner Music has already taken on all UK and Ireland rights and plans a theatrical release in 2008. Edward Noeltner's Cinema Management Group is handling world sales.
Simon Callow will star as a modern Cambridge professor who becomes a re-incarnation of Aleister Crowley, the infamous occult scholar.
Focus Films' David Pupkewitz and Malcolm Kohll are producing with Ben Tilmlett and Justin Peyton of Bill and Ben Productions and Duellist Film Production in association with MotionFX and E-Motion. Executive producers are Andy Taylor, Paul Astrom-Andrews and Peter Dale.
Focus' previous projects include 51st State starring Samuel L Jackson. The company is also in pre-product noon Marleen Gorris' Heaven And Earth.
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"Bruce Dickinson-penned Chemical Wedding starts shooting
London-based Focus Films has started production on supernatural horror film Chemical Wedding. Julian Doyle, who edited Terry Gilliam's Brazil and Time Bandits, will direct.
The story is based on an original screenplay by Bruce Dickinson, frontman of Iron Maiden. Dickinson will provide the soundtrack to the film.
Krajnje bizarno, ali highly anticipated!!! :evil:
When word that Warners was rushing forward with development on their "Justice League" movie, speculation soon arose that the "Superman Returns" sequel would be delayed or cancelled.
The studio quickly denied this, and it has been confirmed that scribes Mike Dougherty, Dan Harris and Director Bryan Singer have been working on a script follow-up to last year's Supes film.
Now IESB.Net says that Kiernan and Michele Mulroney's script for the 'Justice' movie has been received and highly praised by the studio who want "the film to be the launching point for The Flash, Wonder Woman, The Green Lantern and Aquaman as well as rejuvenate Superman."
They even add that production would begin as soon as the first quarter of 2008, to avoid the pending writer's strike, in time for a Summer 2009 theatrical release. If true, then what does that mean for the "Superman" sequel?
Also speculation continues about casting as both Batman and Superman are key figures in the script - will Bale and Routh's contracts (both are signed for three films as their characters) fall under this agreement?
JoBlo reports that Director Robert Rodriguez's girlfriend and "Planet Terror" star Rose McGowan is being used for FX test footage of the "Barbarella" remake.
Whether that means she'll play the famous intergalactic heroine is unsure. At last report, Kate Beckinsale was the front runner to take on the role made famous by Jane Fonda in the 60's psychedlic film adaptation.
The project, which will be far more faithful to the original comic, is scheduled to start principal photography before year's end.
Natalie Martinez is negotiations to star as the romantic lead opposite Jason Statham in Paul W.S. Anderson's "Death Race" says Reuters.
Universal Pictures' remake of the Roger Corman cult classic sees Statham as a prisoner in a near future America who is coerced into being a driver in a road rally to the death. He soon becomes a crowd favorite called Frankenstein.
Martinez will play Case, a woman who is assigned to be Statham's navigator and ends up assisting him in his plan to escape the prison. She joins a cast that includes Joan Allen, Ian McShane and Tyrese Gibson.
Shooting is scheduled to start this month in Montreal.
Seth Gordon ("The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters") is in final negotiations to direct "Four Christmases" for New Line Cinema reports the trades.
Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn both produce and are starring in the movie, which follows a young married couple -- each one a child of divorced parents -- who struggle to attend four different Christmas Day family celebrations.
Matt Allen and Caleb Wilson penned the screenplay. Gordon is expected to helm this before the feature film remake of 'Kong' which he will also helm.
Aussie actress Isla Fisher ("Wedding Crashers," "The Lookout") has signed on to star in "The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic" for producer Jerry Bruckheimer reports JoBlo.
Based on Sophie Kinsella's novel "Confessions of a Shopaholic," Fisher will star as Rebecca Bloomwood, a recent college graduate working as a financial journalist in New York City.
Her shop-a-holic ways are causing the bills to pile up fast and she's forced to creatively find solutions to her mounting debt. Along the way she falls in love with a highly successful entrepreneur she's highlighting for the magazine.
Tracey Jackson ("The Guru") wrote the adaptation of Bloomwood's book and fellow Aussie PJ Hogan is set to direct. Filming is scheduled to begin this November in New York.
Morgan Freeman says that despite all the long delays, his planned adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke's legendary sci-fi novel "Rendezvous with Rama" is still in the works reports MTV.
Freeman says "It's a very intellectual science fiction film, a very difficult book to translate cinematically. [At least] we have found it very difficult to translate, to get ready for film...But it's worth doing. We're still at it."
The story follows investigation of a thirty-mile-long alien spaceship with mysterious origins that has been set adrift in our Solar System by an unknown intelligence.
Freeman says "I play the captain of the spaceship Endeavor that is charged with rendezvousing with this thing from outer space to find out what it is [and] what its intentions are."
David Fincher ("Se7en," "Fight Club") remains attached to direct.
Carla Gugino has joined the cast of Millennium Films $60 million crime drama "Righteous Kill" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Jon Avnet directs the project and Russell Gewirtz wrote the screenplay which has Robert De Niro and Al Pacino playing New York cops chasing a serial killer.
Gugino has been cast as the female lead, a crime-scene investigator with a dark personal life who enters into a relationship with De Niro's character.
Gugino also recently signed on to the ensemble cast of the "Watchmen" comic adaptation.
Jason Isaacs and Melissa George have joined the Jan de Bont-helmed action thriller "Stopping Power" for Intermedia Films and Action Concepts says Reuters.
John Cusack plays a man who races to rescue his kidnapped daughter. Isaacs will play Cusack's nemesis, and George will portray Cusack's girlfriend.
The film is slated to enter production in Berlin next month.
Ron Livingston has joined Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams in "The Time Traveler's Wife" says Reuters.
New Line Cinema's adaptation of the Audrey Niffenegger novel is being directed by Robert Schwentke. Jeremy Leven and Bruce Joel Rubin wrote the adaptation.
The book tells the story of a dashing librarian (Bana) at Chicago's Newberry Library who has a gene that causes him to involuntarily time travel. He must help his wife cope with the many complications of his disorder as the two are often out of sync.
Livingston will play the man's friend, a liberal attorney who works for nonprofit organizations. A September shoot in Toronto is being planned.
One of the biggest problems of doing a "Justice League" movie is not only the casting issues, but the expense of doing such a project.
A new report from IESB.Net however indicates that the problem may be solved quite easily - by making the film a CG motion capture project (ala "The Polar Express," "Beowulf").
The site says that Imageworks are apparently in the running to provide services on the film, competing with R&H and possibly WETA for the project.
This is good news - it allows the studio to proceed with filming on the project pre-strike as most of the work will be post-filming, it overcomes many budgeting issues as story options are practically unlimited, and rumors of George Miller's involvement also make more sense.
It also allows the studio's separate live action franchises to move forward without any confusion or detrimental impact - good news since its been confirmed that neither Christian Bale or Brandon Routh would've participated in a live-action 'League' flick.
Ryan Reynolds reluctantly admitted that he's still interested in playing "The Flash," the question is will he be a part of this, Shawn Levy's live-action "Flash" film or both.
If true, production would begin early next year for release likely in 2010.
Kadokawa, Miike join forces to solve God's Puzzle
Jason Gray in Tokyo
20 Aug 2007 12:08
Japanese producer Haruki Kadokawa has announced that his next production will be an adaptation of Shinji Kimoto's award-winning science fiction novel Kamisama No Puzzle (God's Puzzle), to be directed by Takashi Miike.
The film will star Hayato Ichihara (All About Lily Chou-Chou) playing the dual role of identical twin university students. The film co-stars Mitsuki Tanimura (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) as a genius class-cutter who joins the twins in conducting experiments to create their own 'Big Bang'.
The production will be decidedly smaller than Kadokawa's recent epics. The WWII-themed Yamato was a hit at the box office in 2005, earning $44.2m (Y5.09bn), but the March 2007 release Genghis Khan fell well below expectations, only managing to gross $12.1m (Y1.4bn) of its $25m budget.
"It's not a blood-filled story or the kind of film I typically make," said Miike of his first collaboration with the famous producer.
Miike's Sukiyaki Western Django will have its world premiere in competition at the upcoming Venice Film Festival and its North American premiere in the Toronto International Film Festival's Midnight Madness section prior to its September 15 domestic release.
Kamisama No Puzzle goes before cameras at the Nikkatsu Studios this week and is slated for a summer 2008 release.
:)
Quote from: "Meho Krljic":)
ako se ovo odnosi na vest o novom miikeu, potpisujem! i dodajem:
:!: :!: :!:
Na šta bi drugo? :lol:
Quote from: "Meho Krljic"Na šta bi drugo? :lol:
i to što kažeš! :lol: :wink:
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsmilies.sofrayt.com%2F%255E%2Fw%2Fsuper.gif&hash=15f22d4d72a6fff762ccfd923be37bb9efe155de)
Oliver Stone is in final negotiations to direct the $40 million Vietnam War mystery drama "Pinkville" which Mikko Alanne is writing.
Based on a true story, Bruce Willis will play William R. Peers, the real-life Army general who investigated the infamous 1968 My Lai Massacre of up to 500 Vietnamese civilians by US soldiers - most of them unarmed women, children and elderly.
Channing Tatum will portray Hugh Thompson Jr., an Army helicopter pilot who helped stop the killing by flying between the attackers and the My Lai villagers, rescued survivors and later testified against the soldiers.
Michael Pena is in talks to play Capt. Ernest Medina, the tough commanding officer of the troops responsible for the massacre who was charged in the crimes but ultimately found not guilty.
United Artists is in talks to finance and distribute through MGM. Stone will go into production early next year.
DreamWorks and Paramount have ditched plans for a platform release and will go wide with director Tim Burton's film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Broadway musical "Sweeney Todd" on December 21st.
Originally because of the very dark subject matter, the lead characters are serial killers who ground their victims into pie mince after all, the film was set for a platform release on the 21st and would've been rolled out through to a wide release January 11th - much like the studio did with last year's "Dreamgirls."
Now though with footage coming through, the studio is apparently seeing Johnny Depp's Todd character as something quite marketable - much like his Capt. Jack Sparrow role - and so are more confident in the property's ability to sell to an audience.
Unfortunately this has lead to questioning of the film's grizzly content reports British tabloid The New York Post. Footage of Depp slicing the throats of his victims in rather bloody ways, and body parts being cut up to be thrown in a meat grinder by a young boy, have apparently irked marketing executives who would like the blood toned down.
The question has now become about the film's rating - the material is R-rated by nature in many ways, but Burton is said to be under contract to deliver a PG-13 film, making one wonder how this is all going to pan out.
Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Sacha Baron Cohen, Laura Michelle Kelly and Peter Bowles also star in the feature.
George Lucas has hired John Ridley ("L.A. Riots") to write "Red Tails," a WWII action adventure about the Tuskegee Airmen based on a story by Lucas, who is financing and executive producing reports Variety.
The story charts a group of young pilots as they overcame racism to form the Tuskegee Airmen, a distinguished group of fliers who broke the aviation color barrier to become the first African-American fighter pilots in U.S. military history.
Ridley met with the surviving pilots at a convention in Texas and has just gotten to work on the production which will have effects done by ILM and have Rick McCallum producing.
Filmick reports that Paul Verhoeven's next project will be an adaptation of Pete Dexter's "The Paperboy" to shoot in early 2008.
Set in and around Moat County Florida in the 1960s, the novel is a murder investigation - crusading journalist - serial killer mystery.
A decade ago Pedro Almodovar tried to put the film into production, but it never got off the ground.
Verhoeven's other new films "The Winter Queen" and "Kneeling on a Bed of Violets" are apparently still very much in the works.
R&B singer Sean Kingston has apparently landed the lead role in the Notorious B.I.G. biopic reports Starpulse News Blog.
Kingston says, "When I first heard about that movie, it was through management. My management told me about it and you know I had auditioned for it and I met with the director and I nailed it and he gave me a shot now at being in the movie."
Notorious B.I.G.'s mother Voletta Wallace, and his two former managers, Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts, played a key role in casting and were keen to sign-up an unknown star for the coveted role in the film which Sean 'Diddy' Combs is producing.
B.I.G., also known as Christopher Wallace, was shot to death in March 1997 outside a Los Angeles party.
Alice Braga ("I Am Legend") has been cast as the female lead inUniversal's futuristic thriller "Repossession Mambo" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on Garcia's novel, the story follows Remy (Jude Law), a repo man made up of artificial organs, who receives a heart transplant. When he struggles to make the payments, he must go on the run from his former partner (Forest Whitaker).
Braga will play Beth, who married but lost touch with Remy while he was serving in the Army. Ten years later, Beth -- down on her luck and retrofitted with artificial organs -- is reunited with Remy as they seek to run.
Miguel Sapochnik is directing from a script by Eric Garcia and Garrett Lerner, whilst shooting is slated to begin October 15th in Toronto.
Writer/Director David S. Goyer talked with Wizard Universe recently about how the various film projects he has in development are going:
Magneto
"We've done some scouts and it mostly takes place in Europe and Argentina. We're doing budgets and we're sort of halfway crewed up, and so that'll be the big question: whether we can bring it in for a price."
The Invisible Man
"I'll be doing that next year.... I just randomly had this idea for what would sort of be a direct sequel, which literally starts like a month after the original Invisible Man in Victorian England. I went in and I pitched this whole thing to Universal and to [producer] Brian Grazer and they loved it. So we were off and running."
Heroes: Origins
"If I'm available, I'd love to do one. I think it would be fun, and I also like the idea that these origin episodes are self-contained and there's the opportunity to sort of stylistically go off in different directions."
Supermax
"We haven't even officially turned in a script for that yet. The idea is that they're mostly sort of third-tier DC villains, but that was part of the fun, that they're relatively obscure. But Icicle is in it from JSA—from my days on writing that. I mean, people will recognize most of them. What we did was present to DC a list of people we wanted, and then they went through it on a case-by-case basis and told us whether we could have them or not."
Kevin Smith has finished the first draft for his upcoming horror film "Red State" and it's one of the shortest works he's ever done.
On his ViewAskew site, Smith says "Not to say there's no dialogue; just that there's about half as much as I normally write. Unlike any other script I've ever authored, to say the least. Very fucked up. If I'd never said anything about it in the press and put it out under a pseudonym, I doubt anyone would ever connect me with it. Can't wait to shoot it."
He adds that "I have a hard time classifying it as a "horror flick" because, while it shares some of the genre conventions, it's just not what most would consider a horror flick. Horrific, yes, but not a horror flick in terms of the general definition. Let's put it this way: if "Rosemary's Baby" can be classified as a horror flick, then "Red State" can be as well."
"Clerks" stars Jeff Anderson and Jay Mewes are rumored to be on board.
Celador Films and Film4 have greenlit Danny Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire" for Warner Independent Pictures and Pathe likely to distribute reports Variety.
Based on true events, script by Simon Beaufoy ("The Full Monty") concerns an illiterate street kid from Mumbai who wins the jackpot on the Indian version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?."
Brit newcomer Dev Patel (TV's "Skins") has been cast in the lead role. Shooting will begin in Mumbai November 5th.
The long-rumored sequel to 80's teen classic "The Goonies" may be taking on a different form according to one of its stars. "Right now they are talking about the idea of doing it as an animated series," Corey Feldman recently revealed to MTV News.
Feldman though isn't holding his breath considering how many false starts that have already taken place on a sequel. "I would like to say that there's a great writer on it and it's coming soon [but] I have nothing for you. It's a film Spielberg very badly wanted to make [and] Richard Donner very badly wanted to make. All of us [the cast] really, really wanted to do it. It's come to the point of the script got ordered, and then the ball got dropped. For whatever reason, Warner Bros. doesn't see it as a profitable venture. It's a very sad, unfortunate story."
One script "at one point had me working in Vegas as a lounge guy, a Vegas shyster guy. Then there was another one where I was a trial lawyer...The one that I heard that worked the best was all of us were now grown up, and have [our own] kids. And those kids get into some trouble and end up stumbling across some link to our past. They discover who we really are and what we went through. And, simultaneously, the Fratelli brothers find out that the kids have found out – so they're out to get the kids and the kids are out to save their lives and their families" says Feldman.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Posted: Fri., Aug. 31, 2007, 8:30am PT
A Warner Bros. release presented in association with Virtual Studios of a Scott Free/Plan B Entertainment production. Produced by Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Ridley Scott, Jules Daly, David Valdes. Executive producers, Brad Grey, Tony Scott, Lisa Ellzey, Benjamin Waisbren. Directed, written by Andrew Dominik, based on the novel by Ron Hansen.
Jesse James - Brad Pitt
Robert Ford - Casey Affleck
Frank James - Sam Shepard
Zee James - Mary-Louise Parker
Dick Liddil - Paul Schneider
Wood Hite - Jeremy Renner
Ed Miller - Garret Dillahunt
Dorothy Evans - Zooey Deschanel
Henry Craig - Michael Parks
Sheriff Timberlake - Ted Levine
Charley Ford - Sam Rockwell
Martha Bolton - Alison Elliott
Governor Crittenden - James Carville
Major George Hite - Tom Aldredge
Sarah Hite - Kailin See
Narrator - Hugh Ross
By TODD MCCARTHY
Brad Pitt plays legendary outlaw Jesse James in the Warner Bros. release.
A ravishing, magisterial, poetic epic that moves its characters toward their tragic destinies with all the implacability of a Greek drama, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" is one of the best Westerns of the 1970s, which represents the highest possible praise. It's a magnificent throwback to a time when filmmakers found all sorts of ways to refashion Hollywood's oldest and most durable genre. Given the narrower current notion of what constitutes an acceptable commercial feature, Andrew Dominik's daring high-wire act will trod a very hard road to find secure theatrical footing, which suggests Warner Bros. might do best to nurture it in a small number of theaters in the hope that critical support and word of mouth will snowball into long runs and a slow rollout.
Whether it directly resembles them or not, this impeccable new picture is at one with the adventurous spirit that produced such films as "McCabe & Mrs. Miller," "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid," "Bad Company," "The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid," "Jeremiah Johnson," "The Outlaw Josey Wales," "Days of Heaven," "The Long Riders" and, yes, "Heaven's Gate," rather than with anything being made today.
Shot two years ago and long delayed in editing, pic marks an enormous advance for Dominik beyond his 2000 Aussie prison crimer "Chopper." Elegant, artful and consumed by a fascination with American history and Western lore, his adaptation of Ron Hansen's popular 1983 novel retills the once overworked ground of outlaw legend so thoroughly that it has become fertile once again. Pic's hefty 160-minute running time will no doubt cause carping in some quarters, but this is one film whose length seems absolutely right for what it's doing.
Meticulously noting dates and locations, and framing the story's long arc with discreetly distanced narration, yarn commences on Sept. 5, 1881, just prior to the last train robbery pulled off by the James gang in their 14-year career . After this spectacularly staged nocturnal job, the older surviving brother, Frank (Sam Shepard), calls it quits and disappears back East, leaving Jesse (Brad Pitt), who's 34, to continue with the help of dubious lowlifes such as the Ford boys.
Most questionable member of the latter clan is 19-year-old Robert (Casey Affleck), whose wimpy demeanor, thin, unemphatic voice and irritatingly sycophantic manner mark him as a singularly unpromising gunslinger.
But even when Jesse returns to his life with wife and children under the alias of Thomas Howard, he can't quite bring himself to get rid of Bob, a leech who has collected every dime novel written about his hero. Jesse is both appalled and amused , at one point taunting Bob with the question, "You want to be like me, or you want to be me?"
Although arrestingly different from the outset, pic initially feels over-elaborated; shots in which the edges are purposely blurred, and a soundtrack too conspicuously mixed to emphasize ambient sounds of insects and weather, warn of incipient pretension. Fears also gather that Dominik has no intention of supplying the film with enough dramatic traction to sustain interest over the long haul, as the deliberate pacing seems designed to accommodate numerous embellishments and digressions.
But any sense of viewer impatience is soon overtaken by the film's accumulation of detail on every front -- narrative, historical, folkloric, behavioral and psychological. Pitching the dialogue in a way that neatly injects prairie twang with a literary lyricism, Dominik settles into an expansive narrative strategy of the sort often found in novels and longform series, wherein the story skips and meanders among events whose relevance and meaning may be initially unclear, but which are all there for good reasons.
While Jesse cools his heels and smokes his big cigars at home, attention shifts to cohorts Charley Ford (Sam Rockwell), Bob's grinning older brother; Jesse's cousin, the homely Wood Hite (Jeremy Renner), and Dick Liddil (Paul Schneider), a self-styled ladies' man . Jesse's shadow hovers over them all, and narrative's dominant ploy is that the other characters are constantly afraid that Jesse, no matter where he is, will find out about any transgressions on their part and will come after them.
Which, in fact, he does. Intensely aware of his legendary status and willing to play it up when it suits him, especially with the worshipful Bob, this Jesse James is both paranoid that everyone's out to get himand resigned to the fact that his days are numbered. His antennae for sensing when something is amissare almost supernaturally acute, and he takes more than one long journey to track down people plotting against him . The irony is that the man he really needs to have his eye on is the one closest to him.
Eventually, the long-ineffectual authorities get into the act, setting in place the mechanism leading to Bob Ford's almost ritual killing of Jesse as he dusts a picture frame in his house. But that's not all, as the final half-hour provides its own fascination in playing out the strange fate of the man whose fame came with its own curse.
At least as conceived here, Jesse James is the biggest celebrity in the land, and Pitt generously endows the character with the droit de signeur he switches on at will. Thesp emphasizes Jesse's mercurial nature, but in a way that suggests much of it is calculated, a strategy that, until the end, he uses to manipulate events . It's a layered, continually interesting performance.
Affleck makes an indelible impression as the insecure, physically unprepossessing weakling who endures no end of humiliation, and eventually embodies the sort of nobody who has bloodied American history from time to time to insure his own immortality.
Rockwell's effectively drawn Charley Ford is weak, but in a different way than his brother, always ducking to stay out of trouble, and he's a good foil for the other, more withdrawn rural men. Supporting turns are vivid all around, including a vibrant cameo by political strategist James Carville as a big-shot governor.
Even those who resist the film itself will be in awe of its surpassing visual beauty and consummate craftsmanship. Just when it seemed that cinematographer Roger Deakins had achieved another career high with "No Country for Old Men," he trumps himself yet again, here using a subdued palette of parched-plains earth tones captured with an extraordinary luminosity and delicacy.
Made on various Canadian locations, pic boasts great production values from top to bottom.
Camera (Technicolor, widescreen), Roger Deakins; editors, Dylan Tichenor, Curtiss Clayton; music, Nick Cave, Warren Ellis; art director, Troy Sizemore; art director (Winnipeg), Martin Gendron; set designers, Grant Van Der Slagt, Marilyn Humphreys, Brad Milburn, Gordon White, Terry Gunvordahl, Michael Madden; set designers (Winnipeg), Rejean Labrie, Ricardo Alms; costume designer, Patricia Norris; sound (Dolby Digital/DTS/SDDS), D. Bruce Carwardine; sound designers, Richard King, Leslie Shatz, Christopher Aud; supervising sound editor, King; re-recording mixers, D.H. Hemphill, Ron Bartlett; special effects supervisor, James Paradis; visual effects, CIS Hollywood; stunt coordinators, Billy Burton, Brent Woolsey; associate producer, Ron Hansen; assistant director, Scott Andrew Robertson; casting, Mali Finn; Canadian casting, Jackie Lind, Deb Green. Reviewed at Warner Bros. studios, Burbank, Aug. 21, 2007. (In Venice Film Festival -- competing; Toronto, Deauville film festivals.) MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 160 MIN.
Wild Bunch boosts strong Toronto slate with addition of $22m Terra
Nancy Tartaglione-Vialatte in Paris
03 Sep 2007 03:00
Wild Bunch has acquired worldwide rights outside English-speaking territories to the $22 million animated project Terra, which will screen in a gala world premiere at Toronto. The film is directed by Aristomenis Tsirbas and has a voice cast including Luke Wilson, Evan Rachel Wood, Danny Glover, Dennis Quaid, Rosanna Arquette, Brian Cox and Chris Evans.
The acquisition was handled by Agnes Mentre on behalf of Wild Bunch with CAA retaining North American, US, UK (and New Zealand), Australian and South African rights.
Billed as a "reverse alien invasion" story, the film follows a precocious alien girl whose father is abducted during a hostile invasion of their home planet, Terra. In order to try save her father, the girl kidnaps a crashed and injured human pilot and then tries tow rok with him to broker peace between the planets.
Wild Bunch also has three other new additions to its slate for Toronto: Choke by Clark Gregg, White Material by Claire Denis and Vinyan by Fabrice du Welz.
Gregg, who is also a well-known US TV actor, did script duty on Robert Zemeckis' 2000 thriller What Lies Beneath and makes his directorial debut with Choke. The film is an adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's blackly comic novel and stars Anjelica Huston, Sam Rockwell and Kelly Macdonald. It will be ready for Sundance.
Claire Denis marks a departure with White Material, a quasi-action film that takes place in an unnamed African country ravaged by rebellion. Isabelle Huppert, Christophe Lambert and Nicolas Duvauchelle star. The $8.2m (Euros 6m) film will be ready for Cannes.
Vinyan, Fabrice du Welz's follow up to 2004's Calvaire, recently wrapped shooting in Thailand. The film stars Emmanuelle Beart and Rufus Sewell as they search for their son whom they had believed perished during the 2004 tsunami.
Also in Toronto, Wild Bunch will screen the gala world premiere of Alain Corneau's Deuxieme Souffle, a remake of the Jean-Pierre Melville classic starring Daniel Auteuil and Monica Bellucci.
In the Real to Reel section, Wild Bunch has documentary My Enemy's Enemy from The Last King Of Scotland director Kevin Macdonald about Klaus Barbie.
Hana Makhmalbaf's Buddha Collapsed Out Of Shame will have its world premiere in the Visions section - before running in competition in San Sebastian - while Rolf de Heer's Dr. Plonk sees its international premiere in the same sidebar.
After screening out of competition in Venice, Woody Allen's Cassandra's Dream gets its North American premiere in Toronto. Im Kwon Tek's Beyond The Years follows a similar path; screening out of competition in Venice followed by a North American premiere in Toronto.
Wild Bunch also does double duty with Claude Chabrol's A Girl Cut In Two which screens out of competition in Venice before running in the Masters section in Toronto. In its first two weeks of French release, the film has sold 500,000 tickets.
Wild Bunch title La Zona from Rodrigo Pla has its world premiere in Venice Days and will subsequently screen in Toronto's Discovery sidebar. Ambitious animated film Max & Co will have a berth in the Toronto Family Zone – the film recently won the audience award at the Annecy Animation Festival.
Hiner Saleem's Beneath The Rooftops Of Paris, which scored a best actor prize for Michel Piccoli at Locarno, runs in Visions in Toronto.
In Venice, Wild Bunch has two further films in the Horizons competition: Damien Odoul's The Story Of Richard O and a documentary from Arnaud Desplechin, L'Aimee.
Completed films rounding out Wild Bunch's slate include Cannes Palme d'Or winner 4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days for which there are a handful of remaining territories available; The Orphanage, produced by Guillermo del Toro, again with a few remaining territories and Barbet Schroeder's Terror's Advocate.
New promo reels will be available for Gilles de Maistre's The First Cry, the animated Go West! A Lucky Luke Adventure, Vera Belmont's Surviving With Wolves and Pascal Laugier's Martyrs while footage from Jaco Van Dormael's Mr Nobody will also be screened. Mr Nobody is currently shooting and stars Jared Leto, Sarah Polley, Diane Kruger and Rhys Ifans.
Films currently in pre- and post-production on Wild Bunch's slate include Jerome Salle's Largo Winch, Steven Soderbergh's Che, Luc Jaquet's The Fox And The Child and Morgan Spurlock's Where In The World.
Stopping Power forced to stop $40m shoot over financing issues
Martin Blaney in Berlin
02 Sep 2007 12:50
Principal photography on Jan de Bont's $40m action thriller Stopping Power has had to be suspended after the default of a key equity investor in the film made it impossible for the Internationalmedia Group to close the required financing.
The investor's breach has led to the IM Internationalmedia wholly-ownd subsidiary IM Stopping Power GmbH having to file for insolvency.
In a press communique, IM Internationalmedia stated that "the ramifications of the insolvency on other companies in the Internationalmedia Group" were "currently under investigation."
The company added that it was also looking "for alternative investors and assumes that production can be continued shortly."
The film, which is being handled internationally by IM Global and was set to star John Cusack, Melissa George and Jason Isaacs, had been due to begin shooting in the east German state of Sachsen-Anhalt from Weds, Sept 5.
After months of vacillating and speculation, Sacha Baron Cohen is ready to follow "Borat" with two starring film roles.
The comic thesp is firming plans to next star in "Bruno," the Media Rights Capital-financed picture based on his fashion reporter character. Universal will distribute in the U.S. and other English-speaking territories.
After Baron Cohen completes that film, his intention is to follow with "Dinner for Schmucks," a DreamWorks remake of the French comic hit "Le Diner de Cons," from Francis Veber. A deal has not been closed and the timing of that project is still indefinite.
Jay Roach will direct "Dinner" and Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald are producing. Roach was a producer on "Borat" and is producing "Bruno."
"Dinner for Schmucks" hasn't yet been completely pieced together, and is subject to several variables. Roach committed to replace Sydney Pollack as the director of "Recount," an HBO pic about the drama behind the 2000 presidential election that is being timed for the heat of the 2008 presidential election.
Both he and Baron Cohen will have to get past their fall projects and leave DreamWorks enough time to shoot "Schmucks" before next June.
David Guion and Michael Handelman wrote the most recent draft of "Schmucks," a Veber project that Baron Cohen attached himself to in 2003. The French film focused on a weekly dinner party held by a Paris publisher who challenges his friends to bring the most pathetic guest to the gathering. Cohen will play a character blessed with such extraordinary schmuckiness that he can destroy the personal life of anyone with whom he comes in contact.
Baron Cohen just worked with Parkes and MacDonald on the Tim Burton-directed "Sweeney Todd," playing Signor Adolfo Pirelli, rival to the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Johnny Depp).
HONG KONG -- Hong Kong-based helmer Fruit Chan is to direct an English-language remake of Japanese horror "Don't Look Up" (Joyuu-rei).
Pic is to be produced by South Africa's Distant Horizon group in association with Japan's Action 5.
Story features a film production in Transylvania which is tainted by an old piece of celluloid containing images of a woman's murder. Distant Horizon topper Anant Singh said that "Don't Look Up," will shoot at the end of the year, with locations likely taking in studios in Romania and South Africa.
"I loved the original film by Hideo Nakata," Chan told Variety. "And I was happy to take on the remake. For too long I've been labeled as an art-house director. I'm a director." Pic will be the first in English-language for Chan, who previously directed "Made in Hong Kong" and most recently helmed the creepy "Dumplings."
Singh and Distant Horizon's Brian Cox will produce, along with Yoko Asakura of Action 5. Pic will also be presented at upcoming PPP project mart in Pusan where further financiers may be brought on board.
The remake rights were bought from WoWow-subsidiary Suncent Cinema Works in 2003 and Distant Horizon previously sought Nakata to remake his own film. "Joyuu-Rei" was produced in 1996 by Bandai Visual, with Bitters End and WoWow.
Separately, Distant Horizon has hired scripters Eddie and Chris Borey ("Open Grave") for the company's revival of "Fu Manchu," which it announced earlier this year at Cannes. "Fu Manchu" will be produced by Singh and Cox with Harry Alan Towers and Maria Rohm, who were key figures in the 1960s "Fu Manchu" film series starring Christopher Lee.
Has the cyber age finally caught up with Steven Lisberger?
The pioneering writer-director of 1982's "Tron" has sold "Soul Code," a futuristic tale he penned at the instigation of IGN hostess Jessica Chobot, to Reliant Pictures for mid-six figures.
Lisberger will direct the story of a tech pioneer who has perfected a way to download and transfer a person's memory. Script examines what happens when her memory is placed into a much younger woman's body.
"The same way 'Tron' was ahead of its time, this is way ahead of its time," said Reliant topper Thom Mount, who will tap into the shingle's credit facility with Allied Irish Bank to finance the production.
Lisberger met Chobot, a comely tech guru with a devoted following among the geek set, at a "Tron" screening and was quickly intrigued by her fresh femme take on a male-dominated arena. The two soon began hatching a story about the dangers of cyberspace from a distinctly female point of view.
"Jess is not a film person -- she was a fan -- and that was refreshing," Lisberger said. "She wasn't double-thinking what the audience wants; she was the audience."
Lisberger, who has been involved with several post-"Tron" projects that never got off the ground, said this one "felt different from the get-go." When he finished the script, his longtime agent Tom Chasin took it to Mount, a former topper at Universal whom he had known for years.
In 1979, Lisberger founded the Santa Monica studio where many of the pioneering computer graphics techniques used in "Tron" were developed. Many visual effects gurus worked at Lisberger Studios back then, including Roger Allers ("The Lion King") and Brad Byrd.
"It was so exciting," Lisberger said. "We knew were on the brink of something."
After "Tron," Lisberger directed "Hot Pursuit," starring John Cusack, and "Slipstream," with Mark Hamill, before retrenching to focus on his writing. He wrote a "Tron" sequel several years ago but the movie stalled amid Mouse House regime changes. (A 2003 videogame tie-in, however, sold extremely well.)
Throughout it all, Chasin tried to find jobs on Lisberger's behalf. The veteran tenpercenter, whose father was Lew Wasserman's lieutenant at MCA before forming Chasin-Park-Citron agency, lambastes the impatient "what have you done for me lately" mindset at his bigger rivals these days.
Lisberger has also become more jaded about cyberspace in the intervening years. He credits Chobot for re-energizing his creative muse, noting that he really didn't have a project to which he felt a real connection until they cooked up "Soul Code." This project, he said, is the type he wanted to explore 25 years ago, when he was developing "Tron."
Sure, it took a while, Lisberger admitted, "But one's never really prepared for how long it takes to get things done."
LONDON -- Julian Doyle's "Chemical Wedding," penned by Bruce Dickinson, frontman for the heavy metal band Iron Maiden, has been nabbed by Warner Bros. for U.K. and Ireland distribution rights.
The film, billed as a supernatural horror thriller, wrapped principal photography Tuesday and stars Simon Callow as a reincarnation of Aleister Crowley, once dubbed "the most evil man in Britain."
Veteran Monty Python second-unit director Doyle is directing the picture, which centers on Crowley, a major Edwardian figure and a scandalous character brought back to life by a shy, stuttering Professor Haddo (Callow).
Focus Films' David Pupkewitz and Malcolm Kohll are producing with Ben Timlett and Justin Peyton of Bill and Ben Prods. and Duellist Film in association with Motion FX and E-Motion.
Andy Taylor, Rod Smallwood, Paul Astrom-Andrews and Peter Dale are executive producers.
Worldwide sales on "Chemical Wedding" are being handled by Cinema Management Group, headed by veteran foreign sales executive Edward Noeltner.
No financial details were available.
Pupkewitz said Warner Bros. also had a first-look option "on a slew of other territories" for the film should it decide to activate those rights.
Pedro Almodóvar's long-planned vengeance tale "La piel que habito," an adaptation of French novel "Mygale," is being put aside for now as he focuses on another project.
Almodóvar is now using an original screenplay as the possible basis of his next film, with a starring role for Penélope Cruz reports Variety.
Blanca Portillo ("Volver") and Lluis Homar ("The Bad Education") will also star in a story that features five or six key roles, one earmarked for Cruz.
Why not do 'Piel'? "I need to be completely sure about it. The new story has characters from a universe which is familiar to me and makes me feel more involved."
Warner Bros. Pictures has picked up the feature rights to 1980's anime classic "Robotech," which featured giant robots known as mechas says The Hollywood Reporter.
Actor Tobey Maguire is producing and is eyeing the lead role in what the studio plans on being a tentpole sci-fi franchise.
A sprawling sci-fi epic, "Robotech" takes place at a time when Earth has developed giant robots from the technology on an alien spacecraft that crashed on a South Pacific isle. Mankind is forced to use the technology to fend off three successive waves of alien invasions.
The first invasion concerns a battle with a race of giant warriors who seek to retrieve their flagship's energy source known as "protoculture," and the planet's survival ends up in the hands of two young pilots.
The original "Robotech" was a re-edited and re-dialogued to combine three Japanese anime series to give the producers enough episodes to air as a daily syndicated series.
Craig Zahler ("The Brigands of Rattleborge") has been tapped to write the screenplay.
Quint nabs the first interview with Roger Avary about CASTLE WOLFENSTEIN!!!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. I first met Roger Avary when I was a teenager, back in the early days of me writing on this site. If I remember correctly Harry introduced us at DragonCon in 1998 and then promptly left for some obligation so we just sat and had a conversation for half an hour or so.
Being the stupid 17 year old I was, the very first thing I blurted out was "So, what's up with you and Tarantino?" This was at the height of the big rumored feud between the two. Even though I broached it with a complete lack of finesse or subtlety, Avary's response was very warm and a touch sad. He said the whole thing was blown out of proportion. There were things that had happened, small things, that drove a wedge between them, but there was no active hatred on his part and his mutual friends he had with Tarantino said the same thing was going on with Quentin. He said he had hoped one day they'd be able to get back together as friends and that did eventually happen.
Over the years Roger has been instrumental on getting me access to a few things he's been involved with, including his own RULES OF ATTRACTION (click here and read that report) and my visit to the BEOWULF offices 2 years ago (click here to read that one!).
When it was announced that he was adapting the CASTLE WOLFENSTEIN series into film I asked if we could do a short email interview about it and the result is the following chat.
It's still early days, but Avary is surprisingly open and transparent about the state the film is in currently, what his dreams are and an overall view of his plans.
Enjoy!!!
Quint: Alright... Wolfenstein. What's interesting about adapting this property to me is that there really isn't a set storyline that you might be tied to. I might be talking completely out of my ass here, but what I remember of Wolfenstein 3-D and Return to Castle Wolfenstein is very little plot, but a lot of fucked up Nazi occult stuff. Am I wrong or did you pick this project because of the fun you can have with the situation, the setting and the creatures?
Roger Avary: I first played Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II, but it wasn't until Romero & Hall's masterpiece Wolfenstein3D that I wanted to realize the adventures of B.J. Blazkowicz on the big screen. I mean, what's not to love? It's a WWII "guys on a mission" movie, which means you're going to be blowing shit up, storming bunkers, busting dams, derailing trains, and killing Nazi's. I love WWII films, but with Wolfenstein we get the creature effects as well, and the guys at id Software have already done all the heavy lifting for me in that department. They went to the imagination well and pulled up buckets of craziness -- and as you know, I respond to crazy.
Quint: I've always defended video games from people who say it is impossible to make a good movie based off of a video game. I view it as just another adaptation. You can just as easily fuck up a book or a comic, and there are plenty examples of projects that have, but it's all about the people making it. I think your approach to SILENT HILL was the closest we've come to a movie that took what worked in the video game and translated it to the screen. What is your approach on WOLFENSTEIN?
Roger Avary: The reason people say that is because they develop a proprietary relationship with the avatar they're playing. They control the moves, they navigate the universe, they become the character themselves -- and it's difficult and frustrating for them to relinquish that control over to a third party. Also, it should be said that the writing and acting in most videogames isn't stellar to begin with, so it's a bit of an uphill climb to perform an adaptation that both lives up to people's expectations and improves on the original's deficiencies.
John Milius once told me a story that went something like this (and I'm doing my best to paraphrase here): Stanley Kubrick called him up one day, wanting some advice on buying "the best handgun ever produced." Obviously, Milius is the guy you call when you want to buy a gun. His one requirement was that the weapon must have "never been fired." Milius thought about it, and told him that it would be a Colt .45 Special produced in 1942. He then warned Kubrick that to find this particular handgun in mint condition would be nearly impossible. "Money is no object!" Kubrick told him. Months passed and eventually Kubrick received a call from Milius: "Stanley," he told him, "I found the gun. Not only has it never been fired, but it's in the original box!" Kubrick was delighted, money changed hands, and the gun was shipped to England, where Kubrick lived. A few months later, Milius calls Kubrick to ask "How did you like the gun?" To which Kubrick responded, "Oh! I love it! I re-bored the barrel and realigned the bead, swapped out the Mahogany handle for Mother of Pearl, changed out the hammer, and swapped out the pins." Milius was aghast, "You've -- you've -- you've destroyed it!" To which Kubrick responded "NO! I MADE IT BETTER!"
When performing an adaptation one needs to be willing to disassemble and recreate from scratch, as Kubrick famously did with THE SHINING. And whenever someone whines to me about breaking canon, be it with THE RULES OF ATTRACTION, SILENT HILL, or even BEOWULF, I remind them that the original book, videogame, or poem will ALWAYS exist in its original form for their enjoyment, but that a movie has special needs and compromises that occur due to a variety of real-world constrictions. Making a movie is not unlike building a house. You can plan all you want that your house is going to have a copper roof, but when there's a shortage of copper, or your local building codes restrict it, or whatever reason happens that prevents you from putting copper on your roof, you sometimes have to compromise and go with tin. And sometimes, by the good fortunes of the universe, your compromises make the film better than if you had all the resources possible. You're not always going to have the technocrane you need, or the actor you dreamed about, and so you roll with what the universe delivers, and you make it the best it can be with the limitations that rain down onto you. Sometimes, the bond company forces you to cut pages -- and the trick is to roll with those compromises and make it work regardless. Fans of source material are pretty rigid, and always think they could have done it better, and maybe sometimes they could have -- but most filmmakers who have undergone the trial by fire of making a movie understand the dance one has to undergo over the process of making a movie.
Quint: In many ways, as strange as it is to say this, SILENT HILL is a bit more higher brow than WOLFENSTEIN. Does that play a factor in how you approach the material? What kind of tone are we to expect?
Roger Avary: I was given a story bible by id Software, which outlined the dos and do nots of the Wolfenstein franchise. Primarily it outlined who B.J. Blazkowicz is and what kind of behavior I should be mindful of. For example, B.J. respects action and bravery over rank and discipline; he must not act as a traitor or for personal gain; he is not racist or an anti-Semite; etc., the list goes on and on. I was really grateful to be given these specific guidelines by the creators of the character because I want to be as true as possible to the spirit of the Wolfenstein franchise, and to the proud tradition of WWII "guys on a mission" movies that inspired the game. Return to Castle Wolfenstein is a very specific kind of adventure, and my intent is to make an experience that's true to the franchise and very different from my other work as a director.
Quint: What are you going to make sure is included in the movie? What can you not wait to see realized onscreen? Will we see Robot Hitler?
Roger Avary: I'm attempting to strike a balance between the over-the-top elements of the Wolfenstein franchise with a certain quotient of reality.
Quint: Setting? Castle? Countryside? Both?
Roger Avary: Castle Wolfenstein is a given -- a primary character of the film, even. Our story will take us to a variety of surrounding locations, however. And it will, of course, take place during WW2 in the European theater of operations.
Quint: Do you have a script yet? If not, when are you going to begin writing? What kind of research are you doing?
Roger Avary: I like to write on location, so I'm about to leave for Castle Wollensberg, which was Himmler's base of operation for his Paranormal Unit. I've also been watching every World War Two film ever made.
Quint: I know this is early, but what is your gut telling you about casting? New faces? Character actors? Known actors?
Roger Avary: With a movie of this scale it's almost a certainty that we'll need to anchor it with known leads. But I'm trying to build an ensemble of talent, tapping into the wealth of European actors for roles like Dr. Otto Giftmacher and of course Hilda von Bulow. As for B.J., all one needs to do is look at the box art on the Return to Castle Wolfenstein game and you can see who I see in my mind for the role.
Quint: When do you plan on shooting? Where do you plan on shooting?
Roger Avary: Well, the looming strike is wreaking havoc with the entire industry, so I can't say with certainty that we'll be able to make our planned start date next spring. If it happens, I'm going to be spending the entirety of next year in Paris working with my tech crew prepping the complex creature effects and miniatures. The strike for me will mostly mean that I have triple the prep time, so I might try to squeeze in a quick micro-budget movie I've been planning to shoot with my new RED Camera. Since I'm financing it myself I don't need to worry about the bond company restrictions on drop dates. I'll probably spend much of early next year scouting a variety of Eastern European locations for Castle Wolfenstein, bunkers, derelict submarine bases, villages, warehouses, etc.
Eastern Promises
David Cronenberg's follow up to last year's History of Violence, Eastern Promises, doesn't disappoint. Viggo Mortensen delivers another extraordinarily powerful performance as the mysterious and ruthless Nikolai, tied to one of London's most notorious organized crime families. His carefully maintained existence is jarred when he crosses paths with Anna, [Naomi Watts] an innocent midwife trying to right a wrong, who accidentally uncovers potential evidence against the family. Now Nikolai must put into motion a harrowing chain of murder, deceit. Cronenberg has evolved as one of the world's most interesting artists, a fact in evidence when one sees this latest, masterful work. A film that dispassionately and brutally explores the dichotomy of Russian gangsterism in contemporary London, the joy in watching a Cronenberg film is knowing that as his careful narrative unfolds, all is not what it seems. Multi layered and deliberately paced as it builds to a powerful crescendo, the film's haunting score, and the film's visual look, all help make Eastern Promises an unforgettable, riveting masterpiece. As with History of Violence, he elicits another tour-de-force performance by Mortensen, who completely envelops his Russian low-level mobster, Nikolai. A lot is going on in this remarkable actor's body and soul, resulting in one of the year's most stunning performance. As for Naomi Watts, the actress further demonstrates a commanding depth and presence, further proving why she remains one of the most dynamic and diverse actors of her generation. Here, she is wonderful. The film's other strong actors, including superb work by French actor Vincent Cassel, all result in the creation of a work that is brutal, intelligent, compelling and total Cronenberg.
Author Whitley Strieber has revealed on his official site that Wolfgang Petersen ("Troy," "The Perfect Storm") will direct the film adaptation of his sci-fi novel "The Grays" for Sony Pictures.
In his novel a triumvirate of Grays, known as the Three Thieves, has occupied a small Kentucky town for decades - abducting its residents and manipulating fates and bloodlines in hopes of creating an ultra-intelligent human being.
Nine-year-old Conner Callahan will face the ultimate terror as he struggles to understand who he has been bred to be and what he must do to save humanity.
Shooting is scheduled to begin pre-strike for a Summer 2009 release.
After months of negotiations, New Line Cinema has picked up the English-language remake rights to the Spanish-language thriller "The Orphanage" says The Hollywood Reporter.
The directorial debut of Juan Antonio Bayona and produced by Guillermo del Toro, "Orphanage" is written by Sergio Sanchez and revolves around a woman who returns to the orphanage where she grew up with the intention of opening a home for handicapped children.
Her son makes an invisible friend, who turns out to be the same "friend" that terrorized the woman when she was a child. Del Toro will serve as producer on the English-language version and the studio is out to filmmakers to adapt the movie.
The original will be released October 11th in Spain and December 28th in the US.
Australia is about to become a busy place for filming on various superhero projects.
First up, The X-Verse reports that 20th Century Fox is preparing "Wolverine" for a November start of shooting with Hugh Jackman returning as the title character. Whilst the previous three "X-Men" films have been shot in Vancouver, the new spin-off will be shot in Sydney, Australia. Gavin Hood ("Rendition," "Tsotsi") will helm from a script by David Benioff.
Then, Obsessed with Film received the following scoop: "The studio [Warner Bros.] has greenlit 'Justice League' as their Summer 2009 tentpole. Filming for the principals will take place in Sydney from February to June 2008 - George Miller was unsurprisingly listed as director in the info we got. Auditions are starting up down under with Nikki Barrett (Baz Luhrmann's Australia, The Proposition) hired to handle the casting in Australia. Ronna Kress (Beowulf, The Mummy 3) will oversee the entire casting process. Oscar-winner Barrie M. Osborne (The Lord of the Rings, The Matrix) will take on producing duties; he'll be joined by Miller's partner Doug Mitchell." There's also more potential plot spoilers now available at IESB.Net.
ZOO
ZOO, directed by Robinson Devor, is a movie you might've heard of when it played Sundance last January. For some reason it had a very limited theatrical run, it was not really given the same chance a SPIDER-MAN or a SHREK would get to catch on with the public, but fortunately THINKFilm releases the DVD September 18th.
I really liked Devor's first movie THE WOMAN CHASER. That one, COCKFIGHTER and MIAMI BLUES are the only movie adaptations of my favorite writer, Charles Willeford. Patrick Warburton is so good playing a bored used car salesman turned desperate embezzler/nihilistic independent filmmaker that I have a hard time not picturing him as the lead in other Willeford books as I'm reading them. I can't recommend that movie enough, but unfortunately it's never been released on DVD, and good luck finding the VHS.
What I didn't know when I saw that one was that the director was somewhat local. He apparently splits his time between L.A. and Seattle, where with local writer Charles Mudede he filmed his second and third movies, POLICE BEAT and now ZOO. Based on a true incident in the small town of Enumclaw, ZOO is mostly set in the outlying rural areas of the Puget Sound region, the camera floating dreamily through barren farms, glimmery blackberry bushes and beneath ominous cloudy skies. But the central character, called "Mr. Hands," works as an engineer for Boeing, so there is some footage of him on a balcony looking out on Seattle proper, the home of John Wayne's McQ, Bruce Lee's grave, me, and I guess Frasier. The cinematography by a guy named Sean Kirby is excellent, and he shows Seattle not as a postcard of the Space Needle, but as a menacing explosion of buildings springing from the earth between water and mountains. This is my Seattle, this is how the city should be shown.
Oh-- except for one thing. I forgot to mention. (SPOILER.) This is a movie about horsefuckers. Or I guess horsefuckees, if you want to get technical. The plight of the horsefucked. Requiem For a Guy Fucked To Death By a Horse, pardon my French. I'm trying to be a gentleman here but if there's a polite way to say "fucked to death by a horse" they never taught me that one in school.
You know, when a daddy and a special horse love each other very much-- No, sorry, I just don't know how to do it.
So in that sense, no, it is not the most positive portrayal of the region. Speaking for myself only I would say that the guy getting fucked to death by the horse was not one of the prouder moments in local history. Your mileage may vary. I don't know what the governor's stance is on it or anything but that's just me, I'm against horsefucking.
You know how they have those different quarter designs they're doing for each of the 50 states? I thought it would've been pretty badass if Washington State had had the balls to put Bruce Lee and Jimi Hendrix on our quarter. It would've been EASILY the coolest quarter and all the other states would've been jealous. Instead we just did a picture of a fish jumping out of water, which kind of bummed me out. But in retrospect I should be happy we didn't go with a guy being fucked to death by a horse. That would've been an embarrassing quarter.
Anyway, maybe they should've lied and set ZOO in Chicago or San Diego or somewhere. I've lived in Seattle for years and the only horses I've seen were ridden by cops. I have never ONCE seen a horsefucker. So don't get the wrong idea. This is not representative of Seattle. It's all on Enumclaw. Horsefucking capital of the west.
ZOO is an unusual centaur type hybrid of documentary and re-enactment. The entire movie is narrated by audio interviews of the actual people involved in the incident, the horsefucked as well as the horse rescuer who was called in to figure out what the hell to do with a horse that fucked a guy to death. She loves horses too, but in a platonic way. There was another recent documentary narrated by tapes of Kurt Cobain, but they had to do that because he died. In this case they had to do it because nobody's gonna invite cameras to follow them around talking about having sex with animals. Well, probaly for a VH-1 reality show but not for an independent film.
The filmatists cleverly avoid going in the obvious directions. It's not really a freak show or a shockumentary. They even tastefully avoid the goldmine of uncomfortable black humor that faces, say, the hospital workers who have to slowly piece together why this patient has a perforated colon and why the guy who brought him there took off in such a hurry. I read an interview with Mudede click where he mentions some pretty funny things that were left out of the movie, such as the horsefuckers talking about rejecting a potential new horsefucker because he was "a total freak," and also them complaining about the low quality of their home farm sex videos. So there is some real restraint here. Anybody can make jokes about horsefucking (see: this review) so it's actually more shocking for the filmatists to go the other way. I honestly think they're trying to get a rise out of you by being tasteful.
Like anybody (I hope), when I heard this story I could not even imagine what the hell kind of person does that shit. It's hard to even picture them as human beings, let alone regular people you might encounter in your daily life. Some weird scary Michael Berryman looking redneck out there in Enumclaw, maybe. But the movie depicts Mr. Hands, the dead guy, as a city boy. He's a successful engineer in Seattle, the re-enactor is fairly handsome and usually shown wearing a tie. He's divorced, but has stayed close with his ex-wife and is very proud of his son. In fact, he's trying to bring the family together, and his ex-wife and kid are in town visiting at the time of his death. Which is pretty befuddling - he's entertaining guests but he finds time to slip over to Enumclaw for a poke from the ol' giant animal schlong? It's weird how the more details you fill in the more mysterious it becomes.
But the animal molesters are humanized, and the photography even makes them kind of glamorous. The camera slowly pans around, focusing on the poetic imagery of the setting, often shrouding their faces in shadow like characters in a film noir. They meet at a diner and go by their internet handles like "H" and "The Happy Horseman." They could almost be RESERVOIR DOGS, except their crime is a little less understood by society than stealing diamonds and shooting people. They point out that bestiality was not a crime in the state of Washington until after this incident. I think they saw that more as progressive legislation than as an "oh come on, nobody's gonna do that" type loophole. They just see themselves as a bunch of guys who like to hang out together on a farm, make some drinks, talk about their lives, and then maybe on a good night go out and, uh, let the livestock mount them.
It's so non-judgmental, in fact, that one guy, "Coyote," was willing to play himself in the re-enactments. (The horse rescuer and some of the other non-animalfuckers do the same.)
I'm not sure if I can say I LIKED this movie, but I thought it was very well made and morbidly fascinating. I thought there were only two real fuckups, really. At one dramatic point in the movie they suddenly cut to a dude sitting on a stool in front of a white background, telling a story directly into the camera. You think "Holy shit, is this one of the actual guys? Who is this guy? Why is he willing to be on camera?" He turns out to be the actor who plays "Cop #1" in the movie, and he talks about getting the part and then tells an unrelated story about seeing a kid die. I appreciate trying out a weird idea like that, but it doesn't work, they should've cut it. Worse is a short burst of pretentiousness at the end of the movie where they throw in some quick shots of explosions and some guy whispering about math as Mr. Hands wanders naked into the horse field. That's kind of the pretentious bullshit I expected when I read reviews of how "poetic" this movie is, but really that was the only part where it was too much for me. (I even liked the opening psychedelic light show that turns out to be somebody's flashlight or something.)
You ever see that Onion article about Marilyn Manson going door-to-door trying to shock people? That's sometimes how I feel about Charles Mudede, who is credited with "story and research" for ZOO. Mudede has written for The Stranger (the less corporate of Seattle's two free weekly tabloids) since 1999, where he reviews movies and does the Police Beat column that inspired his movie of the same name. I've read a few pieces I really liked by him, but alot more that I hated. His main interest seems to be to provoke people by coming up with some completely preposterous angle on the subject that would never occur to any other human being. In his reviews he makes any legitimate insights useless by tying them to some historical, philosophical or literary context seemingly picked out of a hat or by rolling Dungeons and Dragons dice. In movie reviews you never have to agree with the reviewer, but you probaly do have to see where they're coming from. If we can understand horsefuckers in a movie we should be able to understand the writer of a review. When friends of mine first started noticing and complaining about Mudede I honestly believed that his reviews were a put-on, that they could not possibly be serious. His thoughts on almost any topic would somehow be related to the traditions of ancient societies, a line from the communist manifesto, Russian literature or some other topic he studied in college.
Take for example his review of Takeshi Kitano's BROTHER click , where he dismisses it as "Kitano's weakest film yet," then launches into what appears to be a comical parody of New York film critic jerkoffery: "The next gem worth noting is the matter of Kitano's Hegelianism. Hegel was a 19th-century German philosopher who believed that human history had basically three stages: primitive (African societies), despotic (Asian societies), and democratic (Europe). BROTHER presents this order of history, but now in the form of a gangster class order..." etc. etc.
Over the years Mudede has toned down some of those "hey everybody, look at me!" tendencies. But that doesn't stop him from semi-regular reviews like this one, where he pretends to find meaning in BRATZ click .
It can't be denied that ZOO is in some ways an extension of that kind of obnoxious college-professor-meets-Tom-Green approach to expression. What could be more "you gotta be shitting me" than a movie that hints at being pro-bestiality from behind the hypnotic drone of a haunting arthouse documentary? Fortunately, the movie is put together really well and there is a bit of a switch up near the end, where we move from the perspective of the horsefucked to that of the horse rescuer. When she shows up at the ranch with the dead man's brother she describes meeting one of our narrators who was "very obviously deeply involved" and who she saw as a "creepy child molester type." Then we hear the guy she's talking about bitterly complain that the rescuer "doesn't know her ass from a hole in the ground when it comes to horses." (oh for God's sake, use the hole in the ground this time. Please, horsey, fuck the hole in the ground.) But it's kind of a relief to be violently yanked from the lull of the poetical horse lovers POV and back into the world of the poor suckers who had to suddenly find out what had been going on on this ranch. (One scene depicts the grey-haired owners of the horse throwing up after sitting with police watching a video of the incident.) And I'm sure audiences must've gasped when the miniature pony ran in and... well, you'll have to see it.
What is the value of exploring the guy who was fucked to death by a horse? I'm not sure. It is probaly more of an, uh, interesting story than an important one. They show how the internet brought together a community of freakos that never could've existed in the old days. Reminds me of the time I accidentally found out about adults who wear diapers and pretend to be babies. Or the guy that gets off on photoshopping the gals that dress up as Pocahontas and Cinderella at Disneyland to make them look giant. I don't care if you like to make out with lobsters or suck on jump ropes, whatever sicko garbage gets you hard you can make a club for it on the internet. For these guys it's all those popular sex with cattle blogs that brought them together. And once they are no longer alone in their secret shame, but are part of a secret shame club on Yahoo, they start getting big ideas. I don't think they ever specifically mention gay rights, but they try to paint their plight as similar. They argue that they have a pure, simple, primal love with these animals, one that we who have chosen to keep our assholes free of horsecock cannot possibly understand.
(Incidentally that reminds me, shoulda mentioned this earlier but no kids should be reading this review. Go to bed kids this is grownup talk.)
So it brings to mind that old anti-gay rights argument "if you allow people of the same sex to get married then some dude will want to marry his dog/horse/box turtle." I always thought this was a funny comparison. Number one, two men - let's say Dolph Lundgren's character in BLACKJACK and his faithful assistant - happen to be of the same species, and they can communicate with each other. That is not true of the fictional guy (we'll call him "Turner") that is gonna make an honest woman out of his dog ("Hooch"). Number two, you REALLY honestly think some guy is gonna try to marry his dog? Or, say, a gorilla who knows sign language, if society demands that they must be able to communicate? He's gonna bring his ape into the courthouse and apply for a marriage license? This, in your mind, is a likely scenario? Well, okay then dude. How bout we cross that bridge when we come to it?
I am tempted to delete that last paragraph just to avoid the worst talkback of all time, but that would be dishonest. This is definitely a topic the movie directs you toward. I'm guessing at least 60-70% of you are with me, and are against horsefucking. But the movie forces you to ask yourself why, question your instincts. Which is uncomfortable but it's not a bad thing.
And one conclusion I came to is that, despite what they say in the movie, these guys don't really believe they made a soulful love connection with these animals. They just like to have giant horsecocks in their butts. The reason I know this: they literally have buckets full of homemade bestiality videos. You even (horrifyingly) see a tiny glimpse of what I assume is the real video of the fateful incident. And we're not talking Andrew Blake here. We're not even talking One Night In Paris. They just shine a light on a guy's ass and do a closeup as he's being slain by a giant horse dick. They are not in love, they get off on it, they like watching it, they know other guys who will watch it on the internet. That is not a mature relationship there, fellas. Blackjack would never do that. So their argument is pretty phony, it's a rationalization. In my opinion.
That was pretty brave, wasn't it, how I took a stance against horsefucking just now. That's just what I do man I make the tough calls.
One diabolical thing they do in the movie, they play some talk radio clips over some of the footage, and one of the clips is of Rush Limbaugh disagreeing with the animal rights activists who said the horse didn't consent. So Limbaugh becomes the voice of the pro-horsefucking movement. I think they should use that in the advertising and turn it into a political issue:
"No matter which side you are on, you gotta see ZOO for yourself. It's the movie everyone is talking about. See it for yourself and make up your own mind on being fucked by a horse!"
ZOO is about the furthest thing from what you imagined when you first heard about this incident. It shows the whole thing from a completely fresh angle. But there is one thing I thought when I first heard the news story that this movie only reinforced: I am not going within ten miles of any horse, ever. Get the fucking things away from me. I don't care if it's Seabiscuit or Mr. Ed or a heroic horse who saved orphans and piloted the first manned (or horsed) mission to Mars. I don't even care if it's a girl horse or a eunuch horse. All horses are bad news. I might even stay away from glue and dog food for a while.
If any horses are reading this: NO means NO.
I'm scared,
Vern
Ian McShane confirms to Empire Online that Paul W.S. Anderson's "Death Race" remake at Universal Pictures is a prison film.
"This is even more violent. This is set in the future, it's like NASCAR to the death inside prison. On TV. And I play the guy who runs the race, coaches the racers, from inside prison. It's a lot of fun." says McShane.
Roger Corman's 1975 classic, "Death Race 2000," featured a cross-country car race of the future in which pedestrians were run down for points. The rmake takes place in the year 2020, and stars Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson and Joan Allen. It hits cinemas next September.
PARIS -- Catherine Breillat is writing the script for a film based on her recently published novel "Bad Love."
Starring supermodel Naomi Campbell, the film is set to start shooting during the first semester of 2008, first in Toronto, then moving to Paris for the rest of production.
The movie is produced by Jean-Francois Lepetit's Flach Film, the company behind "An Old Mistress," Breillat's controversial period drama that screened In Competition at the Festival de Cannes in May.
Fight Club" stars Edward Norton and Brad Pitt are reuniting to star in Universal Pictures political thriller "State of Play" reports Variety.
A feature film adaptation of the acclaimed 2003 British mini-series, Norton will play a congressman whose speedy political rise is threatened by an investigation into the death of his mistress.
Pitt plays a politician-turned-journalist whose relationship with the solon is compromised when he oversees his newspaper's investigation into the murder and develops a relationship with the pol's estranged wife.
Matthew Michael Carnahan adapted the original six-hour mini-series into a two-hour script with "Bourne" writer Tony Gilroy doing a rewrite. Kevin Macdonald ("The Last King of Scotland," "Touching the Void") is directing.
No word as yet if any of the original stars like Bill Nighy, John Simm, James McAvoy, David Morrissey or Polly Walker will appear either in cameo or their original roles.
Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here.
Well, well, well...
This one had dropped off my radar a bit, but it looks like there's finally some real forward motion on the new Warner Bros. big-screen adaptation of the '60s TV series, KUNG-FU.
The first bit of news is that there appears to be a director for the film now. I can't find any reference to this guy's connection to the film anywhere online, so I think this may be a scoop. It looks like Max Makowski, director of the Singapore film ONE LAST DANCE, may be onboard now to direct this one. We've had a few reviews for ONE LAST DANCE here on the site, and it seems to be generally well-liked, an action film that delivers.
So is Makowski the right guy for this? I know he was associated with a big-studio version of SHINOBI, too, but that appears to have gone nowhere in development so far. With them throwing this out to casting directors now, I'm guessing this is going to be a pre-strike project for Legendary/Warner, and we may start hearing more news about this soon. It looks to start production in China in March.
For now, they're searching for "Caine, Male, 20-35. A handsome mix of East (Chinese/Asian) meets West (American). A man with the emotional capacity of a young Clint Eastwood. Charismatic and charming, Caine was raised by Shaolin monks after his mother's murder and became a highly skilled fighter. In addition to being a strong actor with the right look, the actor for this role should be athletic and although not required, some martial arts training, gymnastics or ballet are a plus."
What's also interesting is that we now have an idea of what story the film will be telling.
"During the 1880's, a half-Chinese Shaolin Monk roams America's western frontier in search of his American Father, but winds up incarcerated in an exceptionally harsh prison where he must use his martial arts skills to survive."
I've talked with some of the people developing this film at Legendary, and it sounds to me like the intention is to make something genuinely good and gritty and different. As with any remake, there's certainly potential there, and the fact that it's not "just" an origin story is encouraging.
We'll have more on this one as it develops, and all thanks as always to my unnamed source.
Studios and Production Companies set their pre-strike priorities
By EdwardHavens
September 13th, 2007
You may or may not have heard that there is a distinct possibility that the Writers Guild, the Directors Guild AND the Screen Actors Guild will all be striking next spring, if negotiations with the Producers Guild do not get settled between now and then. With the chance that they might go months without any new productions, everyone in Hollywood is making sure their pet projects are getting set up before the hurricane hits.
A list starting circulating around the talent agencies two weeks ago, listing the 300 projects in active development which have become pre-strike priorities for the major studios and a number of top production companies. This list does not mean all of these projects will be completed before the strike date or that they will come together in time. A few titles have already started shooting, some others have set production start dates, and a couple will likely end up on somebody's Best Films Never Made list a few years down the road.
You'll also notice certain directors have their names attached to two or more projects, while a number of them have no director attached. Hell, even Hollywood pariah David O. Russell is getting a bump thanks to the strike threat. Just that these are the films these companies are putting their muscle behind, hoping to keep their distribution pipeline open and flowing in case of a work stoppage.
As of August 29, 2007, there are the main priorities for Hollywood, in case of emergency:
2929 Entertainment
BURNING PLAIN - Dir: Guillermo Arriaga
VILLAIN - Dir: Martin Campbell
BALDWIN
ATLAS SHRUGGED - Dir: Vadim Perelman
INDISCRETION - Dir: Tony Goldwyn
LUNA - Dir: Deepa Mehta
BEACON
CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HITMAN - Dir: Kip Williams
DISNEY
ADVENTURELAND - Dir: Greg Mottola
ALICE - Dir: None attached
AMERICAN DOG (animated) - Dir: Chris Sanders
BEDTIME STORIES - Dir: Adam Shankman
BOY SOLDIER - Dir: Oliver Higschbiegel
A CHRISTMAS CAROL - Dir: Robert Zemeckis
CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC - Dir: PJ Hogan
DOUBT - Dir: John Patrick Shanley
ESCAPE FROM WITCH MOUNTAIN - Dir: Andy Fickman
G-FORCE (animated) - Dir: Hoyt Yeatman
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3 - Dir: Kenny Ortega
JUNGLE CRUISE - Dir: None attached
LIBERTY - Dir: None attached
PRINCE OF PERSIA - Dir: None attached
PRINCESS AND THE FROG (animated) - Dir: Ron Clements and John Musker
THE PROPOSAL - Dir: Robert Luketic
SCHOOLED - Dir: Walt Becker
SNOW - Dir: Francis Lawrence
DIMENSION
CELL - Dir: Eli Roth
COMEBACK - Dir: Fred Durst
PORKY'S - Dir: None attached
SUPERHEROES - Dir: Craig Mazin
WEDDING RINGER (PREVIOUSLY GOLDEN TUX) - Dir: Lavender and Garelick
YOUTH IN REVOLT - Dir: None attached
DREAMWORKS
CAMP CREEPY TIME - Dir: None attached
DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS - Dir: Jay Roach
EAGLE EYE - Dir: DJ Caruso
GHOST TOWN - Dir: David Koepp
HOTEL FOR DOGS - Dir: Thor Freudenthal
I LOVE YOU MAN - Dir: John Hamburg
THE RIVALS - Dir: John Madden
SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE - Dir: None attached
SIEGE OF FULTON AVE - Dir: None attached
THE SOLOIST (PREVIOUSLY IMAGINING BEETHOVEN) - Dir: Joe Wright
THOUSAND WORDS - Dir: None attached
TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 - Dir: Steven Spielberg
WEDNESDAY - Dir: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
WILL - Dir: None attached
FOCUS
THE SERIOUS MAN - Dir: Joel and Ethan Coen
CURVEBALL - Dir: None attached but looking to Josh Marston
LITTLE GAME - Dir: Ang Lee
NICK AND NORAH - Dir: Peter Sollett
MEMORY OF A KILLER - Dir: None attached
PIANO TUNER - Dir: Werner Herzog
SIN NOMBRE - Dir: Cary Fukunaga
FOX
A-TEAM - Dir: None attached
COOL SCHOOL - Dir: None attached
DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL - Dir: Scott Derrikson
FANTASTIC VOYAGE - Dir: Roland Emmerich
GULLIVERS TRAVELS - Dir: None attached
MAGNETO - Dir: David Goyer
ME TIME - Dir: None attached
RUNAWAY TRAIN - Dir: Martin Campbell
SELLING TIME - Dir: None attached
STREET FIGHTER - Dir: Andrezej Bartkowiak
THEY CAME FROM UPSTAIRS - Dir: John Schultz
TOOTH FAIRY - Dir: None attached
TROUBLE MAN (PREVIOUSLY WICHITA) - Dir: Tom Dey
USED GUYS - Dir: Jay Roach
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - Dir: Tom Vaughn
WOLVERINE - Dir: Gavin Hood
FOX ATOMIC
BRAD CUTTER RUINED MY LIFE - Dir: Ari Sandel
CAPTAIN AWESOME - Dir: None attached
DON'T SEND HELP - Dir: None attached
I LOVE YOU BETH COOPER - Dir: None attached
PLAYBOYS - Dir: Trevor Moore/Zack Creggors
SPACE INVADER - Dir: Andrew Currie
SMASH AND GRAB - Dir: None attached but looking to John Moore
FOX SEARCHLIGHT
500 DAYS OF SUMMER - Dir: Marc Webb
KIDNAP - Dir: Nate Gwaltney
NOTORIOUS - Dir: George Tillman
RABBIT HOLE - Dir: None attached but looking to Sam Raimi
SECRET LIFE OF BEES - Dir: Gina Prince Bythewood
TOGETHER - Dir: Miguel Arteta
WAY BACK - Dir: None attached
FOX 2000
AFTERLIFE - Dir: None attached
ANOTHER BULLSHIT NIGHT IN SUCK CITY - Dir: Paul Weitz
BACHELOR BOYS - Dir: None attached
BOYS NEXT DOOR - Dir: None attached
CONTACT ZERO - Dir: None attached
DALLAS - Dir: Betty Thomas
LIFE OF PI - Dir: Jean Pierre Jeunet
LUCKY STRIKE - Dir: Tony Scott
MARLEY AND ME - Dir: David Frankel
MONTE CARLO (PREVIOUSLY HEADHUNTERS) - Dir: Tom Bezucha
RAMONA - Dir: Liz Allen
SHADOW DIVERS - Dir: None attached
TOWNHOUSE - Dir: John Carney
WOLF BROTHER - Dir: Catherine Hardwicke
GOLD CIRCLE
ARCANUM - Dir: Randall Wallace
CHILLED IN MIAMI - Dir: Jonas Elmer
FLYPAPER - Dir: None attached
HONEYMOON'S OVER - Dir: None attached
HBO FILMS
CONNIE & RUTH - Dir: Jane Anderson
RECOUNT - Dir: Jay Roach
INTERMEDIA
KILLER'S GAME - Dir: Simon Crane
LAKESHORE
GAME - Dir: Neveldine & Taylor
LINCOLN LAWYER - Dir: None attached
LIONSGATE
5 KILLERS - Dir: Mark Helfrich
ADDICTED - Dir: Peter Medak
ATLAS SHRUGGED - Dir: Vadim Perelman
BACHELOR #2 - Dir: Howard Deutch
CHURCHBOY - Dir: Sonu Gonera
MEANone attachedLLS - Dir: John Whitesell
PARTY BOYS - Dir: Pate Bros.
PUNISHER II - Dir: Lexi Alexander
SHRINK - Dir: Kevin Donovan
THE SPIRIT - Dir: Frank Miller
TULIA - Dir: John Singleton
MANDATE
CURVE - Dir: Charles Stone
DOGS OF BABEL - Dir: None attached
WHIP IT - Dir: Drew Barrymore
MIRAMAX
HERO - Dir: Julian Farino
THE RESURRECTIONISTS - Dir: John Madden
NEW LINE
20,000 LEAGUES - Dir: None attached
$40,000 MAN - Dir: Terry Zwigoff
APPALOOSA - Dir: Ed Harris
CONRAIL - Dir: Ericson Core
ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK - Dir: Len Wiseman
FOUR CHRISTMASES - Dir: Seth Gordon
GEARS OF WAR - Dir: None attached
GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST - Dir: Mark Waters
HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU - Dir: Ken Kwapis
HONEYMOON WITH HARRY - Dir: None attached
KILLING ON CARNIVAL ROW - Dir: Neil Jordan
KING OF KONG - Dir: Seth Gordon
MILD THINGS - Dir: Frank Coraci
MY SISTER'S KEEPER - Dir: Nick Cassavetes
PAPER WINGS - Dir: None attached
SEX & THE CITY - Dir: Michael King
SNITCH - Dir: Carl Franklin
THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE - Dir: Robert Schwentke
NEW REGENCY
BIG MOMMA'S 3 - Dir: None attached
BRIDE WARS - Dir: None attached
CAGE - Dir: None attached
CAPRICORN ONE - Dir: None attached
DALLAS - Dir: None attached but looking to Betty Thomas
MONTE CARLO (PREVIOUSLY HEADHUNTERS) - Dir: Tom Bezucha
VOLTRON - Dir: None attached
OVERTURE
105 DEGREES - Dir: Jon AMiel
HUMBOLT PARK - Dir: None attached
RIGHTEOUS KILL - Dir: Jon Avnet
LAST CHANCE HARVEY - Dir: Joel Hopkins
PARAMOUNT
ANGUS, THONGS - Dir: Gurinder Chadha
CHEF - Dir: None attached
THE FIGHTER - Dir: Darren Aronofsky
GI JOE - Dir: None attached
I WANT TO _____ YOUR SISTER - Dir: None attached
LOVE GURU - Dir: Marco Schnabel
MEN MAKING MUSIC - Dir: Clay Tarver
NOWHERE LAND - Dir: Karey Kirkpatrick
PSYCHO FUNKY CHIMP - Dir: Ruben Fleischer
STAR TREK - Dir: JJ Abrams
THOR - Dir: Matthew Vaughn
TORSO - Dir: David Fincher
UNTITLED CAMERON CROWE - Dir: Cameron Crowe
YEAR OF LIVING BIBLICALLY - Dir: Julian Farino
WINTER OF FRANKIE MACHINE - Dir: None attached
WORLD WAR Z - Dir: None attached
PARAMOUNT VANTAGE
AMERICAN STORAGE - Dir: Andrew Cohen
CAGED - Dir: Chris Kentis
DON READY (PREVIOUSLY CLAY HUJKO LIKES CARS) - Dir: Neal Brennan
DEFIANCE - Dir: Ed Zwick
DIRT - Dir: None attached
ROGUE
BELCOO EXPERIMENT - Dir: James Gunn
BFF - Dir: None attached
CASTLEVANIA - Dir: Sylvain White
DYNOMITE - Dir: Paul Feig
FIGHTIN' - Dir: Dito Montiel
LABOR DAY MASON - Dir: Will Gluck
LOST SQUAD - Dir: Leger & Mather
NEAR DARK - Dir: Sam Bayer
SCREEN GEMS
ARMORED - Dir: Nimrod Antal
BONE DEEP - Dir: John Luessenhop
THE BURIAL - Dir: None attached
THE CROSSING - Dir: None attached
INSANITARIUM - Dir: Jeff Buhler
LODGER D:David Ondaatje
KINGDOM COME - Dir: None attached
PHENOM - Dir: None attached
UNTITLED MARDI GRAS PROJECT - Dir: Phil Dornfeld
SPYGLASS
ANTHONY ZIMMER - Dir: Lasse Hallstrom
IRONBOW - Dir: Derin Seale
SONY
AGAINST ALL ENEMIES - Dir: Robert Redford
ALIEN UPRISING - Dir: Wolfgang Peterson
ANGELS AND DEMONS - Dir: Ron Howard
BASTER - Dir: Speck & Gordon
BIG MAN ON CAMPUS - Dir: None attached
BOND 22 - Dir: Marc Forster
BROTHERS - Dir: Jim Sheridan
EDWIN A. SALT - Dir: Terry George
FANTASY ISLAND - Dir: None attached
THE GRAYS - Dir: Wolfgang Peterson
I DREAM OF JEANNIE - Dir: None attached
JULIE JULIA - Dir: Nora Ephron
MONSTER HUNTER - Dir: David Dobkin
SAMMY'S HILL - Dir: David O. Russell
SEVEN POUNDS - Dir: Gabriele Muccino
STEP-BROTHERS - Dir: Adam Mckay
THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS - Dir: Steve Zaillian
THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3 - Dir: Tony Scott
TOKYO SUCKERPUNCH - Dir: None attached
YEAR ONE - Dir: Harold Ramis
VOYEUR - Dir: None attached
SONY CLASSICS
DANCING WITH SHIVA - Dir: Jonathan Demme
SUMMIT
DJINN - Dir: Nicholas Refn
NEED - Dir: Ryan Murphy
PARENTAL GUIDANCE - Dir: None attached
RAT BASTARD - Dir: Gary Winick
SEX DRIVE - Dir: Sean Anders
UNITED ARTISTS
THE BIRDCAGE 2 - Dir: None attached
PINKVILLE - Dir: Oliver Stone
UNIVERSAL
ABSENT HEARTS - Dir: Jim Whitaker
BARBARELLA - Dir: Robert Rodriguez
BIG BROTHERS - Dir: David Wain
THE CHANGELING - Dir: Clint Eastwood
CIRQUE DU FREAK - Dir: Paul Weitz
CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON - Dir: Breck Eisner
DARK FIELDS - Dir: None attached
DRACULA YEAR ZERO - Dir: Alex Proyas
FAST & FURIOUS 4 - Dir: Justin Lin
HURRICAINE SEASON - Dir: Billy Ray
I, THALUS (PREVIOUSLY OLYMPIAD) - Dir: Pete Segal
LAND OF THE LOST - Dir: Brad Silberling
THE LOS ANGELES RIOTS - Dir: Spike Lee
LA SCORTA - Dir: Asger Yeth
MAN AND WIFE - Dir: Gabriele Muccino
MY NAME IS JODY WILLIAMS - Dir: Audrey Wells
NOTTINGHAM - Dir: Ridley Scott
ONE NATION UNDER BOB - Dir: Tom Shadyac
PHARM GIRL - Dir: None attached
PLAYBOY - Dir: Brett Ratner
REPOSSESSION MAMBO - Dir: Miguel Sapochnik
RIPD - Dir: David Dobkin
SANDS OF TIME - Dir: None attached
SCOTT PILGRIM - Dir: Edgar Wright
STATE OF PLAY - Dir: Kevin McDonald
SOURCE CODE - Dir: None attached
TRAVELING - Dir: Brandon Camp
TRUMP HEIST - Dir: Brett Ratner
UNDOMESTIC GODDESS - Dir: None attached
UNTITLED CHARLES RANDOLPH PROJECT - Dir: None attached
UNTITLED JON FAVREAU PROJECT - Dir: Jon Favreau
WOLFMAN - Dir: Mark Romanek
WALDEN
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA - THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER - Dir: Michael Apted
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA - THE SILVER CHAIR - Dir: None attached
CITY OF THE BEASTS - Dir: None attached
TORTOISE AND THE HIPPO - Dir: John Dykstra
RELATIVITY - Dir: None attached
WARNER BROTHERS
1906 - Dir: Brad Bird
ALTERED CARBON - Dir: James McTeigue
ARRANGED - Dir: Gary Winick
CARPE DEMON - Dir: None attached
CLASH OF THE TITANS - Dir: None attached
THE DIRTY DOZEN - Dir: Guy Ritchie
FARRAGUT NORTH - Dir: None attached
GUARDIANS OF GA'HOOLE - Dir: None attached
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE - Dir: David Yates
HEART SHAPED BOX - Dir: Neil Jordan
HIMELFARB - Dir: Miguel Arteta
THE INCREDIBLE MR LIMPET - Dir: Chris Columbus
JUSTICE LEAGUE - Dir: None attached, but looking to George Miller
LOSERS - Dir:
MEN - Dir: Todd Phillips
MORTDECAI - Dir: None attached
NIGHTCRAWLERS - Dir: McG
PENETRATION - Dir: Ridley Scott
SHANTARAM - Dir: Mira Nair
SHERLOCK HOLMES - Dir: None attached
SPOOKS APPRENTICE - Dir: Tim Burton
THE TOWN - Dir: Adrian Lyne
YES MAN - Dir: Peyton Reed
WARNER INDEPENDENT
DISASSOCIATE - Dir: Zach Helm
QUEEN OF THE SOUTH - Dir: Jonathan Jakubowitz
MAN WITHOUT A GUN - Dir: Pete Travis
MESSAGE FROM THE KING - Dir: None attached
RUM DIARY - Dir: Bruce Robinson
WHITE JAZZ - Dir: Joe Carnahan
THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY
BERNARD THE GENIE - Dir: Richard Curtis
FLETCH WON - Dir: Steve Pink
I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT - Dir: David Frankel
GOING DOWN (PREVIOUSLY MUSKRAT LOVE) - Dir: Andy Fickman
NINE - Dir: Rob Marshall
THE READER - Dir: Stephen Daldry
SEVENTH SAMURAI - Dir: None attached, but looking to Justin Chadwick or Wayne Kramer
SHANGHAI - Dir: Mikael Hafstrom
TULIP FEVER - Dir: Peter Chelsom
ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO - Dir: Kevin Smith
WORKING TITLE
BAD NEWS INC. - Dir: None attached
BURN AFTER READING - Dir: Coen Bros
EVEREST - Dir: None attached
FOOD FIGHT - Dir: Steve Brill
IMPERIAL LIFE - Dir: Paul Greengrass
LOST FOR WORDS - Dir: Suzanne Bier
THE RIP - Dir: Roger Michell
ROCK THE BOAT - Dir: Richard Curtis
YOUNG AT HEART - Dir: None attached
Even if half of these do happen, it will be at least Late Fall 2008 before we see the first of these titles. And, hopefully, they won't suck like a number of films made during the last pre-strike threat.
Berlin
Dragon Wars
D-War (South Korea)
By DEREK ELLEY
A giant evil serpent, intent on finding two people in Los Angeles, destroys much of the city in CGI-heavy Korean pic ``D-War.''
A Showbox/Mediaplex release of a Showbox presentation of a Younggu Art production. (International sales: Showbox, Seoul.) Produced by Choi Sung-ho, James B. Kang, Jeong Tae-sung. Executive producers, Kim Woo-taek, Shim Hyung-rae. Directed, written by Shim Hyeung-rae.
With: Jason Behr, Amanda Brooks, Robert Forster, Craig Robinson, Elizabeth Pena, Chris Mulkey, Aimee Garcia, John Ales, Cody Arens.
(English, Korean dialogue)
Bad-mutha Korean serpents trash downtown L.A. in Eng-lish-language monsterfest "D-War," a feast of A-grade f/x married to a Z-grade, irony-free script. After some eight years in planning, production and post, and just over two years since live-action shooting wrapped, South Korea's biggest-budget production by far (reportedly $70 million) looks likely to end up the most expensive cult movie on DVD. Though often visually entertaining, and supe-rior to helmer Shim Hyeung-rae's last monster outing (1999's "Yonggary," aka "Reptilian"), pic looks to have an uphill fight in the hardtop arena.
Much-delayed movie is now looking at a July local release, maybe in a version different from that unspooled in the Berlin mar-ket. A U.S. distrib, said to be vital to pic's international release strat-egy, had yet to be announced as of early February.
Writer-director Shim did all the visual effects via his own studio, Younggu Art, set up after the debacle of "Yonggary." Judging by some of the footage sneaked over the years, the CGI has been reworked several times, to a present level that is perfectly acceptable (and frequently in-your-face impressive) for a pure genre movie.
Judging by some of the crater-like plot lacunae, pic has also been cut to the bone, making "D-War" at least an unabashed thrill ride once the vfx really kick in.
Early reels, criss-crossing be-tween contempo L.A. and Korea's Chosun Dynasty some 500 years ago, contain a lot of over-detailed exposition. Most is put in the mouth of antiques dealer Jack (vet Robert Forster) when young kid Ethan Kendrick (Cody Arens) is exposed to something radiating from an old Korean chest in his shop.
Jack explains (via flashbacks) that Ethan has been impregnated with the spirit of an ancient war-rior apprentice who once saved his beloved from the massive army of Buraki, a bad Imoogi (serpents who want to morph into dragons). Jack gives the kid a powerful pendant and tells him to seek out the modern equivalent of the apprentice's beloved, recognizable by a red-dragon tattoo on her shoulder.
When that young woman reaches 20, says Jack, the pair will have the power to reincarnate Imoogi as dragons. And after half a millennium, Buraki is due to have another try at harnessing that power.
Cut to Ethan as an adult TV news reporter (Jason Behr), at a time when L.A. has been shaken by a mysterious quake -- a signal for Buraki's return. Through a series of unlikely coincidences, Ethan meets Sarah (Amanda Brooks), who received the spirit of the apprentice's beloved at birth and is now feeling distinctly queasy.
At the 55-minute mark, pic turns into a full-fledged f/x ex-travaganza-cum-chase movie, as the ornery, 600-foot-long Buraki hunts the pair down in the streets of downtown L.A. and up the sides of its buildings, laying waste to most of the area. Dialogue is either strictly functional or Sarah exclaiming, "None of this makes sense!" Perfs are equally func-tional.
It's strange that Shim, a former comic actor, didn't seize the chance to make a more ironic movie -- maybe one playing off Korean-U.S. relations (a la "The Host") or simply one with more wit. Instead, "D-War" seems concerned only with cracking the U.S. and international market on a tech level, with the characters and their development an afterthought.
Serpents, dragons and assorted monsters (especially a sloth-like creature loaded with revolving cannons) are well imagined -- as are Buraki's foot soldiers -- though with nods in the direction of "Star Wars" and "The Lord of the Rings." Score by Steve Jablonsky is uninspired, other tech credits OK.
Camera (color, widescreen), Hubert Taczanowski; editor, Tim Alverson; music, Steve Jablonsky; production designers, Kim Yong-suk, Shim Jong-nam; art directors, Pamela Warner; costume designer, Niklas J. Palm; sound (Dolby Digital), Tom Curley; sound designer, Mark Mangini; visual effects, Younggu Art Studios; visual effects supervisor, Shim Ki-wook; stunt coordinators, Bud Davis, Dennis Scott; assistant director, Jonathan Southard (L.A.), Kim Min-soo (South Korea); casting, Christine Sheaks. Reviewed at Berlin Film Festival (market), Feb. 8, 2007. Running time: 100 MIN.
Možda je ovo već i pominjano ovde, ali ja za to ne znam, pošto se ionako ne sećam ničeg starijeg od pola sata. U svakom slučaju, videh jutros ne srbijan kafeu i pomislih "Cripple, Reaguj!!!"
QuoteHI!!!
Something rely good :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratko_mladic go in TV show (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratko_mladic#TV_Show)
In 2007 couple of students from Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade (Uroš Tomić, Pavle Vučković) made a pilot for television sitcom named ,,Mladići"[11](international title is ,,Room-mates" since the title is play of words). It's about two young men (young men is ,,mladići" on Serbian) who need to move out of their parents house so their grandmother (Ratko Mladić's made-up-for-tv high school sweetheart) offers them her apartment if they agree to hide war criminal Ratko Mladić (played by Aleksandar Hrnjakovic) who is running away from his International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia trial. Even though the episode is based on almost pure fiction and fabricated truth, neither TV station in Serbia (including B92 and Radio Television of Serbia) wanted to pick this show up, and the reason was anything from ,,expensive production" (which is not true) to ,,theme that would make viewers angry" (and that could be true at some point, but South Park does it all the time and it re-invented modern television in that kind of way).
Our:
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=18132179
Pilot episode for Serbian sitcom!!! Grandmother gives an apartment to her two grandsons, if they agree to hide war criminal Ratko Mladic who is running away from his Hague Tribunal trial.
Directed by Uros Tomic
Cinematography by Aleksandar Mijalilovic
Animation & Music by LoOney
Znam za ovo, ali to je bilo previše loše urađeno čak i za fakultetske standarde i uopšte nije toliko zanimljivo koliko se čini.
Ma, dobro, više sam mislio da ti je temacki blisko.
Jeste, i puno sam očekivao od toga, ali nažalost nema tu ništa zanimljivo, ako apstrahujemo da se u Srbiji više niko ne nada dobrom.
MTV Films will turn YouTube music satire viral video series "Million Dollar Strong" into a feature film reports Variety.
Mike O'Connell and Ken Jeong, who star in the satirical music video "What's It Gonna Be?" are set to star in the MTV comedy that O'Connell is writing with Peter Kline.
The story revolves around the meteoric rise of a delusional rapper (O'Connell) and his Asian foreign exchange student friend (Jeong) as they take on the hip-hop world.
Clay Allen helmed the viral video, but no director is attached yet for the film version. Todd Phillips will produce.
Seven 3-5 minute webisodes based on writer-director JT Petty's forthcoming horror film "The Burrowers" will premiere on the horror Web site/on-demand service FearNet in December says The Hollywood Reporter.
"Burrowers," written and directed by Petty, chronicles the tale of a rescue party that becomes the prey of a band of underground creatures. Clancy Brown, William Mapother and Sean Patrick Thomas star in the Lionsgate release due in 2008.
The webisodes will tell the story of a family trying to survive in the wilderness who unknowingly release an evil force when they ingest infected deer meat.
Steven Seagal is starring in "A Higher Form of Learning," an action thriller that he also wrote. Insight Film Studios and Cinetel are teaming on the direct-to-DVD film, which is being directed by Jeff King.
The story centers on a detective who travels the world in pursuit of serial killers. He finds himself in Memphis hunting two murderers while also chasing his own demons.
Cameras are set to roll this week in and around Vancouver.
Insight's Kirk Shaw is producing. Seagal is executive producing.
This is Seagal's latest foray in the profitable direct-to-DVD market. His last theatrical feature was 2002's "Half Past Dead."
What's a young actor to do once he finishes with a colossally successful franchise like HARRY POTTER? How about move to another globally recognized character?
There were some minor mumblings a few years back that boywizard Daniel Radcliffe was being pursued to portray famed spy James Bond in his formative years, based on a series of YOUNG BOND books by Charlie Higson. According to a source we'll call 'Average Kadavra', there's interest in the wand-waving thespian once again for the part... and the Radcliffe camp is in fact considering it.
The YOUNG BOND books tell of the future superagent's college years in the 1930s to match Ian Fleming's original Bond, though it's assumed the movie stories would be refitted to fall more in line with the character's latest screen incarnation.
While it's understandable that Radcliffe, two POTTER pics away from graduation, might want to cement another almost-guaranteed franchise (those mansions don't buy themselves!), it's not like 007 needs the extra attention thanks to the recent reinvigoration from CASINO ROYALE. But perhaps the property owners want to piggyback on the success of Daniel Craig's buff espionage bruiser.
Extra Tidbit: Youth-oriented Bond versions have been attempted before: the book "003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior" and the 1990s cartoon JAMES BOND JR., who fought the forces of S.C.U.M. (Saboteurs and Criminals United in Mayhem).
Former Darkness singer Justin Hawkins and ex-Libertines guitarist Carl Barat have reportedly signed up to appear in a new Joe Meek biopic called Telstar.
The pair will play the roles of Screaming Lord Sutch and Gene Vincent in the film about the life of the famous tone-deaf music producer says British site Digital Spy.
Kevin Spacey is also rumoured to have agreed to play the part of Major Banks, a financial supporter of Meek, in the film.
Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels actor Nick Moran makes his directorial debut on the film scheduled for release in spring 2008.
My rule of thumb with graphic novels is that damn near everyone short of my mother has to recommend a specific title before I start buying up back issues. This way, I get to experience grand stuff like Sandman and Hellboy while avoiding a heap of crap I would absolutely waste my time reading if it were piled up around the house. I have no quality filter once comics cross the threshold; if only I had the same compulsion to tear through novels and screenplays.
Garth Ennis's Preacher was special enough to hook me for a while in the late 90s, and it was cinematic enough in the telling to make me wonder if it might work as a film or mini-series in the hands of a talented, resourceful director. Unfortunately, the filmmakers who've been attached to the property over the years (e.g. Rachel Talalay and Howard Deutch) have been some of the very worst in the history of medium.
Deutch was the first director of choice for HBO and Mark Steven Johnson, who will executive produce the entire series and write the pilot. That's bad news until you consider that the Daredevil and Ghost Rider auteur has stated over and over that he will strive for a Zack Snyder-ian faithfulness with his adaptation. This means the success of the series will most likely be contingent on casting and directing. Though there's been no movement on the former, the search for the latter has heated up over the last week: first, we heard about Robert Rodriguez being courted. Some expressed doubt over this, but a friend of mine who's in position to know these things confirmed the story. What's more, he dropped this tidbit: they're looking for a big name director to make a splash with the pilot, after which they'll rotate other talented directors into the mix. And wait 'til you get a load of some of the names they're chasing.
When I heard Brian De Palma was in the running, I quit worrying about Mark Steven Johnson altogether. When I heard David Cronenberg was also in the running, I wondered if I was being jerked around. But it makes sense: Benderspink, which is producing Preacher, just worked with Cronenberg a few years ago on A History of Violence. That film was a critical and commercial success for both parties. Other directors being circled include Danny Boyle, Alex Proyas, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and, as previously mentioned, Rodriguez.
It's important to note that, while HBO is very serious about Preacher all of a sudden, the project is still in the discussion stage. That said, I can tell you for a fact that if there is a groundswell of interest online, the long shot odds of a De Palma or a Cronenberg directing the pilot of Preacher will improve dramatically. If you want a quality Preacher, now's the time to speak up. HBO is paying attention.
Hmmm, stvarno zvuči primamljivo ovo za Preachera. Ne kažem da ga nužno neće zasrati na kraju, ali zvuči interesantno.
Hi there, first time reviewer here and first time Toronto Film Fest attendee. There's 349 movies at TIFF but this one was said to be the most unique and original. I knew nothing about it or director Hitoshi Matsumoto before it was announced for TIFF but the plot summary made it sound like something I had to see for myself. It really helped that Matsumoto is a huge star in Japan so there was an unusually high ratio of asian vs. "round-eye" and they love every minute of this guy. There was a lot of energy at the midnight showing, been a while since I've felt that in a theatre.
Dai-Nipponjin translates to "The Great Japanese" and is the story of Daisato; a 40-something guy who lives in a run down, messy house with a stray cat. His ex-wife doesn't want to see him, his 8 year old daughter doesn't care about him and he has to deal with his grandfather who is suffering from dementia. He's considered something of a joke by those around him and his tv show is failing in the ratings. What's his tv show about? It's follows him as he transforms into a 100 foot tall giant who battles the "baddies" who, whether intentionally or not, cause destruction in Japan.
So the movie certainly has elements of giant monster movies from Japan but this is taken to a whole other place. The movie is told as a documentary, it's something akin to It's All Gone Pete Tong or even The Office. A cameraman is following Daisato around, asking him about his day to day life, why he carries an umbrella around, how often he eats out, how much he makes... it's pretty mundane stuff and it's done with some great subtle and not so subtle humour. It's quirky and cute, Matsumoto has a dead-pan delivery that likens him to a Japanese Steven Wright with no punch lines, there are only hints at what is coming.
Everything seems pretty normal and bleak until Daisato gets a phone call and he informs the camera man that he has to go to work; he has to "bake". So he rushes off to a power plant, where they juice him up with megawatts of power (via nipple clamps) that cause him to grow into a giant, tattoo covered, purple speedo wearing baddie fighter: Dai-Nipponjin. And unlike Hulk, he actually carries around the giant purple speedos with him for when he makes this transformation (see the attached pic with undies hanging behind him). The transformation is where this movie just goes from funny to insane.
The first baddie is the Squishee Baddie, he looks like something out of a Chris Cunningham video, a large white figure with a giant elastic band for arms that he wraps around buildings before flipping them upside down. Oh, and his head is that of an elderly Japanese man with a bad combover. Ths is all done CGI and it looks incredible, a huge contrast to the hand held camera work of the documentary. I couldn't wipe the smile of my face.
We see Dai-Nipponjin fight several very strange baddies throughout the movie and we see the struggles he has of his show and his family. There are several scenes of complete losecontrolandlaughoutloud madness, often coming from the quieter moments. And even after all the over the top things you see through out the movie, the final scenes throw it into another world, bringing in an Ultraman type family to help Daisato conquer a great new foe. I don't want to spoil anything but there are wedgies and flying babies involved.
Bottom line, this movie is insane. If you're a fan of giant monsters and completely crazy humour find this movie. I have no idea when it's going to come out proper in North America, but run see this anyway you can (yes, ANYWAY possible). You can wash the taste out of your mouth with laughter.
I should have reviews of The Devil's Chair (brit horror about an evil chair...) and À l'intérieur (french horror, compared to Brain Dead/Dead Alive in gore content) coming tomorrow.
They call me El Giante
http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2007/09/glogov-kolac.html
IFC Releasing has picked up "Finishing the Game" and "Savage Grace" for domestic release reports the trades.
"Finishing" sends up stereotypes and martial-arts pics by envisioning how Bruce Lee's final film, "Game of Death," might have ended up had it been recast and completed after the star's death. Director Justin Lin ("Better Luck Tomorrow," "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift") helmed the feature which is scheduled for an October release in theaters and on VOD.
Julianne Moore stars in the Tom Kalin-directed "Savage Grace" which premiered in Cannes. The story is a dramatization of the shocking Barbara Daly Baekeland murder case in which the unstable wealthy socialite was killed by her 25-year-old gay son with whom she'd been having an incestuous sexual relationship.
Hollywood Gang Prods. will remake the 1978 actioneer "The Wild Geese" with Rupert Sanders attached to direct reports Variety.
Based on Daniel Carney's unpublished novel "The Thin White Line," the original film starred Richard Burton, Roger Moore and Richard Harris. The story followed a group of British mercenaries who are contracted to free an imprisoned African leader.
Discussions are under way to bring the film to Warner Bros. Pictures. Hollywood Gang is also adapting graphic novels "Ocean" by Warren Ellis and "Ronin" by Frank Miller.
Comedy actress Anna Faris confirms that she's set to play Linda Susan Boreman, better known by her porn stage name Linda Lovelace, in the upcoming feature "Inferno" reports MTV News.
Faris and first-time director Matthew Wilder are currently putting together the project which they hope to get underway pre-strike next June. Faris says It's a really deep, dark drama...This would be incredibly intense. It would be the most difficult thing I've done, and I'm really nervous...It's a pretty tragic story. It's going to be a challenge, definitely."
Lovelace became a household name after the 1972 X-rated porn film "Deep Throat" became a pop-culture phenomenon that had stars like Johnny Carson and Jack Nicholson attending showings. Porn became chic, and the film has to date grossed more than $600 million worldwide.
In the years that followed, however, Lovelace reinvented herself as an anti-porn crusader, toiled in poverty and insisted that she had a gun held to her head off-camera during those infamous "Throat" scenes, blaming the experience largely on her manager/husband Chuck Traynor. Lovelace died in 2002 following a car accident and several weeks on life support.
Faris confirms that other stars haven't been cast yet, whilst the script is still being developed - "We've yet to find Linda's husband. That's sort of our hang-up right now; we're trying to get that."
"Rush Hour" director Brett Ratner and actor Chris Tucker will reteam for New Line's "Mr. S: My Life With Frank Sinatra" reports Variety.
Ratner is attached to direct and produce and Tucker eyeing the starring role of valet George Jacobs who worked for Sinatra from 1953-68.
The story is based on the 2003 book which offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of Sinatra and the Rat Pack. William Stadiem, co-scribe of the book, has been tapped to write the screenplay.
The story weaves in celebrity anecdotes involving Marilyn Monroe, Peter Lawford, the Kennedys, Ava Gardner, Humphrey Bogart, Mia Farrow, Elvis Presley, Swifty Lazar and Marlene Dietrich, among others.
New Line has landed screen rights to the just published Ben Macintyre book "Agent Zigzag: True Wartime Story of Love and Deception" reports the trades.
The book, published last week by Harmony Books, centers on the true-life story of Eddie Chapman, a criminal, con man and philanderer who was recruited and trained by the Nazis at the beginning of World War II.
Chapman quickly became a master of espionage, and while on a mission to destroy an airplane factory in Britain, contacted the M15, Britain's secret service, thus beginning his life as a double agent.
Playtone's Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman are producing.
Supermodel Naomi Campbell has scored a role in Spike Lee's WW2 drama "The Miracle at St. Anna" says Vogue.
The film deals with a regiment of black soldiers stationed in Tuscany during World War Two. Campbell has confirmed that she had meetings with and just signed a contract with Lee the other day.
Campbell says "It's a very very small role but it involves subject matter that I'm really passionate about...it's a subject that nobody has ever touched upon."
She adds that "There are all the war time films of course but you never see a black soldier in any of them. I'll do anything for Spike and I really think we should be more educated about the role of people of colour in our history."
A late 2008 release is the earliest release it could be.
Director Lexi Alexander ("Green Street Hooligans") has used her official site to announce three new actors joining the cast of "Punisher: War Zone."
Dash Mihok ("Hollywoodland," "Basic") will play Detective Detective Martin Soap, Colin Salmon ("Resident Evil," "Tomorrow Never Dies") is Agent Paul Budiansky and Doug Hutchison ("The Green Mile," "The X-Files") will be Loony Bin Jim.
Alexander says "There are not a lot of directors in the process of making a studio action film who can say that they don't have at least one bad actor somebody made them cast. I can say that. Still. (Knocking on every piece of wood as I speak). I have the best cast on the planet. The movie Gods were watching over me."
She also confirms that the villain Jigsaw has been cast but hasn't announced it yet. A 2008 release is planned for the film with Ray Stevenson cast in the title role.
Dante
"Gremlins" director Joe Dante can recount endless anecdotes about Roger Corman movies, and with his new project "Trailers From Hell," he'll be sharing a few of them with Web and cell-phone users.
Dante and other Hollywood directors are recording new commentary tracks for the trailers to venerable horror and exploitation films. The project is being distributed via the Web at Trailersfromhell.com and on Sprint's "Fun Little Movies" channel. Producers are also in negotiations to bundle the series of shorts with an on-demand package including similar content.
Directors with tracks already recorded include Edgar Wright ("Hot Fuzz"), who talks about his love of '60s Eurospy actioner "Danger: Diabolik," and Dante, who dishes on Corman shlockfest "The Terror." Helmers tapped for future contributions include Mick Garris ("The Shining" and "The Stand" TV miniseries) on "X: The Man With the X-Ray Eyes" and Mary Lambert ("Pet Semetary") on "Village of the Damned."
Indie producer Elizabeth Stanley is producing "Trailers From Hell," and Jonas Hudson will be distributing it through his company the Nickels Group.
Brad Pitt is in negotiations to team with Darren Aronofsky for Paramount's drama "The Fighter."
Pitt is replacing Matt Damon, who had to bow out because of scheduling conflicts. Pitt famously pulled out of Aronofsky's "The Fountain" in 2002 which effectively killed that project for several years.
Based on the life of boxer "Irish" Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his trainer brother Dick Eklund (Pitt), 'Fighter' chronicles their early days on the rough streets of Lowell, Mass., through Eklund's battle with drugs and Ward's eventual world championship in London.
Scott Silver ("8 Mile") is rewriting the script. The studio is aiming for a Fall 2008 shoot. Pitt will shoot "State of Play" for Universal in the winter.
Winona Ryder and Mickey Rourke have joined the ensemble cast of Gregor Jordan's "The Informers," an adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' novel says The Hollywood Reporter.
The drama, which tells seven separate stories set in 1980's Los Angeles, follows a week in the lives of a group of morally challenged characters -- a movie executive, his wife, his mistress, a rock star, a vampire and a kidnapper.
Billy Bob Thornton, Kim Basinger, Brandon Routh, Ashley Olsen, Jon Foster, Lou Taylor Pucci and Austin Nichols have already been cast.
Ryder will play a newscaster who has just been dumped after a longtime affair with a married producer William Sloan.
Rourke will play Peter, an amoral former studio security guard who plots to kidnap a small child to sell to the leader of a Los Angeles cult.
Principal photography will begin in October in Los Angeles.
New Regency has acquired comic pitch "Pets," with James Gunn to write and direct. Red Hour's Ben Stiller, Stuart Cornfeld and Jeremy Kramer are producing.
Gunn, best known for scripting the "Scooby-Doo" pics, is back in pet mode. The comedy concerns a man abducted by aliens who want to turn him into a household pet. Peter Safran will exec produce.
"Pets" is the latest in a series of Regency deals for projects geared to a young male demo; 20th Century Fox will distribute.
Red Hour is producing "Tropic Thunder," the ensemble comedy that Stiller is directing in Hawaii, and "The Ruins," the Carter Smith-directed horror film adaptation of the Scott B. Smith novel. Both pics are for DreamWorks.
Gunn, who also scripted the "Dawn of the Dead" remake, most recently wrote and directed "Slither."
NEW YORK -- New Magnolia Pictures genre label Magnet has attracted North American rights to two action flicks, Ernesto Diaz Espinoza's "Kiltro" and "Mirageman," both featuring martial arts lead Marko Zaror.
In "Kiltro," Zaror plays a violent gangster out to avenge the killing of his mother. The film was a hit in writer/director Espinoza's native Chile. "Mirageman" showcases the acrobatic actor as a masked vigilante.
"Kiltro" has its stateside premiere this week at Austin's Fantastic Film Festival. Both features are slated for release in 2008.
Better known abroad than in the U.S., Zaror won the 2004 Stuntman of the Year award for his work as The Rock's stunt double in "The Rundown." "At 6'2", 210 pounds, it's magic to watch him move with such speed, power and style," said producer Derek Rundell.
The deal was negotiated by Magnet/Magnolia senior vp Tom Quinn and head of business affairs Jason Janego, with Rundell and his rep Houston King.
Harry says Daniel Waters' SEX AND DEATH 101 at Fantastic Fest was better than a Blowjob On A Stick!!!
There are few films at FANTASTIC FEST that I've been looking forward to more than SEX AND DEATH 101. It has been hyped as the reteaming of Daniel Waters and Winona Ryder – last we saw of them was HEATHERS – a film that was a clarion call for the teenage genre. SEX AND DEATH 101 isn't a teenage film. And Daniel Waters wasn't the director of HEATHERS – so in advance of this film – I had high hopes, but I did have them guarded with uncertainness.
Having Daniel Waters and Patton Oswalt hitting the stage before the film... well it's kinda meta-perfect. Instantly they put you in the mood for giggles and silliness – but what followed wasn't a film about cotton candy lightness.
The basic premise is that out of a bad studio romantic comedy. A ladies' man on the precipice of matrimony is emailed a list of everyone he had ever had sex with in the correct order. Not only that, but it had their first and last names – many of which, he couldn't recall himself. He was proud of his 29 conquests – but the list has far many more names than that. In fact it goes on to list 101 names. He figures it was a hoax perpetrated by one of his bachelor party buddies... but then – without even trying – he finds his penis in the snug velvety humid place it loves to reside. He's dumbstruck. How could he marry someone knowing that there's 70+ women he's supposed to bed. Perhaps, she really isn't the one for him.
Meanwhile – parallel to this story – is the tale of DEATH NELL – as she is named by the local media – who is a dark female killing sexual predators... well, technically – she doesn't kill them, she puts them into a coma, from which they never awake.
Now – it might seem to be a silly premise for a film, but Daniel Waters, while being silly – takes the premise deadly seriously – which is what makes it so hilarious. Imagine knowing the name of everyone you'd ever get to sleep with. Then you see that person's name in a Playboy... and you realize – you get to bed a Playmate? That's the sort of knowledge that could drive a man insane. Or even worse – what if you fell in love with a name not on the list and they would never fall for you, that you'd never be with them, no matter how much you wanted it – no matter how much they wanted it. SOMETHING would happen. Something would go wrong. Who you're going to have sex with is pre-determined... and nothing you could do could change it.
You're doomed to never have a surprise... the mystery of love, passion, romance... it's gone. You're fated for a certain existence – and it doesn't matter if you want to settle down and raise a family. That's not your fate. The list was a list of the rest of your life – and that last name... what does that mean?
The film is so brilliantly done. There are montage sequences that left me gasping for air laughing.
Simon Baker as the blessed albeit cursed cocksman of the piece is dashing, debonair and well... you'll leave the theater thinking... life kicked your father in the nuts and left your sperm slightly malformed for creating something handsome. He is perfect.
Now the particularly brilliant twist is a completely unexplained group of characters named ALPHA, BETA and FRED. Fred is played by Patton Oswalt – who is so excited by Simon Baker's pre-dick-tion email. You see, their machine sent it out. They're sort of like Clarence from IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, but just regular on Earth technicians that are handling what the Oracle (God's Computer?) gives them.
They add a "Greek chorus" to the proceedings and Patton has several moments of absolute comedic brilliance.
Though his BLOWJOB ON A STICK quote has left me perplexed. At first, I thought it was sort of like an automatic blowjob, but then I thought – no, that's not it. Then I thought – does he mean that it would be like cutting off your dick, putting it on a stick like a corndog and sucking it yourself – but like you could still feel your own blowjob? And then you could pass it around the room? I'm not sure. What do you think the phrase, "BLOWJOB ON A STICK" means? It is surely one of life's great mysteries.
SEX AND DEATH 101 is going to be coming out some time next year in a limited then hopefully large release from the folks at Anchor Bay. I hope they solve their problems of theatrical distribution, because this film deserves to play and play extremely well in theaters across the country.
It reminds me of classic sex farces like the original ALFIE or THE MAN WHO LOVED WOMEN or SHAMPOO. It really is that good. Daniel Waters? It's nice to have you back in fine form!
Entertainment Weekly reports that director Tony Scott will reunite with Denzel Washington for "The Taking of Pelham 123."
Based on the 1974 movie starring Walter Matthau, the story would feature Washington as a cop who must stop a hijacked subway car.
Scott and Washington previously collaborated on Crimson Tide, Man on Fire and Déjà Vu. 'Pelham' is a pre-strike priority for Sony Pictures.
Eli Roth, Michael Dougherty and Jon August are all tipped to be contributing scripts and potentially directing episodes of the upcoming "Heroes: Origins" spin-off series...
Postal
(U.S.-Canada-Germany)
By DENNIS HARVEY
Larry Thomas is Osama bin Laden to Brent Mendenhall's George W. Bush in Uwe Boll's 'Postal.'
More than one option(Person) Larry Thomas
(Person) Larry Thomas
(Person) Larry Thomas
(Person) Larry Thomas
(Person) Larry Thomas
A Freestyle release (in U.S.) of a Boll Kino (Germany) production in association with Brightlight Pictures (Canada). Produced by Uwe Boll, Dan Clarke, Shawn Williamson. Executive producers, Vince Desiderio, Steve Wik. Directed by Uwe Boll. Screenplay, Boll, Bryan C. Knight, based on the videogame by Running With Scissors.
Dude - Zack Ward
Uncle Dave - Dave Foley
Richard - Chris Coppola
Mohammed - Michael Benyaer
Faith - Jackie Tohn
Candidate Wells - J.K. Simmons
Officer John - Ralf Moeller
Himself - Verne Troyer
Officer Greg - Chris Spencer
Osama bin Laden - Larry Thomas
Another videogame adaptation, "Postal" is otherwise quite different from what audiences expect from oft-dissed helmer (and scenarist) Uwe Boll. This energetic if scattershot farce aims to be the "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" of bad-taste satires on an out-of-control post-9/11 world. Like that non-classic, its sheer exertion often impresses more than the number of actual laughs scored. Still, this anything-goes exercise isn't dull -- one just wishes the outrageousness were more consistently funny.
Deliberate flaunting of myriad taboos could make "Postal's" planned October U.S. theatrical launch problematic with skittish exhibitors. But if marketed as a film with something to offend everyone (as "The Loved One" once was), it could draw youngish adults who enjoy rude humor with an edge. On DVD, the pic will no doubt acquire a fan base in many territories, Uncle Sam's included.
Original three "Postal" vidgames have been widely criticized (and sometimes banned) as works of tasteless, desensitizing mayhem. Defenders say the games are too clearly over-the-top satirical to promote the violence, racism and other bad behaviors depicted.
Certainly, Boll's translation is equal-opportunity cartoonish in embracing and sending up stereotypes and sacred cows, though most mainstream viewers -- not the target demo here -- will be appalled by certain ideas being used for comedy. They range from an opening 9/11 hijacker cockpit sequence to a fade with secret allies George W. Bush and Osama bin Laden skipping hand-in-hand into the nuclear explosion-riddled sunset.
In between, countless deliberate offenses are lobbed at the viewer, including much gratuitous child imperilment and Dave Foley's exposed member. Targets skewered include not just the Taliban and the Bush administration but also gun-crazy Americans, tree-hugging Americans, motivational seminars, why-can't-we-all-just-get-along inspirational speeches, Asian-American drivers, handicapped panhandlers and "Brokeback Mountain." Boll himself, who appears as the director of a Third Reich-themed "Little Germany" amusement park cheerfully admits, "My films are funded by Nazi gold" (an actual Internet rumor).
Known as Dude (Zack Ward), then Postal Dude once he's unfairly linked to various crimes, the protag is a hapless resident of ill-named burg Paradise. Unemployed and desperate, he turns to uncle Dave (Foley), founder of a New Age-y apocalyptic cult whose real purpose seems to be to provide him with Playboy Bunny-type worshippers. Unfortunately, the IRS has gotten wise and he needs a major cash infusion fast.
Dave and Dude come up with a plan to steal a valuable shipment of Krotchy Dolls, a toy in high demand but short supply. Unfortunately, the same idea is seized on by Mohammed (Michael Benyaer), fervent chief acolyte to bin Laden (Larry Thomas), who is hiding right here in Paradise. Once the two factions collide at Little Germany, the pic piles on one chase and splatstick set piece after another.
Boll achieves a bright, big-production feel on a reported $15 million budget, with tech and design contributions adding to the colorful overall impact. Cast was encouraged to invent business on-set, resulting in some nice riffing. But for every genuinely funny idea, there are others that play flat, while many others settle for scatological outrageousness of a non-envelope-pushing kind.
Boll does mean to provoke, but to pull off a satirical critique of the volatile subjects here would require sharper wit than he and co-scenarist Bryan C. Knight generally provide. "Borat," "Team America: World Police" and "Hot Fuzz" mixed subversive commentary and bad-taste humor with a cleverness "Postal" seldom achieves, though its sheer antic energy does compensate somewhat.
Amid otherwise fairly broad performances, Ward's deadpan transition from milquetoast to Rambo does a lot to hold the pic together.
More than one option(Person) Shawn Williamson
(Person) Shawn Williamson
More than one option(Person) Dan Clarke
(Person) Daniel Clarke
(Person) Dan Clarke
More than one option(Person) Chris Spencer
(Person) Chris Spencer
(Person) Chris Spencer
More than one option(Film) A Idolatrada
(Film) The Loved One
More than one option(Film) Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
(Person) Sacha Baron Cohen
More than one option(Film) Hot Fuzz
(Person) Dorota Bialy-Wieczorek
Camera (color, Panavision), Mathias Neumann; editor, Julian Clarke; music, Jessica de Rooij; production designer, Tink; art director, John Alvarez; set decorator, Joanne LeBlanc; costume designer, Maria Livingstone; sound (Dolby Digital), Mark Noda; second unit director, Danny Virtue; second unit camera, Todd Elyzen; assistant director, Knight; casting, Maureen Webb. Reviewed at Dead Channels: the San Francisco Festival of Fantastic Film, Aug. 9, 2007. MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 106 MIN.
With: Michael Pare, Jodie Stewart, David Huddleston, Seymour Cassel, Erick Avari, Lonelle New, Holly Eglington, Lucie Guest, Uwe Boll, Vince Desiderio, Brent Mendenhall.
IGN Movies has been informed by a reliable source that Sony Pictures is developing a remake of The Karate Kid that will be produced by Will Smith's Overbook Entertainment and Jerry Weintraub.
Will's 9-year-old son Jaden Christopher Syre Smith ("The Pursuit of Happyness") is apparently attached to star in the remake.
This new Karate Kid is currently out to writers. Weintraub also produced the 1984 film, starring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita, and its three sequels.
Duo team up for 'Superhero'
Arts Alliance, Netflix outfit acquire documentary
By DADE HAYES Arts Alliance America and Netflix's Red Envelope have teamed to acquire "Confessions of a Superhero," a doc produced by "Half Nelson's" Jamie Patricof that wowed auds at South by Southwest.
AAA (formerly Hart Sharp Video) will distribute theatrically starting in Gotham on Nov. 2, and then on DVD in January, all under its "Morgan Spurlock Presents" banner. Spurlock's "Super Size Me" was a theatrical phenom that became a DVD smash for Hart Sharp.
Pic, helmed by first-timer Matt Ogens (who also produced, along with Patricof and Charlie Gruet), chronicles the alternately poignant and amusing paths of the struggling actors who pay the bills by playing superheroes on Hollywood Boulevard. Central characters are Batman, Superman, the Hulk and Wonder Woman.
The Wall Street Journal featured the bizarre demimonde of Hollywood pseudo-superheroes in an October 2005 article.
Reviewers, especially online, have sparked to the film, which is set to screen again at AFI in October.
A correction was made to this article on Sept. 26, 2007.
"The Queen," "Frost/Nixon" and "The Last King of Scotland" scribe Peter Morgan has started work on a follow-up to "The Queen" which will examine former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair's relationships with U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush reports Variety.
Morgan initially considered tackling the more obvious drama surrounding the run-up to the Iraq war, when Blair fatally compromised his own leadership through his wholehearted support for Bush's invasion plans.
In the end Morgan decided that the roots of those events lay in Blair's difficult adjustment to the handover of power from natural liberal ally Clinton to neo-conservative Bush and how that affected the relationship between Britain and America.
Michael Sheen is expected to reprise his role as Blair, the third time he's played Blair following "The Queen" and the Channel 4 telemovie "The Deal" which was also by Morgan. Sheen is set to play legendary English soccer coach Brian Clough in another Morgan screenplay, "The Damned United," which Tom Hooper begins filming next April.
Morgan is currently researching the project with a plan to start writing by the end of this year. Morgan recently finished a rewrite of "State of Play" and a draft of the adaptation of John le Carre's "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" for Working Title.
Screenwriter Skip Woods ("Hitman," "Swordfish") has been brought in to revise David Benioff's screenplay for "Wolverine" reports IGN Movies.
Meanwhile director Gavin Hood talked about the film to IESB.Net this weekend and confirms the shoot should last 3-4 months, almost all taking place in Sydney's Fox Studios, and it will be a PG-13 rating.
He adds "We start shooting the film in December, we start shooting the film in December, possibly January, we are very involved in the process and now and we'll be casting over the next couple of months."
The Yari Film Group is fast-tracking "Killing Pablo," the long-gestating biopic about the late Pablo Escobar, with Javier Bardem and Christian Bale toplining reports Variety.
Bardem is slated to play Escobar, while Bale is in talks to play Major Steve Jacoby, the Delta Force commander who led the hunt for Escobar.
Escobar's rise as a leader of the drug cartel in Medellin, Colombia, began in the 1970s. After years of terrorizing police and political leaders, Escobar was targeted in 1992 by a coalition of Colombian police and military, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and the CIA; he was killed the following year.
Based on Mark Bowden's tome, Joe Carnahan ("Narc," "Smokin' Aces") remains attached to direct. Shooting could begin as early as next June, but if the strike goes forward production will wait until after the work stoppage.
Inače KILLING PABLO je već postao jedna od najvećih enigmi u Holivudu,. Otud recimo treća i četvrta sezona serije ENTOURAGE govore o tome kako se snima MEDELLIN što je u stvari njihova aluzija na KILLING PABLO.
Trejler za MEDELLIN možete naći na
www.medellinthemovie.com
Spyglass Entertainment has acquired the rights to remake David Cronenberg's 1979 horror classic "The Brood" reports Variety.
The psychological/supernatural thriller centers on a woman who undergoes medical treatment that causes her inner rage to physically manifest itself.
Much like John Carpenter, Cronenberg is seeing remakes of his early works quickly coming to fruition. His 1981 effort "Scanners" remains on track to be remade. Cory Goodman has been tapped to pen the screenplay.
Peter Travis ("Omagh," "Vantage Point") has been set by Warner Independent Pictures to direct the fact-based political thriller "Man Without a Gun" reports Variety.
Stuart Beattie ("Collateral") wrote the script, based on a memoir by Gianni Picco, about the U.N. hostage negotiator who successfully brokered the release of long-held hostages from Lebanon-based terrorists in the late 1980s.
Production begins early next year.
Last week I had the chance to chat with Matthew Michael Carnahan about his first major script The Kingdom, which hits theaters this Friday. During the interview we also talked about Lions for Lambs, the Robert Redford, Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise flick. We also talked about the Brad Pitt and Ed Norton starrer State of Play as well as Joe Carnahan's adaptation of James Ellroy's White Jazz starring George Clooney, but more on those on Monday.
Today I have for you what he is currently working on and it sounds fantastic. For anyone that loved Zodiac it sounds like this one could be just as good if it falls in the right hands.
Nope, sorry, it isn't another superhero movie, the pic is called Zebra Murders and Carnahan is writing it for DreamWorks based on 23 attacks that occurred in San Francisco by a group of six African American men. To have me describe it would be a waste; here is how Carnahan described the entire pitch to me:
It's a story called Zebra Murders for DreamWorks, and it's this great, little story, little in terms that it was lost in the time of Zodiac, Watergate and the Vietnam kind of miasma. In San Francisco, in the early '70s, six African American men from the Nation of Islam temple on Fillmore Street went around the city and were attacking white people at random. They killed fifteen and wounded eight. Everything from walking up behind an 80-year-old factory worker, putting a bullet in his head and jumping in a car to grabbing a couple, the Hague couple, on a walk one night. [The Hague's were] new to the city, University of Colorado grads, freshly married, they were grabbed, put in a van and they began hacking both of them with machetes. The husband, who watched his wife be hacked to death, lived and the wife was killed and these guys had the city of San Francisco in absolute terror.
Mayor Alioto made African American males in San Francisco carry things called Zebra Cards, identification cards. It was this little slice of apartheid right in the middle of San Francisco in the '70s and the city almost blew apart because of it.
The two cops that were instrumental in catching these six guys were African American themselves, in the middle of being as infuriated and frustrated and pissed off for all the same reasons and all the same causes these guys from the Nation of Islam were. It's this amazing cognition you have when you are doing the research and realize that the real revolutionaries aren't these idiots running around killing unarmed people, it's these cops that choose to enter a predominately Irish, very racist, police department in San Francisco in this time frame and just through their own shear ability become great cops. The younger of the two, Earl Sanders, goes on to become the first black police chief in San Francisco's history. That's the story I am doing right now and I think it has all this great and raw material.
It's just such a little gem of a story. If I can put two sentences together I think hopefully people will want to be involved.
Tell me you don't want to see that movie. Imagine David Fincher getting hold of this one as well. If all this sounds good to you, wait until my full interview comes online. Carnahan and I chatted for 45 minutes on everything he has done and it is one hell of a read so stay tuned.
Dominique Swain will star in "Slaughter," the Slamdance competition winning script by Nathan Brookes and Bobby Lee Darby for Maverick Films reports Reuters.
Swain will play a young actress who travels to a remote desert location to shoot a film called "Slaughter," only to discover she and her co-stars have been cast in a snuff film and must fight to survive.
Victor Garcia ("Return to House on Haunted Hill") is attached to direct. Principal photography will begin this month in Los Angeles.
Fox Atomic taps JT Petty for 'Goth'
Videogame writer to direct novel adaptation
By TATIANA SIEGEL
Petty
Fox Atomic has tapped vidgame scribe JT Petty to write and direct "Goth," which is based on a best-selling Japanese novel.
Described as a gothic love story, the project revolves around two high school teens from opposite sides of the tracks who are forced to come together to take down a serial killer in their hometown.
Kadokawa, which published the original novel and manga comic, will serve as executive producer on the film. Lauren C. Weissman, Jennie Lew Tugend and Shinya Egawa from Kadokawa brought the project to Atomic.
Petty recently directed "The Burrowers," an original Western horror film that is in post-production. He also wrote and directed "Soft for Digging," "Mimic: Sentinel" and "S&Man."
When the list of pre-strike priority projects got leaked the other week, one of the surprise inclusions was the long-troubled live-action "Dragonball Z" movie.
The film had been in development a few years back and then seem to have stalled. As the craze for all things DBZ did down, it was expected that the film was also going to quietly disappear as well.
Now, CHUD reports that former "X-Files" helmer turned big screen director James Wong ("Final Destination," "The One") will write and direct the project which goes into production as early as this November in Canada.
Casting notices are now out for the characters of Goku, Bulma, Yamcha, Master Roshi, Mai, Lord Piccolo, Chi Chi and Gohan. Check out the article for the full character breakdowns.
"Law & Order" creator Dick Wolf is teaming with "Disturbia" director D.J. Caruso and writer J.H. Wyman to create a comic-book-style TV drama reports Sci-Fi Wire.
Based on "Johnny Dynamite," the graphic novel by Max Allan Collins ("Road to Perdition"), the pilot will use the same green-screen technology utilised in films like "Sky Captain," "Sin City" and "300".
In the show, ex-cop Dynamite travels to Las Vegas in search of his missing girlfriend, only to discover that Satan is living there, buying and selling souls. Dynamite ends up getting involved in the lives of those unfortunate souls who've been touched by the devil.
Caruso is attached to direct the pilot, with Wyman (Keen Eddie) writing the script.
CHUD reports that "Charlie's Angels" director McG is in talks to helm a fourth "Terminator" which is being rushed to be ready pre-strike.
A script just got turned in last week to The Halcyon Company who are pushing this into a pre-production start right away. Set after the apocalypse, this story has John Connor organizing the surviving humans to resist Skynet's army of robots.
Meanwhile Aint it Cool reports that despite being attached to a fourth "Fast and the Furious", actor Vin Diesel is also in talks to be a part of this project - taking the role of the killer robot this time.
October 2, 2007 -- 'WE MUST live like angels and produce like the devil!" wrote Luis Muñoz Marin.
SACHA COHEN, a k a Borat, and his lady, Isla Fisher, are likely new par ents as we speak.
So, congratulations! But the other bit story is that Sacha is hot to remake the Blake Edwards/Peter Sellers cult comedy of 1968, "The Party." (Use of the word "cult" means that it was a flop but is affectionately regarded by movie fans.) The plot seems perfect for Cohen. A bumbling Indian extra named Hrundri V. Bakshi attends an over-the-top Hollywood bash and totally disrupts everything.
Producer-director Edwards and Cohen recently met at a screening of "The Party" in Santa Monica. They talked a long time.
Eddie Murphy and helmer Brian Robbins ("Norbit," "Starship Dave") are in final negotiations to reteam for the DreamWorks comedy "A Thousand Words" reports Variety.
The story centers on a glib man who finds out that he has only 1,000 words left to speak before he dies.
Steve Koren ("Click") penned the screenplay. DreamWorks is eyeing a pre-strike start date. Murphy is currently shooting the comedy "Nowhereland" for Paramount Pictures.
WHITE JAZZ
CAST, George Clooney;
EXEC PROD, Patrick Choi, Kendall Morgan-Rhodes, Bo Hyde;
PROD, George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Clark Peterson, Michelle Grace, Diane Nabatoff;
DIR, Joe Carnahan;
SCR, James Ellroy, Matthew Michael Carnahan, Christopher Cleveland.
Shoot Dates: Approximately January 15, 2008 (in Los Angeles).
STORY
The film is about Dave Klein, a vice cop senseing he's being set up by the police commissioner, he sets out to expose a decades-old network of corruption engineered by the LAPD in late 1950s Los Angeles.
Breakdowns
Boyce Bradley
30-37. Bradley is Chief of Detectives, Lt. Klein's superior, "Smartest man in town. And one of the richest." Reptilian in the extreme, manipulative and self-serving, he turns Klein into his personal stooge. Pumped on his own power, clearly pleased with his cunning strategy, he thinks he's got Klein acting as his personal gopher. Bradley is in for a rude awakeneing when he learns that Klein has got him over a barrel - that he's finally been beaten. Lead;
Fritz Koeing
50s, German born, a former US Spymaster. He is the Head of the LAPD's Intelligence Division. Open, with a big laugh and a "great white grin," considered by Klein to be "the best inspector" on the force, he turns out to be a corrupt and greedy cop, with eye for human frailty. He'll be damned if the slums and hot spots for human vice (which he runs and from which he profits) will be turned into stadiums. He's perfectly willing to kill
to preserve the status quo. Lead;
Pete Bondurant
40-45, big and intimidating, living with Klein's sister. Pete is a one-time LA Sheriff, "bounced when he beat-dead a prisoner who spit at him." He nows
works for Howard Huges as a full-time muscle. A man who does pretty much anything for the right price, he's hired by Klein to help frame and degrade a public figure. Later, he sets Klein up with one of Hughes' men, saddened but compliant when he must pummel Klein within an inch of his life. Lead;
Geoffrey Milteer
Late 20s, a small, effete blond man. He is one of Howard Hughes' lapdog lawyers. Humorless and prissy, he explains to Klein that he's being hired to destroy a certain actress who has violated her contract by acting a Z-grade horror movie. Lead;
Welles Noonan
Early 40s, a U.S. Attorney, an "Ivy League Crimefighter". He's "launching a big boxing probe as a way to begin prying into everything else crooked and
corrupt in LA." He's keeping a close eye on Klein, determined to nail him on numerous counts. Vicious, hard-edged, he wants to mess with Klein's head, get him to trust him;
Captain Dan Wilhite
Early 40s, head of the LAPD Narcotics Division. He's a "Michigan Catholic poisoned by 25 years in this desert. Recently divorced despite seven kids with his ex." Roiling over with bile and a sneering attitude, he's angry to see Lt. Klein investigating his case, made even angrier when he learns that Bradley had ordered him to the crime scene. We later learn that he had sent Klein on a wild goose chase, all in an effort to cover his own ass. We also discover that he is the so-called Peeper who's getting his jollies watching a drug pusher's young daughter strip for him;
Lester Lake
African-American, a "one-time velvet-voiced crooner," he is the owner of a black jazz club, whose "dabble in the dope trade cost him a set of slashed vocal cords." High on reefer, he tells Klein that the elusive Tommy Magdalena (son of a big-time drug pusher) had stopped by and cleaned out his safe;
Mickey Cohen
62, a washed up gangster. He's a one-time LA crime kingpin and West Coast mob heavy who "now trawls for loose change." He's seen cooking on the set of a Z-grade movie, slinging hash for the extras;
Meg
Klein's sister. Pete's lover. Meg is a hardened yet still sultry woman, with a dry sense of humor. She and Klein share an easy banter;
Mortant Diskant
50. A public figure, running for City Council, a supporter of the migrant farm workers. He is forced to back down from the campaign. Kidnapped and photographed in a compromising situation by Klein, he has no choice but to give up his political aspirations;
George Ainge
30s, a creepy, thuggish type, with lots of jail house tattoos. He's an old friend of Glenda's, the guy who's supposed to help stage a kidnapping. Convinced Klein has been hired by Glenda to retrieve a murder weapon, he crosses the line when he calls Glenda a whore. Klein is about to take him out when Stemmons intervenes;
Tom Bethune
Late 20s-Early 30s. One of the city's young turks, running for an important City Council seat, Tom Bethune is smarmy, greedy and corrupt, joined at the hip to Bradley;
Director Sid Frizell
This very fey man, first seen fingering a snuff-box, he is the director of the low-rent horror movie starring Glenda Bledsoe. He believes the staged
kidnapping will provide terrific publicity;
Sanderline Johnson
20s-30s. A professional boxer and now a subpoenaed Federal witness, with the the mind of grade-schooler and a history of mental illness, Sanderline sidelines as a legbreaker for the Mob. About to testify in court, oblivious to the danger he's in, he is pushed to his death of Klein who tries to make the whole thing look like a suicide;
Reuben Ruiz
20s. A muscled middle-weight boxer. He's a wise-ass, confused as to why he's being arrested;
Biddie
She is an old biddie in a threadbare bathroom, with dyed orange hair and a "burnt butter grin". Clearly crazy, she tells the police what she saw on
the night Hector Magdalena disappeared;
Officer
This well-built police officer from the Wilshire Station interviews the Biddie;
Rock Rockwell
This buff looking actor is starring opposite Glenda in a Z-rated picture. He doesn't like the kidnapping scam, fearful that his body will fall apart if he's out of action for too long;
Tommy Magdalena
20s. He is the elusive son of missing drug dealer, Hector Magdelena. He tries to flee from Klein, later gunned down as Klein tries to get him to cough up the name of his dad's killer;
Ring Announcer
This fight announcer explains to the disappointed crowd that Rock-a-Bye Ruiz will not be fighting this evening;
Bob Galladet
Another of the city's young turks. He is the District Attorney, not the smartest man in town. He's in tight with Bradley;
Quiff
A young law student who doesn't want it known that he's gay, he agrees to be photographed in a compromising position with Morton Diskant;
Madge Magdalena
50, an old matriarch, "hanging by the thinnest thread,". She is the wife of a drug dealer. 50+, with dyed blonde bouffant hair, she cries while
downing belts of wine after learning that her husband has disappeared, probably murdered;
Lucile Magdalena
20s, with big bedroom eyes, wearing a top two sizes too small. She is the indifferent daughter of the missing / murdered drug dealer. We later learn of her twisted relationship with the much older Dan Wilhite;
Bartender
This massive bartender with hands the size of catcher's mitts is Sanderline Johnson's second cousin. He gives Klein a warning about not using his gun hand to lift his drink. Obviously, he knows that Klein killed Sanderline;
Reporter #1 & #3
These reporters are eager to get a statement from Tom Bethune after he wins the City Council seat;
Werewolf
This actor is playing a werewolf in the horror film starring Glenda Bledsoe;
Secretary
She is Bradley's secretary, disapproving of Klein's informal tone;
Reporter #2
This reporter challenges Bradley when he mentions the potentially damning information concerning surprise witnesses who will appear before
the Federal Grand jury;
Six Pack
This well-built, squeaky clean officer asks Klein about what's causing the terrible smell inside the trunk of his car.
Movie Writers Eye Early Walkout
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By MICHAEL CIEPLY
Published: September 29, 2007
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 28 — As Hollywood's studios rush to shoot movies before contracts with actors and directors expire in June, strategists for the industry's writers, facing an earlier deadline of their own, are considering whether to force a stop to the action.
Over the last few days, negotiators for the Writers Guild of America West and the Writers Guild of America East, whose contract with entertainment companies expires on Oct. 31, have been taking a hard look at the almost 150 feature films that are candidates for production by early next year, according to people involved with the talks who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly.
As many as three-quarters of those pictures — including projects as prominent as "The Justice League of America" at Warner Brothers and "Another Night," the proposed sequel to "Night at the Museum," at 20th Century Fox — appear not to have final scripts.
The question at hand is whether writers, in the event no deal is reached, can inflict maximum damage on their bargaining opponents by striking immediately rather than continuing to work and letting the studios add those films to their strike stockpile.
Negotiators for the guilds and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents studios and networks, are scheduled to meet again on Thursday. Guild negotiators could ask their 12,000 members for strike authorization in advance of the contract's expiration. And they appear to be gathering information that would support a call for a walkout in November, rather than later, when the Screen Actors Guild and the Directors Guild of America will also be in talks.
If writers were to strike before scripts are delivered, tens of millions of dollars already spent, and hundreds of millions in future revenue, could be lost.
Barbara Brogliatti, a spokeswoman for the producers' alliance, said the studios had never assumed writers would keep working after the expiration of their contract. "Every studio and every network has contingency plans," she said, and those plans "assume there could be a walkout on Oct. 31."
Neal Sacharow, director of communications for the Writers Guild of America West, declined to comment.
A walkout by Hollywood's writers would bring the first widespread shutdown of the entertainment industry since a five-month writers' strike in 1988. But given the prickly tenor of negotiations so far, companies have been banking movies and television episodes that could fill schedules for months to come. New signals that the guild is ready to strike are just as clearly intended to intensify the pressure on the studios and networks.
Still, guild leaders are looking for signs that some companies, under pressure to book another potential blockbuster or two before production grinds to a halt, have left themselves exposed.
This month the latest round of talks brought little progress on issues like the producers' request to restructure the residuals system, or the writers' insistence on extending payments for new media. Studios, meanwhile, continued to sign stars and filmmakers for feature films that can begin shooting by early next year and finish before a June 30 contract expiration with the actors and directors unions.
Those feature films are now being seen as high-value targets by those at the writers guild who advocate an immediate walkout should no deal be reached.
Only this month Warner Brothers began a last-minute push to prepare its "Justice League of America," a multisuperhero extravaganza to be directed by George Miller ("Happy Feet," "Mad Max") early next year — if the studio can get a viable script together, never mind a complicated cast. Kieran and Michele Mulroney, who did uncredited work on "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," have worked on the project, which still does not have a so-called green light to begin production. A spokeswoman for Warner Brothers declined comment.
Similarly, 20th Century Fox is in hurry-up mode on "Another Night," the hoped-for sequel to "Night at the Museum," which was released late last year and took in more than $250 million at the domestic box office. Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon, who wrote the original, have been working on a script. A Fox spokesman declined to comment about the project's status.
Among the many films that have been pushing toward production before June are "Wolverine" at Fox, "G.I. Joe" at Paramount, "The Wolf Man" at Universal and "The Soloist" at DreamWorks. Whether any particular picture remains on track is uncertain, as the status of films changes quickly and often in the face of scheduling pressures.
On the television front, networks have similarly been booking business that would apparently bump up against a Nov. 1 strike deadline, if it is set. Only this week, for instance, ABC ordered six episodes of "Section 8," a new science fiction series from the writer Zak Penn and the BermanBraun production company. A quickly called strike would also complicate the networks' planning for the 2008-9 season, because they are starting to work on pilots to show advertisers in the spring.
Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. are scrabbling over a suitable co-production arrangement for director Martin Scorsese's next potential project "The Wolf of Wall Street" reports The Los Angeles Times.
Leonardo DiCaprio is set to star in the adaptation of the just-published cash-coke-and-corruption memoir being adapted by Emmy-winning "Sopranos" writer-producer Terence Winter.
The autobiography follows New York stockbroker Jordan Belfort, a flashy, drug-abusing, hooker-hiring, model-marrying master of the universe sent to jail for securities fraud and money laundering in the '90s.
The catch is the project is setup at Warners, not Paramount where Scorsese has his directing deal. If Scorsese were to make a film at Warners, Paramount has the option to own half of it and co-distribute.
DiCaprio and Scorsese are looking to make this their next project and hope to finish before next year's strike. But the film's future remains up in the air, whilst Scorsese has four other features in development at Paramount.
News
Todd Phillips to helm 'Hangover'
Joe Rickey
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. has picked up Hangover, a comedy spec from Jon Lucas and Scott Moore with Todd Phillips on board to direct and produce.
The story follows three friends who lose the groom at his Las Vegas bachelor party 48 hours before the wedding and must retrace their inebriated bad decisions to figure out where things went wrong.
Sources said the writers' deal was north of $2 million. The studio is eying Hangover as a pre-strike movie.
Moviehole reports that the trouble-plagued Wesley Snipes has spent the majority of October filming a sequel to his lacklustre 2000 actioneer "The Art of War".
The original had Snipes playing Neil Shaw, an operative for a United Nations covert black ops squad framed for murdering the Chinese ambassador.
A direct-to-video sequel starring Anthony 'Treach' Criss as Neil Shaw recently wrapped filming. That film is now apparently being retitled as "Intervention".
Universal Pictures has boarded Japanese actioner "Midnight Eagle" and will release the pic in North America this year.
Agreement was struck between Japanese studio Shochiku and Universal Pictures Japan. Deal sees Universal Japan become a co-producer of the Izuru Narushima-helmed pic.
In a first for U, studio is named as manager of a consortium of firms producing a Japanese movie and will see its logo appear in "Midnight Eagle's" opening credits. Japanese films are regularly bankrolled by a group of firms including theater owners and strategic marketing partners. The "Midnight Eagle" consortium includes 12 companies.
Pic had its world preem Tuesday at Hollywood's Egyptian Theater and will open the Tokyo Intl. Film Fest this month. It will be released in Japanese theaters by Shochiku in November.
The $10 million actioner sees a standoff between Japan and secret agents from an unknown foreign country, after a U.S. Stealth fighter crashes into a Japanese mountainside. Screenplay is by Yasuo Hasegawa and Kenzaburo Iida based on the novel by Tetsuo Takashima.
Pic boasted massive co-operation from country's Defense Agency and Ground and Air Self-Defense forces.
It stars Takao Osawa, Yuko Takeuchi, Hiroshi Tamaki, Eisaku Yoshida, Yoshihiko Hakamada, Nao Omori, Ken Ishiguro and Tatsuya Fuji.
"We are very pleased to be part of the Midnight Eagle Partners Consortium and to join in bringing this motion picture to worldwide audiences. We look forward to continuing to develop and expand our involvement with Japanese cinema, and are excited about the potential of this movie," said Jason Resnick, senior VP and general manager, worldwide acquisitions, for Universal Pictures.
"We're truly excited to be working with Universal Pictures, not only for the first co-production, which has already been a great experience, but now also for the U.S. release of the film," said Teruki Matsumoto, managing director of Shochiku's motion picture operations.
Empire Online recently caught up with "Crank" co-directors Brian Taylor and Mark Neveldine who confirmed a sequel to their 2006 Jason Statham actioneer is planned.
Despite the character apparently falling to his death at the end of the first film, Taylor says "Crank 2 will pick up exactly where Crank one ends. It's a true sequel. Jason Statham will return. It's not a prequel, it's not his brother, it's not a dream sequence. He will [scrape himself off the floor]".
"It's going to be more sexual, more violent - more of everything. We realise with a movie like Crank, you can't do a sequel and do 60% or 70% of what the original was. You have to go twice as hard. So that's what we're going to do. If we're going to live up to the first one with the sequel - we're taking it WAY past the point of the first one" adds Taylor.
"Crank 2" is set to start shooting on April 25th.
New Line has hired scribe Laeta Kalogridis ("Alexander," "Pathfinder") to overhaul Tom S. Parker and Jim Jennewein's "Darksiders" vampire script reports Variety.
The story revolves around an FBI agent who teams up with a bunch of bloodsuckers to catch an arms trader with biochemical weapons.
Once Kalogridis finishes her rewrite, the project will go back out to directors. Kalogridis is currently writer-executive producer on NBC's "Bionic Woman."
Apocalypse Code
Russian hit Apocalypse Code enters international top 10
Diana Lodderhose in London
10 Oct 2007 14:49
Russian action hit Apocalypse Code was the highest non-US entry into the international top 40 this weekend, taking $3.6m from 697 screens. For the full chart, compiled by Len Klady, click here.
The film, directed by Vadim Shmelev, just made the top 10 and enjoyed a $5,167 screen average from three territories. It generated $3.5m from Russia alone. The story follows a secret agent who has been dispatched to help defuse four atomic bombs, which have been placed around the world. It is distributed by Caroprokat.
Warner Bros. Pictures has acquired North American distribution rights to "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins," putting the project on the fast track to begin production in early 2008 reports Variety.
Halcyon is producing 'Salvation' which plans to reinvent James Cameron's cyborg saga with a storyline to be told over the course of a trilogy set in the future. The producers said that the new film will carry the size and scale of "Terminator 3," and will have an event-sized budget.
"T3" scribes John Brancato and Michael Ferris penned the screenplay, whilst a director is being finalised (McG is the odds-on favorite). The producers said it wasn't yet clear whether Arnold Schwarzenegger will be back for his fourth appearance in the franchise, but they've left it open for him to do a cameo.
Sony Pictures Entertainment, which distributed "T3" in most overseas territories, is expected to get first crack at international distribution. A Summer 2009 release date set.
Quote from: "crippled_avenger""Terminator Salivation: The Torture Begins"
:roll:
Antoine Fuqua ("King Arthur," "Training Day") will direct and Oliver Stone will produce "Escobar," a biopic about the notorious Colombian cocaine trafficker Pablo Escobar, for J2 Pictures reports Variety.
The project aspires to be the first of two rival pics on the subject to make it into production, the other being the Joe Carnahan directed "Killing Pablo," an adaptation of the Mark Bowden book with Javier Bardem and Christian Bale attached to star.
"Escobar" is based on "Mi Hermano Pablo," a book written by Roberto Escobar Gaviria, who served as his brother's accountant and confidant. David McKenna ("Blow," "American History X") is working on a rewrite under the supervision of Stone and Fuqua.
Financing is in place and production is slated to begin the in first quarter of 2008 in Colombia and Puerto Rico.
George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio are in discussions to team for the Warner Bros. Pictures political thriller "Farragut North," based on the upcoming Broadway play by Beau Willimon.
Clooney would direct, DiCaprio would star and both would produce the adaptation of the play which is loosely based on Howard Dean's 2004 presidential election campaign, during which Willimon worked for the Democrat.
The story follows a young, idealistic communications director who works for an inspiring, though unorthodox, presidential candidate. During the campaign, his career is done in by more seasoned politicos who thrive on poisonous partisan politics, dirty tricks and back-stabbing.
Mike Nichols ("Primary Colors") is slated to direct the play which is set to open in Fall 2008 with Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead. Willimon, who's also adapting the 2002 British mini-series "The Jury" into a feature film, has adapted his own work.
No dates have yet been set, though it's looking likely to be a post-strike project.
Scribe Daniel Waters ("Heathers," "Batman Returns") has been tapped to adapt Lindsay Moran's memoir "Blowing My Cover: My Life as a CIA Spy" for Paramount Vantage says The Hollywood Reporter.
Karen Tenkhoff ("The Motorcycle Diaries") is producing the story about Moran who decided to follow her childhood dream of becoming a spy. She soon discovered that the life was more isolating than anything else, with her not able to tell even her closest confidants or boyfriends what she did for a living.
Waters is also developing his first TV project, the 90-minute pilot "Earthlings," for the Sci-Fi Channel and Fox Television. The tone is described as a darker and subversive successor to such shows as "Mork & Mindy" or "3rd Rock From the Sun."
The story follows three aliens on Earth who try to save the planet but are continually vexed by humankind's irrational behavior, which seems to find ways to defeat their good intentions. The project is being sited as a companion show to the network's "Eureka".
Sony Pictures has acquired "Empire," a drama that John Logan ("Gladiator," "The Aviator") will write for Michael Mann to direct and Will Smith to headline and produce through Overbrook Entertainment reports Variety.
Whilst plot details are being kept under wraps, word is that Smith will play a contemporary global media mogul. Mann and Smith previously teamed on "Ali", and both produced Smith's big summer 2008 project "Hancock".
Mann is in the process of locking down a film he'll direct early next year. Smith is presently in pre-production on "Seven Pounds" with "Pursuit of Happyness" director Gabriele Muccino.
When you make a film about a ruthless assassin, you know to expect at least a moderate level of violence. Unfortunately when you're adapting a video game into a film, getting those teenagers to fork out for tickets is also a priority.
Twitchfilm reported Tuesday night that Director Xavier Gens has been taken off the film adaptation of the video game "Hitman". This is not unusual, several films this year alone have seen rough cuts by foreign directors handed over to other filmmakers to re-edit or reshoot.
What is unusual about this situation is that the film Gens shot isn't weak, but rather quite different than expected. Gens apparently took inspiration from John Woo's early Hong Kong action film work, and so turned in an explicitly violent, very bloody cut of the film that would have guaranteed the film a hard R rating.
Apparently after seeing Gens' cut of the film the studio removed him from the project and placed Nicolas De Toth in control of a new edit of the film. De Toth did a similar job earlier this year with Fox's "Live Free or Die Hard," changing a more bloody R-rated picture into a PG-13.
IGN followed up on the report late yesterday, with studio sources confirming that De Toth was hired, but strongly denied the rest - saying Gens is still working on the film which will definitely be "a true "R" and a not a "bloodless version."
The Long Good Friday is not only a jewel in the crown of British cinema, it's one of the best crime movies ever made. That's just true, you can ask anybody. So when it was announced it was being remade, many film fans were taken aback. When it was announced that directing duties would be taken by Paul WS Anderson (Alien Vs Predator, Resident Evil), many film fans turned purple and, in some cases, fell over. So, when we caught up with Mr Anderson recently, we had to give him the right to defend his remake. So, why do it at all?
"To win Oscars!" he laughed. "Actually, it's one of my favourite films and I've been pursuing the rights to it for years and years, as have a lot of people, and Hand Made (who own the rights) turned them all down, including Martin Scorsese". Why, you may wonder, would anyone choose Anderson over Scorsese, for anything other than a 5-a-side football match? "I had a take on it that they really liked and I think they knew that I would respect the original movie enough to keep the essence of the original film".
Where the Bob Hoskins-starring 1980s original was set in the grubby world of London gangsters getting entangled with the IRA, Anderson's take is, predictably, relocating to somewhere altogether more glossy.
"It's not the IRA in ours, but it is another terrorist organisation, and we're doing it in Miami, so we're re-imagining it for America Otherwise the story beats and characters will pretty much play out. It will have the same human cortège scene at the start; the spitting in the face; he's been away somewhere, but it won't have been to New York...I think the script [of the original film], Barrie Keeffe's original screenplay, is so good. And the story is a great story with a great twist in it. And it's pretty remarkable that your lead character is a gangster and you really root for him. I think it's a great movie for a remake, because outside of the UK it's virtually unknown and it was very much a movie of its time. It really captured that London of that time in the same way we're hopefully going to capture Miami of right now".
Anderson is currently writing the script himself (!) and says he's not too far from finishing. "it's not going to be that hard. It's like, what did Barrie Keeffe do?...It's not quite [a cut and paste job]. The dialogue will have to change... it's so East-End London. But the structure will be exactly the same, but instead of the grimy east end bathhouse it'll be the super sleek pool at the Delano hotel".
We have to say, we're still hugely suspicious and don't see why the movie needs to be remade, since it being "of its time" is part of the attraction. The era it chronicled doesn't really exist anymore, what with 'the troubles' (Irish, not women's) having become less prominent in Britain. But could the fact that Anderson won the rights over anyone else mean he actually has something interesting to bring to it? We'll feel more reassured if he finds another role for Charlie from Casualty.
Olly Richards
Director/ Screenwriter Terry George talks about impending strike
By Wilson Morales
October 7, 2007
If you haven't followed what's been happening in Hollywood as of late, studios are scrambling to get a lot of films done before the WGA (Writers Guild of America) strike goes into effect. While interviewing Director/ Screenwriter Terry George on his latest directing film, "Reservation Road", he happened to mention that he's on the negotiating team for the WGA and gave his take on the situation.
What's your opinion on the strike that may happen months from now?
Terry George: I'm at the heart of it. I'm on the negotiating committee for the WGA. I don't know. If you look at the circumstances, here's basically what the studios are saying at the moment. This is an antiquated system here and we want to revisit the residual situation. The residual is what most actors and writers live off. It's that little bit of money you get back when a film shows. They say they want to go back to a profit base distribution thing. I still get statements on "Hotel Rwanda" which basically says we are $20 million dollars in the red and with "In The Name of the Father", we are $16 million dollars in the red. Hollywood bookkeeping is beyond mafia bookkeeping. So the notion that writers and actors work until they declare a profit is ridiculous. It's a smoke screen to get away from what this all about, which is that the whole industry is moving over to the internet and the new media. All we are saying is to give us a little piece of that and we would be very happy with it. I don't know if they think they can bust the WGA or the whole industry or make a change here, but we're not going for it. We're not asking for a lot. We're asking for a portion of this; and they have been trying over the last few years with reality TV shows and non-union writers just to chip away at that. My mood and the mood of some of the Guild is 'Let's not wait til June 30th'. They all think we are going to wait til June 30th and wait for the actors to come out and by that time they would have stock piled 200 films and it will be a defacto strike anyway. I'm all for going as soon as we can. Let's get it out there and see. Given the level of profit that's been made now and the "Frank Purdue-ization" of the whole product, to turn around and say the writers and eventually the actors shouldn't have a piece of that is ludicrous.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What is the likelihood of an early strike?
TG: It depends. There's been nothing offered. There's been no ability to talk at the minute. They haven't come up with anything on a discussion where you can sit down and actually have a conversation about. We are going to vote on an authorization to strike, the Guild; the whole membership will give the committee the authorization to call a strike. I think it will be almost unanimous.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Are we looking at the end of October?
TG: That's when the contract ends. The media at the minute talks about dates like it will be November 1st or October 30th. We're not stupid enough to call a date that everyone else decides for us. We are going to look at the most strategic time if they are not willing to negotiate and then make that move then or go the membership and say, "Look, this is basically an attempt to destroy this union which I think it is or to weaken everyone to the point of where, the future of the whole industry, being a virgin again or something.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What would be the reason you wouldn't go on strike now?
TG: Well, you have to see where they are going. The sense I get from the membership is total solidarity and from the actors as well. I'm not sure about the directors. There's definitely a solidarity about this. But the other side isn't stupid either. They obviously have tactics that they are lining up to deal with us. They've already bagged a lot of stuff. But it seems enormous greedy of them of what they are doing at the minute. We had this situation when the DVDs first came in, when they went to the union and said, "In the wake of a strike before that was very acrimonious, here's the DVDs and it cost $80 and it's new technology and so it evolves into something else and we're going to do this, let me deal with it until we investigate, which is like .500 percent. "Hotel Rwanda" made some $23 million at the box office and $48 million on DVD, and writers and actors were excluded from that profit. So I supposed it's easy for me because I made some money from it but there are a lot of writers who on smaller budgets and if we go out early, then we may have to wait the six months til the actors come along. Who knows? It just depends.
Updated Pre-Strike Priority List!
Source: skamanfu October 10, 2007
In September, ComingSoon.net posted a list of projects the studios were making a priority before the possible Writers Guild, Directors Guild and Screen Actors Guild strikes. We've now received an updated list which you can view below. The list includes the projected start of production for each film. If no date is listed, it is hopeful to go pre-strike:
COLUMBIA
AGAINST ALL ENEMIES Feb
ANGELS AND DEMONS 18-Feb
BOND 22 7-Jan-08
BROTHERS 27-Nov
JULIE AND JULIA March
NICK AND NORAH's 22-Oct
SEVEN POUNDS Late Feb
STEP BROTHERS
THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123 19-Feb
YEAR ONE 14-Jan
DIMENSION FILMS
COMEBACK 7-Nov
DISNEY
BEDTIME STORIES 28-Jan
CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC 15-Jan
ESCAPE FROM WITCH MOUNTAIN March 08
HANNA MONTANA
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3
PROPOSAL
WHEN IN ROME MAYBE
DREAMWORKS
1000 WORDS March
EAGLE EYE November
GHOST TOWN Nov
HOTEL FOR DOGS 29-Oct
LOVELY BONES November
THE SOLOIST Jan
WEDNESDAY 28-Jan
FOX
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2 8-Mar
DRAGON BALL Z FALL 08
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL 12/3/2007
WOLVERINE 7-Nov
FOX 2000
MAGNETO 1-Jan
FOX ATOMIC
TICKET TO RIDE Nov. 8, 07
12 ROUNDS Feb
FOCUS
BFF March
HARVEY MILK 14-Jan
HBO
GREY GARDENS 22-Oct
MIRAMAX
DOUBT 1-Dec
ADVENTURELAND Oct
MGM
THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR 2 Feb
NEW LINE
17- 3-Dec
FOR SALE Jan/ Feb
FOUR CHRISTMASES 5-Dec
GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST 19-Feb
MY SISTERS KEEPER 3-Mar
PARAMOUNT
GI JOE 8-Feb
DON READY LIKES CARS 3-Dec
HOBSON'S CHOICE
MORNING GLORY March
STAR TREK 07 November
UNTITLED WAYANS BROTHERS
UNIVERSAL
BARBARELLA
BIG BROTHERS
CIRQUE DU FREAK Jan or Feb
CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON FEB
FAST AND FURIOUS 4 4-Feb-08
LAND OF THE LOST End of Feb
THE CHANGELING Oct. 15, 07
TRAVELING Jan or Feb
WOLFMAN 28-Jan
UNITED ARTISTS
PINKVILLE 3-Dec
WARNER BROTHERS
JUSTICE LEAGUE 11-Feb
SHANTARAM 10-Jan
HEART SHAPED BOX Jan
WHITE JAZZ 14-Jan
YES MAN 22-Oct
WEINSTEIN
NINE 1-Mar
COMEBACK 7-Nov
SOUL MEN
SHANGHAI Feb
WORKING TITLE
GREEN ZONE Feb
STATE OF PLAY Mid Nov
LOST FOR WORDS 8-Mar
THE BOAT THAT ROCKED March
2929 Entertainment
BURNING PLANE 5-Nov
LAKESHORE
THE GAME 5-Nov
INDIES
A SINGLE MAN end Jan 2008
Amelia Earhart March
CHILLED IN MIAMI 7-Jan
Dreams of a Dying Heart Jan
HUMAN CONTRACT 5-Nov
LAST BATTLE DREAMER 18-Nov
LOVE RANCH Jan
MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS March
OLD FASHION ORGY Jan
ON THE ROAD Feb
PERSONAL EFFECTS 12-Nov
REC Nov. 12, 07
SEX DRIVE Nov. 12
THE LAST FULL MEASURE 20-Nov
THE LAUNDRY WARRIOR
The Open Road Nov. 12, 07
THE RANI Jan
THE ROAD 11-Feb
THE WRESTLER 7-Jan
TREE OF LIFE March
WHIP IT March/April
Updated Pre-Strike Priority List!
Source: skamanfu October 10, 2007
In September, ComingSoon.net posted a list of projects the studios were making a priority before the possible Writers Guild, Directors Guild and Screen Actors Guild strikes. We've now received an updated list which you can view below. The list includes the projected start of production for each film. If no date is listed, it is hopeful to go pre-strike:
COLUMBIA
AGAINST ALL ENEMIES Feb
ANGELS AND DEMONS 18-Feb
BOND 22 7-Jan-08
BROTHERS 27-Nov
JULIE AND JULIA March
NICK AND NORAH's 22-Oct
SEVEN POUNDS Late Feb
STEP BROTHERS
THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123 19-Feb
YEAR ONE 14-Jan
DIMENSION FILMS
COMEBACK 7-Nov
DISNEY
BEDTIME STORIES 28-Jan
CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC 15-Jan
ESCAPE FROM WITCH MOUNTAIN March 08
HANNA MONTANA
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3
PROPOSAL
WHEN IN ROME MAYBE
DREAMWORKS
1000 WORDS March
EAGLE EYE November
GHOST TOWN Nov
HOTEL FOR DOGS 29-Oct
LOVELY BONES November
THE SOLOIST Jan
WEDNESDAY 28-Jan
FOX
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2 8-Mar
DRAGON BALL Z FALL 08
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL 12/3/2007
WOLVERINE 7-Nov
FOX 2000
MAGNETO 1-Jan
FOX ATOMIC
TICKET TO RIDE Nov. 8, 07
12 ROUNDS Feb
FOCUS
BFF March
HARVEY MILK 14-Jan
HBO
GREY GARDENS 22-Oct
MIRAMAX
DOUBT 1-Dec
ADVENTURELAND Oct
MGM
THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR 2 Feb
NEW LINE
17- 3-Dec
FOR SALE Jan/ Feb
FOUR CHRISTMASES 5-Dec
GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST 19-Feb
MY SISTERS KEEPER 3-Mar
PARAMOUNT
GI JOE 8-Feb
DON READY LIKES CARS 3-Dec
HOBSON'S CHOICE
MORNING GLORY March
STAR TREK 07 November
UNTITLED WAYANS BROTHERS
UNIVERSAL
BARBARELLA
BIG BROTHERS
CIRQUE DU FREAK Jan or Feb
CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON FEB
FAST AND FURIOUS 4 4-Feb-08
LAND OF THE LOST End of Feb
THE CHANGELING Oct. 15, 07
TRAVELING Jan or Feb
WOLFMAN 28-Jan
UNITED ARTISTS
PINKVILLE 3-Dec
WARNER BROTHERS
JUSTICE LEAGUE 11-Feb
SHANTARAM 10-Jan
HEART SHAPED BOX Jan
WHITE JAZZ 14-Jan
YES MAN 22-Oct
WEINSTEIN
NINE 1-Mar
COMEBACK 7-Nov
SOUL MEN
SHANGHAI Feb
WORKING TITLE
GREEN ZONE Feb
STATE OF PLAY Mid Nov
LOST FOR WORDS 8-Mar
THE BOAT THAT ROCKED March
2929 Entertainment
BURNING PLANE 5-Nov
LAKESHORE
THE GAME 5-Nov
INDIES
A SINGLE MAN end Jan 2008
Amelia Earhart March
CHILLED IN MIAMI 7-Jan
Dreams of a Dying Heart Jan
HUMAN CONTRACT 5-Nov
LAST BATTLE DREAMER 18-Nov
LOVE RANCH Jan
MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS March
OLD FASHION ORGY Jan
ON THE ROAD Feb
PERSONAL EFFECTS 12-Nov
REC Nov. 12, 07
SEX DRIVE Nov. 12
THE LAST FULL MEASURE 20-Nov
THE LAUNDRY WARRIOR
The Open Road Nov. 12, 07
THE RANI Jan
THE ROAD 11-Feb
THE WRESTLER 7-Jan
TREE OF LIFE March
WHIP IT March/April
Around forty actors tested for roles in the big-budgeted Warner Bros. tentpole movie "Justice League of America" over the weekend in Los Angeles for Director George Miller says The Hollywood Reporter.
The likes of Adam Brody, Joseph Cross, D.J. Cotrona, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Michael Angarano, Teresa Palmer, Max Thieriot, Common, Minka Kelly, Adrianne Palicki and Scott Porter all tried out at the marathon casting session.
What's most revealing though is that the names confirm that Miller is skewing very young (around mid 20's) with his cast. The director is due to present his findings to the studio midweek.
Meanwhile, "Lord of the Rings" designers WETA are reportedly designing the new Batman and Superman suits says Obsessed with Film. Cinematographer Dean Semler is set to serve as director of photography.
99 Francs
(France)
By LISA NESSELSONA Pathe release of an Ilan Goldman presentation of a Film 99 Francs, Pathe, Arte France Cinema production, with participation of Canal Plus and CineCinema. (International sales: Pathe, Paris.) Produced by Ilan Goldman. Executive producers, Catherine Morisse-Monceau, Marc Vade. Directed by Jan Kounen. Screenplay, Nicolas and Bruno; adaptation, Jan Kounen, with complicity of Frederic Beigbeder, based on the novel by Beigbeder.
An overpaid, cocaine-addled Parisian ad man is so disgusted by his craven, manipulative profession that he kills himself in "99 Francs." Wait! No, he doesn't. Well, maybe he does. Jan Kounen, the Carlos Castaneda of hipster helmers, injects a massive dose of pleasingly hallucinatory visuals into this screen adaptation of Gallic media gadfly Frederic Beigbeder's zeitgeist-nailing novel. Pic features yet another zesty, near-irresistable perf by Jean Dujardin ("Brice de Nice," "OSS 117") as smartass creative type Octave, whose professional success holds the germ of personal failure.
Predominantly young auds are turning out for the film, released Sept. 26, a stylish roller coaster that deploys the kinetic vocabulary of cinema and advertising to denounce the hollow center of consumer society.
Beigbeder's book -- amusingly retitled "14,99 euros," followed by "6,20 euros" for the paperback, after the franc bit the dust -- has sold over half a million copies since its publication in 2000. Pic's action is set in 2001.
Kounen was a smart choice, as his 2004 feature "Blueberry" (certainly the costliest and least commercial hallucinogen-themed Western ever made) and docs "Other Worlds" and "Darshan" all posit spiritual realms ordinary noggins can't begin to comprehend. Kounen got his start in advertising (prior to making notorious short "Vibroboy" and his splashy 1997 feature debut "Doberman"), and he ably illustrates how literally sickening it is that $500 billion a year worldwide is spent plugging predominantly useless products, when a fraction of that, per the United Nations, would alleviate world hunger.
At pic's outset, whirling kaleidoscopic imagery morphs into a sardonic billboard. It's a rainy night, and Octave is about to leap off the skyscraper housing his employer, mega-agency Ross & Witchcraft. All Octave ever wanted was to create ad campaigns. He got his wish, but it led to the voiceover realization that "Man is a product like any other, with an expiration date. Everything is transitory: love, art, planet earth, you, me -- especially me."
Helmer uses gobs of techniques from the digital arsenal to establish, in flashback, what the world looks like to unraveling Octave, a leading light at R&W. Octave and his sidekick Charlie (Jocelyn Quivrin) present their latest concept for a commercial to the agency's biggest client, a dairy products giant.
Their ad, for a low-calorie yogurt, is funny in a sexy and cerebral way, but the CEO wants something more conventional to appeal to harried housewives. The switch in tone proves to be a turning point in Octave's coke-snorting life. When Octave is too cavalier toward g.f. Sophie (Vahina Giocante), who then leaves him, nothing makes him feel better for long.
Drama hinges on whether Octave will play along with the client and outdo himself in the unconscionable exploitation of hapless consumers, or find a way to rebel from within the system.
Pic seems like a fairly standard, if extremely stylish, tale for much of its running time, only to bifurcate into less expected territory. Post-credits coda shows how one of history's first commercials was benign, but the devil is in the details.
As came to pass concerning "Wall Street's" Gordon Gecko, who was not intended as a role model but became one anyway for a certain segment of society, some viewers may miss the pic's message about advertising being anything but neutral and benign. Ironically, this cautionary tale has enough seductive razzle-dazzle and allure to be mistaken for a commercial for life in the really, really fast lane.
Frantic venture borders on exhausting, but boasts a few exceptional highlights. These include Octave's attempt to convince a model family that nobody on earth lives or speaks in slogans the way they do, and an animated seg in Miami in which Octave, Charlie and a model swallow mystery pills and go cruising in a convertible to cream pedestrians.
The late Stanley Kubrick would have recognized vast swaths of the classical score pic happens to employ.
More than one option(Co) StudioCanal
(Co) Canal Plus
More than one option(Co) Arte France Cinema
(Co) ARTE France
More than one option(Co) Doberman
(Film) Doberman
Camera (color, widescreen), David Ungaro; editor, Anny Danche; music, Jean-Jacques Hertz, Francois Roy; production designer, Michel Barthelemy; costume designers, Chattoune and Fab; sound (Dolby), Laurent Lafran, Alain Feat, Jean-Paul Hurier; visual effects supervisor, Rodolphe Chabrier; associate producer, Catherine Morisse-Monceau; assistant director, Mathias Honore; casting, Pierre Jacques Benichou. Reviewed at MK2 Odeon, Paris, Sept 30, 2007. Running time: 102 MIN.
With Jean Dujardin, Jocelyn Quivrin, Patrick Mille, Vahina Giocante, Elisa Tovati, Nicolas Marie, Frederic Beigbeder, Dominique Bettenfeld
Wild Bunch adds thriller Pop Skull ahead of Rome
Nancy Tartaglione-Vialatte in Paris
17 Oct 2007 15:29
In addition to the recently announced acquisition of Hayo Freitag's The Three Robbers, Wild Bunch has picked up Pop Skull heading into the Rome Film Festival.
The film, made for just a $2,000 budget, was found by Wild Bunch on 24-year-old director Adam Wingard's MySpace page. The trailer posted on MySpace had a "much more cinematic look compared to the other films on MySpace," according to Wild Bunch Distribution's Jerome Rougier.
The horror/thriller is very reminiscent of director Darren Aronofsky's work, according to Wild Bunch sales chief Vincent Maraval.
According to the film's website, Pop Skull "depicts the lonely and disjointed life of Daniel, a young Alabama pill addict, as his efforts to cope with the trials of his day-to-day life collide with the increasing influence of murderous and displaced spirits that inhabit his home."
The Three Robbers, meanwhile, will screen in the Alice In The City out of competition section at Rome . Wild Bunch's Second Wind from director Alain Corneau has a berth in the Cinema 2007 competition while the Alice In The City competition will feature Hana Makhmalbaf's Buddha Collapsed Out Of Shame. Pop Skull and Rolf de Heer's Dr. Plonk are running in the Extra/Other Visions sidebar.
Fox 2000 and director Tony Scott are teaming on a feature about Don Aronow, the inventor of the cigarette boat reports Variety.
Aronow was a self-made millionaire businessman and powerboat racing's world champ for 10 straight years. His cigarette boat became a favorite of Colombian drug smugglers looking to import their product into Miami in the 1980s.
Aronow got a $20 million contract to build boats for U.S. Customs agents to catch the smugglers. He was eventually gunned down in 1987 in a mob-style hit in Miami.
Based on a script Michael A.M. Lerner is penning, Scott intends to helm the film once he wraps work on the Denzel Washington-led remake of "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" for Sony Pictures.
A casting notice went out to agents today asking reps to put forward their best "twins".
Two "Retardedly hot," 21-year-old females are needed for a pivotal scene in the new Gerard Butler pic, "Game".
The characters are described as being ''horny trouble makers that pop up on Simon's screens wanting to chat with the young computer genius who controls Kable". And good news for us/bad news for their parents.... Nudity is required.
Directed by Neveldine & Taylor, "Game" is a non-stop action thriller set in a dystopian near future where live human beings are remote-controlled in mass-scale, multiplayer games and simulated worlds. Gerard Butler plays a fighter who breaks free to save his wife and daughter.
Jason Statham talked with MTV News this weekend and revealed the status of various projects he's attached too.
In terms of the "Crank" sequel - "If you thought the first one was crazy, this is ridiculous. It's mad. I couldn't resist working with those chaps again. It gives me a chance to go wild in the aisles."
Despite his character's apparent death, he says the film will be a true sequel and will start after the events of the first film - "I'm not robotic. It's a follow-up."
Meanwhile the prospects of a third "Transporter" are good it seems - "I have a massive yearning to do Part 3 with Luc [Besson]. I think it will happen [soon]...Luc is coming up here in a week or so and we'll have a talk about ['Transporter']...just been waiting for the script to be in a good spot."
Finally he confirmed he's not attached to the "G.I. Joe" film in any capacity.
George Clooney has dropped out of the starring role in Joe Carnahan's crime drama, "White Jazz" reports Entertainment Weekly.
The indie project, based on the James Ellroy novel, was initially supposed to begin filming in early 2008.
The reasoning for the departure is purely timing - "It just simply came down to scheduling. George continues to believe in the project and in Joe [Carnahan]" says Clooney's producing partner, Grant Heslov.
The project was set up at Warner Independent Pictires, but according to a spokesperson there, the film had dropped off its slate. Clooney's Smoke House productions was attached to produce, whether that will still be the case is uncertain.
Amber Heard and Chris Isaak have joined the ensemble cast of "The Informers," an adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis novel being directed by Gregor Jordan says The Hollywood Reporter.
Set in 1980s Los Angeles, the script follows seven stories taking course during a week in the life of movie executives, rock stars, a vampire and other morally challenged characters.
Heard plays a sexually promiscuous woman caught up in the decadence of 1980s L.A., while Isaak will play a sex- and alcohol-obsessed father who takes his young son to Hawaii.
Billy Bob Thornton, Kim Basinger, Brandon Routh, Winona Ryder and Mickey Rourke have already been cast. Ellis and Nick Jarecki co-wrote the script and shooting is under way in Los Angeles before moving to Uruguay and Buenos Aires.
"X2" and "Superman Returns" scribes Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris have opted not to come back and pen a sequel to last year's 'Superman' with Warners now taking pitches from other writers reports Variety.
The "Superman" film franchise's future is presently in a kind of limbo state thanks to the impending Hollywood production strike, Director Bryan Singer's busy schedule, the upcoming and much further along "Justice League" movie (which has Superman as a major character), and the lukewarm critical and box-office reaction to 'Returns'.
As a result there's industry talk that, much like the upcoming "The Incredible Hulk" with Ed Norton, the studio plans to start afresh - basically ignoring the last film to start a whole new continuity.
The studio however has denied such plans, saying the next would be a sequel with Brandon Routh returning. Either way Legendary Pictures will be back to co-develop and co-finance the project.
The delay means the project would certainly not go into production until 2009 at the earliest - making a Summer 2010 release seem the obvious choice to give the studio a revolving cycle of Summer superhero films (Batman 2 in 2008, Justice League in 2009, Superman 2 in 2010, Batman 3 in 2011, etc.)
Dougherty and Harris are presently in pursuit of directing gigs, Dougherty's horror comedy "Trick 'r Treat" opening early next year has already built some very positive industry buzz.
Evo sta kaze Carnahan o Clooneyeovom odlasku:
Kids:
Rough weekend. I had a bad feeling after they pushed 'Leatherheads' to April
because of the extensive post on that film that something was going to have
to give. Also, George is neck deep in the Coen bros. film at the moment and
trying to do 'Michael Clayton' press which will likely carry over into Awards
season...SO...they wanted to see about pushing White Jazz back, which I
really don't want to do. I've been waiting awhile to make this one and I wasn't
content to sit on my hands.
Right now, (actually it began on friday) we're in the process of trying to plug
a guy into this movie that, if it works, would be pretty f*cking amazing. No,
INCREDIBLY f*cking amazing, so we'll see what happens.
No tears kids. This is the business. It happens all the time and you've got to
have the balls and the ability to push past in spite of these setbacks.
We march on.
JC
Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio will reteam early next year on "Shutter Island," a Laeta Kalogridis-scripted adaptation of the Dennis Lehane ("Mystic River," "Gone Baby Gone") novel reports Variety.
Drama is set in 1954, with DiCaprio in final talks to play U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels, who is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is presumed to be hiding on the remote Shutter Island.
The Paramount and Sony Pictures co-production is being rushed forward for a March start of shooting. Filming will likely take place in Massachusetts, Connecticut or Nova Scotia.
"Juno" writer-director Diablo Cody and "Transformers" actress Megan Fox are teaming for Fox Atomic's comedic supernatural thriller "Jennifer's Body" says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story, described as similar in tone to "Heathers" and "Beetlejuice," follows a cheerleader with a perfect life who becomes the girl from hell when she gets possessed and begins killing boys in a small town. Her best friend must then find a way to stop her.
Atomic is aiming to make the project before a possible writers strike and Fox is currently in negotiations to star.
Woody Harrelson and Oliver Stone are re-teaming for the director's Vietnam War drama "Pinkville" for United Artists & MGM Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
Harrelson joins Bruce Willis and Channing Tatum, who already have been cast in the mystery drama based on the infamous 1968 My Lai Massacre, in which upward of 500 people -- mostly women, children and the elderly -- were killed by U.S. soldiers. The massacre ended up being a turning point in the war.
Harrelson will play Col. Henderson, the conflicted officer in charge of the task force that committed the massacre. Willis will portray William R. Peers, the real-life Army general who investigated the incident.
Tatum will play Hugh Thompson Jr., an Army helicopter pilot who aided the villagers and later testified against the soldiers. Michael Pena is also onboard, whilst Mikko Alanne wrote the script.
Jamie Foxx is set to play the lead in DreamWorks Pictures "The Zebra Murders: A Season of Killing, Racial Madness, and Civil Rights" reports the trades.
Foxx will play Prentice Earl Sanders, one of two trailblazing black detectives who set out to solve a series of racially motivated serial killings that rocked San Francisco in the fall and winter of 1973-74.
Ultimately, Sanders -- who, along with writer Bennett Cohen, recounted the story in the book on which the film is based -- ends up becoming the chief of police after the detectives successfully win their own battle against racism and harassment within the force.
Matthew Michael Carnahan ("The Kingdom") is penning the script.
Director Michael Mann ("Heat") is developing "Frankie Machine" as a star vehicle for Robert De Niro at Paramount Pictures reports Variety.
An adaptation of Don Winslow novel "The Winter of Frankie Machine," De Niro will play Frank Machianno, a mob hitman who has retired to run a bait shop.
He agrees to help the son of a mob boss resolve a dispute with another Mafioso but is forced to turn into Frankie Machine again when he realizes he's been set up to be killed.
Alex Tse has just been set to do a major overhaul of the concept and Brian Koppelman and David Levien's original draft.
Jim Caviezel ("The Passion of the Christ") and Aussie actress Claudia Karvan have joined the cast of the Jamie Blanks-directed remake of Colin Eggleston's thriller "Long Weekend" reports Shock til You Drop.
Blanks is adamant that there will be no computer effects, and plans to stick closely to the original both story and shooting wise - "I don't want to re-invent it, I want to remake it, put my style on it. The couple in the film, they're relationship isn't going to be so cut-and-dry as in the original film. There will be some complexities to that, but I'm going to go for the ambiguity the original had - maybe nature rose up, maybe it didn't. That'll all be in place."
Everett De Roche ("Storm Warning," "Razorback," "Road Games") is adapting "Weekend" based on the script he wrote nearly 30 years ago. Blanks is currently preparing to shoot in some remote areas of the Victorian coastline of South-Eastern Australia.
Warners has picked up the comedy pitch "Murray at Large" for "Road Trip" and "Starsky and Hutch" helmer Todd Phillips to produce and direct reports Variety.
The comedy revolves around Murray Farkus, a pillar of his community who, when falsely accused of an unspeakable crime, goes on the run to clear his name and reputation. The story is loosely based on Phillips' own Uncle Murray.
Phillips will write with Jeremy Garelick after finishing helming "The Hangover" for Warners who is fast-tracking the project as a potential pre-strike movie.
New Line has picked up "Drafted," a comic book adaptation to be produced by Benderspink.
In the book, aliens come to Earth and warn mankind of an imminent invasion from another alien species. The first group of aliens drafts humans into boot camps and trains them to defend themselves against the invaders.
The company secured the film rights to the Devil's Due Publishing property at Comic Con International in July.
Richard Brener and Dave Neustadter are shepherding for New Line, while Jake Weiner and Jon Silk will oversee for Benderspink. Josh Blaylock of Devil's Due is co-producing. Writers are being sought.
"Drafted" is the latest comic book property being developed by Benderspink, which has muscled its way as one of the go-to places for comics since producing the critically acclaimed adaptation "A History of Violence."
Other comic-based projects the company is developing include "Y: The Last Man," "Ex Machina" and "Power and Glory" at New Line; "Ghouly Boys" at Mandate; "Pet Robots" at Disney; "Preacher" at HBO; and "The Pro" at Spike TV.
John Travolta is negotiating to join the cast of the Tony Scott-directed remake of "The Taking of Pelham 123" at Sony Pictures reports Variety.
Travolta will play the leader of a quartet that hijacks a Gotham subway train and threatens to kill the passengers unless a ransom is paid, a role originated in the 1974 film by Robert Shaw.
Denzel Washington plays the chief detective of security for the subway, a role originated by Walter Matthau. David Koepp wrote the script and production is set to begin early next year.
about how he was approached to do MIRRORS and how he nearly passed on the project, "I was approached right after THE HILLS HAVE EYES to do MIRROR and I was wondering if I would have to do the sequel [to HILLS]," he continues, "I was approached by New Regency with the script by the title INTO THE MIRROR - that was the title at the time - I read the script and didn't connect at all to the script or the story. They asked me before I was going to pass, they basically asked me to watch the Korean movie and I really liked the opening scene and the ending – but I didn't connect with the movie itself. I thought it was an amazing topic; it was something really scary, new and different... way closer to THE SHINING, but a different style."
One thing that Aja is quickly being known for his the level of gore in his films, I wondered if MIRRORS would lack the blood flow being that it was a remake to a Japanese horror film. He assures us that this isn't like those other Japanese remakes, "It's super graphic [and] really gory. I didn't want to direct THE RING or DARK WATER; I really wanted to do something following the track of THE SHINING. For me it's a movie that found a great balance between graphic gore and supernatural stuff as well."
He recently wrapped shooting on MIRRORS< which is said to features some insane gore from the dudes at KNB; Aja tells us how this pars up to his first two films, "I just finished my director's cut and I'm really, really excited. I think we have something that is really graphic, really gory and really violent and at the same very scary; it's much scarier than what I did before."
One thing that Aja wanted to make clear was that both MIRRORS and PIRANHA aren't remakes. "We are writing PIRANHA now. You read everywhere that it's a remake, but MIRRORS is completely not a remake at all," he tells B-D, "HILLS was really a remake [while] MIRRORS is really a new story based on the original. PIRANHA is not a remake at all either - we were asked by Weinstein Company to think about a new PIRANHA movie, not a remake to the original." He concludes by clarifying, "It's not a remake of all the James Cameron movies – it's only about the same kind of fish."
One ting that we found concerning is that "sea monster" movies don't appear to be doing very well, we asked him what makes this different from films like PRIMEVAL and ROGUE. He explains that his is going to be one hell of a ride, "My idea of the writing right now is to approach the project as if I was building a rollercoaster. It's a complete differ approach than HILLS or P2; it's like building an attraction," he continues, "It's going to be scary and great- it's a very different approach from anything we've done before."
Lastly Aja confirms that he's still attached to BLACK HOLE, "I'm still attached to BLACK HOLE – it's the best graphic novel I have ever read," he exclaims with loads of excitement and energy.
You can watch this spot for the full interview soon and check out P2 in theaters everywhere on November 9.
Toho to remake Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress
Jason Gray in Tokyo
30 Oct 2007 04:54
Japanese studio Toho is set to produce a remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1958 samurai film The Hidden Fortress, to be directed by Shinji Higuchi.
Special effects expert Higuchi moved into the director's chair two years ago with submarine thriller Lorelei and had a top ten hit last year with Sinking Of Japan which grossed $46.8m.
The $13m remake is scheduled to start shooting on November 1 in time for a May 10, 2008 release.
The lead role will be played by 24-year-old Jun Matsumoto. Primarily a TV actor, Matsumoto is also the youngest member of popular boy band Arashi.
The character played by Toshiro Mifune in the original will be played by Hiroshi Abe, who has a large role in Fuji TV's current hit Hero. Misa Uehara's role will be played by Masami Nagasawa (Nada SoSo).
The original film is also famous for being an inspiration for George Lucas' original outline for Star Wars, with certain elements of the two bumbling lead characters carried over into the characters of C-3PO and R2-D2.
Higuchi got permission from Kurosawa Productions to create a single, younger character (Matsumoto) to reflect the aimless youth of today.
The announcement is the latest in a string of completed and announced Kurosawa remakes, including recently broadcast made-for-TV versions of Ikiru and High And Low and producer Haruki Kadokawa's big-budget remake of Sanjuro, starring Bayside Shakedown's Yuji Oda.
Sanjuro , which stays faithful to the original screenplay, makes its market debut at this week's AFM on Toho's slate. An animated series of Kurosawa's Yojimbo was produced in 2001.
Rhys Meyers to play comic book hero Mandrake for Omega/Baldwin
Jeremy Kay in Los Angeles
31 Oct 2007 05:00
Jonathan Rhys Meyers will star as the eponymous hero of Omega Entertainment/Baldwin Entertainment Group's (BEG) adventure film Mandrake, which Chuck Russell will direct.
The film is the first from Omega and BEG's first-look deal to go into production and will shoot in China and the US in early 2008. Omega is financing and distributing worldwide, and producing with BEG and Hyde Park Entertainment.
Mandrake is an updated take on the classic Hearst comic book, featuring the title character as an extreme escape artist thrown into the high stakes world of international espionage.
"One of the most exciting things for me as a director is when I know I have a star who will make an indelible impression on a role, and become the catalyst for an entire film," Russell said.
"This is a rare opportunity to reinvent one of the all-time classic comic book characters and create a new kind of hero for international audiences."
Markus Barmettler and Enrique Steiger formed Omega Entertainment in 2006. Former Lakeshore president of international distribution Peter Rogers joined earlier this year as president.
BEG's credits include Death Sentence, Ray, Sahara, and Swimming Upstream. Upcoming productions include Vadim Pearlman's adaptation of Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged to star Angelina Jolie, a baseball drama to star Robert Redford, and Deepa Mehta's drama Luna.
Danish Film Institute supports $7.2m viking epic
Jacob Wendt Jensen in Copenhagen
30 Oct 2007 06:32
Nicolas Winding Refn is getting ready to shoot Valhalla Rising with support from the Danish Film Institute.
The national institute is guaranteeing $1.1m (Euros 0.8m) of its $7.2m (Euros 5.1m) budget.
National star Mads Mikkelsen plays a mute Viking who while escaping from imprisonment in Scotland accidentally discovers America.
The shoot is expected to start in spring 2008 primarily in Scotland.
Winding Refn has written the story with Norwegian writer Roy Jacobsen and the film is described as being inspired by Mad Max and Deliverance albeit with a detailed attention to tenth century details with for example beginning tension between Christians and heathens.
The soundtrack will be composed partly by Glasgow-based rock band Mogwai whose previous work includes Sicko, Miami Vice and Wicker Park.
Nicolas Winding Refn is primarily known for his Pusher-trilogy and the thriller Fear X with John Turturro in the leading role.
Lately he directed Marple: Nemesis for UK television. Valhalla Rising will be produced by Nimbus Film lately specializing in production of big local budget films compared to an average of $3.5m (Euros 2.5m).
Before Valhalla Rising, Nimbus Film will release war epic Flame and Citron directed by Ole Christian Madsen also starring Mads Mikkelsen and Hanns Zischler early in 2008.
"Crank 2: High Voltage" has officially been greenlit at Lionsgate and Lakeshore Entertainment reports the trades.
Writer-directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor are back, as is Jason Statham who will reprise his role of hitman Chev Chelios in "Crank 2." The studio has also picked up Neveldine and Taylor's next project - the cyber thriller "Game".
In the "Crank" sequel, Chev faces a Chinese mobster who has stolen his nearly indestructible heart and replaced it with a battery-powered artificial ticker that requires regular jolts of electricity to keep working. A chase begins through Los Angeles.
Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan and game maker Capcom will jointly produce the 3D computer-animated feature "Biohazard: Degeneration," based on the "Resident Evil" films and games reports Variety.
The "Resident Evil" franchise is known as the "Biohazard" series in Japan and the story for the feature will be based on the hit game series.
The director and other cast and crew are yet to be announced, but a late 2008 release is scheduled.
Crows: Episode 0 flies to top of Japanese box office
Jason Gray in Tokyo
29 Oct 2007 22:41
Takashi Miike's Crows: Episode 0 grabbed the top spot at the weekend box office in Japan, knocking Fuji TV's Hero down to second place after seven weeks in the number one position.
Produced by Fuji rival TBS and released on October 27, Crows grossed $3.49m (Y400m) in its first two days on 259 screens, for a strong $13,474 per-screen average. Both Hero and Crows are distributed by Toho, which has predicted final earnings for Crows at over $26.2m (Y3bn).
Hero 's current earnings stand at $66.57m, making it the most successful domestic release this year, soon set to surpass last year's number one film Tales From Earthsea ($66.75m). However, the final tally doesn't look to reach Toho's original prediction of Y9bn-Y10bn ($78.52-$87.25m).
Shochiku drama Zo No Senaka, starring Koji Yakusho, opened in fourth place with $821,000 behind Gaga-distributed Hairspray. Warner Brothers' The Brave One bowed in fifth place with $744,700 on 294 screens, just ahead of new UIP release Stardust with $656,300.
Crows is based on Hiroshi Takahashi's manga which has sold 32 million copies. Rising star Shun Oguri (Sukiyaki Western Django) plays a newcomer to a tough high school who tries to navigate the various gang factions in place and take power.
Crows had its public and market world premiere at the Pusan International Film Festival earlier this month, with Germany 's Splendid Film acquiring all German and Benelux rights. This film had its Japan premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival last week.
Easternlight takes on Japanese project Sasori
Jeremy Kay in Santa Monica
31 Oct 2007 05:00
Easternlight has acquired worldwide rights excluding Japan and several
other Asian territories to the Japanese martial arts film Sasori.
The saga about a vengeful sword-wielding woman is based on the 1970s
comic books and cult film series and was the inspiration for Kill
Bill.
Easternlight managing director Ying Ye acquired the film, which is in
post-production, at the recent Pusan Film Festival, and will commence
sales here at the AFM.
Joe Ma Wai Ho directed Sasori, which stars Miki Mizuno and was
produced by Junichi Matsushita.
HanWay takes on sales for Gorillaz feature Bananaz
Wendy Mitchell in Santa Monica
31 Oct 2007 05:00
HanWay Films has come on board for sales of Ceri Levy's new feature-length film about Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett's band Gorillaz.
Levy started work on Bananaz when the band was formed in 2000, documenting the creation of the band's animated alter-egos, sales of more than 15m albums, and nominations for six Grammy awards, as well as unusual live gigs where musicians played behind a curtain. Levy shot more than 260 hours of footage over the six years.
Bananaz is currently in the final stages of editing, and the project has a running time around 90 minutes.
"It's more a documentary about musicians, it's been prepared in a way so that it comes across as a feature film, and isn't just for Gorillaz fans," Levy told Screen International. "There's no talking heads. There are stories, it's not just two blokes in a studio."
Levy thinks the project will travel well internationally. "Gorillaz are well known worldwide," he said. "This is also a film about two people working on one idea and seeing that idea come to life."
Levy, a longtime friend of Albarn, previously worked on Blur's 1994 film Starshaped as well as BBC television documentaries and music videos.
Levy produced as well, with Slingshot's Rachel Connors.
HanWay's AFM slate also includes Battle For Haditha, Franklyn, The Red Baron and Genova.
Studios prep backup plan
Despite strike, many films ready to go
By MICHAEL FLEMING, PAMELA MCCLINTOCK
Fox's 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' is among the films ready to roll.
The studios have spent the better part of the last year trying to protect themselves from possible strike effects.
There are as many as 50 studio movies ready to go into production now if writers walk, and most of the majors have managed to muster together at least five pictures with scripts and plots strong enough to overcome the potential lack of a WGA member on set to execute revisions.
And that doesn't include films being made by studio specialty arms or projects funded by the likes of Media Rights Capital, which will spend $250 million to finance eight films that include the Sacha Baron Cohen comedy "Bruno," Ricky Gervais comedy "This Side of the Truth," Robert Rodriguez-directed "Shorts," and the Richard Kelly-directed thriller "The Box" with Cameron Diaz. Only "Bruno" has a distribution deal, made at Universal prior to the release of "Borat."
Studios say they have ready many scripts that could be slotted for production instantly if the right star becomes available. Tom Cruise, for instance, has been eyeing the Terry George-directed "Edwin A. Salt" at Columbia and the Todd Phillips-directed comedy "Men" at Warners, but he hasn't landed on a pre-strike film. If he does, someone will have a big picture.
Unlike in television, which is far more exposed, the natural cycle of making movies means studios have had ample time to prepare for a walkout, whether by writers, whose contract expires at midnight, or actors, whose contract is up next summer.
"For now, it's a television strike, not a movie strike. Everybody has done their films for 2008 and part of 2009. It would need a very long strike, six or seven months, to have an impact," said one veteran industry player.
If there's a strike, studios also can get out of producing deals under the force majeure clause included in almost all such pacts. Agencies, too, can shed agents under force majeure. Companies used that "out" plenty during the writers strike in 1988.
For the most part, most studio 2008 slates aren't an issue, since those movies are either done or safely along in the process, save for some of the late-year titles. The threat of a strike has meant that they are going into production sooner than they normally would have with 2009 films, or pics slated for release toward the end of 2008.
"We strongly hope (a strike) doesn't happen, but most feature companies have been preparing for over a year and are fully ready. And if a long strike eventually led to a reduction of the number of films made, that might be a good thing anyway," a studio source said.
Surprisingly few of the production starts are last-minute surprises. Mindful of past mistakes of rushing half-baked scripts into production to beat a strike or threat of a strike -- such as what happened during the de facto strike of 2001 -- studio prexies have been restrained.
Paramount, pleased with revisions done by scribe Stuart Beattie, has officially set a Feb. 13 start date for "G.I. Joe," an event-sized film that went from a pre-strike question mark to an anchor of the studio's summer 2009 release schedule. Paramount is in talks with up-and-comer Sam Worthington to star, and the studio was down to working out any scheduling overlap with Fox, which has Worthington starring in the James Cameron-directed "Avatar."
At Par, "G.I. Joe" joins the J.J. Abrams-directed "Star Trek," the Roger Michell-directed "Morning Glory," a redo of "Friday the 13th" and "Shutter Island," a late addition to the slate that has Martin Scorsese set to direct and Leonardo DiCaprio to star.
Twentieth Century Fox has several movies headed to the starting line. While Jamie Vanderbilt and Scott Silver have been honing the script, "Wolverine" is a definite go, with a May 2009 release date. Also on the launch pad for a Dec. 12, 2008, release is "The Day the Earth Stood Still," a Scott Derrickson-directed remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic that will star Keanu Reeves as the alien visitor Klaatu.
Fox also is plotting starts for the thriller "They Came From Upstairs," "Max Payne" and the comedy "Trouble Man." Regency will add "Bride Wars," and Fox 2000 expects to make the David Frankel-directed "Marley and Me" with Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson, and the Nicole Kidman starrer "Monte Carlo." Fox Atomic will put three films in production: "Brad Cutter Ruined My Life Again," "Ticket to Ride," and "Jennifer's Body."
While Universal was still firming up start dates, the studio has locked enough scripts to put as many as nine films into production by next March.
They include a new romantic comedy by director Richard Curtis called "The Boat That Rocked," the Kevin Macdonald-directed "State of Play" with Brad Pitt, the Brad Silberling-directed "Land of the Lost" with Will Ferrell, "Repossession Mambo" with Jude Law and Forest Whitaker, the Paul W.S. Anderson-directed "Death Race" with Jason Statham, the Benicio Del Toro starrer "Wolfman," the Tony Gilroy-directed drama "Duplicity," and "The Fast and the Furious 4" with Justin Lin directing Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. Paul Greengrass has Matt Damon ready to star in his untitled Green Zone project.
Studio was less certain about several other films that included "Nottingham," the revisionist adventure that has Russell Crowe poised to play the Sheriff of Nottingham for director Ridley Scott. Both of them are in Morocco shooting the WB film "Body of Lies" with DiCaprio.
Disney plans to put seven movies in production by March. Studio starts with "Shopaholic" in early January, followed by the Adam Sandler-Adam Shankman comedy "Bedtime Stories," a reinvention of "Witch Mountain" that stars Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson, two transfers of Disney Channel hits in "High School Musical 3" and "Hannah Montana," Sandra Bullock starrer "The Proposal," and "Christmas Carol," the Robert Zemeckis-directed film that features Jim Carrey in numerous roles. Most of those films were long planned, and not stimulated by a strike deadline. Studio had hoped to move forward with another tentpole, "Prince of Persia," but likely will have to wait until a labor resolution.
DreamWorks, which just began production on the Peter Jackson-directed "The Lovely Bones," scheduled November starts for the Emma Roberts/Don Cheadle starrer "Hotel for Dogs" and the DJ Caruso-directed Shia LaBeouf starrer "Eagle Eye."
DreamWorks starts production of the Jamie Foxx-Robert Downey Jr. starrer "The Soloist," the Brian Robbins-directed Eddie Murphy comedy "A Thousand Words" and "Wednesday," a thriller directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo ("28 Weeks Later"). Not on the pre-strike list is "Transformers 2," a sequel that is still being written. Labor talks will determine whether the visual effects-heavy film makes its projected June 26, 2009, release date.
Columbia Pictures had finalized starts on "Bond 22," penned by Paul Haggis, "Da Vinci Code" sequel "Angels & Demons" with Ron Howard directing and Tom Hank starring, a Tony Scott-directed remake of "The Taking of Pelham 123" that just got John Travolta to star alongside Denzel Washington, and the Will Smith starrer "Seven Pounds," directed by Gabriele Muccino. Studio is just getting under way with the Judd Apatow-produced comedy "Year One" with Jack Black, Michael Cera and director Harold Ramis.
While Warner Bros. has set a start date on the Jim Carrey comedy "Yes Man," the studio was still working out several production start possibilities on several tentpole-sized films. The studio has been working with screenwriter Eric Roth and director Mira Nair to trim the budget on the adventure drama "Shantaram," with the film's producer, Johnny Depp, standing by to star. Also, Warners is hoping to begin production in the spring on "Justice League," with George Miller directing.
After making a distribution deal with financier Halcyon, WB has McG prepping "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins," a film it has slotted for summer 2009. Warners also is looking to put Todd Phillips' "Hangover," "Observe and Report," "The Incredible Mr. Limpet" and "The Jetsons" into production.
New Line has "Four Christmases" with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" with Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner, "Seventeen" with Zac Efron and Leslie Mann, and "My Sister's Keeper," the Nick Cassavetes-directed drama with Cameron Diaz and Dakota and Elle Fanning.
Focus Features will go into production with "A Serious Man," directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, "Vanished" and "Curveball." Production is under way on "Sin Nombre."
The Weinstein Co. starts production in January on the Kevin Smith-directed comedy "Zach and Miri," "Shanghai," and "Nine," the Rob Marshall-directed adaptation of the stage musical. Dimension Films starts production late in the year on the Fred Durst-directed "Comeback," with Ice Cube starring.
(Diane Garrett, Dave McNary and Tatiana Siegel contributed to this report.)
Paramount Pictures has acquired Matz's 1988 French graphic novel series "The Killer" with plans to develop it as a directing vehicle for David Fincher reports Variety.
Allesandro Camon ("The Chancellor Manuscript") will write the script, about a top assassin suddenly plagued by his conscience and a highly competent cop hot on his tail.
The feature will be produced by Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment and Alexandra Milchan.
Peter Jackson and director Neill Blomkamp are planning the live-action sci-fi actioneer "District 9" which the latter co-wrote and will make his directing debut on reports Variety.
The storyline is being kept under wraps, but production begins this spring in South Africa, and Jackson's WETA Workshop facility is standing by to provide the visual effects.
The pair were previously planning an adaptation of the highly successful "Halo" video game franchise that has since collapsed.
jebo ih pas da ih jebo pas! pa ja sam Killera pre 6 meseci nudio Phoenixu, ali oni nisu imali sluha - i to sam strip dobio od meha krljića i malo smo pričali da li bi to mogao biti film, složili se da bi mogao, pa sam ja čak išao da kupim taj strip za Phoenix, i još su imali Finčera pred nosom, ali ništa, nestalo u haosu, i sad eto - meho i ja smo mogli da utapamo svoj konsultantski talenat u galone holiudskog liquora i brda kokaina, a život nam se surovo osvetio... tja.
Stvarno svinjarija :lol: Rado bih napisao da će ovo biti težak flop (francuski strip noir, prebačen u holivud 21. veka? No way Jose!!!), ali Finčer... hmmm.
Momci, ne brinite se. ja ne verujem da će vaj film uopšte biti snimljen, a ako bude snimljen, iako nisam čitao strip sigurno će biti flop upravo zbog Finchera koji već dobrih osam godina nije u stanju da snimi dobar film. Stoga, samo ostaje žal za nekom provizijom koju ste mogli ostvariti.
Cult TV fans, set your emotions to thrilled: Joss Whedon is finally returning to the tube. The Buffy the Vampire Slayer mastermind has just signed a deal with Fox to create a drama series called Dollhouse. Better yet, he's chosen a very familiar face to inhabit it: she of Faith fame, Eliza Dushku.
The show, which boasts a seven-episode commitment for 2008 and a hefty license fee between $1.5 million and $2 million per ep, will chronicle the exploits of a group of individuals who are "imprinted with personality packages" — meaning that they can assume a variety of indentities (language skills, physical talents, memories, etc.) to be used for all types of tasks. When these missions are over, the individuals have their memories erased and reside in a guarded laboratory known as the Dollhouse; Dushku's Echo, however, is slowly coming of consciousness. "We call it a suspense-drama-mythology-comedy-action-horror musical," Whedon half-jokes of the show, which will bend and blend genres in typical Joss fashion. "The main thrust is the thruline of Echo as a sort of newly born character who goes, 'Wait a minute — I exist. Wow. So who would I be? And how dangerous is it for me to let anybody know that I know that I exist?' Not unlike the Frankenstein myth, it's, 'Who made me, who am I, and why am I?'"
Sounds like Dushku has already bonded with her alter ego. "She's fierce and she's hot, but she's also so complex, and she's going to be so tripped out because she's in this world, which I can identify with, where there are people who can click a button and succeed in making you be what they want you to be. It's this whole mindtrip of objectification," she says. "It's going to have sex and heartbreak and violence and hilarity. That, to me, is a hot show."
So when did construction on Dollhouse begin? The two were having a friendly meal last month — Dushku was seeking some project guidance after signing a deal with Fox — when inspiration hit the pair. "In the middle of the lunch, I said, 'Oh, s---, I made up a show, and I have a title,'" recalls Whedon. "And that's when you know you're dead, when there's a title." Dushku, who'll also serve as a producer on this 20th Century Fox TV series, was more than thrilled to reteam with her mentor. "I've always said from the Buffy days, 'I'll follow that guy anywhere,'" she notes. "I just had to find him and pluck him out of his supposed retirement from television."
The timing of this project is somewhat fortuitous for Whedon. (Except, of course, for that whole impending strike mess.) The latest rewrite of his supernatural triller Goners for Universal "was not incredibly well-received," he says. "Nothing's happening with it right now. It's not good news, but one door closes, and then there's a draft, and another one opens."
Latino Review reports that Warner Bros. Pictures is interested in having "Sin City" and "Spy Kids" director Robert Rodriguez in charge of the "Clash of the Titans" remake.
Rodriguez had previous been in talks at Warner to helm either a live-action "The Jetsons" movie or a big screen version of "Land of the Lost" before he latched onto "Barbarella". With the camp sci-fi remake now on hold for a while, this offer comes as little surprise.
The original 1984 classic is an adaptation of the classic Greek myth of Perseus and his quest to battle both Medusa and the Kraken monster in order to save the Princess Andromeda. Harry Hamlin, Maggie Smith, Laurence Olivier, Burgess Meredith, Ursula Andress, and a bunch of Ray Harryhausen stop motion animated creatures starred.
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan and Travis Beacham ("Killing on Carnival Row") have both penned drafts of the script.
E to je već lijepa vijest! Kao mali sam jako volio Clash of the Titans, ali očigledno je da u njemu ima prostora za popravke. Osnovno:
1) Malo harizmatičniji glavni glumac od Herija Hemlina
2) Više grudi
Režiser kao što je Rodrigez sigurno će da nam priušti oboje :!: (nadam se samo da će zadržati scenu sa kupanjem, ali bez badi dablova)
Twitchfilm reports that one of the big reasons for the six-month delay of Vin Diesel sci-fi flick "Babylon A.D." is because of editing.
The article indicates that "Europeans are getting a longer cut of the film in theaters in early 2008 while Fox, which holds rights in most non-European regions, have requested a significantly shorter version of the film."
The Euro version of the Mathieu Kassovitz directed tale is said to run for a whopping 160 minutes, a number Fox will likely want cut by at least half an hour. The US release is presently scheduled for August 29th 2008.
Jack Nicholson has revealed to MTV News that an outline for a second sequel to "Chinatown" is sitting at writer Robert Towne's place and if Paramount wanted to actually make the film, Nicholson would attach himself to the project.
Nicholson says "I can tell you it was meant to be set in 1968 when no-fault divorce went into effect in California. The title was to be "Gittes vs. Gittes." It was to be about Gittes' divorce. The secrecy of Meg Tilly's character was somehow to involve the most private person in California, Howard Hughes. That is where the air element would have come into the picture."
Would he do it? "I certainly would consider it. I would imagine Bob would as well... I don't know how Paramount would be. The timing is about right."
Meanwhile Nicholson isn't happy that someone else is taking over the role of The Joker in "The Dark Knight", saying that "I'm furious... They never asked me about a sequel with the Joker. I know how to do that! Nobody ever asked me."
Damian Chapa will write, produce and direct "Polanski," an unauthorized biopic about the tragedy-filled life of legendary film director Roman Polanski being produced by Amadeus Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
The film will include passages about the director's childhood in Poland during the Holocaust; the murder of his wife, Sharon Tate, by followers of Charles Manson in 1969; and his conviction for sex with a minor that has kept him out of the U.S. for decades.
Chapa himself will play Polanski's early collaborator, Polish producer Eugene Gutowski. The title role will be cast in the next few weeks. Shooting will begin principal photography in January in Belgium, Poland and the US.
Surf's Up! Point Break 2 Closer to Filming
Source: ComingSoon.net October 31, 2007
ComingSoon.net learned at the American Film Market (AFM) today that shooting for Point Break 2 will begin mid-2008 in Southeast Asia. The sequel will be financed and executive produced by Singaporean company RGM Entertainment. It will be written and directed by Peter Iliff, who also wrote the first movie.
Point Break 2 picks up from where the original film left off more than 15 years ago. The story will revolve around an ex-professional surfer who enlists in the US Navy and is recruited to track down a criminal gang based in Southeast Asia. The audience will also discover the fate of Bodhi (Patrick Swayze), the surfers' charismatic leader who was swallowed by a giant killer wave in the final scene of Point Break. Did he really die?
The follow-up is budgeted at $20-30 million.
"I wrote 'Point Break' in 1987 when I was still a struggling writer waiting at tables in Malibu," Iliff said earlier this year, "'Point Break' was the turning point and it made my screen writing career. 20 years later, I'm thrilled to have been given the opportunity by RGM Entertainment to write the sequel and to make my directorial debut with 'Point Break 2.'"
Mickey Rourke has joined the Darren Aronofsky-directed indie drama "The Wrestler" reports Variety.
Aronofsky and Robert Siegel wrote the script for "The Wrestler," about an over-the-hill grappler who returns to the ring for one last shot at glory.
Rourke will play Randy "The Ram" Robinson," a role that Nicolas Cage had reportedly been set to play. Shooting is scheduled to begin in January.
In an interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Pixar head John Lasseter revealed one tidbit about the studio's upcoming top secret third entry in the "Toy Story" film franchise:
"We have Toy Story 3 directed by Lee Unkrich and Lee co-directed Toy Story 2 with me. Lee was part of the original creative [team]. I didn't let go of the reins. We're still doing it and Lee was a part of the original creative team on Toy Story and then he co-directed Toy Story 2 with me."
Pixar has currently slated the release of TS3 for Summer 2010. Still no word on story details as yet.
Paul Verhoeven ("Basic Instinct," "Total Recall," "Black Book") has revealed to Dutch radio program "Met Het Oog Op Morgen" that he will direct the sequel to 1999's "The Thomas Crown Affair" reports Hollywood News.
Entitled "The Topkapi Affair," Pierce Brosnan is set to reprise his role of the gentleman thief who this time sets out to steal a valuable object from the famous Turkish palace in Istanbul.
Eric Ambler's novel "The Light of the Day" and MGM's 1964 feature "Topkapi" will be used as the basis for the script.
evo nečeg zanimljivog u vladinom svemirskom brodu:
VUK MITROVIĆ SNIMA FILM O MARTIJU MISTERIJI
film
Strip junak Marti Misterija, čuveni detektiv nemogućeg, uskoro bi mogao da oživi na velikom platnu, zahvaljujući našem mladom beogradskom režiseru Vuku Mitroviću, prenosi novina 24 sata. Vuk je nedavno diplomirao na Kolumbija koledžu u Čikagu, a već je dobio nagradu za najbolji film za septembar prestižnog filmskog kanala IFC (International Film Chanell).
- Radim scenario za adaptaciju jedne epizode iz italijanskog stripa "Marti Mistreija", i to epizode koju pamtim još iz detinjstva.
Ugovor je potpisan sa kompanijom koja je zastupnik originalnog crtača i pisca stripa Alfreda Kastelija - kaže reditelj Vuk Mitrović (36).
Vuk će sledećeg aprila ponuditi scenario holivudskim studijima, a kako je kompanija sa kojom sarađuje upravo prodala prava za strip "Dilan Dog", po kojem bi uskoro trebalo da bude snimljen film, izvesno je da će i Marti postati filmski junak. Vuk kaže da planiraju što glamurozniju produkciju i da će pokušati da dobiju Džordža Klunija za glavnu ulogu.
Za uspešnu karijeru Vuka Mitrovića u Americi "najzaslužnija" je sekretarica na beogradskom Fakultetu dramskih umetnosti koja ga je odgovorila od upisa. Rekla mu je da su vrlo male šanse da bude primljen jer "na režiju primaju samo petoro, od kojih je jedan talentovan, a ostali sa pedigreom".
Iako smatra da je teško biti emigrant, Vuk je ipak uspeo da se prilagodi životu u Americi jer je, sudeći prema njegovom iskustvu, tamo mnogo lakše naći posao u struci. Planira da se jednog dana vrati u Srbiju, ali tek kada osvoji Holivud.
bravo care, tako se razmišlja!
još samo ako je epizoda koju hoćeš da radiš - KUĆA NA GRANICI SVETA... :!:
Vrlo lijepa vijest, ali DŽORDŽ KLUNI kao Marti Misterija??? :P
(Doduše, možda glavni junak u tom filmu neće biti Marti nego neko treći. A možda će Džordž Kluni da glumi Javu :!: )
Cinema Blend reports that Sylvester Stallone recently met with Viggo Mortensen and has offered him the role of Edgar Allan Poe in an upcoming feature.
With "Rambo" wrapped, Stallone's next project will be helming the tale of the famed tortured poet behind such famous works as "The Raven" and "The Tell-Tale Heart."
Mortensen is apparently consdiering the role although he wants some slight revisions in the script. Robert Downey Jr. was previously rumored to be up for this part.
Neil LaBute ("In the Company of Men," "Your Friends and Neighbours") will write and Taylor Hackford ("Devil's Advocate," "Ray") will direct New Line's remake "The Woman Next Door" reports Variety.
Based on the 1981 Francois Truffaut film "La Femme d'a cote," the original starred Gérard Depardieu and Fanny Ardant as former lovers, now married to other people, who rekindle their affair when one of the couples ends up moving into the house next door to the other.
This marks the first time LaBute will pen a script for another director, but he won't begin the assignment until after the writer's strike is resolved.
MTV News reports that Matt Frewer -- best known as the stuttering, sarcastic, 80's icon Max Headroom -- has joined the cast of the eagerly anticipated "Watchmen" film.
The 49-year-old thesp will suit up as Moloch the Mystic, a satanic super villain and magician. The character is noted for his devilish appearance, which includes elfish, pointed ears.
In the graphic novel, Moloch clashes with famous "masks" like Nite Owl, Ozymandias, and Doctor Manhattan, before giving up his life of crime sometime before the action of the novel begins.
Rehabilitated, the former vice lord moves to New York City, where he lives alone until his murder in 1985. His dead body is discovered by Rorschach, who is framed for Moloch's death.
Frewer is currently filming his scenes. The film is scheduled to open on March 6th 2009.
ovo mi zvuči kao moćno crnohumorna verzija HARDWARE-a sa još naglašenijom satirom, a to nikako ne može da bude loše - bar u teoriji: jedva čekam da vidim praxu:
Richard Clabaugh's EYEBORGS. The basic concept of omnipresent surveillance robots unleashed by Homeland Security going rogue and killing off the general populace is fun enough but throw in Danny Trejo as one of the leaders of the anti-robot revolt and have him shout lines like "Silicone psychos!" while beating them off and you have a recipe for instant cult gold. Seriously, when was the last time you saw a movie like this? THEY LIVE, maybe? The producers are seriously hoping for a theatrical release in advance of the coming presidential election but whether that happens or not the trailers are available for your pleasure and enjoyment.
Are government surveillance cameras intended to keep us safe actually killing people? Is it a plot by the government to suppress the opposition, or have our terrorist enemies secretly gained control of our security system and are now using it against us? Following another major terrorist attack the US instigates an intense government surveillance program in which every camera in the country is linked into a single, all-seeing network called the ODIN system (for Optical Defense Intelligence Network). The system includes millions of mobile, robotic surveillance cameras known as "Eyeborgs," which watch everyone for suspicious behavior, all in the name of security, law enforcement and keeping America safe. An agent for the Department of Homeland Security (Adrian Paul) grows suspicious of the system after a series of odd murders in which the physical evidence doesn't match up to what the video records show. Now he must work outside the system to find out who is really controlling the Eyeborgs. With the help of a broadcast journalist (Megan Blake) and a purple haired Punk Rocker (Luke Eberl) who turns out to be the President's nephew, he must stop a plot to assassinate the President during the final debate of the election.
Bruce Willis will star in the sci-fi thriller "The Surrogates" which Jonathan Mostow will direct for Touchstone Pictures reports Variety.
Based on a graphic novel, the story is set in the near future, where humans live in isolation and interact vicariously through surrogate robots who are better-looking versions of themselves.
Willis plays a cop who, through his surrogate, investigates the murders of others' surrogates. The cop is forced to venture from his own home for the first time in years and unravels a conspiracy.
Michael Ferris and John Brancato ("Terminator 3") penned the script, and the studio is aiming for a February production start in Boston.
Dean Parisot ("Fun With Dick and Jane," "Galaxy Quest") is in final negotiations to direct the supernatural action-comedy "Weekend Warrior" for Warner Bros. Pictures reports Reuters.
Said to be in the tone of Ghostbusters, the story follows a high school teacher and armchair home repair enthusiast who unwittingly becomes a superhero.
Actor-turned-screenwriter Bill Birch ("The Pre-Astronauts") penned the script.
Joel Silver and Leonardo DiCaprio are set to produce the thriller "Orphan" for Warner Bros. Pictures says ShockTillYouDrop.com.
The story follows young mother Kate Coleman who is devastated by the loss of a baby and her inability to conceive again. She and her husband John decide to adopt another child who turns out to be anything other than what they'd hoped for.
Principal photography is expected to begin mid-December in Toronto and Montreal.
David R. Ellis ("Final Destination 2," "Cellular") has signed to direct and develop a fourth "Final Destination" says The Hollywood Reporter.
This new entry in New Line's popular horror series will be shot in 3-D and will be a stand-alone feature with a group of new teenagers facing death.
"Final Destination 2" co-scribe Eric Bress is penning the script.
Brad Pitt pulled out of his pay or play deal for Universal's thriller "State of Play" this morning due to script concerns reports the trades, throwing the whole project onto shaky ground.
The departure comes after a fortnight of meetings and delays which prevented the film from kicking off its original start-of-shooting date last Thursday (15th).
The studio will now try to find a star to replace Pitt and has until next Thursday before other actors start leaving the project, with both Johnny Depp and Russell Crowe being mentioned as potential candidates.
Edward Norton, Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman and Robin Wright Penn remain committed to the adaptation of the acclaimed 2003 British mini-series. Kevin Macdonald ("The Last King of Scotland," "Touching the Void") will direct and Matthew Michael Carnahan ("Narc") has scripted.
Pitt was playing a politician-turned-journalist who spearheads a newspaper's investigation of a murder, a trail that leads to a fast-rising politician (Norton) whose campaigns were once masterminded by Pitt's character.
Ain't It Cool News reports that Batman himself Christian Bale is to become a part of the Terminator franchise next year.
The site indicates that Bale has been cast as John Connor in the upcoming fourth feature film "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins" for Warner Bros. Pictures.
McG is helming the project which begins shooting early 2008 and hopes to kick off a new trilogy of future-set films covering the war between humanity and the robots of Skynet.
The project is on target for a Summer 2009 release.
New Line Cinema has acquired the $60 million animated feature "Planet 51" from Handmade Films International and Ilion Animation Studios reports Reuters.
Penned by Joe Stillman ("Shrek"), the story is set on Planet 51, whose inhabitants live in fear of an alien invasion. Their paranoia is realized when astronaut Capt. Charles "Chuck" Baker arrives from Earth.
Befriended by a young resident, the astronaut has to avoid capture in order to recover his spaceship and return home.
Directed by Jorge Blanco (videogame "Commandos") is co-directiong with Javier Abad and Marcos Martinez with production set to wrap in March 2009 for release later that year.
Mark Ruffalo will star opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese's drama "Shutter Island" for Paramount and Sony Pictures reports Reuters.
Based on Dennis Lehane's 2004 novel, Ruffalo will play U.S. Marshal Chuck Aule, who travels with his new partner (DiCaprio) to the eponymous Massachusetts island in 1954.
As they investigate the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane, they encounter a web of lies, a hurricane and a deadly inmate riot that leaves them trapped on the island.
Laeta Kalogridis adapted the script with filming set to begin shooting in March.
Cusack signs up for a serial killer flick at Dark Castle!!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. I don't know what it is this week... yesterday it was two Sam Jackson movies being announced at the same time and this week it's two Dark Castle movies. A few stories down you'll find info on a Peter Sarsgaard/Vera Farmiga Dark Castle flick called ORPHAN and here you'll find info on one starring John Cusack called THE FACTORY.
It's about a cop chasing down a serial killer in New York. When his daughter disappears, the cop drops all pretense of civility and goes whole hog after the killer. Much like OPRHAN, not the most original concept in the world, but seeing John Cusack play that character will be interesting enough.
The flick was co-written (with Phil Leydon) and will be directed by Morgan O'Neill, winner of Australia's PROJECT GREENLIGHT.
Sarsgaard, Farmiga join 'Orphan'
Collet-Serra directing horror film
By TATIANA SIEGEL, DIANE GARRETT
Sarsgaard
Farmiga
Peter Sarsgaard and Vera Farmiga will star in the horror film "Orphan" for Joel Silver's Dark Castle Entertainment.
Warner Bros. is distributing the pic, which marks helmer Jaume Collet-Serra's follow-up to "House of Wax," also a Dark Castle title. Appian Way, which developed the material and brought it to Silver, is also producing.
Story revolves around a husband and wife (Sarsgaard and Farmiga) who lose a baby and then adopt a 9-year-old girl who is not nearly as innocent as she claims to be. David Leslie Johnson penned the screenplay, which is based on a story by Alex Mace.
Shooting is scheduled to begin next week in Toronto and Montreal.
Silver, Susan Downey and Erik Olsen are producing. Don Carmody and Steve Richards exec produce.
Sarsgaard most recently appeared in "Rendition" and "Year of the Dog." His upcoming credits include "Elegy" and "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh."
Farmiga co-starred in Martin Scorsese's "The Departed." She next appears in Mark Herman's "The Boy in Striped Pyjamas."
Gooding, Winstone, 4 more in on the action
By Gregg Goldstein
Nov 30, 2007
Cuba Gooding Jr. (Getty Images photo)
NEW YORK -- Cuba Gooding Jr., Taryn Manning, Ron Perlman, Henry Rollins, Valerie Cruz and Ray Winstone are starring in the action thriller "Untitled Gehenna Project."
Sean Connery's son, Jason Connery, is directing the tale of an elite group of soldiers (Gooding, Manning, Jason London, Franky G, Zack Ward, Stephanie Jacobson and Brandon Fobbs) sent on a covert mission by a government agent (Cruz) to retrieve a missing scientist (Perlman) from an underground lab.
They encounter a priest (Rollins) who tells them that an "ancient evil" has been released, causing their greatest fears to come to life. Their former leader (Winstone) plays a pivotal role in uncovering what is actually taking place at the facility. Bill Moseley and Sarah Ann Morris play members of the compromised research team.
Former Universal Pictures head Sid Sheinberg, his sons Jon and Bill Sheinberg ("Slappy and the Stinkers") and Steve Harris are producing the film from a screenplay by Keith Kjornes. Connery has acted in more than 30 films and television roles, and recently made his directing debut with "Pandemic."
Gooding is repped by CAA and 3 Arts Entertainment. Manning is repped by WMA and Insomnia Media Group. Perlman is repped by Kritzer Levine Wilkins. Rollins is repped by Evolution and 3AM. Cruz is repped by Innovative Artists and John Carrabino Management. Winstone is repped by ICM.
Fox 2000 is turning the story of the Gucci fashion dynasty into a directing vehicle for Ridley Scott says Variety.
Charles Randolph ("The Interpreter") will write the drama which chronicles the wild and glamorous story of the Gucci family in the 1970s and '80s, when its 153 shops moved $500 million in product annually.
Much of the focus will be on Maurizio Gucci, grandson of founder Guccio Gucci, who was the unlikely winner of a bloody power struggle to run the family business. On the verge of his greatest success - a daring fashion show debuting the clothes of newcomer Tom Ford - Maurizio was gunned down in front of his Milan apartment in 1995.
Scott is presently in Morocco, directing "Body of Lies" with Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe for Warner Bros. Pictures. He'll follow that up with Universal's Robin Hood drama "Nottingham" in March.
Paramount Pictures plans to turn the life of intelligence operative Kathi Lynn Austin into an action thriller vehicle for Angelina Jolie reports Variety.
The studio has acquired life rights to Austin, who has undertaken field missions in Africa, Europe, Southeast Asia and Central America.
The 'Bourne Identity' style thriller will focus on the hunt for a fictional arms dealer inspired by Victor Bout, the shadowy Russian who is considered one of the world's most prolific traffickers in illegal munitions.
Austin most recently worked on contract for the U.N. Security Council. The studio is putting together a shortlist of scribes and aim to set one as soon as the writers strike ends.
Jolie is currently shooting the Clint Eastwood-directed drama "The Changeling" for Universal Pictures.
Jason Bateman tells Collider that writer/director Joe Carnahan is penning a new project with him in mind.
Bateman says the project is entitled "Remarkable Fellows" and is "basically 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' meets 'The Bourne Identity' with the premise following "these brothers who have a revenge business internationally."
Bateman says that once the writer's strike is over, Carnahan will finish that up and hope to shoot that next year - depending upon his schedule with "Killing Pablo" and "White Jazz".
Talk has it that Johnny Depp and "Collateral" & "Heat" director Michael Mann may be teaming up for a film about the Depression-era crime wave.
Mann has long pursued plans for a screen adaptation of Brian Burrough's nonfiction book "Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34" for Universal Pictures. Leonardo DiCaprio was in fact previously attached to the project.
Now though according to The Hollywood Reporter, both Mann and Depp have holes in their schedules and are sitting down this week to discuss the possibility of joining forces. If it all comes together, Depp would play the role of bank robber John Dillinger and production would kick off in March in Chicago.
Mann has considered helming Sony's spy thriller "Edwin A. Salt" but has not committed because he believes it needs a rewrite. Depp was originally slated to shoot both "Shantaram" and "The Rum Diaries" but both projects were delayed last month.
DiCaprio is almost certainly no longer involved due to his commitment to Scorsese's "Shutter Island."
"Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins" producers Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that Christian Bale is to play John Connor in the first film of the new trilogy.
Whilst the role of John Connor is that of an "ongoing, very central character throughout the next trilogy", another lead character who is a new figure is just as important. Anderson says that "it's questionable if he's an enemy or not. That's not necessarily resolved."
Is it a Terminator character? "Well, it's hard to say. It is a new character introduced in the mythology that's not replacing Arnold [Schwarzenegger]. It's not like he's stepping into Arnold's shoes. It's a completely new character."
He adds that "It's a really interesting time in the franchise because it's where all the fans have always wanted the franchise to go, and it hasn't to date, which is the post-apocalyptic world. It's after judgment day. So because we're in a different time in the mythology, it introduces a whole new set of circumstances and characters."
Will Schwarzenegger return? "It still hasn't been determined, but if he does, it would be a very small cameo." Shooting is slated to start on March 15th in either Australia or Budapest with a budget "north of $150 million."
Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Oliver Platt, David Cross, Vinnie Jones and Juno Temple will team for producer Judd Apatow's "Year One," a Sony Pictures comedy set in biblical times reports the trades.
The studio is keeping quiet about the story line, which was generated by the film's director Harold Ramis. Jack Black and Michael Cera headline the cast.
Platt is in talks to play a platform-shoe-wearing high priest in the comedy, while Jones is on board to play a head palace guard named Sargon. Cross and Temple's roles are not known.
Filming is set to begin in January in Louisiana and New Mexico.
"X-Men" and "Star Wars" actor Ray Park has been cast as Snake Eyes in Stephen Sommer's big screen live-action adaptation of "G.I. Joe" reports Slashfilm.
Snake Eyes is one of the original members of the GI Joe series although not much is known about the ninja master's real identity as it has remained classified throughout the series. The U.S. Army Sergeant First Class (E-7) is known for his stealth like movements and extensive knowledge of multiple forms of martial arts.
Snake-Eyes is romantically involved with fellow G.I. Joe member Master Sergeant Shana M. O'Hara, a.k.a. Scarlett. The project will hit theaters on August 7th 2009.
Will Smith is set to produce the horror feature "Monster Hunter" for Sony Pictures reports Bloody Disgusting.
The story follows a child psychologist (Kevin James) who can actually see the monsters that torment kids from closets and under beds. He uses that skill to vanquish the beasts until he meets a particularly nasty one.
David Dobkin ("Wedding Crashers," "The Flash") will direct from a script by Robert Baird and Daniel Gerson, no word on a start date.
Nickelodeon and DreamWorks Animation SKG have announced plans to join forces on a new, 26-episode, CG animated comedy series tentatively titled "The Penguins of Madagascar," based on the beloved penguin brothers in DreamWorks Animation's hit feature film "Madagascar" and its upcoming sequel.
The series, which tells the story of a group of penguins who believes it leads an elite strike force from its Central Park Zoo headquarters, will be produced at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio in Burbank, California and is scheduled to premiere on Nickelodeon in early 2009.
The series will feature the all-new adventures of Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private, four penguins who rule the roost at their Central Park Zoo home. While the brothers have their flippers full keeping their multi-species zoo neighborhood happy, at times their secret missions beckon them to venture out onto the busy streets of New York City.
Just as the team thinks it has its urban acreage under control, a new neighbor moves in next door: Julien, King of the Lemurs, a party animal with an entourage and an overactive ego. Much to the penguins' exasperation, King Julien and his friends are there to stay, proving once again that opposites do not attract.
The series will be executive produced by Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley, (Disney's Kim Possible, Disney's Hercules, Sky High) and feature the voices of Tom McGrath as Skipper, Jeff Bennett as Kowalski, James Patrick Stuart as Private and John DiMaggio as Rico, with Danny Jacobs starring as Julien, King of the Lemurs.
Imagi Animation Studios' big screen rendition of Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy couldn't be more off my radar, but now that I've seen this splendid first image of the legendary character... I now know an Astro Boy movie is being made! And that Astro Boy will look like Astro Boy. And that there's going to be a giant robot something doing vaguely robotic things while Astro Boy stands around in swim trunks beaming like a jackass.
This Westernized take on Astro Boy is being directed by visual f/x veteran Colin Brady (he earned an Oscar nomination for his work on Ang Lee's Hulk), who will work from a screenplay by Michael Lachance (his only other writing credit is for that direct-to-DVD Christmas movie featuring the penguins from Madagascar). Though I'm sure both Brady and Lachance are talented guys, all we've really to go on with this Astro Boy movie is the property itself (beloved in Japan), which is essentially a futuristic reworking of Carlo Collodi's The (Non-Erotic) Adventures of Pinocchio (in Tezuka's telling, a heartbroken scientist creates a robot boy in the image of his deceased son, and things get complicated from there). Until I read a script, this'll be filed under "Projects I'd Rather See Done in Live Action with Roberto Benigni".
Brady's Astro Boy (or is it AstroBoy?) is slated for a 2009 release, where it will struggle to distinguish itself among the 3D animated likes of Monsters vs. Aliens and whatever Pixar's got going that year. Warner Brothers and Miramax will split up the global distribution.
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fchud.com%2Fnextraimages%2Fastroboypic.jpg&hash=d38708bb11cc4aa6716fe5175a701a76907234e5)
Robert Pattinson ("Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire") has joined the cast of Summit Entertainment's teen-vampire thriller "Twilight" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on Stephanie Meyer's best-selling young-adult novel, Pattinson will play the role of Edward, a teenager who leads a double life as a vampire and becomes romantically involved with his nonvampire high school classmate Bella (Kristen Stewart).
Catherine Hardwicke ("Thirteen") is directing the film, which begins filming early 2008 from a script by Melissa Rosenberg ("Step Up"). The company hopes to turn the film into a potential franchise.
Pattinson recently wrapped shooting on "Little Ashes" in which he played a young Salvador Dali and follows the intense relationship that supposedly developed between the artist and Spanish dramatist and poet Federico Garcia Lorca in 1920s Madrid.
Zanimljiv fan intervju na Carnahanovom blogu:
Guys:
I've reprinted the questions below. The answers follow each one.
JC
POSTED BY: MIKE 12/05/2007 AT 07:05 AM
I'M JUST CURIOUS WHEN WE CAN EXPECT ANY MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS WITH KP OR WJ?
Mike:
As soon as I know one way or the other on either WHITE JAZZ or KILLING PABLO,
you guys will be the first to know. I can tell you this: There are two actors that
I'm interested in for WJ. Both are available and both are apparently keen on the
script. But it's all speculation at the point. KP on the other hand, seems likes it's
about to blow and blow big. I've got somebody. We met for an extended period
when I was in NYC and he is my absolute first and only choice for the film since
that meeting. This enthusiasm is mutual. If I was a betting man, I would go with
KP happening quickly. But I'm repeatedly waylaid by the twists and turns of this
business, so to pretend like I know or could even gauge an outcome is pretty
preposterous.
POSTED BY: ANONYMOUS 12/05/2007 AT 07:23 AM
QUESTION- IT SEEMED ON THE (NARC) DISC THAT YOU AND JASON PATRICK REALLY CLICKED, MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING AND RESPECT. I REALLY DUG WHITE JAZZ, WHY ISN'T HE YOUR KLEIN? SEEMS PERFECT FOR THE GIG. ACTUALLY WHEN I FIRST HEARD ABOUT THE PROJECT, ALL I PICTURED WAS YOU TWO BANGING OUT ANOTHER CLASSIC. F CLOONEY, YOU CAUGHT A BREAK. ANY CHANCE YOU GUYS ROCKIN THIS THING?
Dude:
I remain a steadfast, albeit frustrated fan of Jason Patric. As an actor he possesses an extraordinary skill set. He's probably the smartest, funniest guy in the room at any given moment. He also has a very firm personal and professional mandate and it's marked him as a tough guy to work with. I'm certainly no picnic either and I think it was that grist between us and that constant grind it provided, that made Narc work so well. It's a shame because of all the actors, custom-tailored to play somebody like Dave Klein, Jason has to rank up there at the top. But in this business, they bank on the guys that go along and get along and that just ain't Jason. For that, he has my enduring respect. Regardless of your thoughts on him and his career (and his should have been the biggest of them all) he has seldom ever sold himself out. He did one sequel and I think he regrets it to this day. I'm still hopeful we can find something. He's only 40 years old and in the prime of his life and in the age of the dwindling leading man and when guys like Josh Brolin are getting (deservedly so) a shot to carry movies, Jason's reappearance on the scene is long overdue.
POSTED BY: MIKE WILSON 12/05/2007 AT 07:27 AM
HAVING HAD SO MANY PRODUCERS ON NARC DID YOU FIND IT HARD TO MAKE THE MOVIE YOU WANTED TO MAKE AND KEEP EVERYONE WITH THE MONEY HAPPY? OR DID YOU HAVE THE FREEDOM TO DO MORE OR LESS WHAT YOU WANTED?
Mike:
In a situation like Narc, when the lack of money and the almost pathological level of lying practiced by the 'producers' creates a personal rift between you and everybody else, it was wonderful. There were actual producers on that film that were of great benefit but I think they felt hamstrung so they did what they could behind the scenes. Nobody from the money-side bothered us and in retrospect, I wouldn't have had it any other way. Had the financiers been responsible and forthright, it would've instilled a 'proprietary' sense in them, thus giving them more access to me and the movie...but because they were such unilateral c*cksuckers both during and after the shoot, they steered clear and that was exactly what we needed to make that film the way we needed to make it. I'm not complaining either. I'm really not. I owe them a huge debt for standing down, whatever the reasons behind their actions.
And I dug The Kingdom. I think it was a singular vision and Pete didn't deter from that.
Haven't seen P&G and I'm chomping at the bit. I'm trying to host a screening with Ed Norton here in a few weeks.
POSTED BY: DANV 12/05/2007 AT 07:42 AM
DO YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS THAT JUAN PABLO ESCOBAR COULD BE A MOLE FOR ROBERTO ESCOBAR REGARDING YOUR PRODUCTION OF "KILLING PABLO"? HAVING PABLO'S SON AS RESOURCE OF INFORMATION, PHOTOS AND MEMORIES WOULD BE AWESOME BUT WHERE DOES THE NEPHEW VS UNCLE RELATIONSHIP STAND TODAY? SINCE JUAN PABLO CONTACTED YOU I WOULD GUESS HE JUST WANTS TO MAKE SURE THAT HIS SIDE OF HIS FATHER STORY IS HEARD BEFORE YOU BEGIN PRODUCTION. IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO KNOW IF JUAN PABLO HAS READ MARK BOWDEN'S BOOK "KILLING PABLO" AND HOW ACCURATE HE FEELS THE BOOK IS TO HIS FATHER'S STORY.
Danv:
I've got it on pretty reliable information that the 'Roberto Escobar' associated with that other project, may be a fake. He might not be the actual Roberto. Now the same might be said for the man purporting to be Pablo's son and that's why a face to face meeting is the only situation I'll accept if I choose to move forward and sit down with him to hear his side of things. The letter I read was obviously written by someone of marked intelligence and a keen understanding of both his father's role in the world wide drug trade and his larger legacy as an enduring, historical icon. Juan Pablo's words don't betray any bloodline, familiar delusion or devotion or attempt to portray his father with anything other than an honest, open context. That's pretty promising but I won't really know any more than that until I sit down with the man himself.
POSTED BY: JD 12/05/2007 AT 07:45 AM
I READ YOUR POST RECENTLY RE: LIONS FOR LAMBS AND, WHILE I APPRECIATED YOUR DESIRE TO STAND-UP FOR YOUR BRO, I ACTUALLY THINK YOU WERE DOING HIM A DIS-SERVICE. I READ THE LFL SCRIPT A WHILE BACK AND I THOUGHT IT WAS TERRIFIC, BUT I THINK ROBERT REDFORD DROPPED THE BALL IN A BIG WAY. HIS APPROACH WAS SO OBVIOUS, CONVENTIONAL, AND ONE-NOTE. HE DIDN'T CAPTURE THE SENSE OF NUANCE, AMBIVALENCE OR AUTHENTICITY OF THE SCRIPT AND HE SENSELESSLY UNDERMINED THE DARK ENDING BY GOING FOR FALSE HOPE AND CUTTING AWAY IN A MOMENT OF INDECISION, RATHER THAN MAKE THE MORE TRUTHFUL, DISTURBING, AND RESONANT POINT THAT THE SCRIPT MADE (IE. BASED ON THE "INSPIRATIONAL" CONVERSATION HE HAD WITH HIS PROFESSOR, THIS CHARACTER INADVERTENTLY DETERMINES THAT AMERICAN SOCIETY WILL ULTIMATELY REWARD HIM FOR HIS COMPACENCY). ANYWAY, THIS IS A LONG WAY OF ASKING IF A) YOU FEEL REDFORD WAS THE RIGHT CHOICE TO DIRECT LFL AND B) DID YOU EVER CONSIDER DIRECTING THIS SCREENPLAY OR ANY OF YOUR BROTHER'S OTHER SCRIPTS (BESIDES WHITE JAZZ, OBVIOUSLY)?
JD:
I think the point of my post was, regardless of your feelings about the film, it deserved to be viewed,
digested and discussed. I thought the amount of vitriol unleashed on the film was bulls*it. I was a bunch of bitchy critics who couldn't wait to dump all over it and take it task for being 'liberal' or 'preachy' or any of the other wonderfully vicious kidney shots they could sneak in. It never even got out of the gate. They took it off at the neck before even giving it a fair shot. I was a big fan of the script and felt, even though I would have handled some of the material differently, Robert Redford did a great job making something cinematic out of what could have been, in lesser hands, a very rote, blackbox theater production of a one act play. That was always the inherent danger with that script. It took balls and foresight to see it through and like one of the producers said to me. "If it had starred Ed Harris and Marcia Gay Harden' it would've been called 'bold' and 'unique' and I couldn't agree more. They had their blades whetted for LFL and they couldn't wait to start carving. The targets were just too tempting. And let's face it: Losers love to sh*t down their betters.
POSTED BY: AJW 12/05/2007 AT 07:45 AM
I WAS JUST WOUNDERING IF YOU EVER PLANNED ON DOING ANOTHER PROJECT WITH JASON PATRIC OR RYAN REYNOLDS AGAIN. THEY SHINED IN YOUR FILMS AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU WORK WITH THEM AGAIN.
AJW:
I kind of answered this one already. I would love to work with both, should the situation present itself. Getting them in the same flick would be an awful lot of fun too.
POSTED BY: CASEY MOORE 12/05/2007 AT 07:47 AM
IS THERE A FRANCHISE YOU WOULD LOVE TO DIRECT AND IF YOU GOT THE CHANCE HOW WOULD YOU DO IT? I AM THINKING IN TERMS OF BOND OR INDIANA JONES OR ANY OF THE OTHER FRANCHISE CHARACTERS OR SERIES OUT THERE.
Casey:
I'd kill to do something as great as the Indiana Jones series. I think it's tough to commit
to something like that though because it represents such a big chunk of your creative life
and unless you're somebody like Spielberg who has this incredible machine in place that
allows him to function at that level and be able to do something like 'Jurassic Park' in the
same time frame as 'Schindler's List', it's a big sacrifice. That said, I will still love to be
able to do some kind of trilogy and find a character that intrigues me enough to do so.
I have a spec that I'm writing right now that might do the trick. It's a gigantic movie in
terms of scope and scale, so it's not something I could approach lightly. All things being
equal, I would prefer to control the material myself as opposed to going into a situation
like the 'Bond' series. Although I'm a fan of that franchise.
POSTED BY: KEVIN 12/05/2007 AT 07:58 AM
HOW DO YOU BALANCE YOUR CAREER AS A FILMMAKER AND YOUR DUTIES AS A FATHER? AND HAVE YOUR CHILDREN EVER SEEN ONE OF YOUR FILMS YET? WOULD YOU CONSIDER A FILM IF THEY BEGGED YOU TO TAKE IT ON? WHEN I GO AWAY ON LOCATION, IT PAINS ME TO NO END TO NOT BE AN ACTIVE PART OF MY DAUGHTER'S LIFE FOR THAT SHORT PERIOD OF TIME OUTSIDE OF TELEPHONE CALLS AND WHAT HAVE YOU. ALSO THE OTHER THING I FIND SOMEWHAT TRICKY IS EXPLAINING EXACTLY WHAT IT IS I DO FOR A LIVING TO HER. I SUPPOSE I COULD TELL HER THE TRUTH...I SHOOT PEOPLE AND BLOW UP BUILDINGS/CARS FOR A LIVING. BUT SOMEHOW I DON'T FEEL THAT WOULD GO OVER REAL WELL WITH THE OTHER KIDS ON THE PLAYGROUND, WHO WOULD GO HOME AND POSSIBLY TELL THEIR PARENTS ABOUT MY CHOSEN VOCATION.
Kevin:
Thanks for hanging the whole year bro! To imagine how much time you've wasted on my senseless bullshit is to ponder the meaning of the cosmos...HA! Listen, I don't have to tell you how tough it is because you work in this business, so you know the inate hassles and compromises that accompany it like an unwanted rash. I made a deal with myself a long time ago that I was not going to be that absentee asshole that saw his kids before 'Action' and after 'Cut' and in doing so, it put my life into a fairly manageable framework. I wake almost every morning and make my kids breakfast and pack their lunches, all by my lonesome. As I sit here and type this, my son is lying in bed with a bad stomach, still recovering from the chicken pocks...and I wouldn't trade it away for the world. It sounds trite but it's not. There's nothing you or I are ever going to accomplish professionally that will trump your kid throwing their arms around your neck and telling you they love you. All you can do, day to day, is try to connect with them in any way you can. In the most minute fashion, in the most fleeting of moments, these things still matter. You can't help spending time away from your daughters. It's a fact of this business. What you can help is never allowing your connection with them to weaken or flag. And you know what, if my dad did what you do, I would've thought that was the coolest thing in the world. I wouldn't shy away from that one bit. You should be deeply proud of what you do and let your kids know that. Make them a part of that, rather than shielding them from it. I think we try to put blinders on our kids, hoping to spare them from what we view as life's 'harsher realities' and the way I approach that is to take topics that I know might be troubling and explain the hell out of them, while slowly exposing them to whatever that is. Where my films are concerned, no. The only one they've been allowed to view is the short I did for BMW: 'Ticker'. That one I thought was age appropriate. They'll have to wait to see the rest, much to my daughter's displeasure...she just turned twelve you see and twelve is apparently the new 30.
POSTED BY: SHEDRIC BRAGG 12/05/2007 AT 08:06 AM
HOW DID U GET INTO THE BUSINESS BECAUSE I KNOW IT JUST DOESNT FALL IN YOUR LAP YOU HAVE TO BE ON YOUR GRIND 24/7... I'M JUST CURIOUS BECAUSE MY BROTHER AND I ARE INSPIRING FILMMAKERS AS WELL.
Shedric:
We've never found a suitable substitute for hustle and drive and I don't see that ever changing. That's exactly what you have to do...stay on the grind, day and night. When I was working the most miserable, back-breaking job I ever had, at 21 years of age, working from 5pm to 5am, every night, I would sleep for a few hours and then force myself to get up and write. I wrote three scripts in the ten months I had that job. I wish I could pull off that feat today. You have to have the ability to push past the bulls*it and get it done. You have to be ruthless in your intent, not in your personality or your being. As*holes don't pass muster most of the time. Conduct yourself with class and dignity and go after it as hard as you can...and always be thinking. Always, always think of what you're going to do next. If a plan falls apart (And take it from a guy who knows about that as well as anybody) then what are you going to do next? The line of demarkation between the haves and have-nots is pencil thin. It really is. The ones who can suffer the greatest setbacks and not allow the train to leave the tracks are the same ones that will win out in the end. Stumbling and falling is all part of the growth process. Don't try to deny these things and don't try to change what you can't. In a word? ADAPT. You can't do anything better for yourself than that.
POSTED BY: JV 12/05/2007 AT 08:08 AM
QUESTION - GIVE ME ONE PIECE OF ADVICE THAT YOU REALLY WISH SOMEONE WOULD'VE GIVEN YOU AS A FIRST TIME FILMMAKER - SOMETHING THAT AIN'T IN ALL THOSE SHITTY BOOKS, SOMETHING THAT PEEPS IN THE INDUSTRY WON'T TELL YOU, SOMETHING SO TRUE THAT IT'S RARELY SHARED VERBALLY, BUT THAT MADE YOU A BETTER FILMMAKER.
JV:
All I heard was how sh*tty the business was and how bad it was and how nobody ever made it, blah, blah, blah and when I look back now, I realize that all that disparaging crap came from the clowns with no talent. It came from guys who had either washed out, or who had never got wet in the first place. And I'll tell you something. If you really bust your ass and dedicate yourself to your success, then it's not difficult, it's just another step in your professional and artistic growth. You're filling out, the way an athlete does, or a musician. You're trying to reach peak performance. We all are. And if you don't go at it with both hands and an indefatigable heart, then no amount of advice will do. It's meaningless without the will behind it. It's words you put up in a locker room. It has to inspire something deeper than that. Don't be shy. We're going around this rock once for all we know. Kick f*cking doors down and don't you dare apologize. I shudder to think how many careers have been sidelined by social mores or 'doing the right thing' as opposed to following a dream. Don't let that happen to you. And don't let anybody around you talk sh*t about you or what you're attempting. Cut those useless f*ckers loose, TODAY.
POSTED BY: BANA 12/05/2007 AT 08:09 AM
JOE, WHO ARE FIVE ACTORS AND FIVE ACTRESSES YOU WOULD LOVE TO DIRECT IN YOUR LIFETIME?
Bana:
I'll give you five, all in bro. Actors and Actresses, just off the top of my head: Paul Newman, Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Gena Rowlands, Joaquin Phoenix.
POSTED BY: KENNY 12/05/2007 AT 08:11 AM
I'M CURIOUS WHAT KIND OF WORK (SHORT FILMS, NO-BUDGET FEATURES, ETC) YOU DID BEFORE BLOOD, GUTS, BULLETS & OCTANE, AND HOW THAT FILM LED TO BEING ABLE TO DO NARC.
ALSO, YOU MENTIONED SOME TIME AGO YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO POST STORYBOARDS FROM YOUR TAKE ON MI:III. DID THAT HIT A LEGAL SNAG, OR IS THERE STILL A CHANCE WE MIGHT GET TO SNEAK A LOOK AT THOSE?
Kenny:
Practice makes perfect. Well, it actually doesn't but it does prepare you in a variety of ways and even though BGBO and NARC were as dissimilar as two films could be, the techniques that went into each were very much of the same species. I spent a lot of time doing stuff for ZERO budget and that training, most of it self taught, was huge in helping me navigate the potential pitfalls of a film like NARC. You develop a way or working quickly and efficiently when you're doing it sans funds and you are also able to make critical command decisions when they arise because you know that a failure to do so means a lost day and one you might not recover.
I wish I could show you the MI3 stuff. I probably can now because so much time has passed. Let me work on that one again.
POSTED BY: JEFF R 12/05/2007 AT 08:15 AM
THE BARES BONES OF HOW YOU STARTED YOUR CARRER.
1. WHATS THE VERY 1ST PROJECT YOU EVER DID? WEDDING VIDEO? SHORT MOVIE? ETC.
First thing I ever did was a short film called 'NOOSE' right out of high school before entering
college. I wasn't one of those kids lucky enough to get an 8mm camera when I was a kid.
2. THE FIRST EDITING SYSTEM YOU EVER LEARNED? ADOBE PREMIERE? FINAL CUT PRO?
I learned on a German system called the FAST. It was 1995 and digital editing was making it's first appearance.
3. DID YOU ATTEND/GRADUATE FILM SCHOOL? IF SO, WHICH ONE?
I went to SF State and Sacramento State. No reputable film school would have me and to say my grades were middling would be doing a disservice to the word 'middling.' I sucked in high school. SEE KIDS! THERE'S ALWAYS HOPE! BUT GET THAT G.E.D.!
4. TOP 5 FAVORITE FILMS OF YOURS.
In no particular order and since it changes so much. Right now:
Raging Bull
Hara Kiri
The Insider
Raiders of the Lost Ark
8 1/2
POSTED BY: AMAR 12/05/2007 AT 08:16 AM
MY QUESTION IS, WHAT REALLY ATTRACTS YOUR EYE TO A PROJECT? WITH WHITE JAZZ AND KILLING PABLO YOU'RE OPENING YOURSELF TO MORE EPIC FILMS (I.E. 50'S NOIR AND INTERNATIONAL INTRIGUE). DO YOU SEE EACH FILM AS A PROGRESS FOR YOU TO CONTINUE TO PUSH YOURSELF AS A FILMMAKER? IF SO, WHAT'S THE ULTIMATE GOAL IN TERMS OF CINEMA FOR YOU?
Amar:
I think the goal for any artist is hopefully, self exploration and from that, education and edification. I know that sh*t might drip with pretense but it's really the the most plain way to put it. If you're not pushing yourself and your craft, then what the f*ck are you doing out there? Why waste your time. I understand the need to make money and commerce creates that but if all we did were big blockbuster movies (which has become an alarming box office trend) then were would our more subtle forms of art come from? With both White Jazz and Killing Pablo I felt as though I was taking myself out of my comfort zone.
Variety.
Rhett Reese-Paul Wernick penned the script which centers on the most frightened guy on Earth who leads a motley crew of survivors in a world overrun by zombies.
The title refers to an old funeral home that is turned into a morbid attraction called Zombieland. The studio is eyeing to start filming around April.
Director Peter Berg ("The Kingdom," "Hancock") is being courted to helm Sony Pictures espionage thriller "Edwin A. Salt" reports The Hollywood Insider.
The Kurt Wimmer-scripted drama follows CIA officer Edwin A. Salt who is fingered by a defector as a Russian sleeper spy. Salt must elude capture by his superiors and sets out to reunite with his family and prove his innocence.
The project is being developed as a star vehicle for Tom Cruise and the studio is aiming to get into production by March to beat the pending actor's strike deadline should it go into effect next June.
Latino Review reports that Korean star Byeong-Heon Lee wil play Storm Shadow and Rachel Nichols is Shana "Scarlett" O'Hara in Stephen Sommers' G.I. Joe adaptation.
Storm Shadow, aka. Thomas S. Arashikage, is the Cobra Commander's ninja bodyguard and assassin who has changed sides several times, conflicted in loyalties between Cobra, G.I. Joe and his long relationship with his swordbrother Snake-Eyes (Ray Park).
The Atlanta-born O'Hara is a crossbow-wielding counter intelligence expert with martial arts and acrobatic skills who serves from time to time as team leader.
Byung-Hun Lee stars in "Winter Sonata" and the upcoming Josh Hartnett thriller "I Come With the Rain." Nichols recently starred in "P2" and "Charlie Wilson's War" and had a regular role on the final season of "Alias."
Those boys at CHUD, or more specifically the very frottage-able Devin Faraci, has posted a bunch of new details from "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins," the upcoming fourth film and kick-off of a new trilogy of Terminator films.
Most interesting is that John Connor (Christian Bale) is NOT the main character in the fourth film, but rather will have a more sizable role in the fifth movie.
Instead the main character is Marcus, a Riddick-esque guy who was 'put out of commission' before the nuclear holocaust and wakes up on post-apocalyptic earth around 15 years before the future shown in the original "Terminator".
No actor has yet been cast in the role but they will be required for all three films and will be the 'star' of the new trilogy which is apparently getting good buzz from those who've read the script and all call it epic in scope and great in terms of action.
That action includes battles with the rubber-skinned T-600 terminators, the differences between the humans and cyborgs are said to play a big part in the story, whilst the character of Reese (Michael Biehn in the original film) has a scene with Connor.
THE FUTURE BEGINS HERE
12.19.07
By Devin Faraci
When Ain't It Cool broke the story that Christian Bale was in Terminator 4, playing John Connor, one of my sources became confused. That couldn't be true, I was told - John Connor is barely in the movie. Turns out that it's true, and that yes, John Connor is barely in the movie. Over the last week I have been gathering some details about Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins, and while I am trying to steer clear of serious spoiler material, people who don't want to know anything about this movie should step away from the computer right now.
John Connor is not the main character of Terminator 4; that character is someone named Marcus. Marcus was put 'out of commission' before the nuclear holocaust on Judgment Day and he wakes up about 15 years before the future we see in the original Terminator films, which puts the movie at about 2015 or so. Marcus is a bad ass - think along the lines of Riddick - and what he finds is a blasted world filled with horror. Radiation poisoning, starvation, rampant jaywalking - all the things you expect post-apocalypse. There's also John Connor, who is trying to build a utopian society while running the human resistance.
Connor's role is apparently bigger in the second film; whoever they hire for Marcus (my understanding is that the part is not yet cast) will be around for all three films. Terminator 4 is going to be the most male-centric of all the Terminator films, but there is a butt busting female character by the name of Blair, a pilot for the human resistance.
They're going to need some buttkickers, because the scope of the action in Terminator 4 is HUGE. Lots of machine action in this film, including some battles with the T-600s. Yup, the rubber skin Terminators. And there's another familiar character that shows up - Reese shows up in a scene with John Connor. I don't know what his involvement in the next two films will be, though.
Finally, here's a story point that's probably a legitimate spoiler (although it's sort of the main crux around which the story revolves, so it will probably get blown in the advertising), so I'll invisotext this stuff: A big aspect of the story is the degrees of difference between a human and a Terminator. By which I mean cyborgs. By which I mean human brains in robot bodies.
I've gathered this info from a number of different sources, and while they all have different takes on the material (all mostly positive, with one of my sources saying that the story is great and that the action promises to be incredible), they all bring up one point of comparison: The Matrix films. Make of that what you will. For me, the information I've gotten - including really spoilery stuff I won't inflict on you - has gotten me jazzed. This film feels like it could be epic and erase the taste of the workmanlike T3 from my mouth. Let's hope McG can pull this off.
Dwight Little ("Rapid Fire," "Murder at 1600") has been been set to direct "Tekken," a futuristic martial arts actioner based on the bestselling Japanese vidgame from Namco reports Variety.
"The film plays out as a science fiction story set in the near future, about a rebel who rises up against the Tekken Corp. to seize freedom for his people. It's a gladiator story, but the videogame has a complicated enough storyline that it provides the template for a martial arts spectacular" says Little.
Alan McElroy wrote the script. Crystal Sky Pictures is financing the film, which begins production February 4th in Shreveport, Louisiana.
:shock: Dwight Little :D
Čovek koji je radio Anacondas i Ballistic. :!:
Anticipating...
Quote from: "Dry-Na-Nord":shock: Dwight Little :D
Čovek koji je radio Anacondas i Ballistic. :!:
Anticipating...
i najmanje loš nastavak HALLOWEENA...
Nije radio BALLISTIC... Zar ne? To je pisao njegov redovni saradnik McElroy ali je radio neki Azijata...
Ja inače mislim da je Little opak reditelj. Njegov HALLOWEEN je sasvim cool, MARKED FOR DEATH je odličan, a RAPID FIRE je legitiman old school pulp.
Da, da moja greška. Ballistic je radio izvesni KAOSayananda, kukala mu prababa sa tim prezimenom... :)
Wooohooohoo, Ballistic, now THAT brings back memories! Još uvijek se sjećam riječi jednog druga: "Gledaćemo Ballistic, reklama izgleda dobro!" :!: :lol: :lol: :x :x :x :x
yeeeeee-haaaaa!!!
Coen Brothers to Make Spaghetti Western
Filmmaking siblings Joel and Ethan Coen are set to make their goriest film ever - a Spaghetti Western featuring scenes of primitive torture methods. The brothers, whose notoriously gory new film No Country for Old Men has been tipped for Oscar glory, are desperate to make a film about the days of cowboys and Indians battling it out in the Wild West of America. But - as Joel warns - it won't be one for the faint-hearted. He says, "We've written a western with a lot of violence in it. There's scalping and hanging ... it's good. Indians torturing people with ants, cutting their eyelids off." Ethan adds, "It's a proper western, a real western, set in the 1870s. It's got a scene that no one will ever forget because of one particular chicken."
:!: :!: :!:
I LIKE IT ALREADY! :lol:
Baron Cohen Signs with Spielberg
Movie funnyman Sacha Baron Cohen has discovered there is life after his comic creation Borat - he has landed a starring role in a Steven Spielberg movie. Just a week after Cohen announced he had retired Borat - following the success of 2006 movie Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan - he has been signed to star as 60s hippie satirist Abbie Hoffman in The Trial of the Chicago Seven. Hoffman found fame during the Vietnam War by playing pranks to campaign against the conflict. The movie is slated for release in 2010. Vincent D'Onofrio previously played Hoffman in 2000 film Steal This Movie, which was based on a screenplay written by Hoffman and his wife Anita.
Arnold NOT In New "Terminator"By Garth FranklinFriday December 28th 2007 12:35am With a new "Terminator" trilogy in the works, the inevitable question since it was first announced has been what involvement, if any, would former series star turned California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger have in the new projects.
Producer Moritz Borman has now revealed to The Sun that Schwarzenegger will NOT be appearing in the upcoming "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins" but could be involved in the inevitable two sequels.
Borman says "We have a huge twist at the end, which we're being careful not to reveal... I can tell you this much -- this is the story everybody has been waiting for. Namely, we're in the future. The part of it where Arnold's character has not yet been built but is on the drawing board and in the next two episodes we'll get to the point where time-travel is more in the foreground. It's the war against the machines, the start of Skynet taking over the world."
He adds that "It's convenient that he hasn't been built at this point of the story, as Arnold has more important things to do right now, but that doesn't mean he might not re-appear later in the trilogy. He knows the material and is very supportive of what we're doing. There might even be hints of his character in this one."
He also quashed rumors of Vin Diesel's involvement - "Everyone is assuming there is a John Connor and a Terminator in the script. Connor is in there along with another figure, but who is that figure? I've heard everything from Sylvester Stallone to Vin Diesel, and other ones. I can tell you that Vin Diesel is not somebody we're currently talking to."
Shooting will begin on April 15th in Budapest.
Philip Seymour Hoffman and Viggo Mortensen are in talks to join the cast of "Vanikoro" reports Bloody Disgusting.
The story follows the ill-fated scientific exploration of the Pacific by French explorer Jean-François de Galaup, comte de La Pérouse in 1788. His two ships, the Astrolabe and the Boussole, vanished whilst navigating the Solomon Islands.
It was later found out that both ships had crashed on Vanikoro island just north of Vanuatu, and most had been headhunted by the native cannibals. Some survivors had built a raft and sailed off, never to be heard from again, whilst two stayed on the island and lived there for another thirty years.
"Hitman" director Xavier Gens has penned the script and will direct.
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David Fincher's Upcoming FilmsBy Garth FranklinWednesday January 9th 2008 8:15am Out doing publicity for this week's release of the director's cut DVD for his serial killer thriller "Zodiac," David Fincher has spoken candidly about his upcoming slate of projects and how each one is progressing.
He's presently at work on "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and has about nine months of post-production ahead of him. After that he tells IGN Filmforce that "there are a couple of possibilities. Hopefully, within hours, they'll call me and tell me that the deal is done so that I can begin working on another trilogy of Heavy Metal animated CG movies."
He's also looking at making a satirical comedy about videogame development with Sacha Baron Cohen, an adaptation of the graphic novel "The Killer" to which he says "We have a writer and a graphic novel, and I think we have a take", and a film adaptation of the acclaimed novel "The Devil in the White City" about a serial killer at the Chicago World's Fair in the 30's.
He's still planning an adaptation of the graphic novel "Torso" he tells MTV News - "That movie is so not a serial-killer movie. It's about the deconstruction of the myth of [Untouchables leader] Eliot Ness. It has way more to do with "Citizen Kane" than it has to do with "Seven." Ehren Kruger wrote a script that's pretty great. We were speaking with Matt Damon about it."
The long-awaited adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke's space exploration flick "Rendezvous With Rama" is still in development hell, Fincher is waiting on a script - "When they're happy with it, they'll send it to me. It's a project I've always loved. It's probably technologically within striking distance right now. That was always the thing: You couldn't afford to build these things as sets. It's just too huge." As a result he would probably shoot sequences using motion capture.
The story would have to be changed too- "The great thing about [Arthur C.] Clarke and the same things that make it hard to translate in 2008, it's the source material. There are people who love Dragonfly and the whole notion of that. It's hard for me to see it in my head and not think that it's going to be goofy. I love the Melting Sea and all that stuff. The interior of Rama is amazing, but there's a lot of stuff in what I call the Andromeda Strain part of the story that doesn't work for me. In '72, this was cutting edge, but it's been done so many times in the interim and that makes it very difficult. I think it has to be re-invented."
Finally Fincher says he'd love to work with "Fight Club" author Palahnuik again, and has been considering bringing "Lullaby" to the big screen - "I was pretty interested in Lullaby. It almost has to be dumbed down a bit for it to work as a movie."
Amy Ryan and Greg Kinnear will join the untitled Iraq war thriller being helmed by Paul Greengrass ("The Bourne Ultimatum") for Universal Pictures reports Variety.
Set in the 'Green Zone', a walled and fortified area where U.S. troops stay during the Iraq occupation. Matt Damon plays an officer who teams with a senior CIA officer to search for evidence of weapons of mass destruction.
Ryan will play a New York Times foreign correspondent sent to Iraq to investigate the US Government's WMD claims, whilst Kinnear plays another CIA officer.
Greengrass and scribe Brian Helgeland adapted the premise from Rajiv Chandrasekaran's nonfiction book "Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone", critics say flawed decisions are made in Iraq because leaders are separated from the realities of life in war-torn Iraq.
Antoni Corone has been cast as a colonel. Shooting begins today in Spain for Universal Pictures.
Glasina, ali vredi je spomenuti:
BioShock Movie in the Works?
2K executives suddenly inundated with frantic calls from Uwe Boll's agent.
by Jeff Giles | January 11, 2008
Ah, videogame adaptations. Critics hate them, audiences mostly ignore them...and yet the studios can't seem to get enough of them, which is why -- if the latest rumors are correct -- BioShock could be coming to a theater near you.
The scoop comes from Joystiq, where "a reliable source within a major film production company" has shared the news that BioShock developer 2K is in discussions with said company to bring the bestselling game to the big screen.
If you aren't the gaming sort, here's a BioShock synopsis from the gang at CinemaBlend:
Bioshock is a first person shooter set in an alternative version of the year 1960. The game follows a plane crash survivor named Jack who explores a spectacular, crumbling underwater dystopian city called Rapture. The city is infested with mutant beings and mechanical drones which, as you'd expect with fleshy-headed killers, attack.
If you're reading this and thinking to yourself, "Sounds like the kind of thing someone might want to use a lot of green screen to make," well, the studio's apparently right there with you; according to Joystiq, "the studio hopes to bring the fallen aquatic utopia of Rapture to celluloid life through extensive use of green screen technology, an approach not dissimilar to Legendary Pictures' interpretation of 300."
Obviously, this is just a rumor right now -- but BioShock has sold oodles of copies, and where a studio senses a built-in audience, a film (or dozens of films) aimed at that audience tends to follow. And anyway, we're getting another Street Fighter movie, so really, this isn't much of a stretch. Excited yet, gamers?
Source: Joystiq
Source: CinemaBlend
Source: Cinematical
Dan Clowes ("Ghost World") is set to pen the screenplay for the upcoming animated movie from father and son team Paul and Michel Gondry.
Michel Gondry ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind") tells Slashfilm that "[The movie is] about a dictator who runs a crazy world where hair is the source of energy. The people there are forced to create art, and if the art is too good they are executed. So the dictator there doesn't want anyone to be better than him so he kills the inmates who make good art. They try to make rubbish art but sometimes the worse it is for them, the better it is for the dictator."
Entitled "Migel Munya", it's based on a comic book universe created by 16-year-old but already accomplished comic book artist Paul Gondry.
Mark Wahlberg will star in and Peter Berg will direct an untitled film based on the life of international drug dealer Jon Roberts for Paramount Pictures reports Variety.
The documentary "Cocaine Cowboys" chronicled the same story - after returning from Vietnam as a decorated soldier, Roberts headed to Miami in the late '70s and formed a relationship with the Medellin drug cartel, distributing cocaine worth billions of dollars.
Wahlberg will play Roberts, who was turned in by a cohort and served a decade in jail for his crimes. A writer will be set once the strike ends.
Wahlberg is currently filming Peter Jackson's "The Lovely Bones" and follows that up with the Darren Aronofsky-directed "The Fighter."
FilmsActu reports that Olivier Megaton ("The Red Siren") has been hired to helm the upcoming third installment of "The Transporter."
The third film is scheduled to begin production next summer, with casting still under way. It is assumed that Jason Statham will return to reprise his role of Frank Martin.
Louis Letterier and Corey Yuen directed the first feature in 2002, whilst the former also helmed the 2005 sequel. Megaton was also the second united director on "Hitman".
"Deadwood" and "Hitman" lead Timothy Olyphant will star in the thriller "A Perfect Getaway" for Relativity Media and MGM Films reports the trades.
Olyphant will play a newlywed whose Hawaiian honeymoon becomes a nightmare when he and his bride are stalked by two killers whilst hiking.
Written and directed by David Twohy ("Pitch Black," "The Arrival"), production is slated to begin March 17th in Puerto Rico.
"Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere will be slipping into a different cheerleading uniform for Fox Atomic's coming-of-age teen movie "I Love You, Beth Cooper" reports the trades.
Panettiere would play Beth, the school's hottest cheerleader who shows nerdy valedictorian Denis Cooverman the best night of his life after he proclaims his love for her during his graduation speech.
"Cooper" is based on the novel by fomrer "Simpsons" scribe turned New Yorker writer Larry Doyle. Panettiere recently wrapped filming "Fireflies in the Garden."
Chris Columbus is producing and is also in talks to direct. The studio is aiming to start filming in the spring.
Will Smith has confirmed to Omelete that Steven Spielberg has approached him to do "Chicago 7." Actually, according to Smith, Spielberg asked him to leave some free space in his schedule - when the script is ready, Smith will receive it.
He tells the Brazillian outlet that he's been asked to leave some free space in his schedule and is now awaiting the script - "When Steve is ready he will send it. I don't know specifics, story, anything, but he told me the filming dates, so I can be free to do it. It's not a 100% sure thing yet, but I'm confident."
Smith is up for the role of Black Panther Bobby Seale who was put on trial on federal conspiracy charges for the anti-war riots that engulfed the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago.
"The Office's" Craig Robinson and former porn star Traci Lords have joined the cast of Kevin Smith's "Zack & Miri Make a Porno" for The Weinstein Co. and Dimension Films says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story centers around two lifelong friends -- Zack and Miri -- who after finding themselves deep in debt enlist their friends to make a pornographic movie with the goal of earning some quick cash.
Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks and Jason Mewes have already been cast in the lead roles. Ricky Mabe ("Beautiful People"), Jeff Anderson ("Clerks II") and Katie Morgan (HBO's "Katie Morgan: A Porn Star Revealed") have also joined the film.
Production is set to begin Wednesday.
Oliver Stone, who has made films about the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the presidency of Richard Nixon, will next turn his attention to George W. Bush.
Josh Brolin is attached to play the president in the project, titled "Bush."
Stone is looking to secure financing for a script by Stanley Weiser, who co-wrote "Wall Street" with Stone and who also penned the 2003 telefilm "Rudy: The Rudy Giulianai Story."
Stone hopes to begin production on "Bush" as early as the spring in order to release the film by the fall election. But securing financing in the midst of an election cycle in which even the Republican candidates for the presidency are distancing themselves from Bush could present a challenge if the film is to be completed before Bush fades from the scene.
Moritz Borman, who served as a producer on both Stone's "Alexander" and "World Trade Center," and John Kilik, another of "Alexander's" producers, are on board to produce.
Kilik also was to have produced Stone's My Lai massacre film "Pinkville," which United Artists put on hold in November, citing the need for further script revisions, though skeptics also suggested that the company lost confidence in the politically themed project after the boxoffice failure of "Lions for Lambs."
In late 2006 came word that Paramount Pictures was planning to continue its successful Jack Ryan action franchise with a fifth film that would NOT be based on one of Tom Clancy's books.
Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck played the character in four highly successful thrillers from 1990-2002 including "The Hunt for Red October," "Patriot Games," "Clear and Present Danger" and "The Sum of All Fears."
The series was always a solid international earner for the studio, each taking in around $200 million globally from budgets about a third that amount. The studio still owns the film rights to the Ryan character and have every legal right to move forward with a film using him and whatever story they wished.
Then last year Director Philip Noyce was attached to reunite with Harrison Ford on the project which was entitled "By Any Means Necessary". The pair had previously worked on 1992's "Patriot Games" and 1994's "Clear and Present Danger" featuring the character.
Now, Noyce tells Moviehole that both he and Ford are no longer returning to the Jack Ryan series but the project remains in the works and he's heard that acclaimed young actor Ryan Gosling will be playing Ryan.
How the film will fit into the context of the series is a big question. 2002's "Sum of All Fears" was one of the first examples of the now common practice of 'rebooting' a major Hollywood franchise. Yet whilst generally drawing positive reviews, 'Sum' was heavily criticised for its casting of Ben Affleck in the lead role of a young Ryan. A more acclaimed thesp like Gosling in the lead role will no doubt draw more favorable reviews.
The lack of utilising a book is also not unexpected - chronologically the next book in the series is "Debt of Honor" which many consider unfilmable as the ending involves the terrorist hijacking of a passenger jet which is then crashed into the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. during a joint session of Congress.
If they do go ahead, its unlikely that Clancy will give them permission to develop a franchise based on his other lead character John Clark as he still owns the rights to that character and the books involving him including "Without Remorse" and "Rainbow Six."
Fernando Meirelles is the front runner to direct Paramount Pictures "By Any Means Necessary" reports Moviehole.
'Necessary' is the next film in the Jack Ryan franchise made popular in the 1990's and based on the novels by author Tom Clancy.
This film however will not be based on a Ryan book, and will follow the young CIA analyst caught up in global political events. Ryan Gosling is the front runner to play the character.
Meirelles is the acclaimed helmer of Brazillian slum doco "City of God". It's his work on the lauded but unconventional "The Constant Gardener", an adaptation of author John Le Carre's tale of international corruption, that looks to have lead to his name being linked to the project.
Despite their names being linked, neither Meirelles or Gosling has signed anything as yet.
Jonah Hill and comedian Louis C.K. will play Ricky Gervais' neighbors in the Warner Bros. comedy "This Side of the Truth" says Reuters.
The story centers on Mark (Gervais), an average guy who discovers his newfound ability to tell untruths in a world where lying doesn't exist, and uses the skill in his effort to seduce a woman (Jennifer Garner) who is way out of his league.
Hill will play Mark's humorous neighbor who also suffers from depression, while Louis C.K. will play Mark's loser best friend. Rob Lowe also stars.
Gervais, who marks his feature directing debut with the film, is co-writing and co-directing with Matt Robinson. Production is set to begin in April.
BERLIN -- Director Wolfgang Petersen and Berlin-based film group Senator Entertainment have set up a joint venture to produce English-language television miniseries.
The first production under the three-year agreement will be a documentary series on the Cold War that already is in development. Petersen's shingle Radiant Prods. will act as the leading producer on the project.
The Petersen-Senator operation will be based in Cologne, at ProTV, the German television group in which Senator holds a 51% stake.
Petersen got his start in German television, and his international breakthrough -- the submarine epic "Das Boot" -? originally was done as a two-part miniseries.
"The miniseries format opens fantastic creative possibilities that one really doesn't have in film," Petersen said. "I am especially pleased to be able to return to my television beginnings with such a dynamic and forward-looking partner like Senator."
Senator's new drama "Fireflies in the Garden," featuring Julia Roberts, Ryan Reynolds and Willem Dafoe, will have its world premiere Sunday at the Berlin International Film Festival.
u obimnom intervjuu na dvdu malpertuis luckasti harry kumel kaže da je Wolfgang Petersen jedan od najvećih reditelja koji trenutno rade u usa, štaviše, da je on fritz lang našeg doba!
Šta fali Volfgangu, osim što je režirao onaj užasni film koji nisam gledao?
Jane on the Run for McTiernan
Source: SWAT, Variety February 9, 2008
Thomas Jane (Stephen King's The Mist, The Punisher) will topline the $35 million action-thriller Run, to be directed by John McTiernan for Arclight Films, reports Variety.
McTiernan will shoot the film on location in Argentina. Principal photography is set to begin April 14.
Written by Jonah Loop, the film is being produced by Michael Pierce and Mark Williams. Hamilton and Simon Fawcett of Aramid Capital will executive produce.
The wide spaces of Argentina are appropriate for Run, which has an American Interpol agent happening upon a conspiracy during a thrills-and-spills high-speed pursuit across the country.
"This is an unrelenting action-thriller in true McTiernan style, creating acrobatic mayhem in exotic locales," said Hamilton. "BMW has come onboard to provide the cars, and Roush Performance is designing a Super Mustang for the film, setting up what will be a spectacular vehicle stunt-action chase movie," he added.
"This is an exciting thriller, which just happens to unravel as cars chase each other at over 120 mph," said Pierce.
South Korean pop star Rain has landed the lead role in "Ninja Assassin", the first post-"Speed Racer" project of the Wachowski siblings ("The Matrix" trilogy) reports Variety.
Announced at a press conference in Seoul yesterday, no further word is out as yet on the story details though shooting will run from March to July in Berlin.
The production will use the same setup as 2006's "V for Vendetta" with the Wachowski's and Joel Silver producing, and helmer James McTeigue likely to direct.
Also known by his real name Jung Ji-hoon, Rain's first leading role was in Park Chan-wook's 2007 effort "I'm a Cyborg, but That's OK" and has a supporting role in the upcoming "Speed Racer".
"The Bourne Identity" and "Jumper" Director Doug Liman has confirmed to MTV News that Nicole Kidman is set to play Valerie Plame in the upcoming Warner Bros. biopic about the outed CIA agent.
"She's perfect if you've ever met Valerie. Nicole was supposed to play Jane Smith in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.' We owe a movie together! That's an unrequited thing between me and an actor where I fell in love with them for a role and never get to consummate it" said Liman who is helming the project.
Valerie Elise Plame Wilson is a former United States CIA Operations Officer whose covert identity was classified and the wife of former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV. After working for the CIA for twenty years, she retired in December 2005, as a result of the publication and compromising of her classified cover identity by American journalist Robert Novak in 2003. The ensuing fallout lead to a highly publicised scandal reaching all the way up to U.S. President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
Warners landed the film rights to Plame's memoir "Fair Game" almost a year ago, yet the film has been a tricky one to do considering how much of the book was 'redacted' - ie. heavily censored by the CIA with black lines erasing much of the book's text.
Liman however insists he's found a way around any government objections - "I have a really, really insane take on how to tell it. It's so outrageous. Ultimately, I'd be doing something no one has ever done before. Therefore it's automatically appealing to me. I'm just starting to explore whether [what I have in mind] is even possible to do."
The director has also been having extensive talks with Plame who is said to have lent him her complete support.
BERLIN — Producers of Russia's most expensive ever film, Fedor Bondarchuk's $40 million adaptation of cult Soviet sci-fi novel "The Inhabited Island" are holding back from international sales, despite intense interest from Berlinale market buyers.
At a packed industry-only 10 minute promo screening at the European Film Market Thursday producer Alexander Rodnyansky said he wanted to build international interest before committing to selling either world rights to a Hollywood major or territory by territory to individual buyers.
Sales agent Raisa Fomina said buyers from key territories, including the U.K. were champing at the bit to do deals.
But Rodnyansky, who also runs Russia's top TV entertainment network CTC, is in no rush.
"We want to build interest first and see the possibilities of exploring different options to understand the potential of the movie," Rodnyansky, who is also serving on the Berlinale's international competition jury, told Variety.
A full two hours and 10 minutes long early cut of the film was due to be shown to Sony Pictures executives in Moscow. That version also would be sent back to Los Angeles for viewing by composer Hans Zimmer, who is creating a score for a film that blends Gulag and "Blade Runner" in the story of a 22nd century astronaut who crash lands on a planet run by a sinister totalitarian military order.
Other studios chiefs will also get the opportunity to see the film before sales start, Rodnyansky said.
"If a major player comes up with a good enough offer, I would definitely consider one international rights sale, otherwise we may do it on a territory by territory basis," Rodnyansky added.
The film, which stars newcomer Vasily Stepanov as the young astronaut Maxim whose destiny is to find love and save the planet, also features Bondarchuk.
Due for release across Russia on 1,000 copies probably January 1, 2009 and internationally within six months of that, the film is Bondarchuk's second as a director.
Rodnyansky plans a two picture release for Russia but one edited version for international.
Bondarchuk, whose father Sergei won an Oscar for "War and Peace" in 1969, had been due in Berlin for the promo screening but illness and editing demands in Moscow forced him to cancel.
JOHN LANDIS TO "GHOULISHLY YOURS, WILLIAM M. GAINES"
John Landis ("National Lampoon's Animal House," "The Blues Brothers," "Masters of Horror") has been attached to direct the authorized feature biopic, "Ghoulishly Yours, Wiliam M. Gaines." Landis will develop the project with Joel Eisenberg, who is penning the screenplay based on the life of the titular EC Comics' publisher ("Tales from The Crypt," "Mad Magazine" et. al.).
Pic will revolve around the banding together of an anti-establishment group of artists and writers, led by a reluctant Gaines, as they produce their controversial yet hugely popular line of comic books. At the peak of his success Gaines becomes an unwitting First Amendment figurehead, defending his livelihood against the U.S. government amidst accusations of perpetuating juvenile delinquency.
Landis most recently helmed "Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project" for HBO.
Eisenberg is a partner in production concern EMO Films, LLC with Tim Owens and Eugene Mandelcorn.
Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin Long and Seann William Scott are providing the lead voices to New Line Cinema's first 3-D CG-animated feature "Planet 51" reports the trades.
The $60 million film revolves around a group of residents on the eponymous planet who live in an innocent world right out of the 1950s, complete with the paranoia that they will be overrun by alien invaders.
Johnson will play astronaut Capt. Charles "Chuck" Baker, who arrives from Earth and confirms their worst fears. He's forced to avoid capture so he can find his spaceship and return home.
Long will voice Lem, the local who Chuck befriends. Biel will voice Neera, the film's female protagonist and Lem's love interest. Scott will voice Lem's sidekick, Skiff.
Joe Stillman ("Shrek," "Shrek 2") penned the script, Jorge Blanco is directing, and Javier Abad and Marcos Martinez co-direct. A July 24th 2009 release is being targeted.
Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser and Jackson Rathbone have been cast as vampires opposite the two main characters of Summit Entertainment's hopeful franchise starter "Twilight" reports the trades.
Based on the first installment of Stephenie Meyer's popular young-adult series, the film tells the story of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), a 17-year-old who moves to a small town in Washington state to live with her father and becomes drawn to Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), a pale, mysterious classmate who seems determined to push her away.
She later learns he is a vampire and then encounters the entire Cullen family, all of whom are creatures of the night. Nikki Reed, Ashley Greene and Kellan Lutz have also joined the cast as vampires in the Cullen family.
Catherine Hardwicke ("Thirteen," "Lords of Dogtown") will direct based on a script by Melissa Rosenberg.
The movie is scheduled to go into production this month and wrap ahead of a potential actor's strike. A late 2008 release is planned
Screenwriter Kurt Sutter has removed his screenwriting credit from Marvel and Lionsgate's superhero reboot "Punisher: War Zone" set for release in September.
The scribe says on his official blog that his take "tried to rip Frank Castle from the comic book world and place him in the real streets of NYC... He's a tortured, highly skilled soldier with a really bad anger problem. I always felt we should see Frank in some place uber-real and gritty."
However the final script has been "rewritten almost completely" into "the perfect comic book formula -- simple story, very obvious dialog and the inclusion of as many characters from the anthology that a movie will allow...it will do exactly what a comic book movie should do -- fill seats, setup a sequel."
The news comes as surprising considering director Lexi Alexander has boasted about her plans to deliver a darker and grittier tone.
Roland Emmerich ("The Day After Tomorrow," "Independence Day") is set for another apocalyptic epic entitled "2012" reports Variety.
The German director, about to release prehistroic actioneer "10,000 B.C.", shopped the script he co-wrote with Harald Kloser around to studios on Tuesday and nearly all of them were interested enough to meet with him today to hear his budget projection and creative aspirations.
After that, studios will bid on an essentially greenlit film that Emmerich intends to direct next and have ready for a Summer 2009 release.
Bong Joon-ho, the director of 'The Host', returns with 'Mother'
Source: http://www.kfccinema.com/
Early last month news broke that director Bong Joon-ho was developing a new film entitled Mother but little else was known.
The film follows a loving mother who must protect her son from accusastions that he had commited a horrific crime. When all fingers point to the police force, she must seek out and uncover the truth herself and prove her son's innocence.
Mother, which was co-written by Bong Joon-ho and Park Eun-kyo, is budgeted at $5 million.
King, Verbinski team on 'mould-breaking' animation
Jeremy Kay in Los Angeles
21 Feb 2008 05:00
Oscar-winning producer Graham King has teamed up with blockbuster filmmaker Gore Verbinski, fresh off his Pirates Of The Caribbean trilogy, to develop an untitled animated feature that he will direct with a view to creating a new box office franchise.
Both parties are eager to move ahead quickly on the big budget project and a domestic distribution deal is expected to be announced shortly.
Oscar-nominated writer John Logan, with whom King collaborated on Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, is in talks to write the screenplay based on an original idea from Verbinski's production company Blind Wink Productions and producer John B Carls.
Further details about the storyline were unavailable at time of writing. However, the creative team that Verbinski is assembling leaves the scope and ambition of the film in no doubt.
The director has brought in many of his below-the-line team from Pirates Of The Caribbean including visual effects specialist Mark McCreery and art department designer James Ward Byrkit, who joins the project as head of story and storyboard artist.
Verbinski cited animated films as a constant source of inspiration and said he was aiming to "break free from the traditional mould and create a new style that is all our own."
King, who took home last year's Best Picture Oscar for Scorsese's The Departed, called Verbinski "one of the most imaginative, exciting film-makers around today."
He added: "One only has to look at the fantastic effects and visionary ideas in Pirates to know that Gore's first animated project will no doubt continue that trend."
King's GK Films and Verbinski's Blind Wink Productions are producing the film with Verbinski, King and Carls as producers.
Carls served as executive producer on the Sony Pictures' animation Open Season and is producing Spike Jonze's upcoming Where The Wild Things Are, an adaptation of the Maurice Sendak children's classic that is now in post-production.
Verbinski, Logan and Carls are all represented by CAA. Verbinski is also handled by Warren Dern.
Warner buys into new franchise School Of Fear
Jeremy Kay in Los Angeles
11 Oct 2007 16:13
Warner Bros has made a preemptive buy on Gitty Daneshvari's partial manuscript of a four-book series called School Of Fear.
Graham King will produce through his GK Films as the partners aim to establish a children's franchise along the lines of the phenomenally successful Harry Potter series.
The story is based on Daneshvari's unpublished book about four youngsters sent to an exclusive summer camp where they are trained to overcome their phobias. Little Brown will publish the book in autumn 2009.
Grey Rembert and Gail Lyon will oversee production for GK Films and Lynn Harris will oversee for Warner Bros.
Shantel VanSanten, Bobby Campo, Hayley Webb, Nick Zano, Krista Allen and Andy Fiscella are the stars of New Line's upcoming fourth "Final Destination" feature to be shot in 3D reports Variety.
The story kicks off when a teenager's premonition of a deadly racecar crash spares his life and those of a few lucky others. But death continues to stalk those who escaped it.
David Richard Ellis will direct the $43 million horror-thriller based on Eric Bress' screenplay. Principal photography begins this month in New Orleans.
David Fincher is attached to direct the horror romance "Black Hole" for Paramount, MTV Films and Plan B Entertainment reports the trades.
Based on a 12-issue series turned graphic novel by Charlie Burns, the story revolves around a group of high school students whose lives are drastically altered when they come in contact with an incurable sexually transmitted disease called the "teen plague" or "the bug" which causes the sexually-active to develop horrific physical deformities - turning infected teens into social outcasts.
"Beowulf" scribes Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman were previous tapped to adapt the screenplay back in 2006 when Alexandre Aja was previously attached to direct.
Fincher ("Zodiac") just wrapped "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" for Paramount and has "Torso," "The Devil in the White City" and "The Killer" in development at the studio.
Amazon.com will produce its first movie, "The Stolen Child," based on the fantasy novel by Keith Donahue reports Variety.
Donahue's debut novel revolves around a man who was kidnapped by hobgoblins as a boy and replaced by a look-alike imposter. Book follows both versions of the character as they struggle through their new lives and environments.
Ron Nyswaner ("Philadelphia," "The Painted Veil") had begun adapting the book before the strike. Now that its over, he's back to work on it again. 20th Century Fox will finance and distribute the project.
Before Pixar and Disney became Oprah/Gail style partners, a third "Toy Story" was in the works at the Mouse House with an interesting plotline.
Seems the Buzz Lightyear toyline is recalled, including Andy's toy, so the gang go on an adventure to Taiwan to rescue the malfunctioning Buzz.
Now though that John Lasseter and crew are back in the saddle, they have a different plan in store for the fully Pixar-approved third "Toy Story" feature says The Wall Street Journal.
Director Lee Unkrich says that "Woody the cowboy and his toy-box friends are dumped in a day-care center after their owner, Andy, leaves for college." Michael Arndt ("Little Miss Sunshine") wrote the new screenplay.
The sdtuio will re-release Disney Digital 3-D versions of Toy Story on "October 2nd 2009" and "Toy Story 2" on February 12th 2010 to celebrate the 3D-produced third film's release on June 18th 2010.
Universal Pictures and Hasbro announced Wednesday a six-year strategic partnership to produce at least four feature films based on some of Hasbro's best-known game and toy brands says Reuters.
Hasbro has the option of co-funding production of the films and will retain all merchandising rights to the brands with the first film to be out by 2010 or 2011 and at least one film a year released after that.
The manufacturer will partner exclusively with Universal for feature films with the exception of "Transformers" and "G.I. Joe," which are already setup at DreamWorks and Paramount.
Amongst these are such properties as Monopoly, Candy Land, Clue, Ouija, Battleship, Magic, the Gathering and Stretch Armstrong. Hasbro COO Brian Goldner says David Berenbaum is penning a draft for "Ouija" and Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes will produce. He also says Hasbro is in negotiations with Ridley Scott on "Monopoly".
Hasbro is co-financing script development with Universal and has the option of co-funding production of the films. Hasbro will retain all merchandising rights to the brands, and the companies will share in consumer products revenue generated by the movies.
David Wenham and Stephen Graham have joined the cast of Michael Mann's "Public Enemies" for Universal Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
An adaptation of Brian Burrough's book, the film centers on famed FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) and the government's attempt to stop John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) and his gang.
Wenham is playing Pete Pierpont, a member of Dillinger's crew who has a violent hostility to all authority. Graham will portray Baby Face Nelson.
Marion Cotillard, Channing Tatum, Giovanni Ribisi and Stephen Dorff also star. Shooting begins in March in Chicago.
Sony Pictures Entertainment has landed Roland Emmerich's apocalyptic spec script "2012" and has targeted a July 10th 2009 release date says the trades.
The script story the idea of the Mayan calendar, which predicts the world ending in 2012, with natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions, typhoons and glaciers plaguing the planet and a large cast of characters dealing with the mayhem.
Emmerich ("The Day After Tomorrow," "10,000 B.C.") co-wrote the script with Harald Kloser and will direct. He shopped the script around to studios on Wednesday who all expressed interest.
By the end though many pulled out due the costs, said to be a $200 million budget and a $20 million against 25% of first-dollar gross price tag for Emmerich himself. Others reportedly disliked the story.
Production is scheduled to begin either late Summer or early Fall.
Sean Lennon will score the indie vampire comedy "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Undead" starring Jake Hoffman, Devon Aoki, Jeremy Sisto and Ralph Macchio says The Hollywood Reporter.
Writer-director Jordan Galland's feature debut stars Jake Hoffman as an unemployed actor who gets his big break directing a bizarre off-Broadway version of "Hamlet." But there's a catch: The adaptation is written by a Romanian (John Ventimiglia) who happens to be undead.
Aoki plays Hoffman's love interest. Macchio will play a mob boss who ends up fighting vampires. Sisto plays a bumbling detective investigating the mysterious deaths surrounding the production. Kris Lemche, Joey Kern and Waris Ahuwalia also star.
Lennon scored the fantasy musical he starred in and co-wrote, "Friendly Fire," which featured appearances by Aoki, Asia Argento and Lindsay Lohan.
Philip Seymour Hoffman and Bill Nighy are joining Kenneth Branagh, Rhys Ifans and January Jones in Universal Pictures romantic comedy "The Boat That Rocked" reports Entertainment Weekly.
Hoffman is in negotiations to play the role of irreverent, iconic DJ The Count in the film, which recounts the true story of a British pirate radio station that operated from a boat in the North Sea when the BBC was only broadcasting two hours of pop music each week in the '60s.
Richard Curtis penned and will direct the project. Filming is slated to begin in London on March 3rd.
Sony Pictures has acquired feature films rights to independent graphic novel "The Boys" reports Variety.
The Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson-created series follows a CIA squad, known informally as "the boys", whose job is to keep watch on the proliferation of superheroes and, if necessary, intimidate or eliminate them.
Neal H. Moritz will produce what he describes as an original take on the superhero genre - "Rather than begin with a romantic idea of superheroes out to save the world, 'The Boys' imagines a world in which superheroes really exist, with all of the flaws that real people have. The boys are there to make sure that people with superhuman powers don't get out of line."
Potpuno mi je nezamislivo da Sony hoće ovo da ekranizuje, s ozirom da je Spajdermen njihov veliki uspeh u superherojskim filmovima a The Boys je antisuperherojski strip sa izvanredno mnogo nasilja i seksa i prikazivanjem superheroja kao u najboljem slučaju naivnih nespretnjakovića, u najgorem, korumpiranih nitkova...
Videh juce to za Boyse.
Ako ne unajme Simona Pegga ništa nisu uradili.
Greenaway scouting Australia for science-fiction feature
Sandy George in Perth
22 Feb 2008 06:09
Legendary filmmaker Peter Greenaway will fly over Western Australia on Feb 23 scouting locations for a science-fiction feature film based on his most recent book The Historians Book 39: The Rise and Fall of Gestures Drama.
"The book is really a history of cinema rewritten as fiction," he told Screendaily.com. It is the first of 100 slim volumes that will together act as a compendium of history. Each will examine a range of topics from toys and clouds to conception and death.
Greenaway said an Australian producer was on board the film but would not reveal who. Part of his attraction to Australia is the generous new tax rebates for Australian films. There is still a lot of uncertainty about what qualifies as Australian: he said he would be extensively utilising the landscape and employing many Australians.
But it may be some time before cameras role as the prolific multimedia artist has five features in the pipeline. The next one will go into production mid-year in Sao Paulo. The dramatisation of the Old Testament will merge religion and porn and be finished in time for the Cannes Film Festival in 2009.
Greenaway also has 20 museum projects to complete, some of which involve adding sound and light to some of the world's most famous paintings. He has just received permission to work his magic on The Last Supper and has his eye on The Last Judgement, housed at The Vatican.
"We are manoeuvring diplomacy to see if we can get our hands on that painting," he said.
Greenaway gave a keynote address Feb 22 to the Australian International Documentary Conference. He told his audience that cinema is dead, that audiences are turning away because it is "irrelevant, unnecessary and boring" and that producers are visually illiterate.
But he also said that the digital revolution would bring an end to text-based cinema and image makers would become the gate keepers of the future.
"We should not cry tears because what is going to happen next is going to be 10,000 times more exciting," he said. "This is going to be a golden age."
Greenaway's 15 features include The Draughtsman's Contract, A Zed And Two Noughts, and The Cook, The Thief, His Wife And Her Lover.
http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2008/02/hurt-locker-stills.html
Universal's re-born identity
Studio's team gambles big on eclectic slate
By MICHAEL FLEMINGTalk to most Hollywood production chiefs these days and you tend to hear a litany of bearish concerns.
Some are cutting back on slates because of the glut of movies. Some are delaying start dates because of fears of a SAG strike. Others are shaving producer deals or star gross participations.
Against this climate, Universal is a bastion of optimism.
While the rest of the industry fears doom and gloom, U is expanding its slate, widening its reach into international markets, and even embarking on risky, untested event pictures. As GE mandates significant cuts at U's sister TV divisions, the film studio's chairman Marc Shmuger and co-chairman David Linde, with just over 19 months on the job, are embarking on an ambitious and diverse slate of projects.
In fact, even as the rest of Hollywood seems to wrestle with its corporatization, they publicly profess to be just fine with it.
"I kind of like being owned by GE," Linde says. "Maybe there are pressures on you as a manager that other studios don't experience, but it also gives you tremendous security for as long as they own the company. They stick to their word, and you don't have to worry about whether you're actually going to have the money for your budget."
Over the next year or so, the full extent of Shmuger and Linde's slate will be put to the test. The high-profile projects include the George Clooney-directed comedy "Leatherheads," Sacha Baron Cohen's "Bruno" (his "Borat" followup), along with movie adaptations of the musical "Mamma Mia!" and the play "Frost/Nixon." And despite the misfire that was "Miami Vice," U has enlisted Michael Mann for "Public Enemies," a period actioner with Johnny Depp as John Dillinger.
The biggest risks are in their efforts at landing new franchises, something that, save for the "Bourne" series, has eluded U for quite some time. "Evan Almighty" was but the latest in a series of disappointments that also include the previous regime's "Van Helsing" and "King Kong."
On tap is a fourth "Bourne" movie, but their slate is full of efforts to either launch new franchises or resurrect old ones. The latter group include revivals of "The Mummy," "Hellboy" and "The Incredible Hulk," as well as another "The Fast and the Furious."
U also launched a lucrative venture last week with Hasbro to make films out of its toy and board game properties. And the studio has a deal with animation veteran Chris Meledandri.
GE "wanted us to operate on as broad a platform as possible, with the obvious advantage that it makes you less susceptible to your misses," Linde says. "They increased our financial support in the last year to expand production worldwide so we are more consistently releasing movies that we generate and own ourselves, and to enable us to do a deal with Chris Meledandri that put us back in the family business, which is vital for any studio.
"As a result," Linde adds, "it's a different company than when we got the job 19 months ago."
Their predecessor, Stacey Snider, although successful in her own right, left in what could be best described as frustration at trying to operate in GE's corporate environment. The head of NBC Universal at the time, Bob Wright, was never a huge fan of the film division, a sentiment perhaps reflected in the fact that U let a proposed purchase of DreamWorks slip away to Paramount. (Wright's successor, Jeff Zucker, is much more keen on the feature business.)
So when Universal Studios chairman Ron Meyer appointed Shmuger and Linde to their posts, what was most noticeable was that neither had much actual production experience.
Shmuger was the well-respected marketing chief of Universal, and Linde was partnered with James Schamus in Focus Features, with a specialty in international film sales and indie distribution. Many signs pointed to the team having to endure a long and intense learning curve in Hollywood's creative community.
But that was perhaps the least of their challenges.
As Linde points out, the company was falling behind in market share. In 2006, U didn't even have a release between August and Christmas Day.
Last year, boosted by the runaway success of "The Bourne Ultimatum" and the comedy "Knocked Up," the studio posted record profits, Linde and Shmuger say, even though it didn't make enough movies to place any better than fifth in total market share.
Their plans are to increase their output from 14-16 releases to 18-20 releases this year.
"If you are going to create consistent revenue out of the film business, you have to release movies consistently, and you have to own them everywhere in the world," he says. "You take more risk, but you create more opportunity."
The cornerstone of their strategy lies in foreign expansion. Because of the breakup of overseas distribution operation United Intl. Pictures, they've also been given the mandate of building up the studio's international operations, with an eye toward generating new sources of revenue in overseas markets.
Spearheaded by international prexy David Kosse and foreign production chief Christian Grass, the operation has signed filmmakers from Brazil, Mexico, Russia and Asia to make two films each year designed to play in their home countries. Counting the international production, U's slate and those of genre label Rogue and specialty label Focus, by 2010, the studio could be unleashing as many as 35 pictures worldwide.
"We saw the opportunity for growth internationally; that's where we needed to take control of our destiny," Meyer explains. "Owning rights to our movies, distributing them ourselves -- that's where we can make the biggest impact."
Perhaps most indicative of the new bent toward international possibilities is the $175 million the studio is spending on "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor." The last "Mummy" film, released in 2001, grossed $427 million worldwide, but it seemed to run out of creative juice. (The new production lacks director Stephen Sommers and one of its stars, Rachel Weisz.)
The studio is using the project to exploit international markets. Because of heavy Chinese participation, it's considered a Chinese co-production. That gives the studio access to more valuable screens and a greater return than a U.S. production would normally get.
And U hopes for a big payoff in the form of cross-promotion. The movie will be released on Aug. 1, in advance of the Summer Olympics in Beijing -- which are, not coincidentally, being broadcast on NBC.
"Alongside 'Jurassic Park,' ('Mummy') was the most profitable franchise we had in the vaults of Universal, but we needed to reinvigorate it," Shmuger says. "We did that with the Chinese setting, the Terra Cotta warriors, Jet Li and this great Chinese cast."
Shmuger and Linde have had a rougher time in navigating the complex world of Hollywood talent relationships. They have relied to an extent on their production chief, Donna Langley, who admits that she has gotten so busy that it can take her six weeks to read a script that is not top priority.
"Marc is a big-brained marketing guy, David has a nose for the marketable idea, and they are both business-savvy, which puts more of a business spin on our conversations about which films to green light," Langley says. "For guys who didn't grow up in production, they have good creative instincts. ... They are figuring things out, in being more mindful of actors, big directors and producers, and it's a different paradigm for people who were used to Stacey's bedside manner."
Imagine's Brian Grazer says that the team impressed him in its enthusiasm in resurrecting "American Gangster," a project that fell apart before it was produced last year, as well as the execs' aggressive pursuit of the rights to "Frost/Nixon."
"They've been extremely supportive of filmmakers and artists, and they don't prognosticate or try to bring science to an art form," Grazer says. "When every studio wanted 'Frost/Nixon,' they flew to London to see the play, and they went to New York and were the most aggressive in getting it."
More recently, Shmuger and Linde landed Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon for a fourth "Bourne" movie, even though the director and star seemed ready to wrap it up after three pics. And they landed Sam Raimi to return to horror with "Drag Me to Hell," starring Ellen Page.
Their crash course in talent relations came last year in their efforts to get "State of Play" into production. Weeks before it was to begin shooting, Brad Pitt left the project. The studio threatened to sue, putting them at odds with the actor and his reps at CAA, who maintain that he never signed off on the script. But the parties cooled down after U landed Russell Crowe for Pitt's role, and there are now settlement talks that could even put Pitt in a future U movie.
Eric Fellner, who is making the movie via his and partner Tim Bevan's Working Title label, says, "It was very tense, and the film would have collapsed if they weren't 100% determined to get it made, and do whatever it took to make it stay together."
Adds Bevan, "They were brilliant under fire."
U also was caught off-guard after they aggressively courted Guillermo Del Toro, the filmmaker behind "Pan's Labyrinth" and "Hellboy." The studio gave him a first-look deal, picked up a sequel to "Hellboy" with a budget of more than $80 million, and even bought the rights to his dream project, the H.P. Lovecraft epic, "At the Mountains of Madness."
But U brass was stunned to suddenly see Del Toro emerge as the likely director of the next two "Hobbit" movies for New Line and MGM. That would lock him down for four straight years in New Zealand.
Langley acknowledges, "We're in discussions with how to rectify that with Guillermo."
A walk around the U lot gives a telling sign of where things stand. Steven Spielberg is embarking on an expensive renovation of his oasis, the offices of Amblin/DreamWorks, just as U looks to land a deal with DreamWorks when the Paramount pact expires. Nearby, however, the once-bustling offices of Ivan Reitman are empty save for those of "Evan Almighty" director Tom Shadyac, who will soon depart as well.
Shmuger, in fact, is candid in admitting that "Almighty," put into production before they took their posts, was a misfire.
"We were coming out with something that at its essence had a different DNA than the first film, and that was a huge miscalculation on our part," Shmuger says. "I think it works as a movie, but it needed to have been made at a more affordable price. Being tagged 'the most expensive comedy ever' was an albatross around our necks."
Yet even as rumors swirl that GE wants to unload Universal to devoid itself of the risk of the studio business, Shmuger and Linde say they've yet to experience any fallout.
"These are fair people who are smart in business, and we're blessed that Ron Meyer shoulders a lot of that burden, and effectively blocks and tackles for the entire team by taking many of those meetings himself," Shmuger says.
"That makes it easier. But what we're enduring is smart, rigorous business processes. It can be wearing, but only because it's so exhaustive. But you can't argue. It's their money, their company, and we should be beholden to proving we're running a business in the smartest way possible."
Statham revs up 'Transporter 3'
Knepper joins cast of Megaton-directed sequel
By DAVID HAYHURST
Statham
Jason Statham will reprise his role as mercenary driver/delivery man Frank in "Transporter 3," the next installment in EuropaCorp's shoot-'em-up franchise.
He will reteam with co-star Francois Berleand, while Robert Knepper ("Prison Break") has joined the cast.
However, Louis Leterrier, who helmed the first two pics, has been replaced by Olivier Megaton ("Exit," "The Red Siren"), who was second-unit director on EuropaCorp's "Hitman."
Pic, which will be produced by EuropaCorp principal Luc Besson and Steve Chasman, will shoot for 16 weeks in Russia and France.
The first two films in the series, which kicked off in 2002, were written by Besson and Robert Mark Kamen.
With worldwide box office returns of more than $130 million for the franchise, "Transporter 3" continues EuropaCorp's move into films with broader international potential.
Two sequels to "Arthur and the Invisibles," which took in more than $225 million in international box office and DVD sales, are in the pipeline. The first, "Arthur and the Vengeance of Malthazard" is skedded for a September 2009 release in Gaul.
http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2008/02/starship-troopers-3.html
Nicolas Winding Refn starts Bronson shoot with Vertigo
Wendy Mitchell in London
29 Feb 2008 06:00
Danish-born director Nicolas Winding Refn has started a six-week UK shoot for Bronson, his feature about notorious prisoner Charles Bronson.
Vertigo Films is producing in association with 4DH Films, EM Media, Str8jacket Creations and Aramid Entertainment.
Vertigo's Rupert Preston and 4DH Film's Danny Hansford will produce. Executive producers are Nick Love, Allan Niblo, and James Richardson for Vertigo, Paul Martin for Str8jacket, and Suzanne Alizart for EM Media.
Tom Hardy stars in the title role. Bronson is shooting for six weeks in Nottinghamshire with DoP Larry Smith (Eyes Wide Shut, Fear X).
Refn previously directed films including the Pusher trilogy and Fear X starring John Turturro.
Vertigo will handle UK distribution (in early 2009) and its new partner sales company Protagonist Pictures will handle interenational sales.
The film looks at the life of Michael Peterson, who later became dangerous prisoner Charles Bronson, who has spent 34 years in prison, including 30 in solitary confinement. Brock Norman Brock wrote the script.
Vertigo's Preston said: "The combination of Nicolas Winding Refn directing, Tom Hardy starring and this extraordinary story is a very powerful, potent and commercial force."
Regional screen agency EM Media is backing with $496,470 (£250,000) in production funding through the European Regional Development Fund.
Refn is also gearing up to shoot Viking epic Valhalla Rising, starring Mads Mikkelsen, this summer in Glasgow and the Isle of Skye.
Vertigo is also currently producing Tom Shankland's horror project The Day.
Jason Isaacs joins Damon, Kinnear in Greengrass' Iraq thriller
Jeremy Kay in Los Angeles
01 Mar 2008 01:18
Jason Isaacs has joined the cast of Paul Greengrass' untitled Green Zone thriller for Working Title Films and Universal Pictures.
Based on the non-fiction book Imperial Life In The Emerald City by Rajiv Chandrasekaran, the film is set in and around the Green Zone, the base of operations for US troops in Iraq. Brian Helgeland has adapted the book for the screen; the cast also includes Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Amy Ryan and Khalid Abdalla.
Isaacs will play military officer Lt Briggs in the film which is currently shooting in Morocco. It will move to the UK later this year.
Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Greengrass and Lloyd Levin, who all produced Greengrass' 2006 hit United 93, are producing.
Isaacs, who previously worked with Greengrass on BBC TV film The Fix in 1997, recently completed Good opposite Viggo Mortensen for director Vicente Amorim. He will start shooting the third season of Showtime series Brotherhood this summer.
Details emerge on Whedon's Dollhouse
By Tim Surette - TV.com
March 4, 2008 at 02:11:00 PM | more stories by this author
Joss Whedon's Dollhouse adds a pair of producers, releases info on production notice.
When word got out that Joss Whedon was working on a new show called Dollhouse, details on the show were slim. Even without much information, devoted fans of the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, and Angel vowed to watch Dollhouse, simply because Whedon's name was attached to it.
Finally, some more information on the project has surfaced, courtesy of a production notice posted by the blog Spoiler TV. The notice tells a bit of what was already known: Eliza Dushku (who worked with Whedon previously on Buffy) will star as a woman involved in a secret project that uses people for various tasks and erases their memories afterward.
But from there, the notice gets a little more specific. The participants, referred to as "Actives" or "Dolls," can have memories and personalities uploaded into their minds in order to complete the various assignments--which span "jobs, crimes, fantasies, and the occasional good deeds." When their work is done, their minds are erased and they go back to living, unaware, at their lab which is known as "The Dollhouse."
In the show, the operation is "highly illegal" and under threat from a few sources. A federal agent is looking to shut the whole thing down, as is a one-time renegade Active. Dushku's character, an Active in the program, becoming self-aware and understanding who she is is the centerpiece of the show.
The show also added two producers last week, Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain, who were recently unemployed for all of about 24 hours. The pair were just let go of their jobs as producers on Women's Murder Club, but quickly snatched up by Whedon to work on Dollhouse. Their names may also sound familiar for a few other reasons: they served as producers on Angel and The Shield.
"Dollhouse is going to be an awesome show," Craft told The Kansas City Star, "but it's a hard show to sum up in one sentence."
"It will be intelligent and intricate and have amazing characters," Fain said. "It's a show about what it means to be human."
Dollhouse is expected to begin shooting in Los Angeles in April.
Polanski se vraća korenima
Proslavljeni reditelj priprema novi film ,,Duh" koji će realizovati po istoimenom romanu Roberta Harisa
Proslavljeni reditelj Roman Polanski režiraće politički triler ,,Duh", zasnovan na nedavno objavljenom istoimenom romanu Roberta Harisa o piscu koga unajmljuju da dovrši memoare bivšeg britanskog premijera.
Za potrebe filma, Haris i Polanski zajedno su adaptirali roman a, prema rečima reditelja, odavno je tražio dobar materijal za politički triler koji bi režirao i tako se vratio svojim korenima i omiljenim temama, prenosi magazin ,,Varajeti". Polanski je izjavio da je roman ,,Duh" savršeni triler za ekranizaciju i da je Haris konstruisao priču sa takvom napetošću da ju je teško odbaciti. Donedavno, Polanski je pripremao filmski ep ,,Pompeja", ali je projekat, zbog finansijskih problema, obustavljen u septembru. Snimanje njegovog novog filma trebalo bi da počne na jesen naredne godine.
Roman Polanski je rođen u Parizu 1933. godine, a četiri godine po njegovom rođenju porodica se vratila u Poljsku. U njegovoj osmoj godini, roditelji su mu odvedeni u koncentracione logore, otac u Mauthauzen, gde je uspeo da preživi, a majka u Aušvic iz kojeg se nije vratila. Pobegavši iz krakovskog geta, Roman je izbegao sudbinu roditelja, a ratne godine je proveo u izbeglištvu po Evropi.
Polanski je studirao na filmskoj školi u Lođu gde je 1959. godine diplomirao filmsku režiju. Tokom studija snimio je više kratkih filmova koji nisu bili zapaženi, a prvi igrani film ,,Nož u vodi" realizovao je 1962. godine. Ova napeta drama o potisnutom seksualnom nasilju i sukobu muža, žene i mladog stranca ocenjena je kao ,,odličan debitantski film". Međutim, film je izazvao niz polemika zbog kojih je sledeći film, hvaljenu dramu ,,Odvratnost", Polanski realizovao u Engleskoj nastavljajući da istražuje pomerenu seksualnost. Usledio je film ,,Ćorsokak" za koji je osvojio ,,Zlatnog medveda" na berlinskom festivalu 1966. godine. Ovaj film, mešavinu pinterovskog crnog humora i film-noara četrdesetih godina, mnogi kritičari smatraju njegovim najboljim delom, a on lično svojim omiljenim filmom.
Posle ,,Bala vampira" iz 1967. godine u kojem prikazuje atmosferu haosa srednje Evrope, Polanski odlazi u SAD gde režira čuveni film ,,Rozmarina beba". Iako je njime osvojio i publiku i kritiku, Polanski se vratio u Englesku gde je snimio hiperrealističku verziju ,,Magbeta" i film ,,Če?" koji je doživeo fijasko. Po povratku u Ameriku 1974. godine snimio je ,,Kinesku četvrt", izuzetno uspešan esej na temu film-noara, a pošto je optužen za silovanje trinaestogodišnje devojčice u Los Anđelesu, Polanski je bio primoran da napusti Ameriku. Po povratku u Englesku snima filmove ,,Tesa", ,,Pirati" i ,,Ludilo", a tokom devedesetih realizuje filmove: ,,Gorki mesec", ,,Devojka i smrt" i ,,Deveta kapija". Za dramu ,,Pijanista" iz 2002. godine o proslavljenom pijanisti Vladislavu Špilmanu koji je preživeo holokaust, Polanski je osvojio kansku ,,Zlatnu palmu" i ,,Oskara" za najbolju režiju 2003. godine.
Rad, umeće i estetika Romana Polanskog izučava se danas na mnogim filmskim školama i akademijama. Kritika uvek ističe njegovo istraživanje i analiziranje seksualnosti, ludila i zla, a većina njegovih filmova obiluje događajima koje je lično proživeo – od bekstva iz logora do ubistva njegove trudne supruge, američke glumice Šaron Tejt.
Biografski film
Biografski film o životu i delu Romana Polanskog, od detinjstva u Poljskoj do optužbe za seksualno zlostavljanje tinejdžerke u SAD, biće realizovan tokom naredne godine. Snimanje filma ,,Polanski" počeće u januaru u Belgiji, piše ,,Holivud reporter", navodeći da film po sopstvenom scenariju režira Demijen Čapa. Još uvek nije saopšteno ko će tumačiti lik proslavljenog reditelja a, prema rečima Čape, film ,,Polanski" biće dirljiva priča, pažljivo zasnovana na sudskim dokumentima i javno dostupnim materijalima.
Ivan Aranđelović
Quote from: "Alexdelarge"Polanski se vraća korenima
Ivan Aranđelović
wow!
,,Bal vampira" - prikazuje atmosferu haosa srednje Evrope???!
wow!
film ,,Če?"? – ili je polanski snimio biografiju čegevare, a da mene nije obavestio, ili je text prevođen sa italijanskog, na kome se WHAT kaže CHE?
wow!
većina njegovih filmova obiluje događajima koje je lično proživeo – od bekstva iz logora do ubistva njegove trudne supruge, američke glumice Šaron Tejt.
=baš me zanima u kom to filmu polanskog imamo ubistvo trudnice!
itd.
:roll:
Jason Reitman ("Juno") is attached to direct and Jim Carrey will star in Fox Atomic's comedy "Pierre Pierre" reports the trades.
Written by Edwin Cannistraci and Frederick Seton, the politically incorrect story, dealing with racism, sexism and Europeans, centers on a self-indulgent French nihilist (Carrey) who is entrusted to transport a stolen Mona Lisa and in the process falls back in love with his homeland.
"Pierre" will not be the Oscar-nominated Reitman's next project however so no dates are yet set.
Fine Cut seals The Chaser remake deal with Warner Bros
Jean Noh in London
06 Mar 2008 11:38
Korea's Fine Cut has announced the $1m sale of remake rights for Na Hong-jin's thriller The Chaser to Warner Brothers.
The no. 1 film, released Feb 14, has grossed over $20m (KW19bn) with 2.8 million admissions, according to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC)'s database as of March 6.
In the film, a man declares to the police that he is responsible for a series of brutal murders, but they can't arrest him without any evidence. He taunts them by saying the last girl to go missing may still be alive, and an ex-cop, less concerned with evidence than finding the missing girl, goes on the warpath.
The critically-lauded film is a Bidangil production presented by Big House/Vantage Holdings, which has recently been coming on fast and strong in the investment/production sector. Showbox Mediaplex is distributing the film locally.
"Shortly after receiving feverish interest from numerous US companies after the private screening at Berlin in February, we prepared a one-time screening in LA which most of the Hollywood studio executives attended," said Suh Young-joo, head of Fine Cut.
"Among all the offers from the majors, we finalised a favorable deal with Warner Brothers at $1m for the remake rights with additional compensations. Currently a top-class Hollywood writer is showing very strong interest in the remake after attending the LA screening," she added.
The Korean producers will receive a co-producer credit in the Warner Brothers' remake.
The Chaser did a slew of pre-sales to France, Benelux, Greece and Hong Kong at the European Film Market last month.
Scribe William Monahan ("Kingdom of Heaven," "The Departed") is in discussions to adapt and produce an American remake of the Korean thriller "The Chaser".
Leonardo DiCaprio is circling the lead role of an ex-cop who goes on the warpath trying to find a missing girl.
The girl, who may or may not be alive, is being used by a serial killer to taunt the police. The story is loosely based on the exploits of a real-life serial killer.
Warner Bros. Pictures just picked up the remake rights to the project and is developing with Vertigo Entertainment's Roy Lee and Doug Davison.
"Chaser," from director Na Hong-jin, has been a hit in Korea, grossing more than $20 million in just three weeks.
Sony Pictures has picked up the high-concept spec script "Animals" by former NYC assistant district attorney Mike Sobel reports the trades.
The horror thriller chronicles what happens when all the world's animals turn on humans and take back the planet.
Neal Moritz is producing via his Original Films banner.
While Jim Carrey is busy promoting his latest movie, Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who, he's also working hard on his next project, A Christmas Carol, the performance capture/Disney digital 3-D animated film from writer/director Robert Zemeckis (Beowulf, The Polar Express). At the press conference for the new Fox animated film, Carrey talked about that upcoming film and more.
When asked what it was like the play Ebenezer Scrooge, he gave a lengthy answer as to why he likes all the characters he is doing as well as the shooting process for A Christmas Carol.
"Ebenezer is such a great thing for me because, again, I get to play all kinds of different roles in the film. First of all, the process is so fascinating. You are literally in an empty warehouse with cameras around you. You have maybe a frame of a fireplace, or something like that, and then you rehearse. Then they go 'Can we take this away?' and you are sitting on a chair. You have to create the entire world in your head. Not only that, but you are working with other actors and you are in this ridiculous cap suit with balls all over it, and a hat with pinchers that come down with cameras in your face right here. The real work of it is transcending the lack of stimuli, and this stimulus that is right in your face. You have to transcend all of it and create the reality of the piece. Also, it's kind of a classical version of 'A Christmas Carol,' it is very much, so I'm playing Ebenezer Scrooge at four different ages. There are a lot of vocal things, a lot of physical things, I have to do. Not to mention doing the accents properly, the English, Irish accents. I'm also playing past, present, and future ghosts. There is a lot of really wonderful work in it, and challenge. I want it to fly in the UK. I want it to be good and I want them to go, 'Yeah, that's for real.' We were very true to the book. It's beautiful. It's an incredible film. If you are lucky at some point in your life to have that kind of 'Christmas Carol' moment, I certainly have. Things were going south and I had the opportunity to see how horrible things could have gotten without them actually going there. I can't get into specifics but I had my Ghost of Christmas Future at a certain point in my life. I went 'Oh wow. Okay, I have to really start caring about the right things here.' It's just a fantastic story. It's beautiful literature."
The film won't be out until Nov. 6, 2009, but the prolific comedy actor is already set to star in another pic after this project. "After 'A Christmas Carol,' I'm doing a film called 'I Love You Phillip Morris,' about a gentleman who fell in love with his cell mate and escaped from prison four times to try and find ways to get his lover out prison."
As far as the Tim Burton-directed Ripley's Believe It or Not!, he's not sure what's happening with that movie. "I don't know. I think its still in the works. It's maybe a little ways off. They are still talking about it," Carrey said.
Vincent Gallo takes lead role in Francis Ford Coppola's Tetro
Jeremy Kay in Los Angeles
08 Mar 2008 00:46
Francis Ford Coppola has cast Vincent Gallo as the title character in Tetro, which is set to begin principal photography in Buenos Aires on Mar 31.
Newly anointed Oscar winner Javier Bardem, Maribel Verdu and newcomer Alden Ehrenreich also star in the story of a young Argentinean man searching for his older brother.
The budget is capped at $15m and Tetro is expected to open in 2009.
"Despite the controversy always surrounding him, Vincent Gallo has a real presence on screen and 'an aliveness'," Coppolas said.
"He's intense, intelligent, and very funny... I know choosing Vincent Gallo to star in my film will raise a few eyebrows, but I'm betting that seeing him in the role will open some eyes."
10 March 2008
Exclusive: Edgar Wright Talks Ant Man
And he's working with Simon Pegg again
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Despite grabbing gold at the Sony Ericsson Empire Awards, Hot Fuzz helmer Edgar Wright clearly isn't ready to rest on his laurels just yet. He's ready to roll on a number of projects starting off with an adaptation of minuscule superhero Ant Man.
He's been attached to the big-screen version of Marvel's tiny comic book superhero - a character who can communicate with insects - for a while and the time, it seems, has come for the little man to make his move towards the big screen.
"It's written and we're doing a second draft of it," said Wright. "It's going to be less overtly comedic than anything else I've ever done. It's more of a full-on action adventure sci-fi film but with a comedic element – in the same spirit of a lot of escapist fare like that. It's certainly not a superhero spoof or pastiche and it certainly isn't a sort of Honey I Shrunk The Kids endeavour at all."
He's not got anybody in mind to play comicdom's tiniest hero just yet, so the big question at the moment is what incarnation will the hero take - the goody-two-shoes scientist Hank Pym originated by comic legends Stan Lee and Jack Kirby or Ant Man mark-II, the more roguish Scott Lang?
"Ah well, it could be Scott Lang, it could be Hank Pym, it could be both – okay it is both, now there's an exclusive for you."
While Wright puts the finishing touches to his script with co-writer Joe Cornish, he's got some other projects on the boil, including another collaboration with Simon Pegg. Could this be the final part of his so-called Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy?
"That's one of the things that we're going to do with Working Title who we've just signed a two-picture deal with," he said. "It will have comedy and a cross-genre in a similar way.
So how will it compare to Hot Fuzz and Shaun Of The Dead?
"Well, it'll be a trilogy in tone but I can't say any more than that. If you announce what the subject matter is, it can still be 18 months off and by that point everybody would be sick of it."
Clearly playing his cards close to his chest, we guess we'll have to wait and see how it'll all pan out. What do you reckon to the Brist director's latest revelations? Does he have the Wright stuff? Have your say below...
Glen Ferris
Sandler reteams with Apatow
Untitled comedy pic will costar Rogen, Mann
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Sandler
Rogen
Mann
Judd Apatow has tapped Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann to star in the next comedy he'll direct.
Untitled pic will be a co-production of Universal Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment, with production to start in late summer or early fall.
Apatow, the sole writer on the project, is keeping the plot under wraps. While the studios will split the costs, U will distribute worldwide. Dealmaking is under way with his cast, and producing credits are still being worked out.
Apatow continues to work with familiar faces: He and Sandler collaborated to write, with Robert Smigel, "Don't Mess With the Zohan," the Sandler starrer that Columbia will release June 6. Rogen and Mann starred in Apatow's first two feature directing efforts, "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up."
Mann (who is married to Apatow) stars with Owen Wilson in "Drillbit Taylor," which Rogen co-wrote and Apatow produced. Paramount releases the comedy March 21.
Apatow also produced "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," the comedy that stars Jason Segel, who, like Rogen, began in the ensemble of the Apatow-exec produced TV series "Freaks and Geeks" and "Undeclared." Universal releases that comedy April 18.
Sandler is shooting the Adam Shankman-directed comedy "Bedtime Stories" for Disney, while Mann stars opposite Zac Efron in the Burr Steers-directed "17 Again" for New Line. Rogen, who lends his voice to "Horton Hears a Who," which Fox releases Friday, is shooting "Zack and Miri Make a Porno."
Brendan Gleeson has been signed on for the final lead role in the Paul Greengrass-directed untitled "Green Zone" thriller for Universal Pictures and Working Title says Variety.
Inspired by Rajiv Chandrasekaran's book "Imperial Life in the Emerald City," the drama focuses on the dichotomy between the Green Zone, where troops are housed, and the streets of Baghdad after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
The film posits that bureaucrats are making policy decisions about the country's rebuilding even though they're in a sheltered enclave without a clear view of all that is happening.
Gleeson, who will play an American soldier, joins Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Amy Ryan and Jason Isaacs. Brian Helgeland adapted the script and filming is underway in Spain.
On the eve of the debut of the first trailer for Marvel and Universal's big-budget "The Incredible Hulk", word has leaked out at Deadline Hollywood Daily that a behind-the-scenes feud is underway.
Seems that the film's writer and lead star Edward Norton is in disagreement with Marvel Studios over editing and final cut of the film. Norton, director Louis Leterrier, Marvel Studios chairman David Maisel and Marvel Studios president of production Kevin Feige have apparently been in tense talks this week to try and resolve the problem.
When Norton boarded the project, one of the conditions was that he was "promised tremendous involvement and access" which included him rewriting Zak Penn's script. Now, with a month to go before the final cut of the film is 'locked', there's "a lot of posturing going on between Edward's camp and Marvel over how you edit the final version."
Norton has famously had some similar behind-the-scenes issues before with his films, notably "American History X" and "The Italian Job". There's fear that without his support the film could tank this Summer, and combined with Ang Lee's lacklustre 2003 take on "Hulk", it would pretty signal the end of any chance for the character having a film franchise.
The good news is that whatever the situation, the problems are expected to be resolved one way or another very quickly so this won't be drawn out at least.
Mila Kunis ("That 70's Show") will star opposite Mark Wahlberg in 20th Century Fox's "Max Payne" reports Variety.
An adaptation of the Rockstar videogame, Wahlberg plays Payne, a cop haunted by the tragic loss of his family who finds himself in the thick of a conspiracy when he investigates a series of murders.
Kunis will play an assassin who teams up with Payne to avenge her sister's death. The John Moore-directed action project with Beau Thorne scripting is scheduled for release later this year.
Material Entertainment, the U.K.-based production joint venture between New Line Cinema and Entertainment Film Distributors, is in advanced talks with Justin Chadwick to direct "The Property," a contemporary London thriller.
Chadwick made his feature helming debut with "The Other Boleyn Girl" for Sony and Focus, in release in the U.S. and Spain.
"The Property," which Justin Trefgarneis rewriting from Clive Dawson's original script, is the story of a young professional couple who acquire their dream home by underhanded means, only for the previous owner to return, looking for revenge.
Material topper Robert Jones will produce with Claire Moorsom of Seymour Films. Margaret Matheson is exec producer.
"We've been searching for a London-based thriller for some time," Jones said. " 'The Property' has intriguing, morally ambiguous characters and is a gripping story about the lengths supposedly decent people will go to get what they want, and how their decency disintegrates when the consequences are far worse than they could ever imagine."
Material had a U.K. hit last fall with its debut production, "Run, Fat Boy, Run," which will be released by Picturehouse in the U.S. later this month.
This is the second project to be announced by Material in the past week, since the news broke that New Line will be absorbed into Warners. It has yet to be revealed how that decision will affect Material.
Warner Bros. Pictures and Disney/Pixar are teaming for "1906," the live-action feature directorial debut of Brad Bird ("Ratatouille," "The Incredibles") reports the trades.
The story centers on a college student who begins to investigate the murder of his father, uncovering a web of deceit that has left the city vulnerable to the sort of fire that breaks out when the Great Earthquake of 1906 hits San Francisco.
Bird is rewriting the original John Logan script. Bird has worked in live action before, helming an episode of "Amazing Stories" in 1987.
Disney/Pixar will co-finance the movie.
Dark Horse signs three-year deal with Universal Pictures
Mike Goodridge in Los Angeles
15 Mar 2008 01:07
Dark Horse Entertainment has signed a three-year production and distribution deal with Universal Pictures that, for the first time, establishes a studio base for all Dark Horse creative properties going forward.
Dark Horse, which is the entertainment arm of Dark Horse Comics, has been working with Universal on Hellboy II: The Golden Army directed by Guillermo Del Toro which is based on Mike Mignola's Dark Horse character. It is a Universal summer tentpole, scheduled for a July 11, 2008, release in North America.
Under the terms of the deal, Universal will have creative access to Dark Horse characters and properties as well as any material which Dark Horse may acquire on its own and want to develop as a film. Dark Horse will also have the opportunity to distribute movies through Universal.
"Dark Horse is one of the most creative and innovative brands in the entertainment industry, as well as an incredibly supportive home for some of the most exciting storytellers working today," said Universal Pictures chairman Marc Shmuger and co-chairman David Linde in a joint statement. "Their unique connection to youth culture is proven, and we are thrilled to be part of their expanding film production work."
"We've worked with many studios and have had several great experiences, but we are particularly happy to be joining forces with Universal Pictures in this deal," added Mike Richardson who is president of Dark Horse.
"We feel a real connection with their vision and the energy and creativity they bring to developing our properties. We are also excited by the option that we'll have to independently produce our own material and distribute it through Universal; their flexibility in this collaboration is what we were looking for, and we're glad we found it."
Dark Horse Entertainment is represented by Endeavor and The Gotham Group. Among the films which have emerged from Dark Horse properties are The Mask, 30 Days Of Night, Mystery Men, Timecop and Barb Wire.
Willow and Jaden Smith will star in Warner Bros. Pictures' adaptation of Kazu Kibuishi's fantasy graphic novel "Amulet" for Overbrook Entertainment reports Variety.
The graphic novel centers on a brother and sister who move into their late great-grandfather's home after their father dies. They must use his amulet to rescue their widowed mother from a beast who lures her into an underground world.
Five books are planned in the series, the second of which comes out later this year.
PETER BERG rezira novu adaptaciju DINE FRENKA HERBERTA!
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/36028
Samo da ne ture Will Smith-a i bice ok...
Cera ponders "Life" as slacker superhero
Wed Mar 19, 2008 2:05am EDT
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By Borys Kit
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Michael Cera, who played the title character's would-be boyfriend in "Juno," is in final negotiations to star in the adventure romance "Scott Pilgrim's Little Life."
"Life" tells the story of a young slacker (Cera) who meets the woman of his dreams but finds that he can only win her heart by battling and defeating her seven evil ex-boyfriends.
The project is based on the Oni Press graphic novel "Scott Pilgrim Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life," written by Bryan Lee O'Malley. Michael Bacall wrote the screenplay.
Edgar Wright ("Shaun of the Dead," "Hot Fuzz") is directing the feature for Universal Pictures.
Cera and Wright had mutual admiration for each other's work, which manifested itself when Wright stepped in to act alongside Cera and Jonah Hill in a viral promo for "Superbad." Wright acted as a snarky interviewer of an exasperated Cera and Hill.
Cera is filming the Judd Apatow-produced "Year One" with Jack Black. He next shoots the romantic comedy-drama "Youth in Revolt," with Miguel Arteta directing.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
http://ca.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idCAN1924118520080319
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Ja sam, naravno, razocaran castingom. Klinca sam gledao u Superbadu i iako glumi geeka, ne uspeva da bude to. Jedino ga izvlaci sto je mrsav, ali glavu dajem da je ovo neki buduci sharmer tipa Bred Pit, te da ce kroz 10-20 godina glumiti u svim onim ogavnim blokbasterima kojih se danas sa setom gnushamo. Dakle - pozercina pedercina.
Upravo su mi se ocekivanja od filma smanjila za 50%.
:( Tuzna vest, dakle.
Did Edgar Wright find his SCOTT PILGRIM?
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. Edgar Wright has long been attached to bring comic book SCOTT PILGRIM'S PRECIOUS LITTLE LIFE to the big screen.
Now it looks like he's found his Scott Pilgrim.
It's funny... when I interviewed the three leads of SUPERBAD they had all three just been to my favorite comic book store, Austin Books and Comics, and had a ton of comics around the hotel room. In those stacks were many volumes of Scott Pilgrim.
I was under the impression they were Jonah Hill's as it was his suite we did the interview in, but I'm wondering now if Michael Cera knew he was up for the role and was reading up... or maybe he had read them and had recommended them to Hill... or maybe it was just a complete coincidence.
Whatever the case, Cera is now in final negotiations to star in the film, about a young man who finds his dream girl, but has to fight and defeat her 7 ex-boyfriends before he can win her heart.
Cera and Wright... two great tastes that'll taste great together, I think. I'm glad to see Cera get a leading role. It's well deserved. What do you folks think?
Elizabeth Banks is going from the world of adult films to the White House.
The actress, who recently wrapped shooting Kevin Smith's "Zack and Miri Make a Porno," is in final negotiations to portray Laura Bush in "W," Oliver Stone's biopic on the life and presidency of George W. Bush.
Josh Brolin already is on board to play Bush in the biopic, which begins shooting in late April in Shreveport, La.
Stone wrote the screenplay with his "Wall Street" co-writer Stanley Weiser.
Moritz Borman, who worked with Stone on "World Trade Center" and "Alexander," is producing, as is Jon Kilik.
Beverly Hills-based QED International is financing and handling sales.
Banks, repped by UTA and Untitled, next appears opposite Eddie Murphy in the comedy "Meet Dave" and then opposite Aaron Eckhart in "Meet Bill."
Milla Jovovich ("Resident Evil") and Kiele Sanchez (TV's "Lost") have signed on to star in David Twohy's "A Perfect Getaway" for Relativity Media says Reuters.
Jovovich and Sanchez join Timothy Olyphant and Steve Zahn in the thriller, which revolves around a newlywed couple on their honeymoon in Hawaii. The pair run into two hikers who turn out to be vicious killers.
Jovovich will play Zahn's new wife, while Sanchez will play Olyphant's companion.
Twohy wrote and is directing the feature, which MGM is distributing. Production begins March 31st in Puerto Rico and Hawaii.
Whilst he's been in a bit of a slump since "Snatch", there's a lot of anticipation for Guy Ritchie's return to the British gangster film scene with the upcoming "RocknRolla".
Thandie Newton, the film's leading actress who is in the US right now promoting "Run Fatboy Run", tells MTV News that if successful then expect there to be two further follow-ups.
"'RocknRolla' is one of three films and Guy's keen to get going on that straight away. [The second and third films in the series] are going to be excellent. I can't wait" she enthuses.
The schedule also sounds pretty fast - "We shot incredibly quickly [on the first], there were three weeks pre-production. He just gets on with it. He absolutely does not see challenges as intimidating."
Newton, who plays crooked accountant Stella, adds that we shouldn't expect all the characters to return for the sequel - "Well I managed to get away, but a quite a lot of them died. [The sequel] will follow whoever's left."
Gerard Butler, Jeremy Piven, and Ludacris also star in the flick which opens in October.
Vinnie Jones, Michael Matthias, Michael Madsen, DMX and Armand Assante are set to star in the horror actioner "The Bleeding" for Indifferent Entertainment says Variety.
The story centers on an ex-Army Ranger searching for the killer of his parents who discovers a family of vampires in a former chemical weapons factory-turned-nightclub.
William McNamara, Pittsburgh Slim, Rachelle Leah and Kat Von D. also star. Charles Picerni will direct from Lance Lane's script, and shooting begins next month in North Carolina.
Moxie Pictures and Killer Pictures are developing a feature film based on "The Man Who Invented Fidel: Castro, Cuba and Herbert Matthews of the New York Times" says Variety.
Written by NYT correspondent Anthony DePalma, the book examines how Matthews' mythmaking profiles of Castro set the stage for his rise to power.
Matthews, one of the top foreign correspondents of his era, was smuggled into the jungles of the Sierra Maestra Mountains to get the first detailed interview with Castro.
That and other glowing articles impacted American perception before the fall of the Batista regime and Castro's takeover of the Cuban government. A screenwriter will be set shortly.
Dougherty
Michael Dougherty has teamed with Walt Disney Pictures and Robert Zemeckis' ImageMovers on "Calling All Robots," an animated sci-fi adventure the scribe plans to direct using the same type of performance capture technology recently deployed to produce "Beowulf."
Dougherty will pen the project with Breehn Burns and Simeon Wilkins, who will serve as artists and visual designers on the project. The trio conceived the idea together.
Details of the project are being kept under wraps, but it uses performance capture to "tell a story that's a throwback to old Godzilla movies," Dougherty said. "I grew up watching Godzilla movies. This film is very much rooted in those movies."
ImageMovers' Zemeckis, Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey will produce.
The producers are readying "A Christmas Carol," their follow up to "Beowulf" and "The Polar Express," which will use the performance capture process and Disney will distrib in 2009.
Idea for "Calling All Robots" was hatched in part because of the capabilities of the technology, which combines the filming of actors and combines their moves using computers to create digital characters and sets.
"It's a film we just could not make in live action or traditional animation," said Dougherty, who began his career as an animator.
Dougherty recently helmed "Trick 'r Treat," a Halloween-themed horror pic that Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures were going to release last October but bumped to this year in order to move pic away from an onslaught of slashers at the multiplex.
He had worked with Burns and Wilkins on "Trick 'r Treat," with the two serving as storyboard and concept artists on the project.
No release date has yet been set for "Trick 'r Treat," Dougherty's first foray in the director's chair.
He previously penned "X2: X-Men United" for 20th Century Fox and "Superman Returns," both of which Bryan Singer helmed.
ames Cromwell and Ellen Burstyn are set to play former President George and First Lady Barbara Bush, parents of current U.S. President George W. Bush, in Oliver Stone's "W" reports Variety.
The drama deals with the formative years of their son which Josh Brolin is playing. Elizabeth Banks will play first lady Laura Bush.
Stone will direct from a script by his "Wall Street" co-writer Stanley Weiser. Shooting takes place in Shreveport, Louisiana at the end of April.
The film is expected to be ready for distribution possibly by the November presidential elections and certainly before Bush leaves the White House in January.
Scribe Jeb Stuart ("The Fugitive") will direct and Nate Parker ("The Great Debaters") will star in "Blood Done Sign My Name" says Reuters.
Based on a true story, it follows a black Vietnam veteran allegedly murdered by a white businessma in North Carolina. Parker will play a young teacher who became a key role in the civil unrest that followed.
Stuart adapted the screenplay from Duke University professor Tim Tyson's book. The independently financed production will be filmed in North Carolina in May and June.
Tobey Maguire and Neal Moritz will produce "Afterburn," an adaptation of the Red 5 Comics series for Relativity Media reports the trades.
The sci-fi adventure is set against the backdrop of a postapocalyptic Earth, whose Eastern Hemisphere was destroyed by a massive solar flare, leaving what life remains mutated from radiation and fallout.
The story revolves around a group of treasure hunters who for the right price extract such objects as the Mona Lisa, the Rosetta Stone and the Crown Jewels while facing rival hunters, mutants and pirates along the way.
No writer for the adaptation is on board. Maguire next appears in a cameo in Tropic Thunder and is developing a live-action adaptation of the anime classic Robotech, which he is producing.
Radha Mitchell ("Silent Hill," "Feast of Love") will star opposite Bruce Willis in Touchstone Pictures sci-fi action-thriller "The Surrogates" says ComingSoon.net.
Based on a graphic novel, the story is set in a near future where humans live in isolation and interact vicariously through surrogate robots who are better-looking versions of themselves.
Willis plays a cop who, through his surrogate, investigates the murders of others' surrogates. The cop is forced to venture from his own home for the first time in years and unravels a conspiracy.
Shooting, under the direction of Jonathan Mostow ("U-571," "Terminator 3") will begin in the Boston area on April 28th for a planned release on November 20th 2009.
Šiptari prave invaziju na američku televiziju:
Tahmoh Penikett, Fran Kranz, Dichen Lachman and Enver Gjokaj have joined Joss Whedon's new TV series "Dollhouse" says The Hollywood Reporter.
The four join Eliza Dushku on the 20th Century Fox TV-produced drama, which received a seven-episode order shortly before the strike.
The seven-episode Fox TV-produced drama revolves around a group of young men and women, aka "Dolls," who are imprinted with different personalities for different assignments.
They have no memories of their previous lives, until Echo (Dushku) begins to try to find out who she was.
Penikett will play Paul Smith, an FBI field agent obsessed with the urban myth of Dollhouse and a twisted romantic foil for Echo.
Kranz will play Topher Brink, a twentysomething genius programr responsible for imprinting the dolls.
Lachman will play Sierra, a doll like Echo and her friend, who has every personality in the world but her own.
Gjokaj will play Victor, also a doll and a friend of Echo's, who is childlike when he's inactive, and everything from Errol Flynn to young DeNiro when he's active
Lionsgate has acquired the film rights to "The Last Equation," the debut novel by screenwriter Stuart Gibbs reports the trades.
The story follows the mystery surrounding Pandora, Albert Einstein's last equation. It had the potential to solve the world's energy problems, but it so drastically simplified the process of harnessing atomic energy that it essentially made it possible for anyone to create atomic weaponry.
Because of the risks, Einstein either hid or destroyed the equation before his death. "Equation" takes place in the present day as the government is forced to enlist the help of a fugitive criminal and mathematical genius to find the equation before it falls into the wrong hands.
DreamWorks picks up 'Underage'
By Borys Kit
March 26, 2008
DreamWorks-based Montecito is checking IDs for "Underage," a broad comedy spec script by Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber.
The story centers on a 17-year-old girl who seduces a twentysomething guy and proceeds to blackmail him into being her boyfriend in order to exact revenge on her ex.
In another example of the spec market heating up, the script went out Tuesday morning and attracted strong interest from several buyers. Montecito pre-emptively took it off the table by nightfall, dipping into its discretionary fund to pay $500,000 against $900,000.
Montecito's Ivan Reitman, Tom Pollock and Joe Medjuck are producing. Montecito execs Jeff Clifford and Ali Bell are overseeing.
The deal shows that activity on the DreamWorks lot is picking up. The studio picked up the action thriller "C.O.D." over the weekend.
Neustadter and Weber wrote "Pink Panther 2," which is slated for a winter 2009 release, and are in preproduction on "500 Days of Summer," their anti-romantic comedy being directed by Marc Webb at Fox Searchlight. The duo is repped by CAA, Kaplan/Perrone and attorney Sean Marks.
Ali G and Borat have had their own movies, now comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has been hard at work shooting the film version of his third most famous character creation - Bruno.
The project is now entitled "Brüno: Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Males Visibly Uncomfortable in the Presence of a Gay Foreigner in a Mesh T-Shirt".
As expected it follows the flamboyant Austrian TV reporter and his interviewing of a range of people from conservative power brokers to celebrities of fashion and entertainment to trick them into making politically incorrect statements, or try to provoke reactions of prejudice if they display signs of homophobia.
Filming has caused all sorts of confusion and trouble. The Bad and The Ugly reports that security was put on red alert when Bruno started "stripping down to tight shorts and dancing in the lobby of Wichita Airport." A nearby church also reported that a strange European camera crew showed up to their Easter play with the on air personality in chains.
Most exciting though comes word from The Howard Stern Show via Slashfilm that Ben Affleck was telling comedian Sarah Silverman about the weirdest sit-down interview he has ever had that was done by a "very famous openly gay fashion journalist" and during which he was asked such questions as "How Do You Like Niggers?"
Apparently after a stunned silence, Silverman asked Affleck "Was this guy's name Bruno?" Then and only then did Affleck actually realize that the whole thing was a gag. The hope is that the interview will be featured in the final cut which will hit cinemas in October.
variety:
QuoteParamount Pictures has preemptively bought "Lost City of Z," a David Grann manuscript about the search for a lost city in the Amazon, with Brad Pitt to produce the feature adaptation through his Plan B shingle as a potential starring vehicle.
Grann's forthcoming nonfiction book concerns British explorer Col. Percy Harrison Fawcett, who was attempting to find the so-called City of Z when he and his party disappeared in 1925. Over the next 70 years, scores of explorers tried and failed to retrace Fawcett's path, including a 1996 expedition of Brazilian adventurers. Pitt would play Fawcett.
Doubleday is scheduled to publish "Lost City of Z," an expansion of Grann's September 2005 article in the New Yorker, in February.
When Pitt expressed interest in toplining as well as producing "Lost City of Z," Paramount moved quickly to buy it. Par previously optioned Grann's New Yorker article "City of Water."
Quote from: "cutter"QuoteParamount Pictures has preemptively bought "Lost City of Z," a David Grann manuscript about the search for a lost city in the Amazon,
mada je jasno da ovo ulazi u produkciju da bi se šlepalo na idijanu džonsa, ipak par komentara treba dati:
-a pre svega taj da su indijana i slični mu likovi (uključujući martija misteriju) zapravo bazirani na persiju fosetu;
-za foseta sam prvi put i čuo u genijalnoj (do pred kraj) epizodi martija misterije br. 27 ('kristalna kugla'), u kojoj se aludira na foseta; smesta sam se zainteresovao za lika;
-nekoliko godina kasnije otkrio sam fosetovu knjigu TRAGOM ATLANTIDE, koja je za mene tada bila i do danas ostala JEDNA OD NAJGENIJALNIJIH KNJIGA IKADA OBJAVLJENIH NA SRPSKOM. (piso sam o njoj na topiku my lifechanging books, pa da se ne ponavljam: knjiga vredi svoje težine u zlatu i dijamantima)
zbog svega ovoga, želim da verujem i nadam se ovom filmu, iako mi holivud ama baš nimalo ne uliva poverenja da ovo neće biti tragično dumbed-down banalizovana verzija fosetovog života i rada...
http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2008/04/working-edgar.html
Leslie Mann is joining Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor in the black comedy "I Love You Phillip Morris" says Reuters.
The story follows a married father (Carrey) who is sent to prison and falls in love with a cellmate named Phillip Morris. His love leads him to make several escape attempts.
Mann will play Carrey's wife. Glenn Ficarra and John Requa ("Bad Santa") are directing and production begins later this month.
Fox Searchlight has approached Director David Ayer ("Training Day") about the possibility of doing a prequel to his upcoming cop thriller "Street Kings" reports JoBlo.
Ayer says "I think a prequel is actually pretty interesting. Which is, what got these people into this situation.
It may sound corny but, 99.9% of people get into law enforcement because they want to help people. And so you take that, bright eyed-bushy tailed rookie, and how does he become the Tom Ludlow."
'Kings' opens this Friday.
Former "Daily Show" correspondent Rob Corddry has snagged the role of press secretary Ari Fleischer in Oliver Stone's upcoming presidential biopic "W" reports MTV News.
Since his departure from Jon Stewart's fold, Corddry has had strong success in various supporting roles in such comedies as "Blades of Glory," "Unaccompanied Minors," "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry," "The Heartbreak Kid," "Semi-Pro," and upcoming features like "Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay" and "What Happens in Vegas."
Fleischer served as press secretary for U.S. President George W. Bush from January 2001 to July 2003. He in many ways was the public face of the Government's more cautious and closed approach after the 9/11 attacks. He later became an important figure in the scandal about the leaking of CIA agent Valerie Plame's name to the public.
Josh Brolin, James Cromwell, Elizabeth Banks, Ellen Burstyn, Thandie Newton and Ioan Gruffudd have already been cast as George W., George Sr., Laura, and Barbara Bush, as well as Condoleezza Rice and Tony Blair, respectively.
Zack Snyder ("Dawn of the Dead," "300") is set to direct the animated feature film "Guardians of Ga'Hoole" for Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow says Variety.
Based on the series of children's books by Kathryn Lasky, the story is set in the Forest of Tyto, where Barn Owls live in peace until their kingdom is threatened by an evil that could destroy their home.
John Orloff ("A Mighty Heart") and John Collee ("Master and Commander") adapted the script and production will begin in Sydney, Australia later this year for a 2009 or 2010 release.
One of the most troubled film projects in recent film development history has been "MEG".
Steve Alten's book dealt with the modern day re-emergence of an 80-foot long prehistoric shark which can eat a Tyrannosaurus Rex for breakfast. The book came out in 1997 and soon after plans were hatched to turn the property into a movie.
Over a decade later and the project remains unproduced, despite a long history and many millions spent in development costs at both Hollywood Pictures and New Line Cinema.
Now, according to The Los Angeles Times, a new financier has stepped forward. Apelles Publishing Inc. has optioned the rights from Alten. Veteran producers Lawrence Gordon ("Die Hard") and Lloyd Levin ("Boogie Nights") remain attached to produce, along with Virginia-based film financing consultant Belle Avery.
Whilst at the now defunct New Line, director Jan de Bont ("Speed," "Twister") was hired to helm the project, using a script by Shane Salerno ("Armageddon") and brought in a team of special effects and production experts to assist him.
Ultimately though the plug was pulled a few months before the studio was folded back into Warners earlier this year, a spokesman citing the project's expense ($157 million+ budget estimates) along with the several producers already being attached to the project without the studio's say.
Guillermo Del Toro and one of my oldest online mates, CHUD.Com creator Nick Nunziata, were previously attached to produce. Del Toro has since left the project.
ThinkFilm has picked up all North American rights to the Sundance-premiered British prison drama "The Escapist" from Parallel Films and Picture Farm says the trades.
Brian Cox, Joseph Fiennes, Dominic Cooper and Damian Lewis star in the gritty, stylish movie about a group of inmates trying to break out of a London prison.
Directed by Rupert Wyatt from a script he wrote with Daniel Hardy, the project uses dual time structure that cuts between the planning for the escape and the escape itself in a race against the clock to see his drug-addled daughter.
ThinkFilm expects to release the movie in October, following a similar platform rollout as it did with last year's "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead."
DreamWorks has tapped David DiGilio to adapt the Oni Press graphic novel "The Damned," by Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt.
Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald are producing via their DreamWorks-based shingle.
Described as horror-noir, "Damned" follows a Los Angeles detective who discovers that a new gang with ties to the supernatural has infiltrated the city.
Eric Gitter is also producing via his Closed on Mondays Entertainment, the film production arm of Oni Press Mark. Peter Schwerin will exec produce.
DreamWorks recently snapped up Oni Press' upcoming graphic novel "The Return of King Doug" for Ben Stiller to produce and potentially topline.
DiGilio wrote "Eight Below" for Disney and was creator of ABC series "The Traveler."
He is repped by UTA, Stephen Crawford at Luber/Roklin and attorney Karl Austen.
Toll worker's spec attracts big names
By Borys Kit
March 26, 2008
Don Cheadle (Getty Images photo)
A Staten Island tollbooth worker in desperate need of a car wrote a crime thriller spec titled "Brooklyn's Finest" last year. Now he finds himself rubbing shoulders with some of Hollywood's finest, including Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke and Antoine Fuqua.
Living in Brooklyn, Michael Martin had just totaled his car in an accident. While in physical therapy, he entered a screenwriting competition, hoping to win the prize money for his new set of wheels.
"I had never written a screenplay before," said Martin, who had studied film in college. "I thought, 'How hard can it be?' I was more like, 'If I win this, I can get a new car.' "
His screenplay came in second but eventually ended up in a far better place: the doorstep of Warner Bros.-based Thunder Road exec Mary Viola, who had been looking for a writer who had an authentic and gritty voice to write a sequel to "New Jack City," which was in development at Warner Premiere, Warners' direct-to-DVD division. Impressed by "Finest," Viola set out find the writer, who then had no agent.
Martin had moved out to L.A., staying at a downtown hotel, and hooked up with representatives at ICM and ROAR. He enjoyed a brief stint writing for Showtime's "Sleeper Cell," but homesickness overwhelmed him. He returned to New York and wound up back at the Transit Authority.
Meanwhile, in the hands of Viola, "Finest" became red hot, quickly attracting top talent. Gere and Cheadle are now polishing their badges to star in the ensemble police thriller, which Fuqua will direct for Avi Lerner's Millennium Films, which is financing. Hawke is also coming on board to star, a move that will reteam him with Fuqua, who helmed him to an Oscar nomination in "Training Day." Ellen Barkin is also booking a part.
The script almost brought Mel Gibson out of acting seclusion. He took a string of meetings, but things ultimately didn't work out.
Thunder Road's Basil Iwanyk is producing with John Langley. Viola and Fuqua are exec producing with Robert Greenhut and Jesse Kennedy.
The story, a sort of "Crash" meets "Training Day," is a dramatic ensemble with three intertwining story lines involving Brooklyn cops. "I worked for a bus company that got indicted by the Feds because of Mob connections," Martin said. "I could not have written 'Brooklyn's Finest' without that experience."
The movie is prepping for a May shoot in Brooklyn, in the very locations that inspired Martin to write the script. "Things are moving very fast right now. It's something I've been waiting a long time for," Martin said.
Fuqua, whose last movie was 2007's "Shooter," is repped by CAA. Hawke is repped by CAA. Gere, last seen in Todd Haynes' "I'm Not There," next stars in "Nights in Rodanthe." He is repped by WMA. Cheadle, repped by UTA, will next appear in "Hotel for Dogs."
Martin, a new dad, was recently promoted to construction flagger within the Transit Authority, working inside the subway system. He is writing "New Jack City 2," often during his breaks in the subway tunnels.
He drives a new car.
Ken Loach is making a biopic of Eric Cantona's
time at Man Utd, provisionally titled Finding
Eric. The director hasn't lost his man of the
people credentials. Rather than staying in
the posh Lowry Hotel he's in a big standard
3 star place, refusing the services of a
chauffeur and spending his 35 quid a day
per diem in Pret a Manger on food for his
staff. He and the Cantona family have been
travelling around by tram or minicab.
Wolfgang Petersen ("Air Force One," "Troy," "The Perfect Storm") is no longer attached to direct "Ender's Game" reports io9.com.
An adaptation of Orson Scott Card's acclaimed sci-fi novel about a child super soldier who plays a long simulation of Earth's fight against the 'bugger' race of alien insects. As the 'game' wears on, he begins to lose his sanity and makes a final and devastating decision that has real world consequences.
No word as to why he's left the project, but Chartoff Productions is said to be busy meeting with a slew of potential directors to replace him for a shoot starting in early 2009.
Author Card has apparently finished a draft of the script and is "already working to make it even better."
Bill Cosby has joined a who's who of black comedians for the Robert Townsend-directed documentary "Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy" says The Hollywood Reporter.
The film is described as a no-holds-barred, raw, uncensored and truthful look at black comedy and its cultural influence. It also takes a critical examination of the social impact of black comedy and its notable artists.
Cosby joins a cast of comedians that include Chris Rock, Steve Harvey, George Wallace, Paul Mooney and Katt Williams, among others.
MGM Films has acquired domestic rights to "How To Lose Friends and Alienate People" and plans to release the comedy on October 3rd says Variety.
Based on Toby Young's memoir, the story centers on an English journalist (Simon Pegg) who proves a failure on the staff of New York's most prestigious magazine as his bad manners and vulgar pranks lead to monumental mishaps.
Kirsten Dunst, Megan Fox, Danny Huston, Gillian Anderson and Jeff Bridges also star. Robert B. Weide directed from a script by Young and Peter Straughan.
Nick Stoller ("Forgetting Sarah Marshall") is gearing up for another Judd Apatow-produced comedy "Get Him to the Greek" for Universal Pictures says Variety.
Stoller will write and direct comedy which centers on a fresh out-of-college insurance adjuster (Jonah Hill) who is hired to accompany an out-of-control rock star (Russell Brand) from London to a gig at L.A.'s Greek Theater.
Stoller is co-writing and will direct the comedy "Five-Year Engagement" for Universal with Jason Segal co-writing and attached to star. The pair are also collaborating on "The Muppet Movie" for Disney.
http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2008/04/full-hancock.html
Mel Gibson has committed to star in "Edge of Darkness," marking his first starring role in a feature film since he headlined "Signs" and "We Were Soldiers" in 2002.
Martin Campbell will direct the feature adaptation of the six-hour 1985 BBC miniseries, which Campbell also helmed.
William Monahan wrote the script, and Graham King is producing through his GK Films banner. Michael Wearing, who produced the original, will also produce, and the BBC will be involved in a producing capacity.
Campbell, who last directed "Casino Royale," developed the project and brought it to King a year ago. He enlisted Monahan for a page one rewrite; the scribe worked with King on "The Departed." King is self-financing the project and is committed to an August production start in Boston. It is unclear whether he will fully finance through production or enlist a studio.
Gibson will play a straitlaced police investigator whose activist daughter is killed. He plunges into the case and uncovers systemic corruption that led to his daughter's death.
Gibson had long been a fan of the mini and was receptive when King and Campbell approached him several months ago.
Before "Signs" and "We Were Soldiers," Gibson starred in 2000's "What Women Want" and "The Patriot." Subsequently, he concentrated on directing, with "The Passion of the Christ" in 2004 and "Apocalypto" in 2006.
While Gibson has stayed under the radar after controversy sparked when he made anti-Semitic comments to a police officer during a DUI arrest in Malibu, he has continued to be offered acting vehicles, and he came close to accepting on several occasions, including "Under and Alone," a fact-based drama still in development at Warner Bros.
At a time when supposedly proven stars aren't translating to opening weekends, films that Gibson starred in and directed have grossed north of $5 billion worldwide.
King and Monahan won Oscars for "The Departed," and the producer recently made a first-look deal with the writer, who has taken residence in GK headquarters. Among the projects on which Monahan and King are collaborating is the Paramount-based true story of Jim Keene, who traded a prison sentence to go undercover at a maximum-security hospital for the criminally insane. King will produce that film with Alexandra Milchan, based on an upcoming Playboy magazine article by Keene and writer Hillel Levin.
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Judge
Bateman
Krinsky
Mike Judge will direct and Jason Bateman will star in the comedy "Extract," the first project to be produced under Judge's new shingle, Ternion Prods., which he formed with writer-producers John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky.
Ternion is fully financed to develop film, TV, digital and new-media projects through a finance and development deal with Media Rights Capital. The shingle will also produce films and TV projects through the traditional studio and network route.
Penned by Judge, "Extract" explores what it's like to be the boss when everything seems to be shifting around you.
Miramax will distribute in North America.
Altschuler is producing alongside Michael Rotenberg. Tom Lassally and Krinsky exec produce.
Ternion is bringing its first series to the smallscreen under its deal with MRC. "The Goode Family," which will air on ABC, was created by Altschuler, Judge and Krinsky, who are also exec producing along with Rotenberg and Lassally. The series is currently in production on its first 13 episodes and will bow in the first quarter of 2009.
MRC has also preemptively acquired Altschuler and Krinsky's spec film script "Brigadier Gerard." Comedy is set in the Napoleonic era and is based on a short story by Arthur Conan Doyle. Ternion is attaching a director to shoot in 2009.
Judge, who wrote and directed "Office Space," is the creator of "Beavis and Butthead" and "King of the Hill," which he produced with Altschuler and Krinsky.
Altschuler and Krinsky wrote "Blades of Glory" and are penning "Brothers of Invention" in addition to finishing work on "The Jetsons."
Bateman next will be seen in "Hancock" alongside Will Smith and in the Kevin MacDonald-helmed political drama "State of Play."
Soderbergh to direct 'Girlfriend'
Koppelman, Levien to write script
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Steven Soderbergh will direct "The Girlfriend Experience," a feature that focuses on the world of prostitution from the vantage point of a $10,000-a-night call girl.
Brian Koppelman and David Levien will write; the pair hatched the project when they and Soderbergh were working on "Ocean's Thirteen."
Pic will be financed by 2929 Entertainment partners Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner through their HDNet label. It will become the second film -- after "Bubble" -- in the six-picture pact they made for Soderbergh to direct low-budget films that get distributed simultaneously in theatrical, on cable TV and on DVD.
Greg Jacobs ("The Good German") will produce.
Rather than go for star power, Soderbergh may set an adult film actress to play the lead role. Soderbergh shot "Bubble" using mostly non-pros.
Project marks the director's first exploration of sexual relationships since his breakthrough film, "sex, lies & videotape."
Much the way that Coleman Hough and Soderbergh wrote a detailed outline for "Bubble" that was used as the basis for a partly improvisational shoot, Koppelman and Levien worked out the beats of the call- girl film with Soderbergh. The director waited until he shot two installments of his Spanish-language Che Guevara biopic before turning his attention to "The Girlfriend Experience."
Soderbergh will lense "The Informant" with Matt Damon for Warner Bros. as his next film. Then he'll turn to "The Girlfriend Experience," which will be shot over 14 days this fall.
The title refers to a phenomenon in which wealthy men pay not just for the quality of a sexual encounter but also for a woman who will play the role of a perfect girlfriend. The arrangement apparently involves more intimacy than the usual prostitution relationship. Soderbergh, Koppelman and Levien interviewed numerous women and fixed on an interior look at a woman who makes $1 million a year in the business.
Phillip Noyce ("Clear and Present Danger," "The Quiet American") is in negotiations to direct DreamWorks Pictures "The Art of Making Money" says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story centers on Art Williams, the alias of an audacious Chicago counterfeiter who printed more than $10 million worth of fake $100 bills using cutting-edge techniques and continued to do so even after he had been caught by the FBI. Last year, he was sentenced to seven years in federal prison.
Based on Jason Kersten's 2005 profile of Williams in Rolling Stone, Frank Baldwin is attached to write the screenplay.
Noyce has been considering four projects during the past few weeks. His next film is the period drama "Mary Queen of Scots" with Scarlett Johansson opening later this year.
Joseph Ruben ("Sleeping With the Enemy," "The Good Son," "The Forgotten") has signed on to direct the thriller "Jack" for Bold Films says the trades.
Written by David Venable, "Jack" centers on a doctor who rehabilitates and ultimately falls for an accident victim with memory loss, the victim being unaware that he actually is a killer.
Casting is under way with principal photography to begin early in the fall.
Christian Slater and Wes Bentley will topline a film adaptation of Stephen King's short story "Dolan's Cadillac" for Film Bridge International.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Emmanuelle Vaugier will also play the female lead in the thriller about a man (Bentley), who plots to avenge the murder of his wife (Vaugier) by notorious and untouchable Las Vegas mob boss Jimmy Dolan (Slater).
Erik Canuel is directing from an adaptation written by Richard Dooling. Production is scheduled to begin May 14th.
Eli Roth ("Hostel," "Cabin Fever") is almost finished on a script for a family-safe sci-fi action film.
"This will be my first big-budget, PG-13, mass-destruction movie. I went total chaos and pandemonium" he told Reuters, but won't go into further details - leaving the specifics for a "big announcement" next month.
Why is he doing this? "I feel like I pushed the violence in R movies about as far as I can push it. I feel like I'm bled out. I wanna switch it up. Everyone I know has been saying 'When are you gonna do a movie my kids can see?' And finally, I'm gonna make a movie that 13-year-old kids can see" he claims.
The classic dark, low-budget British 70's sci-fi series "Blake's 7" is set to get a big-budget remake says The Times Online.
The new series will premiere on Sky One, after the satellite broadcaster asked the holders of the rights to develop a fresh series.
The BBC show, created by Terry Nation (who created the Daleks for "Doctor Who"), followed the exploits of Roj Blake as he led a band of reluctant rebels against the totalitarian Federation, which ruled the galaxy. The show was considered the anti-"Star Trek" of its time and was one of the first of the genre to explore the dark and pessimistic themes that pervade modern sci-fi television.
'Trek' was a bright and happy crew of military personnel spreading messages of peace and unity in stand-alone episodes. Blake's by contrast was about a dysfunctional group of cynical thieves, murderers and dissidents forced to work together but always furthering their own agendas.
The show was morally ambiguous, filled with complex characters (many of which got killed off randomly to ensure suspense), and was one of the first shows to employ both serial storylines and seasonal cliffhangers.
South Korean dance group the Gambler will star in Paramount and Young Film's $25 million dance movie "Hype Nation" says Variety.
Helmed by Alex Calzatti ("I Am Cuba"), the story follows dance battles between the American R&B group B2K and Korean group the Gambler.
Rapper Teddy Riley plays a music director. The project is currently casting for a Korean female lead.
Production begins July 15th with some 40% lensing Stateside and 60% to be shot in South Korea.
Jack Bauer is headed to Africa after all!
You'll recall the ORIGINAL original plan was to start season seven of "24" with an episode or two set in Africa before jumping in time and place to Washington, D.C.
Well, the writers' strike has suddenly brought us back to that plan, sort of, with a two-hour TV-movie that takes the lead "24" character to the Dark Continent.
The "24" movie will air this autumn. Season seven, part of which was shot prior to the movie (and the strike), is slated to start airing January of next year, Screen Actors Guild permitting.
The news of Bauer's next destination was spilled in a related Associated Press story on "24" webisodes one can read here.
United Artists spies Surnow thriller
Martin Campbell to direct film
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Surnow
Campbell
United Artists and Lakeshore Entertainment have set "24" co-creator-exec producer Joel Surnow to develop a contemporary spy thriller that will be directed by "Casino Royale" helmer Martin Campbell.
Surnow will write the film with Michael Loceff, a "24" co-exec producer.
UA, which is run by Paula Wagner and partially owned by Tom Cruise, has made it a priority to find a commercially viable franchise for Cruise, though the studio wouldn't confirm whether the Surnow/Campbell project was specifically designed for the "Mission: Impossible" star.
Lakeshore's Gary Lucchesi and Tom Rosenberg will produce.
Surnow also developed and exec produced "La Femme Nikita," which ran from 1997-2001, and served as producer or wrote episodes for "The Equalizer," "Miami Vice," "Nowhere Man" and "Wiseguy."
"This is an original concept that both UA and I feel will have an impact creatively and commercially," Surnow said.
After directing "The Mask of Zorro" and "The Legend of Zorro," Campbell showed his spy thriller acumen by directing "GoldenEye," and then "Casino Royale," the film that transitioned the James Bond franchise to Daniel Craig.
Campbell will next direct "Edge of Darkness," a drama starring Mel Gibson (Daily Variety, April 29). That film, based on a BBC miniseries that Campbell directed in 1985, is being financed and produced by Graham King's GK Films.More than one option(Co) Daily Variety
Filmography, Year, Role
(Co) Daily Variety
The new project gives UA two plum commercial projects, the other being "Champions," an adaptation of the '60s British TV adventure series that had Guillermo del Toro attached. The helmer will likely have to be replaced, after committing to four years in New Zealand making two films based on J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit." UA parent MGM shares "The Hobbit" with New Line Cinema and Warner Bros.
Nicole Kidman will star in Fox 2000's biopic of British 60's pop singer Dusty Springfield according to scribe Michael Cunningham ("The Hours").
Cunningham tells New York Magazine that "She was a great artist who no one knew what to do with. She was coming into her full powers at the same time the Beatles were, but she is clearly going into history with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones."
Cunningham said the film would include the lonely years in exile from the U.K. in Hollywood, the drinking and the drugging, and the tortured bisexual/lesbian feelings that wove through her checkered career, which ended when she died of cancer in 1999.
Jonah Hill is in early negotiations to co-star with Shia LaBeouf in "Transformers 2" for DreamWorks and Paramount.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Hill ("Superbad," "Forgetting Sarah Marshall") will provide the comic relief as a Princeton college roommate of Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) who runs a conspiracy theory website.
The sequel will begin shooting shortly and is scheduled for a release on June 26th 2009.
Miramax has signed on to remake of last year's successful Israeli thriller "The Debt" says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story revolves around three Mossad agents who, 20 years after World War II's end, learn that a Nazi war criminal is still alive and set out to pursue him across Europe.
Assaf Bernstein directed the original which like the remake is set in the 1960s and 1990s.
"Stardust" and "Layer Cake" director Matthew Vaughn and his writing partner Jane Goldman are penning the new version, but Vaughn is not expected to direct.
David Silverman ("The Simpsons Movie," "Monsters, Inc.") has signed on to develop and direct the live-action sci-fi family comedy "The Pet" for Disney Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
The project, written by Matt Lieberman, centers on an everyday guy who becomes the pet of a group of aliens.
Scott Rudin and Craig Perry are producing.
Karl Urban ("Doom," "The Lord of the Rings") will lead the cast of the $25 million 3D action feature "Relentless" for Baldwin Entertainment and Velvet Octopus reports Variety.
Demian Lichtenstein ("3000 Miles to Graceland") will direct the story of four extreme sports professionals who survive a plane crash in the Amazon jungle, and must use all their survival instincts as they are hunted by a group of homicidal natives.
Lichtenstein was mentored by James Cameron on the set of his upcoming 3D epic "Avatar", and is being trained in other 3-D techniques by James Mainard and Phil McNally of DreamWorks.
Shooting kicks off this September in Puerto Rico.
Mel Gibson has visited a prison in Mexico's Gulf coast state of Veracruz where local officials say he is scouting locations for a new movie.
Gibson told reporters outside Veracruz's Ignacio Allende prison that it is hard for him to speak in front of microphones.
But the Veracruz state director of cinema says the purpose of Sunday's visit is to see locations.
Prospero Rebolledo says Gibson's people are just looking for locations for a film, "there is no script, right now they are looking precisely for places to do it."
Phillip Noyce ("Catch a Fire", "Rabbit Proof Fence") is considering helming Warner Bros. Pictures action thriller "28th Amendment" reports Moviehole.
Penned by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci ("Transformers," "The Island"), the story centres on a young American president who discovers that a secret committee has controlled the US government since WWII.
This hidden power structure assassinates potential troublemakers to serve its own needs, and having made the discovery, the President now finds himself in the firing line.
Kevin MacDonald ("The Last King of Scotland," "Touching the Void") was originally attached to direct before leaving the project to helm "State of Play". "Superman" helmer Richard Donner was also previously attached.
Noyce's next film is "Mary Queen of Scots", but after that he's next film isn't yet locked. Noyce has apparenly been considering four project including this, and the Art Williams biopic "The Art of Making Money".
- Amy Winehouse has recorded one of the several songs competing to be the theme for the next James Bond film "Quantum Of Solace". Her producer Mark Ronson says "Hopefully it will get used. But I don't think we've been guaranteed it, so we're working on it and we'll see happens."
Rick Yune has been cast as the antagonist in the Wachowski siblings-produced action film "Ninja Assassin" for Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
Korean actor-singer Rain plays a man brought up in an orphanage functioning as a ninja farm. The man turns his back on his tradition to make his way in the modern world, which brings him into conflict with a ninja (Yune) from the clan.
Naomie Harris has joined as the female lead, Ben Miles also landed an unspecified role.
James McTeigue is directing, and Joel Silver is producing via Dark Castle.
Joel Silver reteams with his Matrix directors to do something he has rarely attempted: a family film. Speed Racer. Emile Hirsch takes on the iconic title role as Speed Racer who is aggressive, instinctive and, most of all, fearless.
His only real competition is the memory of the brother he idolized - the legendary Rex Racer, whose death in a race has left behind a legacy that Speed is driven to fulfill. Speed is loyal to the family racing business, led by his father, Pops Racer, the designer of Speed's thundering Mach 5.
When Speed turns down a lucrative and tempting offer from Royalton Industries, he not only infuriates the company's maniacal owner but uncovers a terrible secret - some of the biggest races are being fixed by a handful of ruthless moguls who manipulate the top drivers to boost profits. If Speed won't drive for Royalton, Royalton will see to it that the Mach 5 never crosses another finish line. The only way for Speed to save his family's business and the sport he loves is to beat Royalton at his own game.
With the support of his family and his loyal girlfriend, Trixie, Speed teams with his one-time rival - the mysterious Racer X - to win the race that had taken his brother's life: the death-defying, cross-country rally known as The Crucible. Silver is clearly excited as he discusses this latest visually inventive venture. Paul Fischer reports.
Question: I guess you were at the screening with everyone prior to this junket. Did you watch it just to see the reaction of everyone?
Silver: Look, I mean we had a screening down here in Long Beach about 2 weeks ago for a recruited screening and it was just a dream come true, I mean it was just a huge response and the numbers were just through the roof in the high 90's. You don't ever see that ever but it was a big family audience. There were a lot of kids and a lot of parents--I didn't have that last night. There were some kids there but it wasn't the kind of family audience that I think the movie will play the most, but I think it played great. I was very happy to be there.
Question: Talk about the biggest challenges on the film-- technically, logistically.
Silver: It was a technical nightmare to have the realization of what the boys wanted to do. I mean, the brothers had this...when it all came about I mean they knew I had the project for awhile and after "V" or some point after "V" they called me up one day and said, "what are you doing with that Speed Racer thing?" and I said, "well, I'm struggling" and they said, "we have an idea" and I said "well, go for it" so they had this notion of making what they considered live-action anime and that's what it is--live-action anime. And they said we want to show you what we want to do and if the studio likes it, we have a way of making a movie of this, and if they don't, then we'll do something else.
Question: How long did you have it? You said you had it for a while.
Silver: Almost 20 years.
Question: Well, what was initial idea for it? Where you going to do it strictly as an animated movie?
Silver: No, a lot of people had been involved. There were a lot of scripts written, a lot of directors attached. I mean, there were rumors of actors attached. No one was ever really attached, I mean there was a lot of discussion about the movie but really it couldn't have been made in this fashion until right now.
Question: Why?
Silver: Because the technology didn't really exist to do this. I mean, yeah there was a version that they were scouting locations for race tracks and they were designing cars to be built and I remember one of the of the things--the cost of the car was $1 million to build this car that would all--you know chrome and it couldn't be photographed from any angle--I don't know what the hell they were doing, you know? But the way that it was done where the cars could do things that you've never seen before could only be done in this fashion with the way these guys want to do it.
Question: When Larry and Andy say to you they have an idea, do you sort of turn away and just are smiling from ear to ear?
Silver: Yes.
Question: And was the studio immediately enthusiastic when they found out they wanted to do it? How did that work?
Silver: Well of course they were enthusiastic because we'd been struggling with the movie for a long time so a lot of people had been through the process. I mean a lot of ...JJ Abrams...a lot of people wrote scripts for this thing but again they were conventional type stories. So the Wachowski Brothers went off and they made a 5 minutes kind of pre-viz--a pre-visualization of a race in this movie. And there are actually some shots in that pre-viz that actually made it through to the finished movie. I mean, that first pre-vis actually had images that went right through to the end. But it was a race. It had elements of all 3 races. Elements of Thunderhead, elements of Casa Cristo, elements of the Grand Prix. It was just a race which was shown to the studio in December I think of '06, and we sat in a room at the studio and a bunch of people in the room and the lights went down and they showed this.
Question: And you said before that you'd made a lot of silly action films, but after "The Matrix" you walked away realizing that people wanted more, you know you knew what that was. So what was that that you realized post-Matrix that you brought with you into this film?
Silver: Well, I'll just finish this quick and then I'll go to that. When the lights went up and everybody stood there quietly in the room and the studio said, "well, what is it? Is it "Roger Rabbit"? I mean, what is it? Is it animation, is it live-action?" They said, "look this is what it is." So they said, "Take a shot", you know. I think that this movie...this is a family movie which I'd been involved in a few movies that were family but not with the Wachowski Brothers and you know this is the first time they really intended to do something for the family--for everybody and they had nieces and nephews and friends and family and they wanted everybody to see their movie. They hadn't been able to do that with everything we've made up to now. So it was a story about the family. It is a story about, you know, it has really kind of basic family structure, family story, family type values of this movie and it's also just a movie about a quest and an ambition and dreams and all the things that seem to work in those kinds of movies. It's brilliant in its execution but it's simple in its tale, and I think the end of this movie, I mean cheaters never prosper, you know, be true to your family, stay together and you can prevail, you can win. And I think that those elements are effective and I hope that the audience embraces it and enjoys it.
Question: What was it about the story that made you hold onto it for so long?
Silver: When I first saw "Speed Racer" which I was a kid and I wasn't as young as my son is 6 who has since has seen the original show and loves it, I wasn't that age. I was older than that. But I always remembered it being fresh and unique and having you know, a cool quality and again the Brothers have said that it was the first time they ever saw anime, so that was fresh for them. But I remember that I just liked it and when they brought it to me and they said, "Do you want the rights to this thing?" and I said, "Yeah, sure let's take a shot" which was almost 20 years ago--I think it was '89-90 I did that and we struggled with it. We tried to make it but I just felt it had something about it that was fresh and I never let it go.
Question: As a producer who claimed they didn't want to see something go over-budget, you feel more comfortable when you're making a film in these kinds of circumstances--relatively controlled studio green screen as opposed to out in the real world where anything could possibly go wrong?
Silver: I mean look, this movie as expensive as it was and it wasn't a cheap film, is nowhere near the cost of other films I've made or other films that are being made now. I mean, it was controllable. Once we finished there was a 60 day shoot in a big green room. Once you finish that, but then the real work begins in the post-production. But you know it depends. The next movie out is called "RocknRolla". I did it with Guy Richie and it's about London. There's probably not a single visual effect shot in the whole movie, you know. It's real, it's just a way we make movies, you know. But I think that this is a pioneering step on picture making--this movie. It's a way to...it's not just in how it's shot but how it was photographed, I mean the editorial process is very different. The way the camera--the lens moves is very different. The camera has no form. You see shots where the camera zooms into Speed and zooms past him to Trixie and past her into Rex and where is the camera? I mean, what is it? It's not on a...it's just there. It's just showing you what you want to see and editorially the way they put this film together I think there's a lot of ground breaking things in it but yes, it was controllable and done in a way that was kind of easier to make but not so much easier to conceive.
Question: Do you think things could even get crazier from here? I mean this is just the start...
Silver: I was reading last week in USA Today about the Bond film--"The Quantum of Solace"--and they were shooting in Chile in some desert at 120 degrees, they're running on a metal building, the crew was dying, they can't function, they don't know how they're going it, they Mayor of the city is mad at them because it's supposed to be Columbia. Everybody's going crazy. I mean they could be shooting in Pinewood. They could be in a big green room. I mean, certain things I can see not wanting to do that, but I mean George Lucas didn't have go to Tatooeen, I mean you don't have to...you can make movies in ways that are different but I think with the technology as exists now...I mean this movie was all shot digitally. I mean, it's going to be a matter of years when the film is not a factor anymore. We can still actually shoot on film but you don't have to do shoot on film. You'd have to finish on film and it's all going to make it a lot easier to make movies in a way that I mean, you can sit at your kitchen table and make a movie.
Question: Did it come in on budget?
Silver: Oh yeah. Oh sure. There wasn't a lot of things to get in the way of it.
Question: Since Larry and Andy never do press, have they started thinking about 3-D filmmaking?
Silver: Yeah, we talked about this being 3-D. We actually discussed this being 3-D. There aren't enough theatres yet right now to make it really...it would have taxed us to make this 3-D right now. But maybe if we make a sequel, I mean, they have a story for a sequel and if they make it...
Question: What is it? Any hints on where it might go?
Silver: Well, there's things they want to do with him. There's as many episodes of this cartoon so there's a lot of ideas, but if we make the sequel maybe that will be in 3-D, but I mean it would have been possible because it was digital to begin with to do it in 3-D and all those shots were rendered so it would have been possible.
Question: Do you think they want to do a sequel or do you think they want to take on another property?
Silver: Well, I mean, I don't know if they will direct the sequel. Maybe somebody else will--maybe they will, I don't know. This was pretty tough this one to do, but to create this you know, but I don't know if they'd want to give that to somebody else, I don't know. But they...the only thing I like to say is they don't....the only part they don't engage in is this part right here. They don't like to engage in this and my friend, Tom Cruise, told me a story he went to work on "Eyes Wide Shut" and he said there was Kubrick just sitting there in the director's chair. It was Kubrick! And not trying to make a connection between Kubrick and the boys but he didn't want to engage in this part either so that gives him mystique and when everybody's here--all the guys are here and Matthew's here and Emile and these are fantastic friends of ours, these filmmakers and they're great guys. They just don't like to talk about their movies and they did the whole thing for me on the first "Matrix". They did all the junkets. All the press tours, they did everything and they hated it. And they said to me, "If you want us to work with you again, you've got to promise we'd never do this again". And I said, "Fine." What could I say? I couldn't say, "No, you've got to do it." So I'm happy to try to impart to you their thoughts and their ideas but you know their thoughts and their ideas are on that screen and that's what they give you. That's their gift to all of you. I hope you liked it.
Eva Mendes, Josh Hartnett and Ben Kingsley have joined the Jonathan Jakubowicz's female-driven actioner "Queen of the South" (La reina del sur) reports the trades.
An adaptation of the best-seller by Spanish author-journalist Arturo Perez Reverte, the story tracks a Mexican woman who escapes to Spain after her drug-runner boyfriend is murdered.
Teresa becomes the reigning drug smuggler in Spain, bent on avenging her lover. Hartnett plays a Marine who gets involved in her business, and Kingsley plays a Russian businessman.
Jakubowicz co-wrote the screenplay with Albert Torres. Shoot begins in Mexico and Spain starting this September.
Morgan Creek Prods. has picked up the mob thriller script "Gregory Burns" for Universal Pictures to distribute says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story centers on the title character, an Arizona cop who goes undercover to take down a Los Angeles-based Russian crime family.
Rand Ravich ("The Astronaut's Wife," TV's "Life") penned the script which has been a hot property amongst film development executives for several years.
James McTeigue ("V for Vendetta") is attached to direct the thriller "Revelation" for Inferno says Variety.
John Salvati penned the script which centers on a female journalist who is assigned to investigate a series of bizarre murders and discovers that the victims were all being treated by the head of an org that researches alien abductions.
Inferno will be handling international sales for the pic beginning next week at the Cannes Film Festival. McTeigue is currently helming Warner Bros.' "Ninja Assassin," which is being produced by the Wachowski Brothers.
Lionsgate has acquired US, UK, Australian & New Zealand distribution rights to "W," the Oliver Stone-directed drama about the life and formative years of President Bush says Variety.
The film has been set for US domestic release on October 17th, giving the picture three weekends in theaters before the November 4th presidential election.
Stone has still yet to cast Dick Cheney. Shooting begins May 12th in Louisiana.
Martin Scorsese will direct a major biopic for Universal Picturesabout the life of the late Frank Sinatra, according to his youngest daughter and film producer Tina.
According to Jam Showbiz, whilst Sinatra did socialize with crime figures, in this film he'll be shown as innocent of any true involvement with the Mafia or other gangsters.
Tina Sinatra tells Sun Media that Scorsese is in a "reflective period" and is willing to present the truth about her father. That means "dismissing scurrilous rumours that Sinatra was a stooge for the Mafia."
Sinatra also produced the 1992 mini-series about her father and admits it is premature to officially announce Scorsese for the biopic (meaning final signing of contracts probably has yet to happen.
SCRIPTLAND
Leonardo DiCaprio may portray Ian Fleming
The actor's company will produce a film about the creator of James Bond.
By Jay A. Fernandez, Special to The Times
May 14, 2008
Leonardo DiCaprio may one day be able to add Ian Fleming to the list of real historical figures that he's impersonated on screen.
The Oscar-nominated actor's Appian Way company recently came on as producer of "Fleming," an original screenplay written by Damian Stevenson about the life of the British author and journalist who created James Bond.
"It's going to be very different from the Bond films," says producer Andrew Lazar ("Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," "Get Smart"), who first championed the project. "There are a lot of different ways to crack biopics, but we're not trying to emulate a Bond movie . . . The idea that this guy's life informed the James Bond character is pretty fascinating."
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STORY: Hollywood A-Z: Leonardo DiCaprioMore Related:
More 'Scriptland'
In fall 2005, just before the lucrative Bond franchise rebooted with Daniel Craig, Stevenson made his first script sale to Warner Bros. He then spent months mollifying the WB legal department about the historical accuracy of the Fleming story and worked through dozens of drafts with Lazar.
"It's the real James Bond," says the 35-year-old Stevenson, who previously worked as a development executive at Kopelson Entertainment and DreamWorks. "In England, Ian Fleming's exploits are much better well known. Talking to people out here, no one had any idea that M was based on a real person, Miss Moneypenny was based on a real person."
The London native scoured the underground stacks of the University of Oxford's centuries-old Bodleian Library for out-of-print Fleming biographies.
His latest version of the screenplay begins on the eve of Fleming's Jamaica wedding in 1952, just before his first Bond novel, "Casino Royale," was published (a wedding present to his new wife).
It then flashes back to Fleming's years as a Reuters journalist stationed in Moscow and then a Commander of Naval Intelligence (MI6 code name "17F") during World War II who devised innovative spying plots.
Fleming later drew from his own playboy life and his espionage contemporaries' to invent one of literature and film's most enduring characters.
During the writers' strike, DiCaprio showed interest in Fleming and his world, but he's looking to take the script in a different direction with a new writer.
The next Bond film, titled "Quantum of Solace" after a Fleming short story, will be released by MGM on Nov. 7.
Summit Entertainment will produce a remake of fantasy thriller "Highlander" with the aim of kick-starting the franchise again.
Summit's signed the "Iron Man" writing team of Art Marcum and Matt Holloway to script, with plans to expand on the original pic's premise of immortals battling each other for a mysterious prize. Company's aiming to go into production next year.
Summit acquired the remake rights from Davis/Panzer Prods. It has tapped Peter Davis, one of the producers of the original film, to produce the new version.
The 1986 original was directed by Russell Mulcahy and starred Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown and Roxanne Hart. It launched four sequels and three TV spinoffs.
Patrick Wachsberger, Summit's co-chairman and president, said, "I have always dreamed of reinventing this franchise."
Summit production prexy Erik Feig told Daily Variety that the new pic will mix contemporary settings, action, mythology and medieval Scotland.
"We think the franchise will work on a global basis," he added.
In addition to "Iron Man," Marcum and Holloway also wrote "Convoy" for Par.
Summit has been ramping up operations for the past year from a sales operation into a full-fledged studio with development, financing, production and distribution. It's focused on projects budgeted in the middle range and plans to release 10-12 films annually. Recent pics include "Sex Drive" and Alexander Proyas' "Knowing," currently shooting with Nicolas Cage starring.
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Spall and Broadbent join Sheen in The Damned United
Wendy Mitchell in Cannes
20 May 2008 21:06
Timothy Spall and Jim Broadbent have joined the cast of Tom Hooper's The Damned United, which starts principal photography on Sunday May 25.
As reported Michael Sheen takes the lead role as legendary football manager Brian Clough, and Spall will play his right hand man Peter Taylor while Broadbent plays Sam Longson.
Backers are BBC Films, Columbia Pictures and Screen Yorkshire. Sony Pictures Entertainment has worldwide rights.
The project has been developed by Andy Harries (now of Left Bank Pictures) and Christine Langan of BBC Films, they will produce with Grainne Marmion. Harries and Langan also worked with Sheen and Morgan on The Queen.
The shoot will be held in locations in Yorkshire, Leeds, Derbyshire and Spain.
Ben Smithard, who worked on Cranford, is the director of photography, costumes are by Mike O'Neill (Elizabeth I), Jan Achibald (La Vie En Rose) is hair and make-up designer, and Eve Stewart (Topsy Turvy) is production designer.
"Peter Morgan has skilfully adapted a screenplay from wonderful source material that we are delighted to have developed, and along with director Tom Hooper, we have a story that we hope will amuse and fascinate in equal measure," said Andy Harries. "We are thrilled that the exceptionally talented Michael Sheen is taking on the role of Brian Clough and with support from Timothy Spall, Colm Meaney and Jim Broadbent we have assembled a cast that we are extremely excited about."
BBC Films' Christine Langan added: "The Damned United is an urgent and compelling movie about success, hunger and love. BBC Films is thrilled to be working with some of Britain's top talent and to be part of this passionate portrait of a footballing legend, Brian Clough, a one-off in the game of life as he was in football."
Deborah Schindler, president of International Motion Picture Production at Sony Picture, which will release in 2009, said: "We are very excited to be involved with this talented group of filmmakers who have such a proven track record in making internationally appealing and award-winning British movies. The Damned United is a universally entertaining story focusing on one of Britain's true sporting icons and the most dramatic episode in Brian Clough's extraordinary career."
Warner Bros has acquired Spanish rights to Robert Weide's How To Lose Friends And Alienate People from Intandem.
The comedy, based on Toby Young's book of the same name, stars Simon Pegg, Kirsten Dunst and Jeff Bridges.
MGM has struck a deal for North America and Paramount for the UK. Both will releases will kick off Oct 3.
London-based Intandem Films structured the finance for the film and handles sales duties.
Gary Smith, Intandem chairman, said: "Our aim is to deliver studio level films with international appeal. How to Lose Friends has taken distributors by storm and with a third major studio on board to distribute, it demonstrates that our strategy is working."
Stephen Woolley and Liz Karlsen produced for Number 9 Films, with financing from Aramid, Film 4 and the UK Film Council.
Intandem's previous sales to other territories include; Germany (Concorde/Telemunchen), Italy (Mikado), Portugal (Lusomundo), Turkey (Sanat Ozen), Korea (MFI), Poland (Hagi) and Benelux (RCV).
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" hunk Ben Barnes has been cast in the titular role for "The Picture of Dorian Gray" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on Oscar Wilde's classic novel, the story follows a young man who wishes that his youth and beauty will not fade due to either age or indulgence. His wish comes true when a portrait of him begins to deteriorate whilst he stays young and beautiful.
Director Oliver Parker ("An Ideal Husband," "The Importance of Being Earnest") plans to make this a visceral, dark horror story version of the story. Shooting begins July 28th.
DreamWorks has hired scribe David Franzoni ("Amistad," "Gladiator") to pen a biopic of British buccaneer Edward Teach, better known as the legendary pirate Blackbeard reports the trades.
Blackbeard would plunder merchant ships, forcing them to allow his crew to board their ship. Despite his ferocious reputation, there are no verified accounts of him actually killing anyone - generally prevailing by fear alone.
Barry Josephson ("Enchanted") and Pat Croce are producing. Croce is a motivational speaker and former Philadelphia 76ers prexy/co-owner Pat Croce, who wrote "Pirate Soul," a book that chronicled the golden era of piracy, which spanned 1690-1730.
Ealing Studios International plans to make a sequel to the hit Brit comedy "St. Trinians" reports Variety.
The next installment of the Brit schoolgirl romp finds the mischief-making heroines set off on a treasure hunt after they discover headmistress Miss Fritton (Rupert Everett) is related to pirates.
Oliver Parker once again directs. Shooting on "St. Trinians 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold" is set to start in January next year and will likely re-team most of the original's cast.
First Independent Pictures has landed U.S. distribution rights to "Sixty Six," a soccer bar mitzvah comedy from Working Title. "Made of Honor" helmer Paul Weiland directs the story of the mother (Helena Bonham Carter) of a boy whose bar mitzvah conflicts with the 1966 World Cup finals, in which England is playing. An August release is planned.
Liberation Entertainment has picked up North American rights to "Tokyo!," the film triptych from all-star directors Michel Gondry, Leos Carax and Joon-ho Bong set in the Japanese metropolis. The film premiered at Cannes and will be released by Liberation in theaters later this year.
It comes as no surprise, but it has been confirmed now that Christian Bale is locked in to play John Connor in the next three "Terminator" movies says The BBC.
Derek Anderson, a rep for the film's production company Halycon, says "he read the script and he loved it, so he's signed on for all three".
Aussie actor Sam Worthington plays the lead role in this new film series and shooting is currently underway. A May 22nd 2009 release is planned.
DreamWorks has picked up the remake rights to the Japanese blockbuster "Yomigaeri" ("Resurrection") says The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on the novel by award-winning author Shinji Kajio, "Yomigaeri" centers on a government official sent to a small rural town to investigate the reappearance of a young child who, after missing for 60 years, returns to his mother not having aged at all.
William Nicholson will pen the English-language version. The studio hopes to be in production on the remake later this year.
John Cusack and Chiwetel Ejiofor are in negotiations to star in Roland Emmerich's $200 million apocalyptic epic "2012" for Sony Pictures reports the trades.
The disaster film centers on a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells the heroic struggle of the survivors.
Cusack is in talks to play divorced dad, writer and sometime limo driver Jackson Curtis, who goes on a heroic journey to save his family.
Ejiofor plays Adrian Helmsley, an idealistic science adviser to the president who also becomes a hero.
Emmerich is directing a script he penned with his "10,000 BC" co-writer Harald Kloser. Shooting begins in Los Angeles this July for release next July.
Celluloid Dreams has optioned big screen adaptation rights to Philip K. Dick's 1969 sci-fi novel "UBIK" says the trades.
A metaphysical, comedic murder mystery set in an alternative futuristic universe where an explosion on the moon causes the characters to question reality.
The film is slated for an early 2009 production. Dick's works have become films like "Blade Runner," "Total Recall," "Minority Report" and "A Scanner Darkly."
Danny Dyer ("Severance") and Mischa Barton ("The OC") are set to star in a deranged spin on the Lewis Carrol classic entitled "Malice in Wonderland". Shooting is to begin the UK next month with Simon Fellows directing from a script by Jayson Rothwell
REVIEWSTokyo!
Posted: Thurs., May 15, 2008, 1:18am PT
Michel Gondry, Leos Carax and Bong Joon-ho contribute to omnibus 'Tokyo!'
All Reviews >> (France)
A Comme des Cinemas production, in co-production with Kansai Television Corp., Bitters End, Sponge Entertainment, Arte France Cinema, Coin Film, WDR/Arte, in association with Backup Films, Wild Bunch, Champion Top Investment, Vap, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Wowow, Asahi Broadcasting Corp., Picnic. (International sales: Wild Bunch, Paris.) Produced by Masa Sawada, Michiko Yoshitake.
Interior Design
Executive producers, Yuji Sadai, Hiroyuki Negishi. Directed by Michel Gondry. Screenplay, Gabrielle Bell, Gondry, adapted from the comic "Cecil and Jordan in New York" by Bell, from an idea by Sadie Hales. Camera (color), Masami Inomoto; editor, Jeff Buchanan; music, Etienne Charry; production designer, Yuji Hayashida; sound, Takeshi Ogawa.
With: Ayako Fujitani, Ryo Kase, Ayumi Ito.
Merde
Executive producer, Kenzo Horikoshi. Directed, written by Leos Carax. Camera (color), Caroline Champetier; editor, Nelly Quettier; production designer, Toshihiro Isomi; costume designer, Celine Guignard; sound, Fusao Yuwaki.
With: Denis Lavant, Jean-Francois Balmer, Renji Ishibashi.
Shaking Tokyo
Executive producer, Yuji Sadai. Directed, written by Bong Joon-ho. Camera (color), Jun Fukumoto; music, Lee Byung Woo; production designer, Mitsuo Harada; sound, Hironiro Ito.
With: Teruyuki Kagawa, Yu Aoi, Naoto Takenaka.
(Japanese, French dialogue)
By JUSTIN CHANG
Two Frenchmen and a South Korean make a great deal of mischief in "Tokyo!," an uneven but enjoyable trio of films that take affectionate (and sometimes literal) aim at the Japanese capital. Fittingly enough, horror and sci-fi rep the primary building blocks of these Tokyo stories, though the ingredients aren't always doled out in the proportions one would expect from filmmakers Michel Gondry, Leos Carax and Bong Joon-ho. Their names should secure the witty omnibus a place on the shelves of cinephiles and genre buffs after a solid fest life.
Like a nastier Eastern sibling to "Paris, je t'aime," "Tokyo!" reps a playfully ragged attempt to capture (and skewer) the multiple shifting identities of its eponymous city.
First and arguably best of the bunch is Gondry's deviously titled "Interior Design," which opens on a dark and stormy night as young, self-deluded aspiring filmmaker Akira (Ryo Kase) and his supportive but directionless g.f. Hiroko (Ayako Fujitani) arrive in Tokyo. Hiroko's attempts to find them an apartment (experiencing firsthand the surreal horrors of low-end Tokyo real estate) leads only to frustration, as does her search for a job.
Akira says early on that people define themselves by what they do, a maxim that takes on startling new meaning when Hiroko undergoes a bizarre but not entirely unwelcome transformation. Gondry handles the light intrusion of Cronenbergian body-horror with minimal f/x and old-fashioned visual sleight-of-hand, keeping his camera focused on Fujitani's engaging performance. The Gallic helmer may have a reputation for dazzling directorial whimsy, but his restraint pays off here in a work at once poignant and slyly Kafka-esque.
Less subtle in moniker and execution, monster-movie parody "Merde" may prove the most intriguing offering to viewers, as it's Carax's first film since 1999's "Pola X." Taking a page from "Godzilla" and its countless cine-spawn (and perhaps paying tribute to fellow helmer Bong's "The Host"), Carax unleashes a hideous, Gollum-like humanoid (a freakishly made-up Denis Lavant) from the sewers onto the cosmopolitan streets of Tokyo.
After wreaking some mild havoc (followed by some explosive references to Nanking that crystallize the pic's return-of-the-repressed subtext), the creature is captured and interrogated by the authorities, his guttural ravings decipherable only by an eccentric French attorney (Jean-Francois Balmer, having a ball). Merde, as this terrorist calls himself, baldly indicts the people of Japan as "disgusting" (a bit rich, given the source), though the ending suggests future cities are ripe for harassment.
Engaging any number of satirical targets, from the amusing politesse of Japanese news anchors to the culture's willingness to turn anything and everything into a mass-marketed phenomenon, "Merde" is the collection's roughest-looking and most thematically barbed effort -- which makes the beguiling simplicity of Bong's "Shaking Tokyo" all the more welcome.
Teruyuki Kagawa (also appearing in Un Certain Regard selection "Tokyo Sonata") plays a self-described hikikomori, or shut-in, who hasn't left his apartment in more than a decade. It takes a visit by a beautiful pizza delivery girl (Yu Aoi) and a random earthquake to lure the hermit out of his cave, whereupon he finds he's not the only agoraphobe in town.
Deploying smooth, supple camera movements that capture the flat's warmly lit and impeccably maintained interiors, as well as wider establishing shots of the city, Bong and d.p. Jun Fukumoto effortlessly pinpoint the sense of isolation that so often permeates even the world's most densely populated metropolitan centers. Mild sci-fi inflections aside, "Shaking Tokyo" finds one of South Korea's most creative talents working in a delicate minor key. Some viewers may want more Bong for their buck, but it's a lovely sorbet with which to end a piquant three-course meal.
Reviewed at Cannes Film Festival (Un Certain Regard), May 15, 2008. Running time: 112 MIN.
Tokyo!
16 May 2008 15:17
Dirs: Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, Bong Joon-ho. France-Japan-Korea-Germany. 2008. 110mins.
One out of three ain't bad for this Tokyo-themed directorial three-hander. Whimsical Michel Gondry delivers a thirty-minute segment that resonates, while compatriot Leos Carax spoils an otherwise tasty genre exercise by pressing it into service as a message film. Korea's Bong Joon-ho, meanwhile, delivers an artsy rom-com that is too slight even for its half-hour running time.
Unlike Asian horror omnibus Three Extremes, the directors of Tokyo ! have little in common and the Tokyo cityscape isn't enough to make them bond. Another recent urban-themed portmanteau, Paris Je T'aime, managed the act better – perhaps because its 18 segments were more bite-sized. Tokyo ! is unlikely to repeat that film's relatively wide arthouse outreach, with only the four co-production territories looking like dead certs for theatrical distribution. But all three directors have cult fanbases – so long-tail ancillary prospects should be more upbeat.
An animated title sequence and the final credits are the film's only communal spaces. Gondry is the first up with Interior Design, a tale of a couple of amiable urban drifters, Akira (Kase) and Hiroko (Fujitani). Gondry perfectly captures the fantasy-realist spirit of his source material, the graphic short story 'Cecil and Jordan in New York ' by Gabrielle Bell, even though it has been moved to Tokyo. Though apparently inconsequential until it becomes a partly-animated surreal parable in the last five minutes, the segment has a warm indie fire to it that is stoked by the chemistry between the three leads (the other is Ayumi Ito, who plays the pair's former schoolfriend and reluctant Tokyo host).
No shrinking wallflower, Carax puts his cards on the table with the title of Merde, an odd, angry little curio about a Tokyo sewer-dweller that is at its best during rare moments of tenderness. Denis Lavant is suitably extreme as Merde, a green-suited, red-bearded, flower-eating freak who is vilified by Japanese nationalists and idolised by the country's non-conformists after a bombing spree. There's humour in a series of spoof TV news reports and both humour and pathos in Merde's courtroom and prison exchanges, but Carax's attempts to turn what is basically an enjoyable weirdfest into a parable of intolerance falls flat.
Which leaves Shaking Tokyo – a decidely minor outing for Korean genre auteur Bong Joon-ho. Teruyuki Kagawa plays an unnamed hikikomori, an urban recluse who shuts himself up in his obsessively tidy apartment, refusing even to make eye contact with the bike couriers whose deliveries he survives on. Then a pizza girl (Aoi) faints on his floor during an earthquake. Jun Fukumoto's poetic photography – which recalls Chris Doyle's long-lens work in another film about an urban recluse, Last Life In The Universe – is the best thing about this occasionally charming but dramatically flaccid love story.
Production companies
comme des cinemas
Bitters End
Kansai Telecasting
Sponge Net
Arte
Coin Film
WDR
Worldwide distribution
Wild Bunch
(33) 1 53 01 50 26
Producers
Masa Sawada
Michiko Yoshitake
Screen play
Gabrielle Bell
Michel Gondry
Leos Carax
Bong Joon-ho
Cinematography
Masami Inomoto
Caroline Champetier
Jun Fukumoto
Production design
Yuji Hayashida
Toshihiro Isomi
Misuo Harada
Main cast
Ayako Fujitani
Ryo Kase
Denis Lavant
Jean-Francois Balmer
Teruyuki Kagawa
Yu Aoi
http://www.worstpreviews.com/trailer.php?id=1046&item=0
:lol:
OVO ZVUČI SUVIŠE DOBRO DA BI BILO ISTINITO!!!
http://www.dejanognjanovic.com/index.php/FILMOVI-I-TV-/106-Jodorowsky-ponovo-ja%C5%A1e.html#106
Gothic cult figure "Emily the Strange" is about to get her own feature film says The Hollywood Reporter.
Dark Horse Entertainment president Mike Richardson will produce the project which will serve as the origin story of the gothic figure and her four mysterious cats.
Created in the early 1990s by Rob Reger, the character originally appeared on stickers and clothing before moving to comic books in 2005 to expand the brand.
Richardson and Reger are looking for a filmmaker who "gets the character", and its not yet been determined whether the movie will be live-action, animation, or a combination of the two.
There'll also be thirteen new characters with names like Earwig, Umlaut, McFreeley and Officer Summers.
Logan Lerman (TV's "Jack and Bobby," "3:10 to Yuma") will play a young George Hamilton in the Richard Loncraine-directed "My One and Only" says The Hollywood Reporter.
The film is based on the story of the actor's early years, during which he accompanied his glamorous mother Anne Hamilton Spalding (played by Renee Zellweger) on an extended road trip across the country to track down a father for her boys.
Chris Noth, Steven Weber and Nick Stahl play the various suitors suitors, Mark Rendall is George's brother. Shooting begins June 9th in the Baltimore area.
James Spader, Jon Cryer, William H. Macy and Leslie Mann have joined Robert Rodriguez's family comedy adventure "Shorts" for Warner Bros. Pictures says the trades.
The story is set in a suburb where all the houses look the same and everyone works for Black Box Unlimited Worldwide Industries Incorporated, manufacturer of a communication do-it-all gadget. Chaos follows when an 11-year-old boy is hit in the head with a rainbow-colored rock that grants wishes to anyone who holds it.
Jimmy Bennett ("Star Trek"), Kat Dennings ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin"),Trevor Gagnon ("The New Adventures of Old Christine"), Leo Howard ("G.I. Joe"), Devon Gearhart ("Changeling"), Rebel Rodriguez ("Planet Terror"), and Jake Short and Jolie Vanier also star.
Cryer and Mann play the boy's parents while Dennings is the boy's older sister. Spader is Mr. Black while Macy is the father of a germophobic genius.
Rodriguez helms from his own screenplay and will serve as editor, VFX supervisor and director of photography. Production is about to begin in Austin, Texas.
Bryce Dallas Howard is in negotiations to replace Charlotte Gainsbourg in "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins" says Reuters.
Gainsbourg was originally set to play Kate Connor, the wife of human resistance hero John Connor (Christian Bale). The actress had to bow out because of scheduling conflicts with another film, a French comedy.
Production on "Terminator," directed by McG, is already underway in New Mexico.
Filming is underway on Ninja Assassin, being directed by James McTeigue (V For Vendetta) from a screenplay by Matthew Sand and J. Michael Straczynski. Joel Silver, Grant Hill, Larry Wachowski and Andy Wachowski are producing, with Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni and William Fay serving as executive producers.
Ninja Assassin stars Korean pop star Rain (Speed Racer) as the central character, Raizo; Naomie Harris (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End) as Europol researcher Mika Coretti; Ben Miles (V For Vendetta) as Europol Agent Ryan Maslow; legendary martial arts performer Sho Kosugi (Revenge of the Ninja) as the ruthless leader of the Ozunu Clan; and Rick Yune (Die Another Day) as Raizo's rival, Takeshi.
Principal photography is taking place at Babelsberg Studios and on location in various parts of Berlin.
Ninja Assassin follows Raizo (Rain), one of the deadliest assassins in the world. Taken from the streets as a child, he was transformed into a trained killer by the Ozunu Clan, a secret society whose very existence is considered a myth. But haunted by the merciless execution of his friend by the Clan, Raizo breaks free from them... and vanishes. Now he waits, preparing to exact his revenge.
In Berlin, Europol agent Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris) has stumbled upon a money trail linking several political murders to an underground network of untraceable assassins from the Far East. Defying the orders of her superior, Ryan Maslow (Ben Miles), Mika digs into top secret agency files to learn the truth behind the murders. Her investigation makes her a target, and the Ozunu Clan sends a team of killers, led by the lethal Takeshi (Rick Yune), to silence her forever. Raizo saves Mika from her attackers, but he knows that the Clan will not rest until they are both eliminated. Now, entangled in a deadly game of cat and mouse through the streets of Europe, Raizo and Mika must trust one another if they hope to survive...and finally bring down the elusive Ozunu Clan.
The behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Karl Walter Lindenlaub, production designer Graham "Grace" Walker, costume designer Carlo Poggioli and editor Giancarlo Ganziano. The Wachowski brothers' longtime stunt coordinators Chad Stahelski and David Leitch are also on board as second unit co-directors.
Ninja Assassin is a Warner Bros. Pictures presentation in association with Legendary Pictures and Dark Castle Entertainment. :D
An interesting new "Dark Shadows" rumor cropped up at the "Get Smart" press junket over the weekend.
Almost a year ago came reports that Warner Bros. Pictures, Johnny Depp's Infinitum-Nihil and GK Films were teaming to develop a feature based on the '60s gothic supernatural soap.
The reports excited fans, especially the talk of Depp's potential involvement as Barnabus Collins, but since then there's been practically no talk about it.
Now, in an interview with IESB.Net, "Get Smart" director Peter Segal let slip a quote about two further names who might be involved in the project - director Tim Burton and scribe John August.
August is penning the film adaptation of the comic book series "Shazam!" but King says that August is "jumping back and forth between Tim Burton's 'Dark Shadows' and his 'Shazam' script trying to work on both films at the same time".
Mel Brooks isn't going anywhere.
The renowned funnyman said Friday that he's not shuttering his 30-year-old production shingle Brooksfilms, contrary to one New York gossip page report, and that he's developing a horror film with longtime writing collaborators Rudy De Luca and Steve Haberman.
"I'm not quitting," Brooks told The Hollywood Reporter. "Brooksfilms is still here and will be going on for a while. I'm not at all slowing down, and nobody has told me to stop."
The latest project, "Pizzaman," is a serious horror film that marks Brooksfilms' return to the genre. The company produced the successful "The Fly" and its not-so-successful "The Fly II."
Brooks said the project is in the script and rewrite stage and that he's hasn't shopped it to the studios yet.
De Luca's collaboration with Brooks goes back to 1976's "Silent Movie" and continued with "High Anxiety," "Life Stinks" and "Dracula: Dead and Loving It." Haberman worked with Brooks on the "Dracula" spoof as well as "Life Stinks."
Brooks formed Culver Studios-based Brooksfilms in 1980 when he became interested in producing the drama "The Elephant Man" and believed audiences would think the film was a comedy if it was labeled "A Mel Brooks Film."
Bruce Willis game for 'Kane & Lynch'
Simon Crane to direct videogame adaptation
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Smithfield, Proud Mary in six-film dealBruce Willis is negotiating to star in "Kane and Lynch," Lionsgate's bigscreen transfer of the Eidos Entertainment vidgame "Kane and Lynch: Dead Men."
Simon Crane will make his feature directing debut after serving as second unit director and stunt coordinator on such films as "Hancock," "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," "Troy" and "X-Men: The Last Stand."
Willis will play Adam "Kane" Marcus, a mercenary who makes an unlikely alliance with schizophrenic killer James Lynch. The pair are forced on a mission to retrieve a stolen microchip. The vidgame has sold 2 million copies worldwide since its launch in November.
Kyle Ward wrote the script. Filmmakers are now looking to set an actor to play Lynch, and shooting will begin before year's end.
Adrian Askarieh and Daniel Alter will produce with Jason Blumenthal and Todd Black and the Willis Brothers Co.
Askarieh and Alter were producers on the Eidos transfer "Hitman," which grossed $100 million for 20th Century Fox. The producers are also developing "Jonny Quest" at Warner Bros., "Hack/Slash" at Rogue and "Spy-Hunter" for Universal.
Crane is working with Willis as the stunt coordinator on the Jonathan Mostow-directed "The Surrogates" for Touchstone Pictures.
Guy Ritchie has come aboard to direct Warner Bros.' "Sherlock Holmes" for Lionel Wigram and Dan Lin.
Ritchie's also working on a rewrite/polish of Tony Peckham's script, based on Wigram's upcoming comicbook "Sherlock Holmes." Studio's eying a 2010 release.
The logline remains under wraps, but execs at Warners are aiming to reinvent Holmes and sidekick Dr. John H. Watson. Wigram's noted that the new Holmes would be more adventuresome and take advantage of his skills as a boxer and swordsman (Daily Variety, March 16, 2007).More than one option(Co) Daily Variety
Filmography, Year, Role
(Co) Daily Variety
Arthur Conan Doyle's stories about Holmes, written in the late 19th century, emphasized the detective's intellectual brilliance and power of deductive reasoning. The pipe-smoking character has been portrayed in more than 200 film and TV shows.
Lin and Wigram are both former Warner creative execs who have first-look deals at the studio. Wigram worked on the "Harry Potter" pics while at Warner while Lin worked on "The Aviator" and "The Departed."
Ritchie is directing "RocknRolla," for which he also wrote the screenplay, for Joel Silver's Dark Castle Entertainment. Pic will be distribbed by Warner Bros.
We have wormsign.
Josh Zetumer is in negotiations to pen the latest incarnation of "Dune," Frank Herbert's sprawling sci-fi epic, for Paramount Pictures.
The award-winning 1965 novel -- the first in a series of six books about a futuristic struggle for control of a precious spice called Melange on the desert planet Arrakis -- was first adapted by David Lynch into a financially and critically disastrous 1984 film (though Herbert apparently liked it). It also was turned into a more successful Sci Fi Channel miniseries in 2000.
Kevin Misher is producing the new version through his Paramount-based Misher Films. Herbert's son Brian and Kevin J. Anderson, who have co-written several additional "Dune" novels, will co-produce. Peter Berg is attached to direct.
New Amsterdam Entertainment's Richard Rubenstein and is also producing with Sarah Aubrey of Berg's Film 44 shingle. John Harrison and Mike Messina will executive produce.
The "Dune" property, one of the best-selling science fiction series of all time, has spawned an enormous and devoted fan base and could provide a lucrative new franchise for Paramount. The studio is running hot off its blockbuster launch of "Iron Man" and its resurrection of the "Indiana Jones" juggernaut.
No one involved would comment on Zetumer's take on the "Dune" saga. The writer, repped by UTA and Management 360, also has "Villain" at 2929 Prods. and "The Infiltrator" set up at Warner Bros. He most recently did production work on the next Bond film, "Quantum of Solace."
DiCaprio to play with Par's 'Atari'
Hecker, Sherman pitch biopic about Bushnell
By TATIANA SIEGEL
DiCaprio
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Chinese box office boomsParamount Pictures has snapped up a pitch titled "Atari," with Leonardo DiCaprio attached to star.
Written by Brian Hecker and Craig Sherman, project is a biopic about entrepreneur Nolan Bushnell, the creator of Atari and one of the founding fathers of the vidgame industry.
DiCaprio will produce via his Appian Way shingle.
Although Bushnell's life rights had long been pursued by various suitors, Hecker and Craig Sherman convinced the gaming pioneer that they could do his unique story justice. Bushnell and Ted Dabney founded Atari Inc. in 1972 and were instrumental in bringing arcade games, home vidgame consoles and home computers to the masses. Among the company's contributions was PONG and the Atari 2600.
Hecker most recently wrote and directed "Bart Got a Room," which was a hit at this year's Tribeca Film Festival.
Hecker and Sherman are repped by Original Artists.
Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho ("The Alchemist") is letting Net users submit their interpretations of his own work, "The Witch of Portobello", through MySpace says Variety.
The book is divided into 15 narrators who interact with and interpret the lead character Athena, and Coelho has invited filmmakers from across the world to submit their interpretations of each of these narratives to his MySpace account.
Musicians are also invited to submit a general theme for the movie or themes for specific narrators. An editor will then weave submissions into a 52-minute TV movie dubbed "The Experimental Witch".
Submissions must be delivered by July 25 and an independent jury will determine winners with results revealed on August 24th.
Sophie Monk, Tad Hilgenbrinck and William Sadler will star in the Dark Castle horror flick "The Hills Run Red" says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story centers on a film fanatic whose obsession with finding a complete print of an infamous slasher movie leads him and two friends into the backwoods where the film was shot.
They realize too late that filming never ended -- and now they must survive a nightmarish onslaught or become part of the movie forever.
The film is directed by Dave Parker and is written by David J. Schow ("The Crow") and John Dumbrow. Shooting is underway in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Hugh Grant and Ziyi Zhang are teaming for the Universal Pictures and Working Title comedy "Lost for Words" reports Variety.
Grant is in talks to play a British film star approached to topline a movie by a female Chinese filmmaker.
Initially he's seduced by the charms of the helmer's flirtatious translator, but soon sees the object of his true affection is the director (Zhang).
Unfortunately, his translator is the only person who can communicate his feelings, and she has her own motives.
Jamie Curtis and Dan Mazer ("Borat") penned the script, Richard Curtis will produce and Susanne Bier will direct. Shooting begins in September.
Andrew Stanton ("WALL·E," "Finding Nemo," "A Bug's Life") has revealed to The Pixar Blog that his next project looks to be the "John Carter of Mars" adaptation.
Based on Edgar Rice Burroughs novel series, the film follows an American civil war hero who gets transported to Mars and ends up fighting another civil war - this time between alien species of different colours.
Stanton confirms that he's currently writing the script for the project, but it hasn't been greenlit yet and wasn't on the studio's previously announced schedule which ran to the end of 2012.
Anthony Peckham ("Human Factor," "Book of Eli") will adapt Olen Steinhauer's novel "The Tourist" into a potential star vehicle for George Clooney says Variety.
"The Tourist" is a contemporary international thriller about a spy who risks everything to reveal a conspiracy after he's accused of a murder he didn't commit.
Smokehouse's Grant Heslov, Nina Wolarsky and Clooney will produce and Warner Bros. Pictures will distribute.
Jack Black has left Warner Bros. supernatural comedy "Man-Witch", no official reason has been given says the trades.
"Man-Witch" centered on a man who discovers he's a witch and then heads off to teach at a female witch school. Todd Phillips ("Old School," "Road Trip") is set to produce and possibly direct.
The actor's departure has not affected the status of the movie which remains in active development and shooting is slated to begin in January.
Universal Pictures and Red Hour Films have picked up Reed Agnew and Eli Jorne's comedy spec script "Raindrops All Around Me" says the trades.
The story centers on a socially inept high school teacher who learns to "dumb it down" in order to fit in with the people around him.
Ben Stiller, Stuart Cornfeld and Jeremy Kramer will produce Stiller is not formally attached to star at present, though that might change in the future.
Billy Ray ("Shattered Glass," "Breach") has been brought in to re-write Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell's action thriller "Motorcade" at DreamWorks Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story deals with terrorists assaulting the president's procession as it snakes through Los Angeles. Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald are producing.
Ray has previously re-written such films as "Volcano," "Flightplan" and "State of Play".
A sequel to the 2004 French parkour action film "District B13" is set to begin production in July reports Slashfilm.
No plot details for "District B14" are out but an open casting call has been issued for parkour experts. The story has been penned by Luc Besson and the film will be directed by Patrick Alessandrin.
The first film is best known for it's intense chase sequences which use parkour (very similar to, but not the same as 'free running'). The French-founded discipline was memorably used in the opening chase sequence of 2006's James Bond franchise re-starter "Casino Royale" and has been seen in such films as "Breaking and Entering," "Live Free or Die Hard," "The Incredible Hulk" and the "Rush Hour" series.
Louis Leterrier ("The Incredible Hulk," "The Transporter") is negotiations to direct the ecological-themed action thriller "Strays" for Summit Entertainment says The Hollywood Reporter.
Penned by Michael Ross ("Turistas"), the story is about a group of young consultants on a business trip together to Russia.
The group mysteriously awaken in an abandoned and potentially radioactive city where they must fight to survive the deadly obstacles in between them and safety.
Robert Downey Jr. is in negotiations to star in DreamWorks and Universal's pulpy sci-fi/western "Cowboys & Aliens" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on a graphic novel written by Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley, the story centers on an Old West battle between the Apache and Western settlers, including a former Union Army gunslinger named Zeke Jackson (Downey), that is interrupted by a spaceship crashing into the prairie near Silver City, Arizona.
The story draws a parallel between the American imperialist drive to conquer the "savage" Indians with its advanced technology and the aliens' assault on Earthlings, who must join together to survive the invaders' attack. Hawk Ostby and Mark Fergus penned the script.
Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, Steven Spielberg, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are producing. A Summer 2010 release is planned.
Len Wiseman ("Underworld," "Live Free or Die Hard") is set to direct the hit Xbox 360 video game adaptation "Gears of War" for New Line says the trades.
Chris Morgan ("Wanted," "Fast and Furious") has been hired to write the screenplay based on a story treatment he will develop with Wiseman. It's not sure how much of Stuart Beattie's original draft will survive.
Set on the planet Sera, the game thrusts players into a battle for survival between humans and a race of creatures that surface from the bowels of the planet known as the Locust Horde. Players assume identities of soldiers on Delta Squad as they fight to save Sera's inhabitants.
The award-winning game sold more than three million units worldwide in its first ten weeks and is Microsoft's second-biggest seller after the "Halo" franchise. A sequel game hits stores this Thanksgiving.
This movement on the project also indicates that the new form of New Line, as a sub-division of parent company Time Warner, will be handling big-budget action fare rather than low-budget speciality titles as previously thought.
For the upcoming DVD release of the classic ensemble WW2 movie "Inglorious Bastards", Quentin Tarantino did an interview with the film's director Enzo Castellari which has been included in the set.
Now, AICN has seen that interview and garnered some new facts from it about Tarantino's long in-development remake of the property which he claimed he finished the script for last month.
First up the film will be split into two ala "Kill Bill" and is said to be keeping much of the original's setup. That film had a group of hardened criminals escape custody when Nazis attack the military convoy transporting them. The cons decide to make their way to Switzerland, fighting off both the Allies and Nazis to get there.
Most important though is that all the rumored names mentioned so far for the film can be chucked out as he's "decided to write the characters with no specific actor in mind". QT is also considering "an epic slow motion scene".
Pierce Brosnan and Nicolas Cage have joined Roman Polanski's new political thriller "The Ghost" reports MTV News.
Based on the Robert Harris novel, the story centers on a ghostwriter who is hired to complete the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang.
He soon uncovers privileged details about a scandal which threatens to engulf Lang and puts himself in personal jeopardy. Brosnan would play Lang, and Cage the ghostwriter.
Shooting is set to begin in Europe in the Fall.
Real-life husband and wife team Robert Rodriguez and Rose McGowan are getting involved in the "Red Sonja" remake reports USA Today.
Millennium Films previously announced plans to revive the classic Robert E. Howard-created sword and sorcery epic with David N. White attached to pen the script.
Rodriguez now confirms he'll produce the new film which is scheduled for a 2010 release. Douglas Aarniokoski will helm the feature which is scheduled to commence shooting in October.
Rodriguez and McGowan were remain attached to a remake of "Barbarella" but that project remains in limbo due to the strikes.
Looks like those keen on extra "24" next season will be sadly disappointed.
Premiere interviewed actor Robert Carlyle who stars in the two hour prequel to air this Fall and he revealed that it won't be a separate movie after all - rather it will count as the first two episodes of the new season.
"This two hours is two hours in real time and there'll then be 22 episodes. I don't know how they connect it to the first of those 22 episodes but it's literally the third hour" he says.
Carlyle says he plays Carl Benton, Jack Bauer's former best friend whom he hasn't seen for a decade. "Jack's on his travels and he comes to see Carl and hang out with him and potentially change his life. Maybe."
Shooting of his scenes took place in South Africa's Stellenbosch region which doubled for jungle in the fictional country of Sangala.
Mark Canton and Gianni Nunnari ("300") will produce "War of the Gods" for Relativity Media says The Hollywood Reporter.
The script deals with the battles waged by Greek mythological hero Theseus, the legendary king of Athens. It's unsure if it will involve his most famous claim to fame was defeating the Minotaur and escaping Daedalus' labyrinth with the help of some string.
Charley and Vlas Parlapanides ("Live Bet") penned the script and acclaimed music-video and commercial director Tarsem Singh ("The Cell," "The Fall") will helm. Production could start as soon as early 2009.
At this past Tuesday's Saturn Awards, producer Frank Marshall tells IESB that he hopes to be shooting a fourth 'Bourne' movie next Summer for release in 2010.
There's no plans to follow any of the storyline from the fourth book in the series - Eric Van Lustbader's "The Bourne Legacy". They do have plans to set a lot of the action in South America this time though.
Marshall also thinks a fifth "Indiana Jones" film is looking unlikely.
Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, who have wandered different paths since they scripted the final seasons of "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" together, have a green light from MGM to make their mysterious comedy horror thriller romance "Cabin in the Woods."
Nobody's saying what it's about.
Studio chairman Mary Parent calls it "one of the most clever and original scripts I've ever read."
"It's an intense visceral thrill ride and I'll leave it at that," she tells The Hollywood Reporter. "It was everything you would have hoped with the two of them."
Goddard, who scripted the blockbuster action-thriller "Cloverfield," will make his feature directorial debut on "Cabin" from a screenplay by Whedon and Goddard. Whedon will also produce the project.
Whedon's big-screen writing career stretches from "Toy Story" to "Speed" to "Serenity." He also created the TV shows "Buffy," "Angel" and "Firefly," as well as the upcoming Fox sci-fi series "Dollhouse."
After getting his start on "Buffy," Goddard went on to script "Angel," "Alias" and "Lost."
The duo have also written together on Dark Horse's top-selling "Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season Eight" comic book series.
woohoo!
Konačno. O ovome se šuškalo već sto godina po raznim intervjuima.
Yahoo! Buzz
'Red Dawn' redo lands director, scribe
MGM will remake the 1984 action drama
By Jay A. Fernandez and Borys Kit
July 9, 2008, 12:00 AM ET
"Red Dawn"
"Red Dawn" will be redone.
Screenwriter Carl Ellsworth has been hired to recraft the ultimate homeland invasion story about a new generation of besieged high schoolers.
Dan Bradley, a second unit director and/or stunt coordinator on "The Bourne Ultimatum," "Spider-Man 3" and the forthcoming "Quantum of Solace," will move into the director's chair for the update. Contrafilm's Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson will produce.
MGM toppers Harry Sloan and Mary Parent announced the remake -- along with a big-budget rebuild of "RoboCop," which director Darren Aronofsky among others has recently been in to discuss -- in May at the Festival de Cannes. As the studio regroups, its executives have realized that the strong MGM library has numerous classic and cult properties it can exploit for a new audience.
"The tone is going to be very intense, very much keeping in mind the post-9/11 world that we're in," says Ellsworth, who was 11 when the original was released. "As 'Red Dawn' scared the heck out of people in 1984, we feel that the world is kind of already filled with a lot of paranoia and unease, so why not scare the hell out of people again?"
Ellsworth will be working from a story written by Jeremy Passmore. Vincent Newman ("A Man Apart") is also acting in a producer capacity.
The original "Dawn" was the Cold War brainchild of writer-director John Milius, who devised a World War III invasion of America by the Soviets and Cubans. The film followed the scrappy insurgency of a group of Midwestern teenagers who take on their high school mascot name -- "Wolverines!" -- as a rallying cry of resistance.
The 1984 action drama was the first film released in theaters with the newly devised PG-13 rating because of its intense subject matter and violent content.
Ellsworth, who is repped by ICM and the Shuman Co., most recently handed in an adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra's comics series "Y: The Last Man" to New Line. He also wrote "Red Eye," co-wrote "Disturbia" and rewrote the screenplay for the "Last House on the Left" remake, produced by the original film's writer-director, Wes Craven. Rogue Pictures will release it early next year.
Bradley also is repped by ICM.
'Red Dawn' redo lands director, scribe
MGM will remake the 1984 action drama
By Jay A. Fernandez and Borys Kit
July 9, 2008, 12:00 AM ET
"Red Dawn" will be redone.
Screenwriter Carl Ellsworth has been hired to recraft the ultimate homeland invasion story about a new generation of besieged high schoolers.
Dan Bradley, a second unit director and/or stunt coordinator on "The Bourne Ultimatum," "Spider-Man 3" and the forthcoming "Quantum of Solace," will move into the director's chair for the update. Contrafilm's Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson will produce.
MGM toppers Harry Sloan and Mary Parent announced the remake -- along with a big-budget rebuild of "RoboCop," which director Darren Aronofsky among others has recently been in to discuss -- in May at the Festival de Cannes. As the studio regroups, its executives have realized that the strong MGM library has numerous classic and cult properties it can exploit for a new audience.
"The tone is going to be very intense, very much keeping in mind the post-9/11 world that we're in," says Ellsworth, who was 11 when the original was released. "As 'Red Dawn' scared the heck out of people in 1984, we feel that the world is kind of already filled with a lot of paranoia and unease, so why not scare the hell out of people again?"
Ellsworth will be working from a story written by Jeremy Passmore. Vincent Newman ("A Man Apart") is also acting in a producer capacity.
The original "Dawn" was the Cold War brainchild of writer-director John Milius, who devised a World War III invasion of America by the Soviets and Cubans. The film followed the scrappy insurgency of a group of Midwestern teenagers who take on their high school mascot name -- "Wolverines!" -- as a rallying cry of resistance.
The 1984 action drama was the first film released in theaters with the newly devised PG-13 rating because of its intense subject matter and violent content.
Ellsworth, who is repped by ICM and the Shuman Co., most recently handed in an adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra's comics series "Y: The Last Man" to New Line. He also wrote "Red Eye," co-wrote "Disturbia" and rewrote the screenplay for the "Last House on the Left" remake, produced by the original film's writer-director, Wes Craven. Rogue Pictures will release it early next year.
Bradley also is repped by ICM.
Guy Ritchie's SHERLOCK HOLMES Is ...
I am – Hercules!!
Robert Downey Jr. is aboard to play the titular coke-craving big brain of Baker Street in Guy Ritchie's "Sherlock Holmes" over at Warner Bros.
Ritchie has been polishing the project's script by Tony Peckham ("Don't Say A Word").
Ritchie's directorial credits include "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels," "Snatch," "Swept Away," "Revolver" and the Halloween 2008 release "RocknRolla."
The Warner project is not to be confused with Judd Apatow's untitled Sherlock Holmes comedy with Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen over at Sony, which is being written by the guy who scripted "Tropic Thunder" (which coincidentally also stars Downey).
Will another American play John Watson? Or does Jason Statham top the short list for the detective's physician sidekick?
Read all of Variety's story on the matter here.
http://www.variety.com/VR1117988699.html
a evo i trejlera za Marki Pejna:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JboQmDIdKWs&e
da ne pise sta je ne bih znao. dobro, slutio bih. naracija :?
nego,
Ludacris ... Jim Bravura
:D
Upravo sam naleteo na dvd rip filma koji se zove Starship Troopers 3: Marauder sa Casperom Van Dienom (i ako je verovati plakatu, CECOM - srpskom majkom!) u glavnoj ulozi. Director : Edward Neumeier
Plot Outline : Johnny Rico is called back into action to defeat the bugs.
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Naravno da ne može ni prismrdeti kecu, ali od onog očaja od dvojke mora biti bolji, ha?
Kec je takođe smrdio. Ali bar je bilo golih grudi. Nadam se da slično važi za dvojku i trojku.
Ma daj... Kec je meni bio super film.
Khm... jedina svetla tačka dvojke su grudi, actually. Doduše, samo jedne.
Quote from: "Harvester"Kec je takođe smrdio. Ali bar je bilo golih grudi.
:shock: :shock: :shock:
koristim ovu priliku da se javno odreknem svake veze, poznanstva, prijateljstva ili srodnosti sa individuom koja se ovde potpisuje kao harvester. ne priznajem njegove dugove niti sinove, i pod punom moralnom i materijalnom odgovornočću potpisujem da rečeni harvester nema ni trunke ukusa glede filmova.
eto.
:x :x :x
Mnjee... ja sam se lozio na keca kad je izasao, ali sad sam ga gledao opet pre koju nedelju odmah nakon citanja romana. Razocarah se u detinjstvo.
Quote from: "Ghoul"Quote from: "Harvester"Kec je takođe smrdio. Ali bar je bilo golih grudi.
:shock: :shock: :shock:
koristim ovu priliku da se javno odreknem svake veze, poznanstva, prijateljstva ili srodnosti sa individuom koja se ovde potpisuje kao harvester. ne priznajem njegove dugove niti sinove, i pod punom moralnom i materijalnom odgovornočću potpisujem da rečeni harvester nema ni trunke ukusa glede filmova.
eto.
:x :x :x
Wth? Sad su ti Starship Poopers nekakvo remek-djelo? Rek'o bi čoek - u najmanju ruku HOSTEL.
Jebote... Surova, ali surova politička satira (i to ne dnevnopolitička, nego bezvremena) umotana u izvanredno snimljen naoko mindless aksioni film. Plus cast pokupljen iz Beverly Hillsa. Ako to nije autentično remek-delo savremenog Holivuda onda ne znam kako bi ono moglo da izgleda.
A LETTER FROM JOSS WHEDON
Dear Friends,
At last the time has come to reveal to you our Master Plan. BEWARE! Those with weak hearts should log off lest they be terrified by the twisted genius of our schemes! Also pregnant women and the elderly should consider reading only certain sentences. Do not mix with other blogs. Do not operate heavy machinery while reading this blog. You must be this tall to read. 'Kay?
It is time for us to change the face of Show Business as we know it. You know the old adage, "It's Show Business – not Show Friends"? Well now it's Show Friends. We did that. To Show Business. To show Show Business we mean business. (Also, there are now other businesses like it.)
ONE WEEK ONLY! AN INTERNET MINISERIES EVENT!
"Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" will be streamed, LIVE (that part's not true), FREE (sadly, that part is) right on Drhorrible.com, in mid-July. Specifically:
ACT ONE (Wheee!) will go up Tuesday July 15th.
ACT TWO (OMG!) will go up Thursday July 17th.
ACT THREE (Denouement!) will go up Saturday July 19th.
All acts will stay up until midnight Sunday July 20th. Then they will vanish into the night, like a phantom (but not THE Phantom – that's still playing. Like, everywhere.)
And now to answers a few Frequently (soon to be) Asked Questions:
1) Why, Joss? Why? Why now, why free, why us?
Once upon a time, all the writers in the forest got very mad with the Forest Kings and declared a work-stoppage. The forest creatures were all sad; the mushrooms did not dance, the elderberries gave no juice for the festival wines, and the Teamsters were kinda pissed. (They were very polite about it, though.) During this work-stoppage, many writers tried to form partnerships for outside funding to create new work that circumvented the Forest King system.
Frustrated with the lack of movement on that front, I finally decided to do something very ambitious, very exciting, very mid-life-crisisy. Aided only by everyone I had worked with, was related to or had ever met, I single-handedly created this unique little epic. A supervillain musical, of which, as we all know, there are far too few.
The idea was to make it on the fly, on the cheap – but to make it. To turn out a really thrilling, professionalish piece of entertainment specifically for the internet. To show how much could be done with very little. To show the world there is another way. To give the public (and in particular you guys) something for all your support and patience. And to make a lot of silly jokes. Actually, that sentence probably should have come first.
2) What happens when it goes away? Does it go to a happy farm for always like Fluffy did when mommy was crying and the neighbor kept washing his fender?
No, Dr horrible will live on. We intend to make it available for download soon after it's published. This would be for a nominal fee, which we're hoping people will embrace instead of getting all piratey. We have big dreams, people, and one of them is paying our crew.
And somewhat later, we will put the complete short epic out on DVD – with the finest and bravest extras in all the land. We'll go into greater detail about that at Comiccon, but we're changing the face of Show Friendliness a second time with that crazy DVD.
3) Joss, you are so kind, and generous, and your forehead is like, huge, like SCARY, like I think I can see Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint hanging off it... what can WE do to help this musical extravanganza?
What you always do, peeps! What you're already doing. Spread the word. Rock some banners, widgets, diggs... let people know who wouldn't ordinarily know. It wouldn't hurt if this really was an event. Good for the business, good for the community – communitIES: Hollywood, internet, artists around the world, comic-book fans, musical fans (and even the rather vocal community of people who hate both but will still dig on this). Proving we can turn Dr Horrible into a viable economic proposition as well as an awesome goof will only inspire more people to lay themselves out in the same way. It's time for the dissemination of the artistic process. Create more for less. You are the ones that can make that happen.
Wow. I had no idea how important you guys were. I'm a little afraid of you.
4) Joss, do you ever answer a question simply or coherently?
Shledzguohn?
There'll be more questions, and more long, long answers, but for now I'm just excited that we're actually making this happen. We (and a lot of other people -- gushing to commence soon) worked very hard on the show and we hope/think you guys will be pleased.
Until July 15th , I remain, yours truly, -j, of the firm j, j, m & z.
http://drhorrible.com/index.html
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DiCaprio
Pitt
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Weinsteins roll with 'Fraggle Rock'
Comedy Central nabs Weinstein trio
Weinsteins set 'Shanghai,' 'Samurai'Quentin Tarantino's Weinstein Co. film "Inglorious Bastards," which has already garnered plenty of media coverage, is about to get more interesting.
The producers are searching for a co-financing partner to handle offshore territories for the WWII drama with intersecting storylines. Tarantino and Harvey Weinstein will meet with five studios from Friday through Tuesday.
After the director met Brad Pitt in France on Tuesday, those studios are already salivating over the expectation that Tarantino will land Pitt to play the key role of Aldo Raine. They'll be even keener if Tarantino's plan to meet Leonardo DiCaprio for another lead role goes well Thursday. Tarantino wants DiCaprio to play the role of Hans Landa.
Several studios said the script is vintage Tarantino and they're eager to be in business with him at a reasonable price. DiCaprio and Pitt would be appearing in a Tarantino-helmed project for the first time, though Pitt previously spoke Tarantino-scripted dialogue in a small but memorable stoner turn in the Tony Scott-directed "True Romance."
Pitt, who read "Inglorious Bastards" before studios, seems a strong logistical fit for the project. The film will shoot this fall in Germany and also in France, where Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been residing.
Ferrell finds 'Face' time
Actor to star in Gilligan-scripted film for Sony
By MICHAEL FLEMING
years of toying with the project, Will Ferrell is getting serious about "Two Face," a Vince Gilligan-scripted drama-comedy for Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Mark Johnson and Jimmy Miller are producing.
Ferrell is attached to play the title character, a racist who, after a prank gone awry, develops a split personality.
Ferrell has been intrigued by the script for three years, but the project has gained momentum over the past year. Johnson and Gilligan previously worked together on "Home Fries," and Gilligan's more recent credit is the Sony hit "Hancock."
Johnson and Miller are looking for a director, with an eye toward making the film early next year -- before Ferrell's planned stint starring with Sacha Baron Cohen in the Etan Cohen-scripted comedy about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, which Miller and Judd Apatow will produce for Columbia.
Back to the Music: Joss Whedon on Dr. Horrible
By Matt Brady
posted: 2008-07-14 16:37:00 ET
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It's been just under seven years since "Once More, With Feeling," the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer aired, and this week, Joss Whedon (and friends) enter the realm of musical drama with Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog.
The three-part online event begins tomorrow, Tuesday July 15th, with Act One. Act Two goes up on Thursday July 17th, and Act Three will go up Saturday July 19th at http://www.drhorrible.com/. The streaming video will all be online and free through midnight July 20th, when they come down...but more on that later.
The short film got its roots, Whedon tells Newsarama, thanks to a limited amount of idle time during the recent Writer's Strike, and a suddenly wide-open field to do whatever you wanted to do.
"We were all a lot busier than we thought we were going to be, with picketing and trying to make deals to create internet content, and doing everything we could to fight the cause, but the fact is, eventually, we realized the best way to make something was going to be to make it ourselves," Whedon says. "It turns out that this was the thing that if you had asked me, 'What in the world would you like to do the most?' I would have said, 'A musical with a supervillain.'"
The short version of Dr. Horrible - Dr. Horrible is trying (and failing) to be awarded membership in the Evil League of Evil, while being thwarted by Captain Hammer, and his own lack of confidence when it comes to winning the affection of the beautiful Penny.
Whedon originally conceived of Dr. Horrible as an podcast, something almost like a concept album of yore, to be an outlet for him to write more songs. The story – something the Buffy creator said he can relate to – "A supervillain who just can't get a break...I don't want to say he's a loser, buuuut... It's the sort of thing that appeals to me – it's very personal, it's about loneliness and who we are, but it's all wrapped up in the skin of silly."
The character and the beginnings of the first song sat in Whedon's head for close to a year as things like his new Fox series, Dollhouse and writing the Buffy, the vampire Slayer comic for Dark Horse kept him busy. When circumstances led him to think about creating online content, the podcast got a kick, and Whedon began thinking about doing it visually, with people that could, in his words, "actually sing."
Whedon says that, from the start, he wanted Dr. Horrible to be smaller, and inexpensively produced, but at the same time, professional – something which meant Rolodexes started whirring, and friends and family were corralled.
"It really just started with getting Jed, Zack [two of Whedon's brothers] Maurissa [Tancharoen] on board as writers, and saying, "Let's create this thing and see what we can do with it,' and then realizing that we knew the people that needed to play these roles. So we gave them a call, and it snowballed. The more people we brought on, the more people they knew, and everybody had a love for the idea.
"A lot of these people do work on smaller projects in between their studio gigs just because they love the art itself. Some people are all, 'I gotta get paid,' and are completely career oriented, and some people live for the love of the craft, and those are the sort of people I'm drawn to in the first place.
Cast as the lead as Dr. Horrible, Neil Patrick Harris. Sure, the vast majority of his fans remember him from Doogie Howser M.D. or currently, How I Met Your Mother, but as a supervillain? Really?
"I'd seen him in Assassins, not only where he played the Balladeer, but also Lee Harvey Oswald," Whedon says. "I've seen him in All My Sons. I've seen him do comedy, drama, musicals – he's extraordinarily precise, extraordinarily gifted, and he has the best voice of anybody I know. He actually turned out to be more perfect that I could have realized because he has awesome cheekbones."
And on the flipside as Dr. Horrible's nemesis, Captain Hammer is played by Nathan Fillion, Whedon's Captain Malcolm Reynolds from Firefly.
"I believe that at night, Nathan dons and cape and fight crime," Whedon says. "He's playing the villainous character – he's the foil for the person we care about, so he was able to bring on the smarm, which is something else I can say about Nathan – he is hilarious when he does his smarmy guy act."
As for putting the words in Harris and Fillion's mouths, it's harder when the actors have to sing their lines rather than say them, Whedon says.
"Writing lyrics is much harder than writing dialogue, not just because of the rhymes, but because you basically have a set space within which you have to fit something, and you've got to find a tune and a tempo which allow the lyrics to do more than explain something in a sing-song way," Whedon says. "Building a song is its own little art, and while it exists inside a musical, it also has to flow within itself. It's very, very labor intensive, and sometimes it does come quickly, and sometimes you can just kill yourself for weeks on a lyric."
Whedon shares the lyric writing duty on the musical with brother Jed and Tancharoen, and the two brothers split the songs pretty much in half when it came to writing the music, though they did work on some together.
More on the business side of things, Whedon confesses that, even though Dr. Horrible was done largely as a labor of love by all involved, the 40-minute musical was run as a normal production – from budget and pre-production through to post-production.
"I had a budget in my head and money of my own put aside for me being an idiot," Whedon says of the funding. "David Burns came in - he's an experienced line producer, and he budgeted the whole thing and figured out contracts; and Michael Boretz came in a producer and he had connections with people in post, so between the two of them, they did all the real, actual nuts and bolts producing, which I am not so great at.
"I was able to bring in a lot of talent and call in a few favors and a few things like that – but we wanted to everything very strictly above board, so we needed contracts and waivers and location permits. We wanted to have a slight guerilla feel, but not so much if it became a success people would point out something and say, 'Well, how come you did this bad thing here? Why did you steal?'"
Once Dr. Horrible has completed its online run, Whedon says that the plan is to have it return online in a pay-per-download format. The film will be shown in its entirety during the Dr. Horrible panel at next week's San Diego Comic Con International on July 25th, with the film's cast in attendance.
"We're looking at having a download window and some ad-supported streaming and we want to release it as a DVD with extras [reportedly a musical commentary]," Whedon says. "We're looking at ways to monetize it. Again, part of the ethos of the whole thing – part of it was to do something for the love of it, but it was also to see if we can monetize something on the internet, without the studios. If we can, then...that was the point of all those long meetings I went to during the strike."
And while a sequel is something Whedon says he and the rest are considering, Dr. Horrible's nemesis, Captain Hammer, is already branching out on the internet, and can currently be found at Dark Horse Comics' Dark Horse Presents MySpace Page , in a story written by Zack Whedon.
"We've had this great relationship with Dark Horse, and while some of the things I do like Dollhouse don't really lend themselves to comics, but this one did, and they said that they could do an eight page comic, and Zack jumped on the idea of doing an Captain Hammer comic, just to flesh out how ridiculous Nathan's character is. It was another relationship where everybody wins."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuwIpihrFUc
u s p o r e n o?
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Verhoeven attached to direct The Forgotten Soldier
Mike Goodridge in Los Angeles
21 Jul 2008 06:00
Paul Verhoeven, whose last film Black Book was one of his most acclaimed in years, has become attached to another World War II story The Forgotten Soldier based on the memoir by Guy Sajer.
The story follows Sajer's harrowing experiences as a teenager as a French recruit in the German army on the eastern front during the war.
Michael Frost Beckner, whose writing credits include Spy Game, has written the screenplay for the project and will produce alongside his brother John Beckner and Verhoeven. The producers plan to shoot in 2009 on location in eastern Europe.
Financing and worldwide distribution is being arranged by LA-based executive producer Thomas Augsberger of Eden Rock Media.
The novel is a French classic and was recently cited as one of prime minister Nicholas Sarkozy's favourite books. Sajer, who is still alive, has never optioned the rights to the book despite strong interest, but is said to have been won over by Verhoeven.
Verhoeven has been attached to several other projects since Black Book including The Thomas Crown Affair 2 for MGM, a film of Pete Dexter's novel The Paperboy which Jan De Bont is to produce, Tsarist crime romp The Winter Queen aka Azazel which has Milla Jovovich attached to star and a Dutch-language adaptation of Jan Siebelink's biography Kneeling On A Bed Of Violets.
Michael Frost Beckner is represented by Endeavor. Manager Marion Rosenberg represents Verhoeven.
No doubt more details of this will be unveiled at Comic Con later in the week, but the trades reported today that Djimon Hounsou ("Never Back Down", "Blood Diamond") has signed to play comic-book character Thulsa Doom, a central figure in the Conan the Barbarian and Kull comicbooks, in a big screen flick.
You may recall that James Earl Jones played the character of Doom in 1982's "Conan the Barbarian".
Doom was an opponent of both Conan and Kull's. A powerful necromancer, not to mention snake lover, the character – via his unorthodox ways - can be credited with turning Conan the Barbarian into the warrior he was. Apparently he started out as a much noble person... but took a few wrong turns and ended up batting for the bad team.
The Dynamite Entertainment production will showcase the origins of the flawed hero and show how his road to hell was paved with good intentions.
No studio is on board yet.
The chaps over at Dynamite are also prepping a remake of "Red Sonja", to be directed by Robert Rodriguez, and starring Rose McGowan.
In addition to a starring movie, the character of Doom will also be featured in his own comicbook series, published by Dynamite, an imprint of Dynamic Forces, next year.
Berg to direct 'Hercules'
'Hancock' helmer takes on film for Universal
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Berg
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XBox 360 to premiere short films"Hancock" director Peter Berg is spearheading a fresh take on Hercules for Universal.
Berg will produce and will develop to direct "Hercules: The Thracian Wars," a co-production of Spyglass Entertainment, Berg's Film 44 and Radical Pictures. Spyglass and Universal will co-finance the film.
Ryan Condal will write the script, based on a five-issue comicbook series by Steve Moore that debuted in May through Radical Publishing.
Spyglass' Jonathan Glickman, Roger Birnbaum and Gary Barber will produce with Berg and his Film 44 partner Sarah Aubrey, with Barry Levine producing for Radical. Jesse Berger will exec produce.
Levine said the creative partners came together because Glickman, Berg and Aubrey wanted to develop a film that stayed true to the comicbook.
"What resonated for them was that this was character driven, about a character who's more man than god, with conflicts and redemption," Levine said.
Radical's the most recent company making an aggressive push for its comicbook properties in motion pictures. Radical Pictures is also teamed to produce "Caliber" with Johnny Depp's Infinitum Nihil and John Woo's Lion Rock, with Woo attached to direct. The publishing company recently closed a funding deal through a privately held company called Lacho Calad, with coin coming from Singapore. The money includes a discretionary fund for script development of Radical comicbook properties.
Berg is also set to direct and produce a new version of the Frank Herbert sci-fi novel "Dune" for Paramount Pictures.
'Capeshooters' finds home at Warners
Bryan Singer in talks to produce the superhero project
By Steven Zeitchik and Borys Kit
July 22, 2008, 08:51 PM ET
With one comic superhero lighting up its boxoffice, Warner Bros. is trying to develop another potential comic franchise by acquiring the superhero project "Capeshooters," with Bryan Singer in negotiations to produce.
J.P. Lavin and Chad Damiani will write the screenplay, which follows two down-on-their-luck slackers who specialize in shooting videos of superheroes. They find themselves on the run when they uncover evidence that a legendary superhero actually is evil.
The story is based on an upcoming graphic novel by Rob Liefeld, who was one of the founders of Image Comics and at one point one of the hottest artists in the comics arena.
Singer will produce via his shingle Bad Hat Harry. The company's Alex Garcia is executive producing.
Brooklyn Weaver of Energy Entertainment and Liefield also will produce in some capacity. Matt Reilly and Matt Milam are overseeing for the studio.
The news comes on the eve of Comic-Con in San Diego, where film and TV studios will roll out such fare as "Watchmen," "The Spirit" and "Fringe" for thousands of salivating genre-lovers while execs will troll for other hot comic properties.
WMA-repped Singer has a soft spot for costumed creations, having helmed two "X-Men" movies and "Superman Returns," Warners' reboot of the franchise in 2006.
Damiani and Lavin, repped by WMA and Luber Roklin Entertainment, are writers on Ryan Seacrest's KISS-FM morning show and also work on "American Idol." The first feature script, "Kamikaze Love," was on the Black List last year and is set up at Screen Gems.
Marvel's Ant Man may scurry to the holidays
By Georg Szalai
We've been wondering how Marvel, which is taking a pass on 2009 releases to concentrate on 2010, is going to cram in all its movies -- "Iron Man 2," "Thor" and Ant Man" in the spring/summer of that, the second year of the Barack Obama administration. After all, the studio already has "Iron Man 2" and "Thor" set (in April and June, but still). Can it really pull off a third tentpole in a three-month span?
Edgar Wright, currently penning the potential (ant) man out, offered a little hint of how it might work this past weekend at the Montreal Just for Laughs comedy fest: as a holiday release. Marvel execs are on the record as saying they tend to prefer the warm months for their releases. But "Ant Man" is a bit of a different breed -- the lesser-know character who can turn into an ant and also control insects with his mind plays more tongue-in-cheek than some of the company's other properties.
Wright said he's in the middle of a second draft on the script, and of course is set for another graphic novel adaptation, "Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World," for Marc Platt and Universal ahead of "Ant Man" But don't be surprised to turn on the light during Christmas of 2010 and find a head peeking back from behind a few antennae.
Wright: ...It looks likely that I will do "Scott Pilgrim" next and then "Ant-Man" straight afterwards.
CS: You have a great cast that's been announced for "Scott Pilgrim" so far.
Wright: There's some more interesting people buzzing around as well. It's going to be a big ensemble, that film, and there's a lot of fun people we've already been talking to, so there's more to come with that.
CS: [Bryan Lee O'Malley] still has a couple more issues of the story to finish, so have you talked to him about where the story is going to go so you can include some of that in the movie?
Wright: The only book that isn't written is the sixth, but our film takes on a slightly different trajectory after the second book and it includes elements from books three, four and five. In some cases, Bryan has used lines in his books from our first draft of the screenplay (chuckles) which is like strange performance-style transference, and it's been brilliant being able to pick his brains throughout this. On one hand, it's a very very faithful adaptation and on the other hand, it definitely molds events from those books into a three-act movie structure, so that's been interesting.
CS: And you know that Mike Cera has this insane fanbase of women, which you might have seen at Comic-Con last year, but it's gotten even bigger since "Superbad" came out. Essentially, every single woman wants him.
Wright: Michael Cera? Yeah. I know he's got a lot of growing up he can do if he wanted to.
CS: Once you figure out if the strike is happening, do you know where you'll shoot the movie? Would you go back to the U.K. for it or do it here?
Wright: No, it wouldn't be in the U.K. It'll either be here or Toronto. It would be really crucial to kind of shoot in Toronto, so that's what I'm aiming to do.
Ceo intervju sa Edgarom Wrightom na: http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=47114
Phillip Noyce ("Catch a Fire," "Clear and Present Danger") will develop a remake of the 1935 Errol Flynn pirate feature "Captain Blood" for Warner Bros. Pictures reports Variety.
Flynn starred as a doctor wrongly sentenced to slavery in the Caribbean, where he and his comrades become avenging pirates.
The potential U.K./Australian co-production could be helmed by Noyce who's already linked to two other thrillers - "25th Amendment" and most likely Sony's "Edwin A. Salt".
John Waters will write a treatment for a sequel to last year's hit musical feature "Hairspray" for New Line reports Variety.
The aim is to pick up the Baltimore saga of the Turnblad family after the resolution of the first film set in 1962.
Director/choreographer Adam Shankman, producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, and Tony-winning songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman will all return in the same capacities.
No cast has been set and none of the stars of the first such as John Travolta, Christopher Walken, Zac Efron, Queen Latifah and Michelle Pfeiffer had sequel options.
The studio plans to reunite the original cast and have the film out mid-July 2010.
'Junkers' not junk to Fox
Gil Kenan and John Glenn sell pitch to studio
By Leslie Simmons
July 24, 2008, 06:19 PM ET
Gil Kenan and John Glenn have some junk to sell.
The duo has sold their original pitch "Junkers" to 20th Century Fox for an undisclosed amount.
Mark Gordon ("10,000 BC") is attached to produce.
The action adventure had several studios lining up, with Fox taking a pre-emptive strike and securing it, according to those involved in the deal.
Kenan and Glenn will share story credits, with Kenan directing and Glenn penning the script.
Kenan made his directorial debut with the Oscar-nominated animated feature "Monster House" and is postproduction on "City of Ember" -- based on the Jeanne DuPrau adventure novel -- for Walden Media and Fox and produced by Tom Hanks' Playtone.
Glenn recently completed his directorial debut on the thriller he wrote, "The Heaven Project," for Sony Pictures. He recently sold his script "Lailoken" to Warner Bros. and penned the screenplay for the upcoming DreamWorks thriller "Eagle Eye," staring Shia LaBeouf.
Kenan, Glenn and Gordon are repped by ICM.
Former New Line bosses Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne will produce "Foundation", based on Asimov's 'Foundation Trilogy', for their Unique Features production company and Warner Bros. Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
The futuristic sci-fi epic centers on a society that has figured out how to predict the future based on a method called psychohistory and sets up a foundation devoted to scientific research to protect itself and ensure its survival.
The plan is to adapt the first book for now, and if successful, developing adaptations of the other two books later.
British director John Boorman ("Excalibur," "Deliverance") has revived his previously canned $50-60 million biopic of the Roman Emperor Hadrian reports Variety.
Handmade Films and Olympus Films will finance and produce the the film based on Marguerite Yourcenar's bestselling novel "Memoirs of Hadrian" about the ruler most famous in Britain for building the eponymous wall that separated England and Scotland.
Casting is underway for the lead role and Boorman is co-writing the script with Rospo Pallenberg. Shooting starts next spring in Morocco, Rome and Spain.
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Universal to partner with TWC on Inglorious Bastards
Jeremy Kay in Los Angeles
29 Jul 2008 23:39
The Weinstein Company and Universal are nearing a deal to partner on the release of Quentin Tarantino's World War II drama Inglorious Bastards.
Sources stressed the deal points had not been concluded at time of writing, however it is understood TWC would handle the North American release and Universal would oversee the international roll-out through UPI.
Tarantino and Harvey Weinstein met with five US majors last week on the director's Dirty Dozen-style tale of condemned US soldiers given a chance of redemption on a suicide mission in France.
Tarantino has reportedly met with Brad Pitt to play a leading role and is preparing an autumn shoot in Germany and France in time for a Cannes 2009 slot.
Warner Bros. Pictures and Alcon Entertainment are developing a "Marvin the Martian" feature reports Variety.
First appearing in a Looney Tunes cartoon in 1948, the Chuck Jones-created character was often intent on blowing up the Earth, only to be foiled by Bugs Bunny.
The new story will have a Christmas theme with Marvin coming to Earth to destroy Christmas but being prevented from doing so when he's trapped in a gift box.
The project will blend live action and CGI. Broderick Johnson, Andrew Kosove and Steve Crystal will produce.
iF Magazine reports that legendary genre helmer John Carpenter will direct "Scared Straight" for Nu Image/Millennium Films.
The story follows group of juvenile delinquents are trapped inside a prison as part of the "Scared Straight" program when a large-scale riot breaks out, and it is up to inmate Karl Rix to save the kids.
Nicolas Cage will play Rix and shoting begins in the Fall. The project was previously set up at New Line Cinema with Rob Cohen attached to direct.
Sony Pictures is adapting a 2,400 year old memoir by a Greek soldier into the new feature "Anabasis" says Variety.
Xenophon was among 10,000 elite mercenaries who attacked the Persian Empire and who led them back through hostile terrain after their leader was betrayed and slain in 400 B.C.
Xenophon penned the ancient work right after his ordeal. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Robert Schenkkan will adapt it into a script.
The Sunday Times
July 27, 2008
George Lucas: Mr Emperor strikes back
Lucas is also considering what to do about the fifth instalment in the Indiana Jones franchise, which he has produced from the outset. The most recent film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, has taken almost $750m (£375m) at the international box office, and the whip-snapping archeologist remains in high demand, even though his own days as a whippersnapper are behind him (Harrison Ford is two years older than Lucas).
"We were hoping for box-office figures like that, which is, ultimately, with inflation, what the others have done, within 10%," Lucas explains. "So, we squeaked up there. Really, though, it was a challenge getting the story together and getting everybody to agree on it. Indiana Jones only becomes complicated when you have another two people saying 'I want it this way' and 'I want it that way', whereas, when I first did Jones, I just said, 'We'll do it this way' — and that was much easier. But now I have to accommodate everybody, because they are all big, successful guys, too, so it's a little hard on a practical level.
"If I can come up with another idea that they like, we'll do another. Really, with the last one, Steven wasn't that enthusiastic. I was trying to persuade him. But now Steve is more amenable to doing another one. Yet we still have the issues about the direction we'd like to take. I'm in the future; Steven's in the past. He's trying to drag it back to the way they were, I'm trying to push it to a whole different place. So, still we have a sort of tension. This recent one came out of that. It's kind of a hybrid of our own two ideas, so we'll see where we are able to take the next one."
Quint chats TERMINATOR: SALVATION with McG!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here getting caught up on my Comic-Con interviews. Got quite a few to go, but up first is McG. From what I gather this was the only 1:1 interview he gave to an online outlet. I saw him sitting down 1:1 with Anne Thompson from Variety, so believe me when I say I don't view myself as special because of it, but it should be a unique chat with him since it wasn't part of a roundtable.
I wasn't sure how this interview was going to go. I had heard he wasn't happy about the ending spoiler that ran on the site and that he was even less happy about the McSpaced articles.
Yet he still sat down with us. Immediately I got the same feeling as I did watching him speak during the panel. He seemed to be trying really, really hard to say the right things and prove himself to the fans. Does he succeed? Well give it a read and let me know.
Quint: I think TERMINATOR 2 was the first movie I saw more than once in the theater. I dragged my parents to go see it again and again. So you grow up and you have that world in your mind, but I actually do like the idea that something is off and that it's not exactly what John Connor was told, that they changed something within the line up.
Click it here to listen along with the next bit in amazing Sound-O-Text!
McG: Oh yeah, I mean to me that is what makes it worthwhile. Things have changed and the future that his mother has told him about is not the future that he is presented with today and that is in the spirit that the future is indeed malleable, which was established very cleanly in the first and second picture, so yeah we just wanted to create a world that was credible and felt properly post apocalyptic, but listen; no two films shaped my life more than the first two TERMINATOR pictures. The first one scared the shit out of me and the second one made me want to be a director. I mean when Robert Patrick's head came apart and the T-1000 liquid metal coming back together and doing what it does... Shit, I put Robert Patrick in two out of the first few movies I made. It was that big of an influence on me, so I'm really passionate about that whole idea.
Quint: Now this is supposed to be setup like the beginning of a series of films, right?
McG: Well naturally, but I would never presume that this would be so well received to warrant a sequel. That's the idea and Christian (Bale) and I have arched out three movies and what we want to do with it, but...
Quint: So do you see it progressing as they get closer and closer to the year that we have seen, that it looks more like what we know of the future war?
McG: As they get closer to 2029, it starts to look more like that indeed. This is 2018, so we studied Chernobyl... We talked to the scientists. We talked to the futurists. We talked to the environmentalists. "What does the world look like after it has destroyed itself?" "How long do you need to be under ground?" "What did the Geiger meter say?" "What are the hot zones?" "What are the cool zones?" "What is nuclear winter all about?" That's the world we came up with and we developed our own film stock, we are treating it with three times as much silver as color film is traditionally treated with and the interest of giving it that ethereal look that... I'm hoping to capture the visual language of the Cormack McCarthy book THE ROAD.
I gave it to all of the actors and said, "Get your head right, this is an existential experience walking through these David Lean landscapes where it's strange and you can't quite shake the fog out of the cockpit," so that what certainly the goal, but it felt pretty damn good to show it to a literate discriminate crowd and see them stand up and cheer and hoot and holler and make noise to that degree, because it's certainly their privilege to reject you. It was very, very rewarding and my style on this picture has been very transparent, I wanted to have a look at that future war that you speak of, probably just like you, there was no reason to make TERMINATOR 4. I just wanted to go after judgment day to see Connor fighting that war itself, because it's only ever alluded to in such small snippets.
Quint: Yeah.
McG: I wanted to get after that and who better than Bale, who I regard as the most professional, talented actor of his generation to lead the way.
Quint: Well not only that, but he also shares a little bit of the continuity with TERMINATOR 2, because he looks a lot like the actor...
McG: Yeah, it's not such a big stretch.
Quint: When you see him, at least in this one, I can see him as that guy, so if you are watching the Terminator films...
Click it here to listen along with the next bit in amazing Sound-O-Text!
McG: Well the funny thing is that we go to such great lengths to show where all of this came from. I mean we literally have Connor using the same computer device that he hacks an ATM machine, hacks the door at Cyberdine, he uses to hack SkyNet, you know what I mean? Its little things like that that show you not only is he a physical guy, he is also a clever guy.
Also the Kyle Reese bits and pieces... Kyle Reese in his string shoulder holster for his shotgun... Where did that come from? It actually came from the Marcus character and every thing that goes with that and some of the lines of "Pain can be controlled, you just disconnect it." The genesis of that line and where it went when Reese said that to Sarah Connor.
As much story density as possible, just lots and lots of conversations with Jim Cameron... Lots of conversations with Arnold Schwarzenegger, obviously brining in Stan Winston and even in his passing keeping his core guys like John Rosengrant and everybody else as close as possible to the picture in the interest of honoring the passionate fan base, because... you know, I get it, I'm not the natural choice to make this film and I really want to shed myself of the past and show growth and grow as a film maker and use a completely different cinematic language, really really study the mythology and make sure that I was coming from a place of responsibility as to deliver and you know, you do that by hiring Christian. You do that by having Jonah Nolan write the picture and hopefully you take steps in the right direction and it certainly felt like today was a big shot in the ass as far as getting it right.
Quint: So much is really contingent upon the visual landmarks and by bringing in Winston... I can't imagine that there is even a consideration of going somewhere else, because he is...
McG: There wasn't for me, yeah and it's just so funny, because he and I went through so much and he did the Superman suit when I was doing SUPERMAN and I was afraid of flying at the time and I couldn't fly down to Australia and I got thrown off of the movie. He and I bonded over that really extensively and then he and I had a movie called ME AND MY MONSTER, which was about Stan as a kid and his imaginary monster friends and we connected very deeply over that and then of course this.
He was around for the first year of prepping it and his passing was just crushing, but strangely poetic and beautiful and it is my intention to dedicate the picture to his memory, certainly. He is everywhere and it's really his picture in that respect. How are you feeling about Sam Worthington?
Quint: Well, it's hard to tell from the clips. I really want to see him in a big meaty scene, but I can't believe that James Cameron would be wrong casting him in a lead, so I have so much faith in that and I don't know if I have seen anything else that he has done.
McG: He did a picture called Somersault, which I like very much.
Quint: Oh, yeah.
McG: But it was my going down and working with him on AVATAR that really brought the confidence required to make the move and talking to Jim about it and away we go, but yeah I mean the interesting thing is also just the tactile reality of the world. In that whole thing we showed there was one visual effects shot. In four minutes of film and the cut was moving pretty quickly, it felt like a trailer and there is one shot with visual effects. Every single thing is practical and in camera. I don't want my actors talking to C stands with tennis balls on them.
I want everything to feel real and be emotional and I give you my world, Bale could give a frog's fat ass about explosions and visual effects, he wants it to work if as if he went with you across the proscenium on a naked stage and just read it. He needs to work from a place of character and "How is this character different at the end of the picture than he was at the beginning of the picture?"
Quint: I can tell you from the fan perspective, getting Bale to be in the movie gave it such a vote of confidence almost.
Click it here to listen along with the next bit in amazing Sound-O-Text!
McG: Yeah, I thought that was required, because I certainly didn't bring that on my own and that doesn't bother me, because I have talked before about how you have to be Spicoli before you can become Sean Penn and you have to be on HAPPY DAYS before you become Ron Howard and on and on and on. You have to be on 21 JUMP STREET before you become Depp and do what you do and show people what your true colors really are and I'm willing to pay my dues and keep my nose to the grindstone, but the McG of yesterday is dead.
I'm just looking forward to making this picture that poses ethical challenges to the audience without being preachy, but in the spirit of the first MATRIX picture or BLADE RUNNER, where yeah it was enjoyable on a "Let's watch it level and then you and I can go spend four years in a graduate class talking about it."
Quint: Or write books about it...
McG: Right on and that's the intention of this movie and we will see. I think that Charlie Gibson is going to bring the machines to life in a way that you would never imagine. We have machines on the scale of TRANSFORMERS, you know what I mean, but they look like they Giger machines from ALIEN and I think that can be incredible if done properly, it's just too early to talk about it, because we haven't rendered all of that stuff yet, but Charlie is a pretty capable guy and we will see what he comes with.
Quint: It's all about... Listen, fans are a little gunshy, we keep seeing the stuff we have grown up with done into haphazard or down right shitty movies... The prequels or even INDY 4 to an extent... We see things like ALIENS VS. PREDATOR...
McG: Bastardized!
Quint: Or it's just tainted.
Click it here to listen along with the next bit in amazing Sound-O-Text!
McG: I accept that completely. You have got to understand, I am the fan. I am that guy, too. I'm not some other guy on the other side of the line. I'm the guy in the movie theater. I don't have a screening room, I go to the theater every Friday night to see the opening pictures and that's just who I am. I spent my entire childhood in and out of the theaters and I am that guy and I don't like feeling ripped off and I think in the time of Alfonso Cuaron and Del Toro and certainly Chris Nolan and David Fincher, we are living in a great time for filmmaking and there is a chance for the biggest movies to be the best movies, like when I was a kid and you were a kid and you saw STAR WARS and it changed your life.
You realize the Joseph Campbell components and the depth of the film, but the fun of the film and the originality of the film. Let's return to that where you don't have to apologize for a summer movie. That's certainly the goal, but I mean who is to know? We are only halfway through photography, but I've been burned just like you and I am very very aware of that and I'm not jumping up and down saying "We have done it! It's in the bag!" I am saying though however "It seems to feel quite good." It feels quite good and just to get that response that we just got...
People aren't looking to give you that, especially me. Everybody is so hung up on my fucking stupid name, "What kind of a faggot calls himself "McG?" "I hate this guy, I'll never get behind him." Stuff like that is difficult to take, because I would be false if I went back on that and I've been called that since the day I was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, I can't change that now...
Quint: I mean, you just have to understand that it's the knee jerk when we hear stuff like the rumors of the PG-13 and people are looking for any excuse to go "This is going to be another AVP. This is going to be another something that ruins what I grew up with."
McG: I get it and you know, listen AVP could have been great, whatever, I'm not here to talk about that, but I meant what I said about... There are two people in this world that care about the rating, Jeff Robinoff, who was sitting in the front row who runs Warner Brothers and Jeff Blake, who was sitting in the front row, who runs Sony. Sony is releasing the picture internationally, Jeff's releasing it domestically and both of them are like "Let the rating be what the rating is."
Having said that, I'm not going to back off the notion of "Should it be PG-13?" Who gives a shit? I thought THE DARK KNIGHT was made without compromise. It got a PG 13 rating. If there were more gore or more horror to some respect, I don't know if the picture would be more desirable to me and you. I thought it was a master work and I walk away...
Quint: It's true to that story. I think that the worry is that this movie is a future war film that is worried about a rating, but if you are not worried about the rating, that might be a different story.
McG: We are not worried at all about the rating and like I said, the only two people that would be were here today and they are not either. They're the only ones who would be busting my chops going "Hey, we have got to hit that number. We have got to hit that rating" and they don't care.
[The PR woman walks up and end the interview.]
Quint: I really appreciate you sitting down and...
McG: I'm delighted. I really enjoy the site. I read you all of the time everyday. I mean every column, you know how it is like everybody does. JJ and I talk about it all of the time, the whole thing and just it's my favorite site, what can I tell you, so enjoy!
Quint: Thank you!
McG: Whenever you want, come out and watch the movie.
Quint: Really?
McG: Yeah, let's look at some scenes, I agree trailers are bullshit, anybody can cut a good trailer, but come on and check it out. You are more than welcome whenever you want and I'm not kidding.
Quint: Alright. I just might take you up on that.
As you can see (and hear) McG is trying his hardest to prove his worth to us, the fans. It felt sincere to me, but as the old-timers say the proof is in the pudding. I want him to make an awesome movie and he's got himself a great crew to achieve that goal, but we won't know if he has it in him until we see the picture.
The only thing he said in the interview that put me off was comparing TERMINATOR: SALVATION to THE DARK KNIGHT in terms of rating. I agree that THE DARK KNIGHT didn't need anything else to push a higher rating, but at the same time it wasn't built on a successful R-rated franchise. Plus a PG-13 rated Future War Terminator movie just doesn't feel right to me.
But I meant what I said when I told him that if he truly is making the film without a rating in mind then that's a different story. I don't know how possible that is, to not know if your film is possibly going to be rated R by this point, but it's all conjecture at this point.
We have to see more. I think Moriarty did a set visit, so I don't know if I'll take him up on his offer, but it'd be an interesting set to visit, I'm sure... especially if it was to actually watch some of the dramatic scenes put together.
What are your impressions?
-Quint
"Hostel" director Eli Roth is on deck to play a baseball bat-swinging Nazi hunter in "Inglorious Bastards," the Quentin Tarantino-directed drama that begins production this fall in Europe for the Weinstein Co. and Universal Pictures.
Brad Pitt is in talks to play Aldo Raine, leader of a rogue band of Jewish-American soldiers who wreak havoc on the bad guys in Nazi-occupied France.
Roth is in talks to play Sgt. Donnie Donowitz.
Roth played a small role in Tarantino's "Death Proof" segment of "Grindhouse" and directed one of the fake movie trailers that played during the film. Tarantino was an executive producer and lent his name as a presenter on Roth's breakout directing hit, "Hostel."
Tarantino is expected to formalize his cast shortly.
Tarantino had planned to meet with Leonardo DiCaprio for the role of SS Col. Hans Landa, only to decide that the role should be played by a German actor.
Former Terminator turned California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger seems unsure about the next "Terminator" movie.
Talking with The Los Angeles Times, Schwarzenegger revealed he was given a private screening of early footage from "Terminator Salvation" by producers of the franchise reboot directed by McG.
Arnie says "I still don't know how it will play out with this one. They showed me some footage, but I don't have a feel for the movie. I didn't see enough. I wasn't sure who the Terminator was. I don't know if there is one or if he's the star or the hero. These are the things that determine the success and how the strong the movie will be."
Big special effects are what he thinks will lead to the film's success, saying that "If [director McG] has the T4 and the kind of shots that has the audience thinking, 'Now how did he do that?' -- then it is 'Terminator' and you can blow everyone away and every record at the box office."
He does however hope that those involved are successful - "I've seen very little footage so I don't really have a feel for it. I hope they do well, and I hope it is a huge hit. I do hope it creates a spectacle on the screen. That is what James Cameron created."
"Terminator Salvation" is currently being filmed in New Mexico.
"The Office" and "Knocked Up" star B.J. Novak is in talks to play one of Quentin Tarantino's "Inglorious Bastards" says The Hollywood Reporter.
The long-gestating film about a band of Jewish resisters in Vichy-era France stars Brad Pitt, while Eli Roth was announced yesterday to play one of the soldiers.
Novak is expected to play PFC Utivich, described as a soldier of slight build who comes from New York. Casting is being finalized for a Fall shoot in Europe and wrap time for a debut in May.
Warner Bros. Pictures and Lin Pictures have picked up Robert Whiting's true-life crime tome "Tokyo Underworld" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Frank Baldwin ("The Art of Making Money") will adapt the story of Nick Zappetti, an Italian-American from East Harlem who was part of U.S. forces sent to Japan after World War II.
After a failed stint as a wrestler and a fumbled diamond heist, he opened a pizza joint in the mid-'60s which became the center of Tokyo's nightlife and made him an integral part in the yakuza's rise to power.
Brad Pitt is officially a 'Bastard'
Pegg, Kinski, Krumholtz in talks to join film
By MICHAEL FLEMING, TATIANA SIEGEL, TATIANA SIEGEL
Pitt
Pegg
Brad Pitt has closed his deal to star in "Inglorious Bastards," the WWII drama that Quentin Tarantino will direct for the Weinstein Co. and Universal.
Additionally, Nastassja Kinski is in early talks to play one of the sole female roles in the film. Casting the German-born actress jibes with Tarantino's habit of resuscitating dormant careers. Kinski, who has stayed away from mainstream American films for nearly a decade, would play a German movie queen.
Much of the pic's dialogue is in French or German, and subtitles will be used, though Pitt will speak English in his role as a Tennessee hillbilly who assembles a team of eight Jewish-American soldiers to take on the Nazis.
Simon Pegg, David Krumholtz and B.J. Novak are also in talks to join the project. Pegg would play a British lieutenant, while Krumholtz and Novak would play Pitt's underlings.
Pic begins production Oct. 13 in Germany. Tarantino, who wrote the script, is aiming to complete the film and have it ready for next year's Cannes Film Festival. Lawrence Bender is producing, with Erica Steinberg and Harvey and Bob Weinstein as executive producers. Pilar Savone is associate producer.
Deal puts Pitt back in business with Universal; apparently he and the studio have patched things up following his last-minute exit from "State of Play" late last year.
Under the terms of Tarantino's deal, he receives 20% of first-dollar grosses. That percentage can be reduced if a first-dollar gross star like Pitt joins the cast, though it's unclear if Tarantino is ceding any of his points to the star.
Bender said casting should be complete in about a week or two. Eli Roth will play Sgt. Donnie Donowitz, and Tarantino is locking in the other actors to play the soldiers who make up the Bastards team. Tarantino regular Tim Roth had been in contention to join the cast but couldn't work out the scheduling because of his upcoming TV series "Lie to Me."
While Pitt will be working for the first time with Tarantino as director, he does have on his resume a small but memorable turn as a stoner in the Tony Scott-directed "True Romance," a script that Tarantino wrote between "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction."
AICN Anime-Murmurs of Ninja Scroll 2 and Live Action Evangelion
Column by Scott Green
For those holding out hopes for more Ninja Scroll or a live action movie Neon Genesis Evangelion, it's not time to get too excited yet. However, in both cases, news coming Baltimore's Otakon pushes the probability meter's needle a little deeper into "maybe" territory.
Appearing at the US East Coast's largest anime convention, Madhouse Studios (that animators of Ninja Scroll, Paprika, the Girl Who Leapt Through Time) co-founder and CCO Masao Maruyama stated that Ninja Scroll writer/director Yoshiaki Kawajiri is involved with a script for a sequel to the big-in-the-US bloody affair. Maruyama also mentioned that, like Kawajiri, he has script approval for the sequel. The 1993 anime-movie previously spawned a 13 episode TV series in 2003.
Neon Genesis Evangelion distributor ADV Films is still promising that substantial news concerning a live action adaptation of the existential giant robot anime is on the horizon, but they also threw out that Appleseed: Ex Machina producer Joseph Chou is attached to the project.
Alexander Nevsky to play 'Hercules'
Russian actor will also produce the film
By Jay A. Fernandez
Aug 8, 2008, 12:00 AM ET
Russian action star-producer Alexander Nevsky is laboring to launch "Hercules: The Beginning." Nevsky's Hollywood Storm will produce the feature on a $12 million budget.
In a move reminiscent of Arnold Schwarzenegger's role as mythical strongman Conan the Barbarian, Nevsky will play the classic Roman hero adopted from Greek legend (where he's called Heracles).
An oft-used hero of film and TV, Hercules also will star in a competing feature project that Millennium Films is developing.
Tate Donovan voiced the hero in the animated 1997 Disney feature, and Lou Ferrigno and Steve Reeves played Hercules in live-action film versions over the decades. Universal TV also produced a popular series in the '90s starring Kevin Sorbo.
Nevsky is a bodybuilder, author and movie star in his native Russia and has spent the past decade making his way in Los Angeles as a writer, producer and actor. Hollywood Storm just wrapped the thriller "Magic Man." "Treasure Raiders," his previous film, will get a stateside release through Maverick Entertainment.
Channing Tatum is set to star in an untitled drama about the free-jumping extreme sport Parkour for New Line reports Variety.
Written by Kevin Lund and T.J. Scott, the drama revolves around a pair of jumpers who use their skills in heists.
Richie Smyth will make his feature directorial debut and shooting will begin early next year.
The Sony Pictures espionage thriller "Edwin A. Salt" is being retooled from a Tom Cruise vehicle into an Angelina Jolie one reports Variety.
Original scribe Kurt Wimmer ("Equilibrium") will redraft his well-received script about a CIA officer who's accused by a defector of being a Russian sleeper spy and must elude capture long enough to establish their innocence.
Cruise had long been circling the project but departed recently. Several male stars took a shine to it, as did Jolie which prompted Columbia to overhaul it to suit her (only a few changes are expected). A posting at Hollywood Elsewhere indicates the Jolie deal came together in a super quick three days.
The film is expected to be her first film after recently giving birth to twins. Philip Noyce remains attached as director and Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Sunil Perkash are producing, however "Edwin A. Salt" will undergo a title change.
The last time we checked in with the production of The Trial of the Chicago 7, a film that was once in the hands of Steven Spielberg, it was currently on the back burner over at Dreamworks. Back in February, Spielberg was rumored to be putting the project on hold so that he could pursue both the comic strip adaptation Tintin and the period biopic Lincoln. This information was confirmed by the folks over at MovieWeb, who caught up with producer Walter F. Parkes just last week. It appeared, at least for the time being that the project was dead in the water, at least for the moment.
Then this evening, out of almost pure chance, I was skimming through the pages of Production Weekly, checkout which productions are currently in active development when I ran across an updated listing the The Trial of the Chicago 7. After cross checking some other participants, including writer Aaron Sorkin and Producers Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald, I deduced that this was the same production. The only odd part was that instead of listing Steven Spielberg or no director at all, the production listed a different director: Paul Greengrass.
Yes, it would appear at least according to this report that not only is the film back in active development, but that United 93 and Bourne Ultimatum director Paul Greengrass is going to be taking over the helm for Mr. Spielberg.
As you may or may not remember, this is a project that Spielberg was working on for quite a while just after he finished work on Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. In an interview back in February, Vanity Fair's Jim Windolf visited Spielberg at his Amblin Entertainment office, during which he spied some early production work on Chicago 7:
My glance strays to a side table, where headshots of actors under consideration for his likely next directing project, Chicago 7—about the conspiracy trial that grew out of protests at the 1968 Democratic convention—lie on the surface. Among them I spy Will Smith, Taye Diggs, Adam Arkin, and Kevin Spacey; Sacha Baron Cohen (as Abbie Hoffman) and Philip Seymour Hoffman (as William Kunstler) are also linked to the project, which has a screenplay by Aaron Sorkin.
That said, it would be easy to assume that the pre-production could have been moving along, but reportedly script delays have kept it off of Mr. Spielberg's schedule since early in the spring. As for Greengrass, he is currently finishing up post production on the espionage thriller Green Zone, which stars Matt Damon. That is due out sometime in 2009. As well, Greengrass has been courted by Universal to work on a fourth film in the Bourne franchise, but no hard details have been ironed out yet.
The replacement of Spielberg with Paul Greengrass seems like a logical one, at least from the standpoint of scheduling. Greengrass appears to have a little bit more time, as he is already in post-production on his 2009 film with no other immediate projects to speak of, whereas Spielberg has a full boat. And of course, it being the weekend and all, it is going to be hard for us to get any confirmation on this — but don't be surprised if you see a story in Variety sometime next week announcing Paul Greengrass as the new director of The Trial of the Chicago 7.
Also, for those not completely familiar with the project, here is the official synopsis:
Based on the 2007 documentary "Chicago 10," by Brett Morgen. At the 1968 Democratic Convention, protesters, denied permits for demonstrations, repeatedly clashed with the Chicago Police Department, who waged a week-long terror campaign that resulted in riots witnessedlive by a television audience of over 50 million. The events had a polarizing effect on the country. Needing to find a scapegoat for the riots, theGovernment held eight of the most vocal activists accountable for the violence and brought them to trial a year later. The defendants representeda broad cross-section of the anti-war movement, from counter-culture icons Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin to renowned pacifist David Dellinger.Seven of the defendants were represented by Leonard Weinglass and famed liberal attorney William Kunstler, who went head-to-head withprosecution attorney Thomas Foran. The eighth defendant, Bobby Seale, co-chair of the Black Panther Party, insisted on defending himself andwas bound, gagged and handcuffed to his chair by Judge Julius Hoffman. From the start, the trial was a circus with the eight defendants on acollision course with the governmental authority.
George Clooney is taking a taxi to the dark side.
The multi-tasking thesp has bought the rights to Jonathan Mahler's legal thriller "The Challenge," about the long campaign waged by U.S. Navy lawyer Charles Swift and Georgetown law professor Neal Katyal to ensure a fair trial for Salim Hamdan, the bodyguard and driver of Osama bin Laden.
Project will be developed through Clooney and Grant Heslov's Smoke House shingle. Deal is believed to be in the low-seven-figure range.
As with any Smoke House project, "The Challenge" remains a potential directing, writing and starring vehicle for Clooney.
Ross Katz will be a producer on the pic.
A spokesman for Clooney confirmed that no decision had been made yet on what exact role Clooney would take on the project, although some are already speculating that the role of idealistic lawyer Swift may prove a fit for the thesp.
Clooney had been tracking Mahler's story for some time, and Smoke House execs met with the writer months before the book's recent publication. While there had been interest from other potential buyers, Clooney's persistence is believed to have played a key role in persuading Mahler to sign with Smoke House.
Hamdan was sentenced Aug. 7 by a panel of military officers at Guantanamo Bay to a prison term of 66 months, including time already served. The Yemeni-born convict was found guilty of material support for terrorism but cleared of the more serious charges of conspiracy to commit murder, seen by some analysts as a victory for retired naval officer Swift's efforts.
Mahler's book ends with the landmark 2006 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the military tribunals ordered for Hamdan and other Guantanamo Bay detainees violated the Geneva Convention and the Uniform Code for Military Justice. While Mahler is planning to update the paperback edition of his book to include Hamdan's trial verdict, it is unclear when Clooney's bigscreen adaptation of "The Challenge" will end.
Project is the latest in a series of politically charged projects being developed by Smoke House.
Also in the pipeline are dramedy "Escape From Tehran," recounting the CIA's attempts to use a fake movie project to smuggle a handful of Americans out of Tehran during the 1979 hostage crisis; "Men Who Stare at Goats," based on Brit author Jon Ronson's book about the U.S. Army's 1st Earth Battalion, which was authorized to use paranormal powers; and "Our Brand Is Crisis," an adaptation of Rachel Boynton's doc about the 2002 Bolivian presidential election, when candidate Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada hired James Carville's political consulting firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner to help him win.
The Big Picture
Patrick Goldstein on the collision of entertainment, media and pop culture
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Warners' films: Movie overboard!
02:59 PM PT, Aug 12 2008
Guy Ritchie's upcoming gangster film, "RocknRolla," is due to be released by Warner Bros. in early October. So why was the film's producer, the inimitable Joel Silver, showing the film to executives at Lionsgate and Sony Pictures? According to my colleague John Horn, Silver said he was screening it for other studios to get their advice about marketing and release plans for the picture. You can imagine how tickled Warners' marketing staff must've been, hearing the news that the studio's top producer was out soliciting ideas about how to sell his picture from rival studios.
A more likely scenario is that Silver is looking for a new home for the movie; a top executive at one of the studios said it was clear Silver was looking for a buyer for the film. People who've seen the film say it's not bad at all. But as Warners goes through the arduous process of absorbing two dozen or so New Line films into its distribution system, the studio simply has too many movies to release, so it's starting to pick out the weak calves from the herd.
Sources say Warners has also been shopping around "Slumdog Millionaire," a Danny Boyle-directed drama about a kid from the slums of Mumbai who has an amazing run on an Indian version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire." The film, whose U.S. rights were acquired for $5 million by Warner Independent Pictures, is good enough to be accepted at this fall's Telluride and Toronto International Film Festivals. But Warners is unsure of its commercial prospects. The film, originally slated for release Nov. 7, has now quietly been bumped to next year. Warners is also open to offers on a third film, "Pride and Glory," an Edward Norton and Colin Farrell-starring drama about NYPD officers made by New Line that was initially slated for release by New Line this spring but bumped from the schedule.
What's going on here? I went to Warners chief Alan Horn for some answers:
"RocknRolla" was financed by Silver's Dark Castle Entertainment, which has delivered a series of low-budget horror films to Warners, including "The Reaping" and "House of Wax." Silver's deal entitles his films to a 800-screen wide release, but Warners ultimately decides how much of a marketing spend it's willing to risk on the film. In the past, when Warners had concerns about a film's commercial prospects, it has tried a limited three-city release, supported with TV advertising, to gauge a film's reception in the marketplace. The results are rarely encouraging, which Silver knows all too well; Warners did a similar release in 2005 with the Shane Black-directed "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang," a Silver-produced comedy thriller that got good reviews but never won a broader national release. It's no wonder a savvy producer like Silver would be approaching a studio like Lionsgate, which makes its living releasing edgy films like "RocknRolla."
Horn was honest about his assessment of the film. "I think it's a well-made picture, but while it's funny in spots, it's very English," he said. "I don't think it's broadly commercial. It feels like a film that deserves a spirited release, but not a wide one. Joel has an 800-screen deal, which we'll honor, but we might not be willing to spend the marketing money he wants us to."
Horn shrugged. "I guess I'm in a shocking state of equanimity," he said. "The filmmakers have every right to do what they think is best in support of their movies. But we have the right to do what's best for Warner Bros. Sometimes the pursuit of those interests results in a disagreement. For now, we're preparing to release the film in October, but I don't see it starting out on 800 screens. If Joel is thinking there is someone out there willing to spend twice as much money as we're willing to, I'm sure he will pursue that."
Horn acknowledged that the studio is also open to offers on Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire," but he said the studio isn't having a fire sale. "We're not going to give it away. If we can't find a buyer, then we'll put it out in a few markets--perhaps Chicago, New York and Toronto --and see if it works. I'm a big believer in letting the audience decide what it thinks. I like the movie. I just don't know how big the audience is for it."
Warners' overriding issue is that it simply is overloaded with pictures. As distribution chief Dan Fellman put it: "We're distributing more movies from September to the end of the year than most studios do in an entire year." Horn is trying to find the right number of pictures that the studio can handle without putting an unacceptable burden on its marketing and distribution staff. With New Line now slated to make six-or-so films a year, Warners will be cutting back on its releases so it would release no more than 25 or 26 films in a calendar year. It's a delicate balancing act, especially for a studio that is better built to release "Dark Knight" and "Harry Potter"-style blockbusters than small dramas or quirky comedies.
"I think having a new movie coming out every two weeks is plenty," Horn said. "Any more films than that and we're putting too big a strain on the system. It's just too crowded in the marketplace these days. I'd like for us to find a way to release movies like 'Slumdog Millionaire,' but we keep coming back to the same question--can we really do it justice?"
Warners is willing to try to find a happier home for some of its smaller-scale films. But with so many specialty divisions going out of business or in disarray, the list of happy homes is few and far between. A lot of good little movies are going to be packed off to the orphanage.
Cruise To Become TOURIST As Paula Wagner Chooses Her Own Path??
Merrick here...
An Americanization of a 2005 French thriller called THE TOURIST seems a likely Tom Cruise vehicle in the near future.
Bharat Nalluri will direct screenwriter Julian Fellowes' adaptation of the 2005 feature, which follows an American tourist used as a pawn in a spy game by a female Interpol agent.
...says THIS ARTICLE in Hollywood Reporter.
Nalluri directed episodes of SPOOKS (aka MI-5) and LIFE ON MARS in the UK, the feature film MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY, the intended feature film THE CROW: SALVATION and was Second Unit Director on AV P and RESIDENT EVIL .
This news comes on the heels that long-time Cruise producer and associate Paula Wagner may be heading off to produce movies on her own...leaving United Artists and (apparently) Tom behind.
You can find more details on the split in THIS Hollywood Reporter summation.
Paula Wagner looking to exit UA
In talks with MGM to leave post as co-owner, CEO
By Jay A. Fernandez and Leslie Simmons
Aug 13, 2008, 06:03 PM ET
Updated: Aug 13, 2008, 10:05 PM ET
Paula Wagner, left, and Tom Cruise (Getty Images photos)
In a move that ends her longtime business partnership with Tom Cruise, Paula Wagner is stepping down from her post as co-owner and CEO at United Artists.
Although she and Cruise were brought aboard to revive UA in November 2006, she encountered difficulties in jump-starting MGM's specialty label. Once she negotiates her exit, Wagner plans to return to producing full time.
Moving forward, though, she won't be partnered with Cruise, whose career is looking as if it needs a makeover of its own.
Wagner's move comes just two weeks after her husband, Rick Nicita, who had been Cruise's longtime agent, exited CAA to join production company Morgan Creek.
With Wagner's departure so closely following Nicita's, many in Hollywood read the power couple's moves as a reflection of Cruise's unhappiness with key lieutenants in charge of his career.
While CAA's Kevin Huvane is now the lead agent at CAA overseeing Cruise's career, the actor has been actively considering projects that have no connection to UA. It's unclear whether Wagner will be replaced at the storied shingle or whether Cruise's role in the company will change. MGM reps pointed out that key personnel -- COO Elliott Kleinberg, production head Don Granger and newly hired marketing maven Mike Vollman -- will remain in place and steer the ship in the interim.
A joint MGM-UA statement late Wednesday said that Wagner will continue to be a part owner of UA and hold a significant stake in the company's future success.
"Nothing will change in regard to Cruise's involvement with UA, and he continues to have a substantial ownership interest in the company. Furthermore, Cruise and Wagner will continue to work on film projects together."
Wagner and Cruise managed to produce and release just one project together at UA, last year's "Lions for Lambs," which featured Cruise as a Republican operative. It grossed a measly $15 million domestically.
Their second UA project "Valkyrie," in which Cruise plays the anti-Nazi Claus von Stauffenberg, has been bouncing around the release calendar. Originally set to open in the fall, the film was postponed until February. But in the latest twist, it has just been rescheduled for a wide release Dec. 26.
MGM-UA distribution president Clark Woods said the return to a 2008 release date was strictly for commercial reasons.
"We've now completed the movie, and it's fantastic," Woods said. "Until now, we didn't have a movie that was done. But now we have a movie starring Tom Cruise that deserves the best possible playtime."
Cruise, disguised as a vulgar studio exec, also shows up on screens this week in a small role in the new DreamWorks comedy "Tropic Thunder."
Still, the once-reigning superstar does appear to be casting about for a new screen image. He has stepped away from the spy thriller "Edwin A. Salt," which is undergoing a sex change to accommodate Angelina Jolie in the lead role.
Instead, Cruise is considering a comedy called "Food Fight" for Working Title and has entered into negotiations for the thriller "The Tourist," a remake of a French film, which would be produced by Spyglass Entertainment and Canal Plus. Bharat Nalluri is to direct screenwriter Julian Fellowes' adaptation of the 2005 feature, which follows an American tourist used as a pawn in a spy game by a female Interpol agent.
With Wagner leaving and Cruise considering other options, the future of UA as a strong, independent label within the MGM fold is in question for the umpteenth time.
During her brief tenure, Wagner helped pull together projects with heavy hitters Paul Haggis, Steven Zaillian, Christopher McQuarrie, Ron Moore and Guillermo del Toro. She also was instrumental in raising UA's $500 million revolving film fund spearheaded by Merrill Lynch.
But given the underperformance of "Lambs," the recent resignation of marketing head Dennis Rice, the dearth of greenlights and the PR quagmire enveloping "Valkyrie," the studio has had a difficult time engendering confidence.
Political rumblings within the MGM-UA relationship suggest a struggle over financial resources and focus as part of the reason for Wagner's exit. As newly installed chairman of MGM's Worldwide Motion Picture Group, Mary Parent quickly has ramped up executive hirings and snapped up script material; UA's momentum has simultaneously stalled. With MGM's need for production cash to make movies and also pay down hundreds of millions of dollars in debt, some suggest it had begun eyeing the UA fund.
Rice reportedly left his position at UA for similar reasons -- resources were hamstrung by MGM needs. Whatever autonomy Wagner, Cruise and company thought they had might have turned out to be a mirage.
MGM still is searching for its own next tranche of financing but strenuously denies it's planning to bite into the UA coffers.
In her new guise, Wagner will produce independently as well as with UA on several projects still in development, including del Toro's "Champions." She and Cruise will retain an ownership interest in the studio -- which began as a minority stake of a reported 30% -- once she leaves following the completion of the Bryan Singer-directed "Valkyrie."
"I've truly relished working with my longtime partner Tom Cruise to revitalize United Artists, and I am proud of all that we've accomplished in the past two years, reinvigorating the brand and developing such a strong slate of films," Wagner said. "But I always tell my sons, 'Follow your passion' -- and I've got to follow that advice myself. As much as I've enjoyed my time as an executive, I have longed to return to my true love, which is making movies, so that's what I've decided to do. I still believe in our vision for UA, and I am confident that Harry Sloan and our colleagues at MGM will see that vision through to reality."
Wagner worked at CAA for 15 years before launching Cruise/Wagner Prods. with Cruise in 1993. They went on to produce $3 billion worth of global boxoffice revenue from a slate that included the three "Mission: Impossible" movies, "Shattered Glass," "Narc," "Vanilla Sky," "The Last Samurai" and "War of the Worlds." Wagner recently produced "The Eye" and "Death Race," which releases Aug. 22.
My name is Mr. Beaks, and I've been a fan of Joe Carnahan's dating back to 2002's NARC. Why I've had to settle for one whole Joe Carnahan movie since then... eh, let's not relive the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3 horror stories, the WHITE JAZZ scheduling snafus or the $2 million, multi-state skee-ball scam. Let's look forward to KILLING PABLO.
If you click on the above link, you'll read a scoop from CHUD's Devin Faraci, who got word straight from Carnahan that Ramirez is taking over the coveted role of Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar from Javier Bardem. While it's bummer to lose one of the greatest actors working today, Ramirez has been building up a fairly impressive resume over the years with supporting turns in Soderbergh's CHE movies (as Ciro Redondo), THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM and Tony Scott's bug-fuck DOMINO. If Carnahan says the Venezuelan star is fully committed to playing one of the most feared crimelords of the twentieth century (which means he'll be packing on "anywhere from 35 to 40lbs"), then I'm in. Let's hurry up, and get the financing and the dates set before it all goes away!
And if you're wondering why this monster's story is worth telling, Mark Bowden has the answer.
Principal photography is still scheduled to begin in the fall (according to this July 28 article from Variety). Yari Film Group will produce.
Mike Myers has been recruited by Quentin Tarantino to join the ensemble cast of "Inglorious Bastards," the Tarantino-scripted pic that the Weinstein Co. and Universal will put into production Oct. 13 in Germany.
Myers will play British Gen. Ed Fenech, a military mastermind who takes part in hatching a plot to wipe out Nazi leaders.
Brad Pitt recently committed to star in the film, along with Eli Roth, and Tarantino is also courting Simon Pegg, Nastassja Kinski, David Krumholtz and B.J. Novak.
A Geek Goes To War! Samm Levine Reports For BASTARDS Duty!
Beaks here...
First, the bad news: there will be no David Krumholtz in INGLORIOUS BASTARDS.
Now, the good: there will be Samm Levine!
Hopefully, you don't need a refresher on Samm Levine, but in case you've somehow avoided FREAKS AND GEEKS for the last eight years, he played Neal Schweiber, the best friend of John Francis Daley's Sam Weir. Levine's always been tough to cast because he still looks a good eight years younger than he really is (if not more). But since war movies are constitutionally required to feature at least one baby-faced soldier, why not go with Levine as one of Pitt's Nazi-killing bastards? I think it's an inspired choice.
Meanwhile, the hunt is still on for the pivotal roles of Col. Landa and Shosanna.
Simon Pegg Reluctantly Bows Out of INGLORIOUS BASTARDS, Announces Greg Mottola As Director of PAUL!
Beaks here...
While most of us are excited at the prospect of Quentin Tarantino rushing into production on INGLORIOUS BASTARDS so that he can screen the finished movie at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, this tight time frame has cost him some talent. Last week, we learned that David Krumholtz was forced to decline a part in the picture due to prior commitments (he's since been replaced by FREAKS & GEEKS' Samm Levine); now, we've news that "insurmountable scheduling difficulties" will keep Simon Pegg from kicking Nazi ass.
How's Pegg taking it? According to his "Peggster" blog, "I'm trying to remain upbeat, as Tom Selleck said 'Who the hell is Indiana Jones anyway?'"
Despite this heartbreak, Pegg does have reason to be upbeat. Per his blog again, some "Superbad" news:
But "superbad" as in really good, as in the the film, Superbad, directed by Greg Mottola who, coincidentally will be directing mine and Nick's new movie, Paul. So there it is, the superbad, good news...
GREG MOTTOLA WILL BE DIRECTING PAUL!!!!!
For those of you wondering "Why the hell not Edgar?", this has nothing to do with the "Three Flavors" trilogy (slated to close out at some point with the enticingly-titled THE WORLD'S END). Written by Pegg and Frost, PAUL has been described as a "road movie about two British geeks in America," which is phenomenally vague, but who cares? I'm just excited by the idea of the very talented Mottola collaborating with these two maniacs. It's also cool that he's building on the momentum of SUPERBAD to finally make good on the promise of 1996's THE DAYTRIPPERS (he's currently putting the finishing touches on ADVENTURELAND). He's got a decade's worth of filmmaking to catch up on.
Will I miss Pegg as Lt. Hicox in INGLORIOUS BASTARDS? Absolutely. But this is a more than acceptable trade-off.
Danny Huston, Shawn Roberts and Bojana Novakovic have joined the Mel Gibson thriller "Edge of Darkness" says The Hollywood Reporter.
"Darkness" centers on a veteran cop (Gibson) whose only grown-up child (Novakovic) is murdered on the steps of his home.
The cop unearths his daughter's secret life and discovers a world of corporate cover-ups and government collusion.
Huston takes on the role of a shady businessman while Roberts will play the role of the daughter's distraught boyfriend.
Robert De Niro is also in the film as a CIA cleaner. William Monahan and Andrew Bovell penned the script base on the original BBC mini-series.
Martin Campbell ("Goldeneye," "Casino Royale") is directing and shooting begins later this month on location in Massachusetts.
Liam Neeson will star in and Javier Bardem is in talks for a supporting role in the film adaptation of Bill Carter's book "Fools Rush In" says Variety.
Carter wrote the book about the period of time when he lived and worked as an aid worker in Sarajevo during the bitter Balkans war siege that lasted 43 months.
Orlando Bloom announced his intention to co-produce and star in a supporting role in the project on Tuesday. Elliott Lewitt and Julie Kirkham will also produce.
Brazilian helmer Andrucha Waddington ("Me You Them") will direct and shooting will begin in Sarajevo at the end of the year.
The Coen brothers have tapped a pair of relative unknowns to star in their next pic, "A Serious Man."
Michael Stuhlbarg, a Tony-nominated actor with little experience in front of the cameras, and Richard Kind, a character actor best known for his role on ABC's "Spin City," will star as brothers in the period black comedy.
Set in 1967, story centers on Larry Gopnik (Stuhlbarg), a Midwestern professor whose life begins to unravel when his wife sets out to leave him and his socially inept brother (Kind) won't move out of the house.
Shooting is set to start at the beginning of next month in Minneapolis.
Working Title is producing, and Focus Features will distribute.
Joel and Ethan Coen, whose George Clooney-Brad Pitt starrer "Burn After Reading" will open next month, penned the screenplay for "A Serious Man" and are sharing producing duties. Working Title's Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner exec produce.
Stuhlbarg, who has made guest appearances on "Law & Order" and "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," was nominated for a Tony for his role in "The Pillowman" and starred in the title role of this summer's Shakespeare in the Park production of "Hamlet."
He is repped by manager Lisa Loosemoore.
Kind's credits include "For Your Consideration," "The Station Agent" and "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" and the TV series "Mad About You."
He is repped by Innovative Artists and manager Arlene Forster.
As Tom Cruise goes about writing the next chapter in his career, he's developing an interest in comic book movies.
Together with Sam Raimi, he is setting up "Sleeper" at Warner Bros. Cruise is loosely attached to star in the adaptation of the DC Comics/Wildstorm comic that Raimi would produce with his Star Road Entertainment partner Josh Donen.
Written by Ed Brubaker with art by Sean Phillips, "Sleeper," which ran from 2003-05, centers on an operative whose fusion with an alien artifact makes him impervious to pain and allows him to pass it on to others through skin contact. He is placed undercover in a villainous organization by an intelligence agency and falls for a member of the group, named Miss Misery.
Although he remains a co-owner of United Artists -- from which his longtime producing partner Paula Weinstein resigned last week -- he's not tied exclusively to that company. It now looks as if his next acting gig will be the Spyglass thriller "Tourist," as if to counter the more cerebral role he played in the UA boxoffice failure "Lions for Lambs" and the upcoming UA WWII period pic "Valkyrie," in which he plays the anti-Nazi Claus van Stauffenberg.
"Sleeper" is the third project that Cruise has become associated with over the past two weeks --all three separate from his commitments at UA. In addition to "Tourist," the actor has expressed interest in the Working Title-Universal comedy "Food Fight."
Also apart from UA, the actor picked up some good notices last week for his uncharacteristic turn as a bald film mogul in DreamWorks-Paramount's "Tropic Thunder."
Even if Cruise opts not to do "Sleeper," his interest in the project is propelling it forward, despite complicated rights issues that must be sorted out. Raimi and Donen have long been fans of the book, and the project could have found homes at Sony and Regency if those issues hadn't been so complex.
"Sleeper" is a spin-off book from Wildstorm flagship title "WildC.A.T.s" and features characters from another spin-off book, "Gen 13."
Both books had been set up at different places around town and some of those deals were made before DC bought the imprint in 1999.
Warners, now involved in a legal wrangle with Fox over the rights to "Watchmen," appears determined to cross all the t's and dot all the i's in its contracts for "Sleeper."
The project is being eyed not only as a starring vehicle for Cruise but also as a possible franchise for the studio.
Matt Reilly is overseeing the project for Warners while Russell Hollander shepherds for Star Road. Gregory Noveck oversees for DC. No writer is attached.
"Sleeper" sees Raimi and Donen continuing their company's superhero, which began when they recently set up the superhero story "The Transplants" at Disney.
Uh... now this is personal. Imam utisak da ću da odem u Kaliforniju i da im jebem lično mater zbog ovoga.
Ali, drago mi zbog Brubejkera i Filipsa... Koji verovatno neće dobiti ni dinara jer je strip u vlasništvu DC-ja.
With Ridley Scott's Robin Hood project "Nottingham" postponed for seven months, Oscar winner Russell Crowe is taking a much needed break.
Talking with Aussie newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald, Crowe revealed that he has a project based on the life of comedian Bill Hicks.
Crowe is considering playing the main role of Hicks - the controversial American comedian who battled drug and alcohol abuse before dying from prostate cancer at 32. The project "is going from treatment to draft stage with Kiwi writer Mark Staufer" at present so no dates are yet set.
Crowe says that "My Brother's Keeper", his feature film based on the Maroubra Beach surfing gang the Bra Boys, is in second draft stage with Australian writer Stuart Beattie. He's also involved in a new documentary but won't reveal the title just yet. Crowe remains attached to produce Staufer's script "Dolce's Inferno" about a gossip columnist.
Nottingham is scheduled to begin shooting March next year.
Ben Affleck is in negotiations to join the Mike Judge comedy "Extract" for Miramax Films and Ternion Productions reports Variety.
Affleck will play an ambulance-chasing lawyer in the film, which centers on a flower extract factory owner (Jason Bateman) who's dealing with workplace problems and a streak of bad luck, including his wife's affair with a gigolo.
Clifton Collins Jr. is also joining the cast as a factory worker who loses a body part in a freak accident and is now due for a huge settlement. Mila Kunis and Kristen Wiig have already boarded the project, which begins filming Monday in Los Angeles.
Judge wrote the screenplay and is producing with John Altschuler.
Story
Religulous
Religulous
Tim Grierson in Los Angeles
22 Aug 2008 11:13
Dir: Larry Charles. US. 2008. 100mins.
A blunt satiric object applied to delicate subject matter, Religulous is a consistently funny if one-sided putdown of society's blind devotion to its many religious faiths. In the hands of Borat director Larry Charles and American political comedian Bill Maher, the documentary occasionally scores easy laughs by catering to its audience's liberal prejudices, but there's no disputing that this irreverent survey of weak-minded followers and manipulative spiritual leaders raises upsetting questions about the influence that faith has in shaping the future of the planet.
Religulous opens in the US October 3 after its Toronto premiere and Lionsgate is no doubt hoping the film will be a cause célèbre in this contentious presidential election year. Maher, best known for hosting the US cable roundtable show Real Time With Bill Maher, will attract the Michael Moore crowd, while director Larry Charles's connection to the outlandish Borat could rope in adult audiences hoping for similarly edgy humour. But considering the low commercial ceiling for political documentaries, expectations should be severely tempered – mainstream crossover success might require a miracle.
Maher, who grew up with a Jewish mother and Catholic father, long ago renounced any belief in a higher power, a subject he tackled in his standup comedy during the 1980s. Followed by director Larry Charles and a camera crew, Maher travels across the globe, including stops in Amsterdam, the Vatican and Jerusalem, interviewing different religious figures to question their belief systems.
Arguably, audiences going to Religulous don't want to learn more about the interconnection between different faiths but rather want to validate their own suspicions about organized religion. And Maher and Charles, to the documentary's detriment, sometimes are too happy to oblige, resorting to comedic cheap shots with their interviewees. The film-makers wield two of the most overused staples of modern-day comic documentaries: cutting away to random gags that mock their subjects' serious words and holding on their subjects' faces long after they've stopped speaking, making them look foolish.
Granted, some of these talking heads are hypocrites deserving of scorn, but while Maher insists at the film's outset that he's just looking for answers, what comes across pretty quickly is that Maher already knows how he feels about this subject.
Like last year's controversial abortion documentary Lake Of Fire, Religulous is best when it allows some gray into its black-and-white debate, showing how some believers struggle with the discrepancies in their faith. A retired priest and a Vatican astronomer are two of the film's best interviewees, as the men eloquently discuss how the Bible isn't a historical document but rather a guide to a moral life – a reasonable notion that has been ignored by organized religion in order to discourage scientific discovery and promote destructive agendas, such as the vilification of homosexuals.
While part of the fun of Maher's approach is to watch him take out targets like an evangelical US senator, Religulous is a lot more interesting when Maher talks to a group of religious truck drivers, whose faith is sincere and touching, allowing for a real exchange of differing opinions.
Despite its limitations, Religulous overwhelmingly makes the argument that organized religion has by and large caused more harm than good. Though Christianity receives the majority of the brickbats, Mormonism, Islam, Judaism and Scientology are not spared Maher's treatment. While it would be too much to ask a 100-minute movie to be authoritative on such a nuanced topic, the film's willingness to wander from joke to joke sometimes stalls the film's intellectual momentum.
And though Religulous is a comedy first and foremost, Maher's impassioned closing speech about the need to abolish religion as the only way to save humanity indicates the serious intention beneath the humour. He may be preaching to the converted, but unlike some of the self-serving religious leaders he comes across, at least his sermon is entirely heartfelt.
Production companies
Thousand Words
Domestic distribution
Lionsgate
International sales
IM Global
info@imglobalfilm.com
Executive producers
Charlie Siskel
Producers
Bill Maher
Jonah Smith
Palmer West
Cinematography
Anthony Hardwick
Editors
Jeffrey M Werner
Jeff Groth
Christian Kinnard
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0852713/
Ako se mnogo ne varam, Ana Feris bi trebalo da je gola ovde!
Quote from: "Harvester"Ako se mnogo ne varam, Ana Feris bi trebalo da je gola ovde!
Naravno da se varaš.
"Rated PG-13 for sex-related humor, partial nudity and brief strong language"
...a svi dobro znamo da fraza "partial nudity" u PG-13 filmu u najboljem slučaju znači: nečija gola zadnjica na nekoliko milisekundi.
Ha, misliš da nisam obavio research prije postavljanja vijesti?
http://www.mrskin.com/archive/General/10730/Anna-Faris-Talks-Hugh-Hefner-and-Her-House-Bunny-Nude-Scene-20080820
:evil:
"...it remains to be seen how much of Faris's frame will make it on the screen."
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/38027
Sudeći po ovoj kritici, nemoj previše da se nadaš...
:(
Ma možda nećemo vidjeti mnogo u kinima, ali to će da bude samo tizer da bi se ljudi naložili na kupovinu THE HOUSE BUNNY - UNRATED DIRECTOR'S CUT SPECIAL EDITION WITH BOOBS, gdje će u extrasima da budu grudi. Mislim, rekla je da je bila gola pred ekipom, ne vidim zašto ne bi to prebacili na ekran :(
Hm, a da pokreneš specijalizovan topik pod nazivom: the most anticipated nudity... :idea:
QuoteHm, a da pokreneš specijalizovan topik pod nazivom: the most anticipated nudity...
Hm, takvu prizemnost od tebe nisam očekivao :(
Čak si nadmašio DušMana i mene :evil:
Ipak nisi, pošto sam te poslušao i pokrenuo pomenuti topik! :?
Ih, nemoj sad da se izvčačiš, kad znam da sam ti upravo pročitao misli... :!:
Na pamet mi nije palo! :shock: Otvorio sam topik zato što si me natjerao. In any case, siguran sam da će dotični vrlo brzo da potone u oblivion, kao i ostali neozbiljni topici na ovom forumu. :!:
It's not often that you hear a director bad mouthing his own movie before it opens States-side, but today comes one of those exceptions.
French helmer Matieu Kassovitz ("La Haine," "Gothika") tells AMCTV that didn't have a very good time making "Babylon A.D.", the Vin Diesel sci-fi thriller opening this week.
He tells the site that "I never had a chance to do one scene the way it was written or the way I wanted it to be. The script wasn't respected. Bad producers, bad partners, it was a terrible experience."
Why did he do it then? "The scope of the original book was quite amazing. "The author was very much into geopolitics and how the world is going to evolve. He saw that as wars evolve, it won't be just about territories any more, but money-driven politics. As a director it's something that's very attractive to do."
Yet all that political subtext doesn't show up in the final film - "It's pure violence and stupidity. All the action scenes had a goal: They were supposed to be driven by either a metaphysical point of view or experience for the characters... instead parts of the movie are like a bad episode of 24."
He places the blame squarely on distributor 20th Century Fox - "Fox was sending lawyers who were only looking at all the commas and the dots. They made everything difficult from A to Z." What pushed him over the edge though was the re-editing of the film the studio did to bring it down to 93 minutes - "I should have chosen a studio that has guts. Fox was just trying to get a PG-13 movie. I'm ready to go to war against them, but I can't because they don't give a s--t."
Velkom tu Meksiko, eshol, što bi rekli Pigfejs.
No, pošto sam ja poštovalac Vina Dizela, ovo ću gledati sa velikim zadovoljstvom.
Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay will adapt Garth Ennis' comic "The Boys" for Sony Pictures and Original Films says The Hollywood Reporter.
The comic follows the adventures of a CIA squad, known informally as "the boys," whose job is to keep watch on the proliferation of superheroes and, if necessary, intimidate or eliminate them.
Neal H. Moritz will produce. Manfredi and Hay also adapted the comic "R.I.P.D." which is in develoament at Universal.
Russell Mulcahy ("Highlander") has signed on to direct "Give 'Em Hell, Malone", a new actioner starring Thomas Jane and Ving Rhames.
Now in pre-production in Spokane, Washington, the film tells of a a tough as nails private investigator (Malone, played by Jane) who squares off with gangsters and their thugs to protect a valuable secret. Malone goes through hell to protect the information but he dishes some hell as well.
George Clooney will star in the adaptation of Walter Kirn's novel "Up in the Air" for DreamWorks Pictures says the trades.
Clooney will play a heartless HR executive that has become fixated on earning his millionth frequent flyer mile.
In achieving this meager dream, Clooney becomes disconnected with his family and is essentially left without a homelife.
Jason Reitman ("Juno," "Thank You for Smoking") will direct the film and shooting will kick off early next year.
Arrow in the Head reports that Dimension is moving forward with a sequel to Rob Zombie's "Halloween" without the helmer's involvement.
Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, who were attached to the "Hellraiser" remake, have confirmed themselves as the co-directors.
Maury tells Rue Morgue Magazine that "Our vision will be done with the utmost respect, with a continuity to Zombie's work. But also a real evolution of the world he set in place."
The original "Halloween" sequel was set mostly around a hospital, no word on where this sequel will take place.
QuoteOur vision will be done with the utmost respect
:x
Da. Rispekt prema Zombijevom filmu, a ne Karpenterovom (ako su isti uopšte i gledali). :roll:
Quentin Tarantino's "The Jew Hunter," Hans Landa, will be played by 51-year-old German TV actor Christoph Waltz.
German movie star Bridget Von Hammersmark will be played not by 48-year-old German movie star Nasstasja Kinski (said to have been in talks for the role) but by 32-year-old German movie star Diane Kruger ("Troy," the "National Treasure" movies).
Landa is the chief villain of "Inglorious Bastards," a diabolical Nazi colonel who demonstrates a useful knack for sniffing out hiding Jews in Axis-occupied Europe.
Paul Rust, who played "Wheelchair Darren" in February's Will Ferrell vehicle "Semi-Pro," has also joined the cast, which includes Brad Pitt, Mike Myers, B.J. Novak, Samm Levine, Eli Roth and German-born Michael Fassbender ("300").
Fassbender will inherit the role of British officer Archie Hicox, at different times intended for Tim Roth and Simon Pegg.
With shooting set to begin in less than seven weeks, roles yet uncast include Shoshanna Dreyfus (the movie's Natalie Portman-esque lead Jewess), her projectionist friend Marcel, the German-born maniac Bastard Stiglitz and the wily Gestapo major Deiter Hellstrom.
Trejler za The Informers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2g4jtj4GLA
Danas sam sa mrkoyem i Kuncem bio na setu B14 pa koga zanima, evo izveštaja i nešto slika:
http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2008/09/b14-set-report.html
Daj veću rezolucije slike na kojoj su ove cice. Ništa se ne vidi.
Gdje ti, Tita ti, ovde vidiš cice?
treća slika, levi ćošak, desno od debele.
German-born Til Shweiger ("Driven," "Lara Croft II") will play either bloodthirsty maniac Hugo Stiglitz, the German-born member of Lt. Aldo Raine's American squad of angry, vengeful Nazi-killing Jews, or Wilhelm Wicki, an Austrian-born American Jew that Raine has taken into the the same squad.
Both are characters in Quentin Tarantino's World War II epic "Inglorious Bastards," which starts shooting in Germany next month.
Also aboard the project is Daniel Brühl ("The Bourne Ultimatum"), 30-year-old Spanish-born son of German director Hanno Brühl. Brühl may be playing the wily Gestapo major Dieter Hellstrom, or perhaps Nazi sniper-hero Frederick Zoller, or perhaps the German-speaking member of Raine's crew not played by Schweiger.
The cast so far:
Brad Pitt: Redneck Bastards leader Lt. Aldo "The Apache" Raine
Christoph Waltz: Col. Hans "The Jew Hunter" Landa
Michael Fassbender: British officer Archie Hicox
Diane Kruger: German movie star Bridget Von Hammersmark
Eli Roth: Bat-toting Bastard Sgt. Donnie "The Bear Jew" Donowitz
Mike Myers: British General Ed Fenech
B.J. Novak: Bastard Private Utivich?
Samm Levine: Bastard Private Hirschberg?
?: African-Frenchman Projectionist Marcel
?: Jewish heroine Shoshanna Dreyfus
(The press has had Novak as Utivich, but Levine is a much closer match for Utivich physically, so I'm thinking someone might have gotten some wires crossed.)
.
Seagalogy
A Study of the Ass-Kicking Films of Steven Seagal (Titan; 352 Pgs.; $14.95)
By ERIN MAXWELL
Vern
Men like Steven Seagal are not born; they are forged in the heat and hell of Hollywood offices. Unlike his bloodthirsty macho contemporaries, Seagal burst onto the bigscreen with fists blazing, parlaying Ovitzian connections into a starring role in "Above the Law." Ain't-It-Cool's Vern puts the action star on a pedestal in "Seagalogy," a tome that explores all aspects of the man behind the ponytail with utmost respect. Fans will find it irresistible, but those who caught "On Deadly Ground" on cable might well wonder what all the fuss is about.
Scribe covers Seagal's life from his early days in Lansing, Mich., and later as the first American Aikido instructor in Japan, through career lows in straight-to-DVD releases and thwarted musical ambitions. Vern takes the obsessive fanboyapproach to his subject, at times leaving the tongue-in-cheek satire behind as he plunges into the Seagal mythology much like Joseph Campbell dives into the work of James Joyce.
Vern breaks down the man through bar fights, broken ribs and one-liners. This approach elevates the book past mere hero-worship -- he even references the Bible to drive a point home. His irreverent writing style gives the book its edge, although at times he seems lost in Seagal's world and forgets about his audience.
Guillermo Del Toro booked thru 2017
'Hobbit' director eyes 'Frankenstein,' 'Jekyll'
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Del Toro
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Many top film directors have no idea what their next movie is. But Guillermo del Toro is now booked through 2017. And maybe beyond.
Universal — which has a three-year first-look deal with the helmer inked in June '07 — and del Toro are making a long-term commitment by setting up four directing projects, including remakes of "Frankenstein," "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and "Slaughterhouse-Five."
The fourth project is an adaptation of "Drood," a Dan Simmons novel acquired by U that will be published in February by Little, Brown.
Of course, del Toro's first priority is New Line and MGM's "The Hobbit," to which he has committed the next five years. He has begun writing "Hobbit" with Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, collaborating via video conferencing and trips to New Zealand every three weeks.
While it's difficult, if not impossible, to plan projects five years into the future, at this point U execs think "Drood" is the most likely to be del Toro's first post-"Hobbit" directing vehicle.
If both sides have their way, the helmer will belong to Universal after "The Hobbit" wraps.
In addition to the four pics, the studio still has its sights set on del Toro's pet project, an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness."
As if that is not enough to keep him busy, U also has on the horizon an adaptation of David Moody's apocalyptic novel "Hater" that del Toro will produce with Mark Johnson but not direct, and "Crimson Peak," a gothic romance spec script by del Toro and his "Mimic" collaborator Matthew Robbins, which del Toro will produce but not direct.
While he busies himself with "Hobbit," del Toro will outline the other projects and hire writers. The pics will be supervised at del Toro Prods. by his manager, Gary Ungar, who'll be exec producer of the films and will oversee the slate with development director Russell Ackerman and U exec Scott Bernstein.
"No one expected 'The Hobbit' to come about; it was the most marvelous monkey wrench tossed into my life," del Toro said. "I consider (the new deals) the renewal of my marital vows with Universal."
U production prexy Donna Langley said the helmer's "Hobbit" hiatus will only delay plans to dive into the del Toro business.
"We came out the other side of some tough conversations with a stronger bond and sense of long-term commitment," Langley said. "Guillermo is in the most prolific time of his life ... Joe Johnston on 'The Wolf Man' showed us the importance of entrusting the Universal franchise monsters to experienced filmmakers with voices. That was a big impetus for our decision to go with Guillermo to put his creative stamp on these properties."
Langley said she is intrigued by "Drood," in which Simmons supposes that survival from a catastrophic train crash changed author Charles Dickens, plunging him into the depths of London depravity and possibly turning him to murder before he wrote his final novel, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood."
"It's the fantasy and gothic horror world Guillermo finds comfortable," Langley said. "It feels like a great fit for where (we expect) Guillermo will have evolved as a filmmaker five years from now."
Frankenstein represents a longtime fascination for del Toro, who has made his home a memorabilia shrine to the Karloff monster from the 1931 U film.
"To me, Frankenstein represents the essential human question: 'Why did my creator throw me here, unprotected, unguided, unaided and lost?' " del Toro said. "With that one, they will have to pry it from my cold dead hands to prevent me from directing it."
On "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," del Toro wants to stick more closely to Robert Louis Stevenson's prose and explore the addictive high the repressed Jekyll experienced as his murderous alter ego.
Del Toro plans to provide a more literal interpretation of "Slaughterhouse-Five" than in the 1972 film adaptation, hewing closely to the Vonnegut novel about a prisoner in a German WWII POW camp who travels through time and space.
"There are ways that Vonnegut plays with and juxtaposes time that was perhaps too edgy to be tackled on film at that time," del Toro said.
Meanwhile, del Toro is awaiting word on whether U will embrace a follow-up to "Hellboy 2: The Golden Army." The big-budget film opened in the heat of summer and fell short of blockbuster status in the U.S. but has performed well overseas.
"I think they'll decide when the last euro hits the piggybank," del Toro said. "We laid the groundwork to have a magnificent third act. I'd like to return to an action franchise with 60-year-old actor Ron Perlman, because he'll be scratching at that age when I get to it."
Langley said the studio is interested and may work with del Toro to add a TV series and online segments to broaden the following before making the series finale.
Del Toro is repped by Endeavor and Exile.
Tom Cruise and United Artists have acquired rights to serial-killer thriller "The Monster of Florence" reports Variety.
Based on the novel by Douglas Preston ("The Cabinet of Curiosities," "The Relic"), the story is a reconstruction of eight grisly double homicides believed to have been committed single-handedly between 1968 and 1985 in and around the Italian Renaissance gem.
Cruise is attached to produce and possibly star in the project which Chris McQuarrie ("Valkyrie," "The Usual Suspects") will pen.
The "Monster of Florence" case had previously inspired the Thomas Harris sequel "Hannibal."
Robert De Niro has left GK Films' "Edge of Darkness" due to "creative differences" reports Variety.
De Niro had just arrived on the Massachusetts set of the Martin Campbell-directed drama this week and had signed to play an operative sent to clean up the evidence in the murder of a young woman.
Mel Gibson stars as the victim's father, a homicide detective for the Boston Police Dept. who uncovers her secret life, a corporate cover-up and government collusion. Danny Huston, Shawn Roberts and Bojana Novakovic also star.
The filmmakers plan to shoot around De Niro's character's scenes until they cast an actor to replace him. Shooting had been underway since August 18th.
Mark Pellington ("The Mothman Prophecies," "Arlington Road") will direct the long-gestating mystery thriller "Solace" for New Line Cinema and Contrafilm reports the trades.
The story revolves around a former doctor with psychic abilities who is drawn into a serial killer case only to find that the killer also is a psychic, leading to a showdown between the two who can detect each other's every move.
Penned by Sean Bailey and Ted Griffin with revisions by Jamie Vanderbilt, the project was long being thrown about as, with some minor retooling, a sequel to the David Fincher-directed 1995 hit "Se7en".
Denzel Washington will star in and produce the post-apocalyptic drama "Book of Eli" for Warner Bros. Pictures reports the trades.
Washington will portray a lone hero in a not-too-distant apocalyptic future who must fight across America to bring society the knowledge that could be the key to its redemption.
Allen and Albert Hughes ("From Hell") will direct from a script by Gary Whitta and Anthony Peckham. Filming starts in January in New Mexico.
Story
Sauna
Sauna
06 Sep 2008 03:55
Dir: Antti-Jussi Annila. Finland. 2008. 83mins.
Finnish director Antti-Jussi Annila (Jade Warrior) invokes slavishly two masters, Andrei Tarkovsky and Stanley Kubrick, with this intensely baroque and religion-inflected period horror movie. The severely grotesque atmosphere and mannered style suffocate the promising ideas and results in a dramatically incoherent work more punishing than frightening.
Consistently echoing two hallmarks of modern movies, Stalker and 2001: A Space Odyssey, the movie also borrows heavily from the visual palette of Ridley Scott's opening section of Gladiator. To be sure, Annila never suffers from a lack of confidence. The widescreen photography is boldly muscular and the movie contains some strikingly composed, isolated portraiture. This is also the kind of work where every image constitutes a cry for attention. The stylization is too blunt and the director never quite finds his own personality or sensibility to bear on the increasingly overwrought material.
Commercially, the movie's best prospects are clearly in Scandinavia and in the Eastern European markets that made a great success of the Night Watch cycle. Internationally, the movie's best exposure is likely in the niche programming of horror-themed festivals.
The story's unfolds in 1595; the action follows the uneasy truce following 25-years of brutal war between Russia and Sweden. Two Finnish-born brothers are part of a Russo-Swedish commission dispatched to the outreaches of the disputed territories to outline new border accords. Eric (Virtanen) is a brutal warrior-nationalist clearly damaged by the atrocities he has committed. Knut (Eronen) is the intellectual, a rationalist interested in science and order.
Already unhinged by the disfigured cries of a beautiful young girl they mistreated during their journey, the brothers are increasingly undone by the inexplicable actions and irrational behavior afflicting a strange and mysterious village located in the swamps. The movie's title parallels the oblong black monolith in Kubrick's masterpiece. It is a white, columned, marble structure that rises out of the shallow edge of a river. It provides the movie's most intriguing image, a reverse silhouette of the interior that is the source of either absolution or complete annihilation.
As a horror movie, the film has an unusual provenance. Despite the movie's late 16th century setting, the visual look is unmistakably medieval. In the opening, Annila impressively draws on landscape, weather and the horizontal line to create some visually arresting moments. The tone is both fractured and overemphatic. The suggestively eerie moments of violence and retribution of the opening are never adequately woven into the sketched framework that underpins the daily existence of the mysterious villagers.
As the story becomes more muddled and murky, the direction becomes more violent and unstable. From the too-literate rhapsodizing of the voice-over to the serious works of art the images are poached from, the movements, imagery and storytelling prove ultimately too solemn and pretentious to create a compelling and satisfactory world of its own.
Production companies
Bronson Club
International sales agent
Blind Spot Pictures
Producers
Tero Kaukomaa
Jesse Fryckman
Screenplay
Iiro Kuttner
Cinematography
Henri Blomberg
Cast
Ville Virtanen
Tommi Eronen
Viktor Klimenko
Sonja Petäjäjärvi
Kati Outinen
JCVD
Posted: Sun., May 18, 2008, 6:50am PT
A Gaumont (France), Artemis Prods. (Belgium), and Samsa Films (Luxembourg) production of a Gaumont release. (International sales: Gaumont.) Produced by Sidonie Dumas. Co-producers, Jani Thiltges, Arlette Zylberberg, Patrick Quinet. Executive producers, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Marc Fiszman. Directed by Mabrouk El Mechri. Screenplay, El Mechri and Frederic Benudis with Christophe Turpin, based on concept by Frederic Taddei and Vincent Ravalec.
With: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Francois Damiens, Zinedine Soualem, Karim Belkhadra, Jean-Francois Wolff, Anne Paulicevich.
By ROB NELSON
Van Damme is back! Combined with recent news that the Muscles from Brussels will soon turn auteur with "Full Love," Gaumont's "JCVD," a French-language meta-movie parody par excellence, constitutes the headiest stretch of the beefy star's career since, well, ever. Playing "himself," i.e., an international action stud whose bruising child custody battle has him literally going postal , exec-producing Jean-Claude Van Damme reveals heretofore hidden third dimension to his monosyllabic persona. Ho-hum hostage crisis mayhem serves to buttress co-scripting helmer Mabrouk El Mechri's more experimental stunts, including a tonally opposite pair of longish takes -- one a wonderfully absurd ode to star's martial-arts moves, the other a tear- and prayer-filled Van Damme monologue that must be seen to be believed. An adventurous U.S. minimajor could reap modest B.O. following a June 4 French release.
Playful from its first moments of a balloon-toting cartoon tot kickboxing in Gaumont logo, "JCVD" pumps up "I'm too-old-for-this-crap" cliches via shrewdly deployed in-jokes. Title character is revered for having "brought" John Woo to Hollywood with "Hard Target" in '93 ("He'd still be shooting pigeons in Hong Kong," an industry player opines), but on-set colleagues find fault with 47-year-old's mark-hitting skills. Worse, prosecuting attorney in hero's L.A. custody case dissects icon's eye-gouging oeuvre by DVD to assert dad's history of violence.
Freshly spurned by preteen daughter, jetlagged from trip back to Belgium, and electronically dissed at the hometown ATM, JCVD loses his cool while seeking a post-office wire transfer of euros, only to find he has stumbled into in-progress heist for which he'll be blamed by cops -- and credited, oddly or not, by hordes of placard-waving fans (e.g., "Free Jean-Claude!").
As before, bulky thesp's acting is as flat as his pecs are sculpted, but here said limitations are more clearly part of joke within hollow mirror world, where JCVD loses key role to Steven Seagal because latter negotiated to topline sans ponytail.
Script's sharpest running gag has the concept of celebrity trumping human life in media coverage if not public estimation; even JCVD's sweet old Maman hints at worries of son's marquee rep while mistakenly urging him to release "his" hostages.
Incalculably superior in tone, attitude, intent, and intellect to bulk of bodybuilder vehicles, shrewdly produced pic limits limber star's acrobatics to first and last scenes without great detriment to whole. Gast Waltzing's horn-heavy score is pleasingly old-school and subtly parodic; Philippe Kohn's sound mix is crisply immersive; Pierre-Yves Bastard's widescreen lensing does the job despite de rigueur color-bleaching and scant closeups with which to flaunt Van Damme's near-Buster Keatonesque deadpan. Exception to that to is aforementioned long take wherein weeping JCVD flexes existential about his status as global-screen limb-snapper with backend points.
No kidding.
Camera (Panavision, widescreen), Pierre-Yves Bastard; sound (Dolby Digital), Philippe Kohn; editor, Kako Kelber; art direction, Andre Fonsny; set decoration, Francois Dickes; music, Gast Waltzing; music supervisor, Varda Kakon; casting, Francoise Menidrey. Reviewed at Cannes Film Festival (market), May 17, 2008. Running time: 102 MIN.
Dir. Paul Schrader. Germany/USA/Israel. 2008. 106 mins.
The drama will play widely on the festival circuit before a theatrical run. In the US, the film should rally Jewish audiences and fans of Jeff Goldblum, in the lead role of an entertainer who survives by playing a dog for a Nazi. As a German co-production, interest in Germany could be strong. The adaptation of Kaniuk's 1968 classic should give the picture a firm berth in home video and revive interest in the original book.
The films begins as medical attendants escort Holocaust survivor Adam Stein out of a Tel Aviv boarding house where he tried to kill a woman. They bring him to a Bauhaus-style rehabilitation center for survivors in the Israeli desert with modern art on the walls, endowed by an American philanthropist and run by a Dr. Gross (Derek Jacobi). The asylum is full of survivors with endearing quirks, but the story flashes back to Berlin, where Stein's popular cabaret clown act is shut down by the Nazis and his family is sent to a concentration camp, where he is separated from them.
Camp commander Klein (Willem Dafoe), the butt of a cabaret joke years before, has a special job for Stein, whom he forces to walk on all fours and live as a dog, which enabled the humiliated clown to survive. Back in the asylum the affable and amorous Stein discovers young David (Tudor Rapiteanu), who barks and lives in filth. His mission is to save the dog/boy, while haunted by his days in the camp and the loss of his family.
The Holocaust is a new subject for director Paul Schrader, a Calvinist from Michigan, who infuses drama and physical comedy into Yoram Kaniuk's matter-of-fact tone in the novel. Yet the subject is not entirely foreign. As with the protagonists of Taxi Driver and Affliction, Adam Stein is consumed by grueling inner turmoil – in this case, by the guilt of a survivor whose family perished. Shrader navigates this emotional territory effectively.
The script by Noah Stollman (preceded by decades of unmade scenarios for the story) distills a complicated novel, preserving the dark humor while considering the darker ordeal that has driven these survivors insane.
The story of a clown who survived by playing a dog to entertain a camp commander gets the odd laugh, especially in flashbacks and in Stein's romps with sexy nurse Grey (Ayelet Zurer). Yet comic moments never fall into the facile blandness of Roberto Bennigni's motivational Life Is Beautiful.
As Stein, Goldblum has echoes of Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, with some generic movie insanity from the supporting cast. Yet his performance expands as the film tells its story, with surprisingly few false notes, given the character's complexity. This role will bring the versatile actor new job offers, even from those who aren't won over by Adam Resurrected.
Dafoe, who played a Jewish boxer in Auschwitz in Triumph of the Spirit, brings a nasty sadism to his character, who rules over a camp created for the production in Rumania. The film's credible look – Rumania as Germany and Israel -- is the work of production designer Alexander Manasse.
Production Companies/Backers
Bleiberg Entertainment
3L Filmproduktion
International Sales
Bleiberg Entertainment
+1 323 632 6850
Producer
Ehud Bleiberg
Werner Wersing
Executive Producer
Ulf Israel
Marion Forster Bleiberg
Screenplay
Noah Stollman
based on the novel by Yoram Kaniuk
Production Designer
Alexander Manasse
Cinematographer
Sebastian Edschmid
Editor
Sandy Saffeels
Sound
Guido Zettier
Music
Gabriel Yared
Main Cast
Jeff Goldblum
Willem Dafoe
Derek Jacobi
Ayelet Zurer
Moritz Bleibtreu
Tudor Rapiteanu
French actress Mélanie Laurent ("Days of Glory," "Don't Worry, I'm Fine") has apparently joined Quentin Tarantino's "Inglorious Bastards" reports Monsieur Cinema.
A source close to Laurent indicates the actress has already flown to Los Angeles to work with Tarantino.
Which role isn't specified, though considering her appearance it's believed to be that of the female lead chatacter Shoshanna Dreyfus, a French Jewish girl who flees the Nazis as a teenager and later inherits a Parisian movie theater.
Producer Don Carmody is in negotiations with Sam Raimi to adapt stage play "Evil Dead: the Musical" into a 3D movie reports Screen Daily.
Conceived by George Reinblatt, Christopher Bond, Frank Cipolla and Melissa Morris, the camp stage interpretation of Raimi's cult classic horror trilogy was originally mounted in Toronto and Montreal and has since gone off-Broadway.
Bond and choreographer Hinton Battle will co-direct the 3D film version which they hope to shoot in Toronto next Spring with some of the original cast.
At the moment however serious rights issues still need to be resolved.
Michael Caine will star in Marv Films' contemporary British crime thriller "Harry Brown" reports Variety.
Caine plays an elderly former serviceman drawn to vigilantism while living in a run-down suburb rife with gangs, guns and drugs.
Emily Mortimer also stars as a policewoman. Daniel Barber ("The Tonto Women") helms the project from a script by Gary Young ("The Tournament").
According to sources for JoBlo, Irish hunk Colin Farrell is in talks to star as Dr. Watson in Guy Ritchie's upcoming reinvention of "Sherlock Holmes".
As of right now no one is "officially" signed on to play Watson, a role that Russell Crowe was erroneously linked to the other week. Certainly Farrell seems an odd choice to play Holmes less incisive documentarian.
Robert Downey Jr. is officially set as Holmes, Mark Strong is pretty much set for a key role, and rumors of Crowe as Professor Moriarty are still out there and have yet to be officially commented on.
"28 Days Later" and "Trainspotting" Director Danny Boyle, currently winning rave reviews for "Slumdog Millionaire" at the Toronto Film Festival, tells ComingSoon.net he's considering an animated movie based on Terry Pratchett's children book "Truckers" for Dreamworks.
The first part of Pratchett's "Bromeliad Trilogy", the story follows a race of tiny people from another world called Nomes, living and trying to survive among humans, who discover their secret history, which prompts them to try to return home.
Boyle hopes he and "Millions" screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce will reunite on the project, but due to the complexity of doing an animated film he's unsure if he'll do it yet - "It's a weird different discipline, it's very strange."
Paul Verhoeven ("Total Recall," "Basic Instinct) is in talks to direct the untitled Wendy Miller thriller for Relativity Media reports Variety.
The story centers on a college intern who finds himself trapped in a dangerous affair with the boss's wife.
Filming is scheduled to begin in the first-quarter of 2009. Miller is penning a rewrite under Verhoeven's direction.
Story
FIfty Dead Men Walking
11 Sep 2008 06:00
Dir. Kari Skogland. UK/Canada. 2008. 118 mins.
It was only in the aftermath of the Vietnam War that filmmakers were able to create a substantial body of work reflecting the complexities of what had happened there. The same is proving to be true of the recent "Troubles" that tore Northern Ireland apart for the best part of forty years. This year has already seen Steve McQueen's triumphant debut with Hunger. Now, Canadian director Kari Skogland brings her eye to bear on the heat of the conflict with a slick thriller that plays like Scorsese lite. A confident production, it has the dynamism and commercial instincts to connect with a mainstream audience and can only benefit from the rising profile of 21 star Jim Sturgess.
A true story, inspired by events in the life of Martin McGartland, Fifty Dead Men Walking begins in the Canada of 1999 where Martin (Sturgess) is gunned down in a hail of bullets. The film is a lengthy flashback to his life in 1988 as a cocky, unemployed ne'er-do-well in Northern Ireland. A youngster who seems fearless and indifferent to the politics that define the region, he is identified as a prime target for recruitment by a British Special Branch operative known as Fraser (Ben Kingsley).
Martin's concerns appear to be making a living and looking after his pregnant girlfriend (Nathalie Press). If the British are willing to pay him money then he is not going to refuse it. That is the first step in a relationship with Fraser that gradually deepens as Martin becomes a high-level informer. He wins the trust of the IRA as he starts to advance through their ranks to a position of power. He would later assert that fifty dead men were alive because of his actions, hence the title of the film.
Martin Scorsese has always shown a fascination with the life of the informer; a trusted insider who eventually betrays the people he has come to know and even respect. It is a primary theme in Goodfellas and The Departed. It is
also the means to provide an almost forensic examination of how an organisation works. It is a similar approach that Kari Skogland takes here as Martin's experiences in the IRA allow us an unflinching view of the torture, rough justice and vengeful violence deployed in the name of a cause.
Fifty Dead Men works best as a conventional but politically charged thriller. A heavy-handed use of music and a fondness for burnished visuals tends to over-egg the film, making it feel glossy rather than gritty.
Sturgess once again confirms his ability to carry a film with a performance that is just as commanding but very different from his most notable roles in Across The Universe and 21. Kevin Zegers is virtually unrecognisable and sports an entirely convincing Irish accent as his closest friend and die-hard IRA supporter. Only Ben Kingsley seems miscast as British handler Fergus, although he does invest the character with a dry humour.
Production Companies
Brightlight Pictures
Future Films
International sales
Handmade Films International
Producers
Peter La Terriere
Kari Skogland
Stephen Hegyes
Shawn Williamson
Exec prods
Stephen Margolis
Guy Collins
Michael Ryan
Nicole Carmen-Davis
Karyn Edwards
Kyle Lundberg
Cindy Ciwan
Elsie Choi
Screenplay
Kari Skogland
based on the novel by Martin McGartland and Nicholas Davies
Cinematography
Jonathan Freeman
Main cast
Jim Sturgess
Ben Kingsley
Kevin Zegers
Nathalie Press
Rose McGowan
Ray Winstone will replace Robert De Niro in "Edge of Darkness" for GK Films says Variety
Winstone is negotiating to play an operative sent to clean up evidence in the murder of a woman.
Mel Gibson plays her detective father, who wants answers after his daughter is shot on his doorstep.
After two days on set, De Niro left the project over "creative differences" last week.
Danny Huston, Shawn Roberts and Bojana Novakovic also star in the Martin Campbell-directed drama based on the 1985 BBC miniseries.
Shooting began in Massachusetts on August 18th.
Relativity Media has acquired rights for a film adaptation of Robert Graves' classic Roman Empire-set novel "I, Claudius".
Acclaimed filmmaker Jim Sheridan will direct and co-write the script with longtime collaborator Nye Heron.
Graves' 1934 novel recounts the internecine plots and counterplots surrounding Claudius, the fourth emperor of Rome who ruled from 41-54 A.D and is considered one of the best novels of the 20th century.
The stuttering and handicapped Claudius, born into a murderous, imperial family, used his cunning mind and rivals' misjudgment of his disability to not only survive but eventually become one of Rome's greatest emperors.
The story runs through Claudius' life and the various emperors who reigned before him including Augustus, Tiberius, and the mad Caligula,
Although previously adapted onto film in 1937 film, though is best known via the 1976 BBC ten-episode miniseries adaptation.
That project had a stellar cast that included Derek Jacobi, John Hurt, Brian Blessed, Patrick Stewart, Sian Phillips, John Rhys-Davies, Bernard Hill and Kevin McNally.
Along with stellar reviews and many awards, it drew controversy for its dark elements such as the scene where Caligula (John Hurt) off-screen cuts out and ingests the fetus of the sister he impregnated.
No production date has been set for the new film version.
Danny Boyle has revealed that not only is he considering an animated film, but has already taken some preliminary steps to develop a musical with the English band I Am Kloot.
He tells MTV News that "I talked to I Am Kloot about doing a small musical - It would be original with the Kloot guys writing the songs. It's very difficult."
"I think it's the most difficult thing to do as a film [but] it's the Holy Grail if you can do it
. I would love to do a musical. I've done on stage plays with substantial musical sections in it and I loved it. I love editing to beat and contradicting the beat. I'm useless on music technically but I know when some thing is good and not." says Boyle.
Regarding what the musical would be about, or what kind of style it would be shot in, Boyle remained quiet. He did admit that he loved Tim Burton's recent "Sweeney Todd" adaptation.
He also says that he has an idea for a second sequel to "28 Days Later" but "I've got to present it and see what people think really because it might be silly really."
Company
Foresight Unlimited
Cast
Bruce Willis
Director(s)
Bruce Willis
Producer(s)
Moshe Diamant, David Willis, Bruce Willis, Mark Damon
Production Status
Pre-Production
Completion Year
2009
Synopsis
At age seventeen, JOAN loses her virginity.
At age 21, she loses her virtue.
At age 25, she loses her vices.
Or did she lose nothing .... but her mind?
THREE STORIES ABOUT JOAN interweaves the three phases of a young womans struggle to retain her faith in a love borne out of need, destroyed by a madness, and restored by a ghost.
Bruce Willis character is the center of Joans life. He is egocentric, paranoid, tender, and brutal and madly in love with the Joan he wants her to be.
He is also her father.
THREE STORIES ABOUT JOAN is a tautly structured fable that weaves in the surreal with the real, the supernatural with the unnatural, and the triumph of young love in all its exhaltation, and its desperation.
And it is brilliant in its deception, as nothing ever is what it appears to be.
Budget
10M-25M
Millennium Films has set Michael Douglas to play a car magnate with a runaway libido in "Solitary Man."
Susan Sarandon, Danny DeVito and Jenna Fischer are in talks to co-star.
Brian Koppelman and David Levien are directing a script written by Koppelman. Production begins in November in New York.
Douglas plays a former owner of a car dealership chain whose career and marriage were destroyed by his business and romantic indiscretions.
Paul Schiff and Steven Soderbergh are producing. Avi Lerner, Danny Dimbort, Trevor Short, Moshe Diamant and Joe Gatta are exec producers.
Koppelman and Levien previously directed "Knockaround Guys" and the 2005 TV series "Tilt."
Koppelman and Levien wrote Soderbergh's next film, "The Girlfriend Experience."
Douglas will topline a Liberace film that Soderbergh is developing to direct at Warner Bros. with script by Richard LaGravanese.
Coming off the release of "Righteous Kill," Millennium recently wrapped "Brooklyn's Finest" and is about to begin production on the Tim Blake Nelson-directed "Leaves of Grass," with Edward Norton, Sarandon, Keri Russell and Richard Dreyfuss.
"The Transporter" and "Crank" star Jason Statham tells Empire Online that his next film will be a project currently titled "The Grabbers".
Describing it as in the vein of the Bogart classic "The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre", it deals with "relationships and how greed contaminates the relationships these three people have."
Statham of course plays a "crazy Brit that is quite charismatic" and David and Janet Peoples ("Twelve Monkeys," "Unforgiven") have penned the script.
Of course its early days yet and the project may not happen - "Hopefully we'll get that made. We're trying to put the finance together now and hopefully do it before the end of the year."
Comedian Zach Galifianakis has snagged the lead role in Todd Phillips' comedy "The Hangover" for Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures says Reuters.
In "Hangover," Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms play best buddies at a wild Las Vegas bachelor party who lose the groom just hours before his wedding. Shooting is set to begin this weekend.
Galifianakis has also been cast in the lead role in HBO pilot "Bored to Death". In that he plays a struggling comic book artist and best friend to Jonathan (Jason Schwartzman), an alcoholic writer who pretends to be a private detective.
Ted Danson also stars in the project from writer Jonathan Ames and director Alan Taylor.
Gil Kenan and Robert Zemeckis, who teamed for the ani Oscar-nominated "Monster House," are partnering again for a big-screen version of "Airman," a children's adventure book by "Artemis Fowl" author Eoin Colfer.
Kenan will direct the adaptation, which will be done using performance-capture technology. Zemeckis will produce with his ImageMovers partners Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey.
The swashbuckling scientific story centers on Conor Broekhart, a young man born in a hot air balloon to a family close to the king who has a penchant for looking to the skies for inspiration. After his tutor and king are murdered, Broekhart spends two years in prison, escapes and must decide whether to should turn his back on those who abandoned him or fight those who plot to overthrow the government.
The book was released in January.
No writer is on board.
Kenan, repped by ICM, directed 2006's "Monster House," which Zemeckis exec produced along with Steven Spielberg. His next directorial effort is the upcoming "City of Ember," Playtone and Fox-Walden's adaptation of the Jeanne Duprau book.
'Airman' flies to big screen
Gil Kenan, Robert Zemeckis to reunite for swashbuckler
By Borys Kit
Sept 18, 2008, 01:00 AM ET
Gil Kenan and Robert Zemeckis, who teamed for the ani Oscar-nominated "Monster House," are partnering again for a big-screen version of "Airman," a children's adventure book by "Artemis Fowl" author Eoin Colfer.
Kenan will direct the adaptation, which will be done using performance-capture technology. Zemeckis will produce with his ImageMovers partners Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey.
The swashbuckling scientific story centers on Conor Broekhart, a young man born in a hot air balloon to a family close to the king who has a penchant for looking to the skies for inspiration. After his tutor and king are murdered, Broekhart spends two years in prison, escapes and must decide whether to should turn his back on those who abandoned him or fight those who plot to overthrow the government.
The book was released in January.
No writer is on board.
Kenan, repped by ICM, directed 2006's "Monster House," which Zemeckis exec produced along with Steven Spielberg. His next directorial effort is the upcoming "City of Ember," Playtone and Fox-Walden's adaptation of the Jeanne Duprau book.
Iconic Crime writer Robert Randisi has sold the films rights to "Everybody Kills Somebody Sometime" to Sandy Hackett, son of the late comedian Buddy Hackett says Crime Spree.
The novel features the legendary Rat Pack (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop) and is set in Vegas in 1960.
The story centers around threatening letters that being sent to Dean Martin. The pack assisted by pit boss Eddie Gianelli, work to figure out who is sending them.
The novel is the first in a series, with the fourth being slated for 2009. Randisi will adapt the book and filming is slated to begin January 2010.
Luke Wilson and Giovanni Ribisi are teaming for the indie drama "Middle Men" about the birth of online porn says Variety.
The film centers on a straight-and-narrow businessman who builds the first online billing company dealing exclusively with adult entertainment.
He soon finds himself in the middle of a whirlwind filled with starlets, conmen, Russian mobsters, federal agents and international terrorists -- all while trying to hold on to his marriage and family.
George Gallo directs from Andy Weiss' script. Shooting gets underway October 20th in Phoenix.
David Duchovny, Demi Moore, Gary Cole and Amber Heard are teaming for the dramedy "The Joneses" says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story is a social commentary, and centers on a picture-perfect family that moves into a suburban neighborhood and immediately becomes the toast of the town, loved and envied by all.
But the reality is they are a commissioned fake family put together by a marketing company as a way to introduce new luxury-level products to neighborhoods around the world.
Duchovny plays the fake father, a man undergoing a crisis of confidence because he is living a lie.
Moore is the mother, a career-driven woman who struggles with her growing feelings toward her fake husband.
Heard plays the fake daughter who is trying to seduce her fake dad while looking for a rich man. Cole plays a neighbor.
Derrick Borte penned and will direct the film. Shooting is scheduled to begin mid-October in Atlanta.
Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman and Faizon Love are teaming for Universal Pictures comedy "Couples Retreat" says The Hollywood Reporter
Favreau penned the script about four couples who go to a tropical island resort.
While one couple is there to work on their marriage, the others are there to play but soon discover that participation in the resort's couples therapy is not optional.
Peter Billingsley penned the story with shooting scheduled to begin late October in Bora Bora and Los Angeles.
NEW YORK -- Nicolas Cage will reteam with "Gone in Sixty Seconds" director Dominic Sena for the supernatural thriller "Season of the Witch."
Ryan Kavanaugh's Relativity Media and Atlas Entertainment are backing the project, with Atlas founder Charles Roven and partner Alex Gartner set as producers.
Cage plays a 14th century knight transporting a girl suspected of being the witch behind the Black Plague. His compatriots help him bring the girl to an abbey of monks trained in exorcising demons.
"Witch," written by Bragi Schut Jr. (CBS' "Threshold"), is set to begin production in early November in Austria and Hungary.
Aside from reteaming the director and star, the project marks the second partnership between Relativity and Atlas ("The Bank Job"). It also reunites Cage with his "City of Angels" producer Roven, whose recent experience with another knight ("The Dark Knight") has become the second-highest-grossing film in history.
Cage is repped by CAA, and Sena is repped by CAA and Anonymous Content.
The rumors of Brett Ratner directing the big screen re-invention of "Conan the Barbarian" seem to have been premature.
According to Latino Review, the "Rush Hour" helmer wasn't offered the gig but did have a meeting with Nu Image about the job.
In fact several directors have met with the company about the job in recent weeks. The company desperately wanted Robert Rodriguez for the film but he can't do it due to his busy schedule.
Other names mentioned include some commendable talent like Juan Carlos Fresnadillo ("28 Weeks Later"), Neil Marshall ("The Descent," "Doomsday") and James McTeigue ("V for Vendetta") along with some less than exciting names like The Strause Brothers ("AVP: Requiem"), along with Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor ("Crank," "Pathology").
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"Cage plays a 14th century knight transporting a girl suspected of being the witch behind the Black Plague. His compatriots help him bring the girl to an abbey of monks trained in exorcising demons.
Uuu, Kejdž kao srednjevekovni vitez, samo ta slika je dovoljna da se uhvatim za stomak, a kad se na to dodaju očekivana perika i eventualni pokušaj nekog evropskog akcenta ovo ima potencijala da bude zaista urnebesno, mada ne verujem da će nadmašiti rimejk Wicker Mana...
Tarantino has found an Inglorious projectionist
September 19th, 2008 - 2pm GMT / (posted by Sebastian)
There is a character in Inglorious Basterds called Marcel, the projectionist in Shosanna's movie theater, one of the major locations of the film. We can now confirm that a French actor that goes with the cool-sounding name (imagine Mr Pink saying this) Jacky Ido has been cast for this role, which I will now tentatively describe as Melanie Laurent's character's side-kick. We've also managed to get most of the already known cast confirmed, just to rule out confusion. On our Inglorious Bastards cast & characters page you'll see those that are 100% seperated from those names and characters where we're not yet so sure. We'll bring you more pretty soon. Curious readers can dive into our Forums and will find the very first picture from the set of the film there. Thanks for reading everyone, have a wonderful start into a great weekend.
Update: The great folks at The Playlist also note that French actor Denis Menochet has also been cast, for a role yet unknown.
Quote from: "Milosh"Quote from: "crippled_avenger"Cage plays a 14th century knight transporting a girl suspected of being the witch behind the Black Plague. His compatriots help him bring the girl to an abbey of monks trained in exorcising demons.
Uuu, Kejdž kao srednjevekovni vitez, samo ta slika je dovoljna da se uhvatim za stomak, a kad se na to dodaju očekivana perika i eventualni pokušaj nekog evropskog akcenta ovo ima potencijala da bude zaista urnebesno, mada ne verujem da će nadmašiti rimejk Wicker Mana...
Nemoj da si toliki pesimista, ovaj put Kejdž nosi oklop :lol:
While visiting the set of the upcoming motion-capture adventure "Tintin", Simon Pegg may have scored himself and his regular on-screen cohort a gig.
Pegg tells The Times Online that Steven Spielberg told the "Hot Fuzz" and "Shaun of the Dead" actor that "Hey, maybe you and Nick Frost could play the Thompson Twins".
Pegg seemed to be floored by the idea, and many online have already expressed excitement (including myself). Despite their physical differences, the mo-cap technology essentially allows these two actors to play identical twins in the CG animated feature.
In the books, Thomson and Thompson are a pair of bumbling and incompetent detectives who essentially provide the comic relief for the series - always pursuing the wrong suspect and often getting into more misunderstandings than actual police work while Tintin and Captain Haddock are the ones to uncover the nefarious conspiracies underway. They appeared in a total of seventeen of the twenty-four adventures penned between 1930 and 1986.
Mania.Com reports that Dreamworks film about Edward Teach, aka the pirate Blackbeard, is still moving forward with Paul Greengrass possibly at the helm.
According to a source, Greengrass leads the short list of candidates to direct the project penned by David Franzoni ("Amistad," "Gladiator") which would incorporate a more serious R-rated take into the world of piracy than the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films or Disney's family classic "Blackbeard's Ghost".
Producer Barry Josephson is still backing Franzoni's take on the subject despite some reservation since it's announcement.
Despite reports she's no longer attached, Moviehole has confirmed that Angelina Jolie has now officially signed onto Phil Noyce's "Edwin A. Salt".
The fictional film centers on a CIA officer who is fingered as a Russian sleeper spy.
She eludes capture by superiors who are convinced she is out to assassinate the president. While trying to reunite with her family, she struggles to prove someone else is the traitor.
Pre-production has commenced with a projected shoot date of February 16th 2009. A source also says that the film will now simply be titled "Salt".
"Wanted" and "Night Watch" director Timur Bekmambetov will helm a reimagining of the Herman Melville's 1851 literary classic "Moby Dick" for Universal Pictures reports Variety.
Adam Cooper and Bill Collage will pen the screenplay which ditches Ishmael's narration in favour of a "action-adventure revenge story" that allows the filmmakers to depict the white whale's decimation of other ships prior to its encounter with Ahab's Pequod.
Ahab himself will be depicted more as a charismatic leader rather than the brooding obsessive, a controversial move considering the whole point of the novel is the destructive nature of relentless obsession.
Scott Stuber, Jim Lemley, Cormac and Marianne Wibberley will produce.
Legendary British horror production company Hammer Films is back in business with "The Wake Wood" filming kicking off this week says The Hollywood Reporter.
Timothy Spall, Aidan Gillen and Eva Birthistle star in the story about grieving parents who are given the opportunity to spend three more days with their only daughter after she is killed by a savage dog.
David Keating helms from a screenplay he co-wrote with Brendan McCarthy. Shooting kicks off in Ireland for a release next Fall.
Shane Black ("Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang") will direct the Universal Pictures spy thriller "Cold Warrior" says Variety.
Chuck Mondry penned the story about a Cold War-era spy who comes out of retirement to team with a younger agent from the new school to confront a domestic terrorism threat orchestrated by Russia.
Michelle Manning ("The Eye," "The Dirt") is producing. David Greenblatt and Anthony Bagarozzi are also producing.
Year: 2008
Directors: Marcel Sarmiento / Gadi Harel
Writers: Trent Haaga
IMDB: link
Trailer: link
Review by: agentorange
Rating: 6 out of 10
There's no getting around it - Deadgirl is one of the most severely messed up films I've seen in a while. It's an extreme exercise in taboo subject matter that turns the horror genre on its head and might even have the power to make some viewers regret ever falling in love with horror altogether. However, as a critic, I can't help but be drawn to films like Deadgirl because they make me re-evaluate the criteria by which I judge movies. It's like someone said "you think you know movies? Well get a load of this!" and then showed you something you never knew movies could do. And don't get me wrong, I've seen a heck of a lot of different kinds of films and many that have affected me the very same way; it's just that it's rare that a film can a) truly shock and b)remain engaging even after the viewing. Right now it's the day after and I keep asking myself; why was I glued to the screen and completely mesmerized by a film who's subject matter I was so very repulsed by? That's what I'll be trying to wrestle with in this review.
Deadgirl is about two highschool kids, Rickie and JT (played by two of the oldest looking 16 year olds in history), who skip school and break into an old abandoned hospital. While exploring the many basement tunnels they stumble across a woman wrapped in plastic and strapped to a stretcher. She appears dead but upon further inspection is anything but. In fact, the truth is she can't be killed (I've decided to save how they find this out for you to discover on your own). Rickie wants to free her but, the obviously disturbed and sexually confused JT has other plans. What follows is a moral tug of war between two friends that'll have you itching for a positive resolution that doesn't really come.
The intersting thing about Deadgirl is that its ability to shock doesn't come from scare tactics, gore, suspense, or even its overt sexuality, but from its seeming moral ambivalence. Your never quite sure where the filmmakers are taking you, why they're taking you there, and what their message is. It's almost as if the film is a blank canvas upon which you can paint your own feelings. For example, if you want the film to be a critique of the currently oversexed and confused male libido you can, but there's every possibility you wouldn't be right. I've never looked to films to provide answers, in fact I like it when they pose questions and make you think, but it's almost like the deeper you get into Deadgirl, the further away you get from understanding what it's all about. It's kind of weird.
I've read other reviewers discuss the film's "dark humor," and actually John Allison, who reviewed the film for us as part if TIFF's Midnight Madness, compared Deadgirl to other recent boundary pushing films like Blood Car (which I loved), while others have referenced Teeth, and On the Doll. But, unlike Blood Car which was so obviously satirical and humorous, Deadgirl's humor (if there even is humor) rarely shines through. As far as I'm concerned there's not a laugh in the whole thing so if anyone's laughing at this film I can only imagine it's that kind of awkward "this is messed" kind of laughter.
Despite being way to old to be playing high school students, actors Shiloh Fernandez (Jericho) and Noah Segan (Fanboys, The Brothers Bloom), both give extremely strong performances in this film. You can tell they're feeding off each others performance and pushing each other to hit new extremes. I like that aspect of the film. In terms of any of the other characters in the film, they're all given pretty short shrift and are mostly one dimensional. Of course big props gotta go out to Jenny Spain who played the titular dead girl. Considering she endured no end of torment and spent the entire film in the nude, she managed to play the role with intense dignity. She is both beautiful and terrifying and will no doubt become some kid of weirdo icon in the years to come.
I also really liked how the film played with zombie traditions without being overt. One film that came to mind while watching Deadgirl was Kathryn Bigelow's vampire flick Near Dark which, as many of you will know, never uses the word vampire. Well, Deadgirl is a zombie film that never uses the world zombie. And, honestly, as disturbing and twisted as the ending is, I thought it was great and probably the reason the film has stayed with me so long.
There's also a part of me that wishes the film had been executed a little better in places. Some awkward pacing at times made the film loose momentum and probably ended up making it loose some points. Over all though, the flick is solid and will be of interest to many people out looking for a new kind of extreme cinema.
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Das Baader Meinhof Complex)
Fionnuala Halligan in London
26 Sep 2008 07:00
Dir Uli Edel. Ger. 2008. 149mins.
An extremely-ambitious undertaking which succeeds completely on a technical level, The Baader Meinhof Complex reunites Downfall's producer-screenwriter Bernd Eichinger with his college friend and Christiane F and Last Exit to Brooklyn director Uli Edel. Looking very much like a further mining of the modern German political history seam which has compellingly produced both Downfall and The Lives of Others, The Baader Meinhof Complex is engrossing on many levels – except for, fatally, an emotional one.
Deftly relating the events that rocked Germany in the 1970s as the Baader Meinhof Gang – or the Red Army Faction – wielded its crazed mixture of ultra-left-wing ideology with vicious terrorism, The Baader Meinhof Complex will have an inbuilt audience of viewers who remember that vivid era, skewing male and upmarket. Younger crowds will take more convincing, but this fascinating lesson in recent European history will have no trouble attracting significant returns on that continent, led naturally by Germany. America will be very difficult for this lengthy, complex film, however, although an Oscar nomination (it has been submitted in this category) could help.
The RAF was born from the student protest movements of the 1960s when a highly-politicised post-war generation took to the streets, inspired by events in Vietnam and behind the "Iron curtain". In West Germany, there was understandably a strong desire not to repeat the mistakes of the recent past and a distrust of the political establishment which included former Nazi Party members. The Bader Meinhof Gang started out as a loose group of ultra-left-wing student radicals making a noise: by the end, it was an almost-aimless professional terrorist group allied to the PLO and involved in cross-border extortion, kidnapping, murder and bombings. It did not officially cease to exist until 1998.
In electing to write this film Eichinger, working in close collaboration with Stefan Aust – a journalist at the time and author of the book on which this is based – set himself two major challenges. The first was to capture a wide-ranging series of events set over an entire decade with a large cast of characters who have very little screen time to establish themselves. This is so confidently tackled, Eichinger and Edel almost make it look easy. However, and this is a large caveat, every single person in this film, with the exception of a briefly-sketched police investigator (Ganz) is unsympathetic to the point of being revolting. Eichinger overcame this hurdle with Downfall; he can't manage it here – there are too many of them, and they're all creeps.
The Baader Meinhof Complex restricts itself to the events between bloody protests against the Shah in Berlin in 1967 and the "German autumn" a decade later – the Lufthansa hijacking and the kidnapping of German industrialist Hanns Martin Schleyer. The film would seem to have at its centre the character of Ulrike Meinhof (Gedeck), the left-wing journalist-turned-terrorist. But as Gedeck opts to play one of the world's most notoriously evil women as a depressed, mumbling drone, attention falls instead to the more traditionally-psychopathic Andreas Baader (Bleibrtau) and his hardline girlfriend Gudrun Ensslin (Wokalek). They get little screentime, though, in the face of so many RAF members, bombings, bank heists, murders, and even a bout of guerrilla training in Palestine (the RAF and the PLO were closely linked: when the PLO stormed the 1972 Munich Olympics, one of its demands was the release of Baader and Meinhof)..
The production prides itself on being historically accurate, down to using transcripts of the Gang's Stammheim prison trials and even the number of bullets used in its gruesome assassinations. This is a controversial subject in Germany, and Edel is at pains to be dispassionate. Dramatically, though, The Baader Meinhof Complex will hold very little suspense for people who lived through these times: the resolution of the German autumn was as memorable in its day as the War on Terror is now. For today's younger, politically-aware demographic (not as high now as it was then), this is a fascinating look at the birth of modern terrorism. The RAF itself may seem dated with its Marxist, Maoist rants, but as the production is at pains to point out, it does have resonance with what is happening now.
Technically, this is shot up-close and personal; Edel makes heavy use of handheld, but it's not jarring. Score is minimal, although opening the film with Janis Joplin (Mercedes Benz) and closing it with Bob Dylan (Blowin' In The Wind) seems at odds with the spirit of what unfolds onscreen, even if the timing is roughly right. In opting to shoot the film in quasi-documentary style – moving efficiently but crisply from one event to another – Edel keeps the viewer at a distance from the people onscreen and emotionally The Bader Meinhof Complex flatlines, even as it fascinates.
Helen Mirren will play a Mossad agent in helmer John Madden's "The Debt" for Miramax Films says Variety.
An English-language remake of Israeli thriller "Ha-hov", the story deals with three Israeli Mossad agents tracking down a Nazi war criminal over 30 years.
"Stardust" scribes Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman will pen the script. Shooting will commence next year in the U.K., Germany and Israel.
Camilla Belle ("10,000 B.C.," "When A Stranger Calls") has joined the cast of the psychological thriller "Three Stories About Joan" says One India.
As previously announced, Bruce Willis makes his feature directorial debut on the film which also stars Owen Wilson and Kieran Culkin.
Belle portrays the titular Joan in a story about the three phases of her life that prompt her to lose her grip on reality. Willis will play Belle's character's father.
Christopher Alexander and Sam Applebaum penned the script and production is scheduled to begin in October in Shreveport, Louisiana.
John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys-Myers are teaming for the thriller "From Paris With Love" for EuroCorp reports Variety.
Luc Besson and Adi Hasak wrote the script that centers on an embassy employee and an American covert agent who become involved in a high-stakes mission.
Besson also produces and Pierre Morrel directs the sub-$55 million project which just began an 11-week shoot in the City of Lights.
"Cloverfield" director Matt Reeves has signed on to write and direct the Amerian remake of the acclaied Swedish horror flick "Let the Right One In" for Overture Films and Hammer Films says the trades.
Based on a novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist, the original (titled: "Lat Den Ratte Komma In") followed a bullied boy whose desire for revenge becomes intertwined with his growing love for a young female neighbor who happens to be a vampire.
It won the best narrative feature award at the Tribeca Film Festival and is scheduled for a limited release in the US on October 24th. The US remake would likely hit theaters sometime late 2009.
Reeves is also readying the thriller "The Invisible Woman" which he is writing and directing. It follows a housewife who turns to a life of crime.
MGM has hired writer-director Steve Pink ("Accepted") to script a remake of the 1988 comedy "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Itself a remake of the 1964 film "Bedtime Story" with Marlon Brando and David Niven, the Frank Oz-directed 'Scoundrels' starred Steve Martin and Michael Caine as mirror-opposite conmen competing to scam money from a seemingly guileless American woman and banish each other from their South of France hunting ground.
The new incarnation will be updated for a contemporary time and Pink, who also co-wrote "High Fidelity" and "Grosse Pointe Blank", is working out how to make their actions credible whilst still behaving in totally outrageous and absurd ways.
The project joins a string of remakes that MGM has in the works including "Red Dawn," "RoboCop," "Poltergeist" and "Fame".
DreamWorks has extended their option on the film rights to John Wyndham's 1968 science fiction novel "Chocky" that Spielberg is apparently keen to make his next directing project reports Reuters.
The story centers on a boy who has a mysterious imaginary friend with whom he frequently argues. As the boy's father gets increasingly suspicious, it becomes clear that an alien entity has taken up residence in the boy's consciousness.
Things with Spielberg remain up in the air as despite his Dreamworks company having split with Paramount, that studio claims it owns all DreamWorks-developed properties outright. Thus right now it's still unsure what properties will make the crossover to the new independent Dreamworks and its likely new distributor Universal.
Amongt the projects on Spielberg's to-do list are "The Trial of the Chicago 7," an Abraham Lincoln biopic, "Cowboys and Aliens," "The 39 Clues" and of course the "Tintin" trilogy.
"Tintin" has lately been a priority but hit the snag last week of losing half its financing. Paramount has offered to fully foot the bill, but to do so comes with certain undisclosed financial caveats that may be too strick - leaving Spielberg to opt instead on waiting to find another financier for the other half of the project.
There's also talk that Spielberg might try to do "Tintin" and "Chocky" simultaneously due to the very different nature of the productions (ie. shoot "Chocky" during the extensive CG animation time on "Tintin").
"Chocky" was previously translated into a 1984 UK TV series. Wyndham's other and more famous sci-fi works include "The Midwich Cuckoos" which has been twice adapted on film as "Village of the Damned" in 1960 & 1995, the post-apocalyptic telepathy tale "The Chrysalids", and of course one of the most famous books ever written - the killer plant saga "The Day of the Triffids".
Brad Furman ("The Take") is set to direct the suspense thriller "Valet" for Warner Bros. Pictures reports the trades.
Matthew Aldrich will rewrite Alan McElroy's original screenplay inspired by true events of a parking attendant who becomes obsessed with a female customer and systematically inserts himself into her life.
The production is being fast-tracked to begin shooting in the first quarter of 2009.
Hollywood superstar Sylvester Stallone, who has arrived to Bulgaria reportedly looking for locations for his new Rambo 5 movie, met Sunday Sofia Mayor Boyko Borisov, an ardent fan of Sly.
Borisov is the only politician Mr Stallone is to meet during his short trip to Bulgaria that includes visits to the Nu Boyana film studios and the Worldwide FX company that made the special effects for Rambo 4.
Speculations that Rambo 5 would be shot in Bulgaria have been circulating for months. Representatives of Nu Image said it is too early to predict where the film will be shot.
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.novinite.com%2Fmedia%2Fimages%2F2008-09%2F97365.jpg&hash=6f7577dace4c64a5f73e51ed21989e331dd9d71a)
Michael De Luca, Alison Rosenzweig and Michael Gaeta are developing a remake of the 1987 Mickey Rourke supernatural thriller "Angel Heart" reports Variety.
The trio optioned the rights to the film from a private U.K. firm as well as the book rights to William Hjortsberg's novel "Falling Angel" from which it was adapted.
The novel follows the exploits of Harry Angel, a New York detective hired by a mysterious client to track down a once-popular performer indebted to him.
While pursuing this seemingly routine investigation, Harry encounters dark and supernatural forces. Alan Parker helmed the original which starred Mickey Rourke, Lisa Bonet, and a memorable turn by Robert De Niro as the client who turned out to be The Devil himself.
Christina Ricci has joined the cast of Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo's horror prject "After.Life" reports Ace Showbiz.
The story chronicles a young woman in a transitional state between life and death who fights to avoid being buried alive while also concerns a funeral director who holds her fate in his hands.
Shooting is slated to begin November 10th in New York, no release date has yet been set. Kate Bosworth was previously cast in the project.
With its flagship series "Smallville" likely in its final season, The CW is developing a new show entitled "The Graysons" based on the early days of Batman sidekick Robin reports IGN.
Just as "Smallville" focuses on Clark Kent in the years before he became Superman, "The Graysons" will follow the world of Dick "DJ" Grayson before he takes on the iconic Robin identity and aligns himself with Batman.
In the one-hour "Graysons," which will be set in modern times, young DJ will face challenges involving first loves, young rivals and his family as he grows up.
"Smallville" executive producers Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson have come up with an original take on the character and will steer the series alongside "Supernatural" executive producer McG.
Relativity Media has acquired the spec script "Hunter-Killer" by Ed Arnett (aka. Arne Schmidt) reports Variety.
Based on Don Keith and George Wallace's novel "Firing Point", the story follows an American sub commander and a Navy SEAL team that must rescue the Russian president and defeat a renegade admiral who's attempting a coup.
Pierre Morel ("District B13") is negotiating to direct. Ryan Kavanaugh, Neal Moritz and Toby Jaffe will produce.
ТАРОТ СРбИЈА! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7efsKcdHjU)
Body Of Lies
Mike Goodridge in Los Angeles
03 Oct 2008 01:27
Dir: Ridley Scott. US. 2008. 129 mins.
Ridley Scott employs all his cinematic tricks to craft a heart-thumping action thriller in Body Of Lies, which blends thematic elements of Syriana, Rendition and The Kingdom and then churns them through a high octane Bourne blender. More gripping to watch in the moment than enjoyable to recall at its end, the film is bound to chalk up some heavweight box office numbers courtesy of stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, but it's far from a "four quadrant" movie. Young men will respond to the earsplitting intensity, but many women and older audiences might be turned off by the subject of terrorism, harrowing images of suicide bombings and graphic scenes of torture and violence.
Domestic box office numbers are likely to be in the same range as Black Hawk Down and American Gangster ($110m-$130m), while international numbers might be as great if not greater – DiCaprio's last two films, Blood Diamond and The Departed, were bigger hits overseas than in North America.
Scott and his brilliant editor Pietro Scalia are expert at creating a visual patchwork of images that maximizes the tension in every scene. Here, even more than in Syriana or the third Bourne movie, communication is key - on omnipresent TV broadcasts, through cellphones and SMS texts, internet and email. Most effectively, the film-makers shoot extensively from the air to emulate the Predator surveillance system which tracks activities on the ground from unmanned aircraft. The fact that the CIA in Virginia can watch live aerial images of their agents walking down a street in Jordan or Dubai is as technologically wondrous as it is morally disturbing; for Scott it's a chance to create elaborate action sequences from multiple cameras on the ground as well as from the air.
The film starts as CIA near-east chief Ed Hoffman (a portly Crowe) reads out a report about the enormous challenges of fighting the war on terror, and then moves to Iraq where his top intelligence man Roger Ferris (DiCaprio) is working on the ground to ferret out troublemakers. The pressure is on to locate extremist leader Al-Saleem (Alon Aboutboul) who has begun a wave of terrorist attacks on western cities.
Following a lead to Jordan, Ferris enlists the support of the supersmooth Hani Salaam (Strong, creating the film's most memorable characterisation), head of Jordanian intelligence, and the two keep watch on a safehouse for Jihaadists in Amman, but when Hoffman blows the operation, Ferris is thrown out of the country. That's when he and Hoffman devise an audacious scheme to flush out Al-Saleem – by creating an imaginary terrorist organization.
Respect for human life on both sides is minimal and, just as much as the terrorists, Scott goes to some lengths to show the Hoffman and Ferris characters causing the deaths of innocent people without a second thought. Ferris may be portrayed as having a conscience – he even has a love interest – but his dark work for his country always comes first.
Despite the admirable moral ambiguity, however, there's something discomfiting about the notion that the middle eastern conflicts can now act as fodder for expensive Hollywood action movies. A sequence in which the Noordermarkt in Amsterdam is obliterated by a suicide bomber, causing over 100 deaths, feels almost pornographic.
Production company
Scott Free Productions
De Line Pictures
Worldwide distribution
Warner Bros
Executive producers
Michael Costigan
Charles JD Schlissel
Producers
Donald De Line
Ridley Scott
Screenplay
William Monahan
Based on the novel by David Ignatius
Cinematography
Alexander Witt
Production design
Arthur Max
Editor
Pietro Scalia
Music
Marc Streitenfeld
Main cast
Leonardo DiCaprio
Russell Crowe
Mark Strong
Golshifteh Farahani
Oscar Isaac
Simon McBurney
NBC is developing a new take on homeland security from director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) and writer Matthew Carnahan ("Dirt"), reports Variety.
Fuqua, Carnahan and Michael De Luca will executive produce "ICE," which will be set in the world of the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement division of Homeland Security. Universal Media Studios will produce.
Created as part of the post-9/11 homeland security overhaul, "ICE" is charged with being on the lookout for the trafficking of everything that crosses the U.S. borders, from arms, drugs and counterfeit money to weapons of mass destruction, stolen antiquities and even human slaves.
Carnahan will create the project, while Fuqua will direct. Alissa Phillips and Mary Alice Haney, who originated the project, will co-produce.
Overture Films is set to remake the Icelandic whodunit "Jar City" says The Hollywood Reporter.
The original centered on a police detective whose investigation of a murder leads to the uncovering of secrets and corruption in a small Icelandic town as well as an exploration of his own relationships.
The new version will shift the action to a small Louisiana town. Michael Ross will adapt the screenplay and original helmer Baltasar Kormakur will serve as a producer on the remake.
Assorted sequel talks today, lets begin:
'The Cottage' director Paul Andrew Willams is tipped to be helming "28 Months Later", the second sequel to Danny Boyle's "28 Days Later" according to JoBlo.
Actor Columbus Short has confirms to IGN that he is up for the role of Murtaugh's son in "Lethal Weapon 5". He adds that the film is being fast tracked into production.
It sounds highly dubious, but China Daily reports that Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn will re-team on a sequel to "The Break-Up" with Aniston offered $20 million.
Finally, Lionsgate has launched the full official site for Lexi Alexander's "Punisher: War Zone".
Kevin Costner plans to reprise his role of Crash Davis in the follow-up to the 1988 baseball-themed romantic comedy "Bull Durham" reports The New York Post.
Costner, Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon are expected to return for the second film with the later playing the married owners of a Major League Baseball team Costner's character manages.
Kristen Kerr (TVs "Dexter") is also being considered to play one of Costner's love interests in the film. Costner recently met with director Ron Shelton to discuss the project.
Despite the economic downturn, the various studios are getting ready to move forward as more than forty productions get underway early next year reports Variety.
Due to the writers strike and the threat of an actors strike, studios quickly rushed through approval on projects in late 2007 before grinding approvals to a halt for much of the last twelve months.
Now with the writer's strike over and the threat of an actor's strike being offset by stubborn and prolonged in-fighting, a rush has begun to get projects into production and fill release date slots in 2010 and 2011 that are going begging.
It's a two-edged sword despite financing for these films having already been secured. On the one hand with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) situation still unresolved and no more 'strike insurance' on offer, studios take a risk of losing millions if SAG does go on strike.
On the other is that the window is quickly closing on time to have product ready for release in 2010 and 2011, economic slowdowns if anything drive more people to the movies, and the actors themselves are keen to get back to work if only to ensure paychecks keep coming during these uncertain times.
The upcoming film slates of the major studios are as follows (some are already well into production and will be unaffected):
Sony Pictures:
"2012" - The Roland Emmerich-helmed global disaster epic
"Angels & Demons" - The Tom Hanks-led 'Da Vinci Code' prequel
"The Green Hornet" - Stephen Chow-directed superhero film with Seth Rogen
"Salt" - The Phillip Noyce-helmed, Angelina Jolie spy thriller
"Zombieland" - The Ruben Fleischer-directed zombie buddy movie
Walt Disney Pictures:
"Alice in Wonderland" - Tim Burton's new take on the Lewis Carrol classic
"Mars Needs Moms" - A Robert Zemeckis-produced motion-capture film
"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" - A Jon Turteltaub-directed, Nicolas Cage thriller
"TR2N" - The sequel to cult 80's sci-fi flick "Tron"
"Wild Hogs 2" - Comedy sequel once again helmed by Walt Becker
20th Century Fox:
"The A-Team" - The John Singleton-directed film based on the 80's series
"Alvin and the Chipmunks 2" - The sequel to the recent family smash hit
"Avatar" - The James Cameron-directed 3D sci-fi fantasy
"Date Night" - Shawn Levy-helmed rom-com with Steve Carell and Tina Fey
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" - A live-action take on the comic about a student
"Family Wedding" - Rick Famuyiwa-helmed African-American family drama
"Night at the Museum 2" - The sequel to the Ben Stiller fantasy comedy hit
"Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief" - Chris Columbus-directed family film
"Orbit" - Thriller about a civilian stuck alone in space when a shuttle crew dies
"Ramona" - The Fox-Walden fantasy based on Beverly Cleary's novel series
"Tooth Fairy" - Dwayne Johnson tries to save the tooth fairy kingdom
"Town House" - John Carney-directed comedy about a dead rocker's son
MGM Films:
"The Cabin in the Woods" - The Drew Goddard-directed horror flick
"Fame" - The Kevin Tancharoen-helmed remake of the 80's musical
"The Matarese Circle" - David Cronenberg helmed political thriller adaptation
"RoboCop" - Darren Aronofsky-helmed remake of the sci-fi classic.
Marvel Studios:
"Iron Man 2" - The Jon Favreau-directed sequel with Robert Downey Jr.
"Thor" - The Kenneth Branagh-helmed viking god feature
Miramax:
"The Debt" - John Madden-directed thriller with Helen Mirren
"Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" - A remake of the 1973 TV horror movie
"Man on a Train" - An intergenerational drama
New Line:
"Gears of War" - The Len Wiseman-helmed video game adaptation
"A Nightmare on Elm Street" - The Wesley Strick-directed remake
"Sex and the City 2" - The sequel to this year's hit comedy
"Torrente" - Remake of Spanish dark comedy about a corrupt cop
Paramount Pictures:
"Beverly Hills Cop 4" - The Brett Ratner-directed Eddie Murphy sequel
"Footloose" - The Kenny Ortega-directed musical remake with Zac Efron
"The Last Airbender" - The M. Night Shyamalan-helmed cartoon adaptation
"Morning Glory" - Roger Michell-directed comedy about a female producer
"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" - The robot action-fueled sequel
"Us and Them"
Universal Pictures:
"BioShock" - The Gore Verbinski-helmed adaptation of the video game.
"Couples Retreat" - The Peter Billingsley-directed comedy with Vince Vaughn
"Funny People" - Judd Apatow-directed dramedy about stand-up comedians
"Get Him to the Greek" - The Nicholas Stoller-directed comedy.
"Nottingham" - The Ridley Scott-helmed Robin Hood story with Russell Crowe
"Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" - Edgar Wright-directed comedy with Michael Cera
Untitled Nancy Meyers Comedy - Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin star.
Warner Bros. Pictures:
"The Book of Eli" - The Denzel Washington post-apocalyptic western
"Clash of the Titans" - Louis Leterrier-helmed remake of the 80's classic
"Hangover" - Todd Phillips-helmed comedy about a bachelor party
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" - The two-part final installment
"Human Factor" - Clint Eastwood-directed drama with Morgan Freeman
"Jonah Hex" - The Mark Neveldine/Brian Taylor-helmed comic adaptation
"Suckerpunch" - The Zack Snyder-directed action fantasy
"Terminator Salvation" - The McG-helmed sci-fi action sequel
Millennium Films is plotting a remake of 2004 French heist drama "Le Convoyeur," and the studio is negotiating with Eric Bana to star and F. Gary Gray to direct.
Scripted by David Ayer and Andrew Kevin Walker, the drama has been retitled "Armored" and relocated to Michigan. Story follows a man who takes a job for an armored car company and ingratiates himself with his co-workers, who trust him enough to make him part of their heist plans. Unbeknownst to his colleagues, the man had his own motives for taking the job.
Bana flirted with the project last year before going off to play the villain in the J.J. Abrams-directed "Star Trek," but he's back and has a deal negotiated down to what sources described as a $7.5 million paycheck. His participation, though, is contingent on scheduling: "Armored" is skedded to begin shooting April 1, and Bana is committed to promoting "Star Trek," which Paramount releases May 8. Bana also stars with Rachel McAdams in "The Time Traveler's Wife" for Warner Bros.
"Armored" likely will be retitled because of an upcoming Screen Gems drama that bears the title. Gray, who has helmed heist films "The Italian Job" and "Set It Off," last directed "Be Cool."
Pic is being produced by Michaels Goldwyn partners Lorne Michaels and John Goldwyn, Emmett/Furla's Randall Emmett, Avi Lerner and Michael Aguilar.
Bana has returned to his roots as a standup comedian in the Judd Apatow-directed "Funny People," which is shooting, and he is also making his directing debut on "Love the Beast," a documentary about his and other men's obsession with fixing and racing cars.
Jean-Jacques Annaud (The Bear, Seven Years in Tibet) is in talks to direct Relativity Media's bounty hunter tale "Kashmir" says Empire Online.
The D.B. Weiss-scripted story revolves around three ex-mercenaries who stumble upon information as to where a wanted terrorist will be for a short period of time.
They decide to brave a trip into the volatile region between Pakistan and India to catch the terrorist and claim the $30 million bounty on his head.
Each man has a different motive for taking the dangerous journey, and their loyalties are tested when the going gets rough.
Relativity's Ryan Kavanaugh, David Benioff Guymon Casady and Michael De Luca will produce. Shooting will begin late spring.
Oscar-winner Steven Soderbergh has cast precocious porn star Sasha Grey as the lead in his upcoming feature, "The Girlfriend Experience," Adult Video News reported.
The low-budget drama, currently shooting in Gotham, chronicles the life of a high-price call girl, is part of Soderbergh's six-pic deal with multimedia entrepreneur Mark Cuban. Pic was written by "Ocean's 13" scribes Brian Koppelman and David Levien and will bow under the Magnolia Pictures shingle.
The 20-year-old Grey entered the skin biz just after her 18th birthday and has appeared in scores of XXX flicks. In January she became the youngest recipienct of AVN's Female Performer of the Year award.
For Grey, who lists Jean-Luc Godard, Bernardo Bertolucci, and Catherine Breillat among her favorite filmmakers, "Girlfriend" will be her third legit film appearance in 2009, having notched small parts in Dick Rude's indie "Quit" and Canadian horror project "Smash Cut."
"To have the opportunity to work for an Academy Award-winning auteur is truly a great honor," Grey told AVN. "I've been an admirer of Soderbergh's films for years, and I am elated that I have been given a leading role in a character-driven film."
Acclaimed Australian director Peter Weir ("The Truman Show," "Master and Commander") is set to direct the fact-based story "The Way Back" reports Variety.
The story deals with soldiers being captured by the Sovier Red Army in 1939 and his journey to freedom with other inmates when they escaped a year later.
The group crossed the Siberian arctic, the Gobi desert and the Himalayas, finally settling in Tibet and India.
Weir wrote the script and based it on several sources, most notably the Slavomir Rawicz book of the same name. Production begins in March in Bulgaria.
The new live-action film version of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe entitled "Grayskull" has been canceled at Warner Bros. Pictures reports Latino Review.
The studio apparently gave executives at Silver Pictures a short list of A-list directors they would consider making the film (eg. Doug Liman, Bryan Singer) and most passed.
The few remaining up and coming directors who were keen however weren't comfortable enough for Warners to go with.
Another reason is that two executives who were championing the project at Silver Pictures left the company last month.
Justin Marks penned the script for the property which was well-reviewed online.
Hugh Grant has left the rom-com "Lost for Words" from Universal Pictures and Working Title reports Variety.
Grant had agreed last summer to play a British actor approached to star in a film by a Chinese director (Ziyi Zhang). After a flirtation with her translator, the actor falls for the director.
Grant cites creative differences for the departure from the Susanne Bier-directed project. A spokeswoman for Grant said, "They were not able to get a script everyone agreed on but it's our understanding that Working Title is moving ahead with the project and Hugh wishes them well."
Jamie Curtis and Dan Mazer wrote the script.
Neil Gaiman confirms that once David Fincher replaced Alexandre Aja on the film adaptation of Charles Burns' acclaimed graphic novel "Black Hole", he and fellow "Beowulf" scribe Roger Avary stepped away from the project.
"David explained his process consisted of having over ten drafts, done over and over, and Roger and I were sort of asked if we wanted to, if we were interested in doing that. And we definitely weren't" Gaiman says in an interview with MTV News.
Fincher still has their last draft of the script but Gaiman admits he doesn't know the status of the project any further than that.
ScreenDaily Home > Story
Joe Dante ready to enter the 3D Hole
Jeremy Kay in Los Angeles
22 Oct 2008 23:07
Joe Dante will commence shooting the 3D supernatural thriller The Hole starring Teri Polo, Chris Massoglia and Haley Bennett for Bold Films and Benderspink in Vancouver on December 2.
Bold Films International will commence pre-sales at AFM next month on the story of two brothers and their neighbour who discover a mysterious hole in the basement of their new home that forces them to confront their deepest fears. Mark Smith wrote the screenplay.
Bold's David Lancaster and Michel Litvak are producing and Bold's Gary Michael Walters serves as executive producer alongside Benderspink's J C Spink and Chris Bender.
"This is essentially a family oriented story and I was drawn to it by the quality of the writing and the characters, which were above average for this kind of film," said Dante, whose long line of credits include Gremlins, Piranha, The Howling, Small Soldiers and Innerspace.
"Bold Films strives to stay on the cutting edge of creativity and technology," Walters said. "With visionary director Joe Dante at the helm we have decided to take advantage of the recent advances and shoot The Hole in 3D. The unique advantages of 3D create endless opportunities for a story of this nature."
Massoglia will star for Universal in Chris Weitz's 2009 release Cirque Du Freak opposite Salma Hayek. Bennett stars in the upcoming horror feature The Haunting Of Molly Hartley that Freestyle Releasing is scheduled to release on October 31.
She will also appear in December in Fox's comedy Marley And Me opposite Jennifer Anniston and Owen Wilson.
Bold's AFM slate include the thriller Jack to be directed by Joseph Ruben. The company wrapped production in the summer on Legion starring Paul Bettany, Dennis Quaid, Tyrese Gibson and Charles S Dutton. Screen Gems will release in North American and SPRI is handling the overseas roll-out.
Benderspink's roster of films includes The Butterfly Effect, A History Of Violence, The Ring, American Wedding and Red Eye.
WB nabs Colombian hostage pitch
Di Bonaventura, Burns to produce thriller
By MICHAEL FLEMING
WB is adapting the story of last summer's hostage rescue in Colombia.
Warner Bros. has acquired an untitled action thriller pitch about the rescue of 15 hostages from the Colombian jungle last summer. Peter Landesman has been set to write the script.
Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Scott Z. Burns will produce with McLarty Media, the showbiz consulting arm of D.C.-based international advisory firm McLarty Associates.
The film will focus on Operacion Jaque, a five-year plan to locate and rescue three Americans who had been captured in 2003 by Colombian guerilla group FARC. The covert effort involved numerous governments, diplomats and intelligence services and a vast network of spies, military advisers and soldiers plus high-tech surveillance measures.
WB becomes the second major studio to put a rescue film in development. Sony's Screen Gems is working on "Operation Checkmate," a drama being scripted by Jessica Postigo, with Simon Brand to direct. Though fellow captive, Ingrid Betancourt, signed with French lit agent Susanna Lea and CAA, she has not made a movie deal to date.
The WB film will rely heavily on McLarty Associates as a resource. The consulting group was involved in the entire operation, having been hired by Northrop Grumman, which employed the three Americans.
McLarty's efforts were led by managing director Stephen Donehoo, the firm's resident expert in Latin America's Andean region. McLarty Media managing director Rich Klein was integral in plugging the company into the film package. Both Klein and Donehoo will be co-producers and McLarty is taking its first film production credit.
Landesman is a foreign correspondent for the New York Times Magazine. He most recently adapted the memoir of Mark Felt, the former FBI honcho who revealed himself to be the famed "Deep Throat" informant in the Watergate scandal, into a pic for Universal and Playtone.
"We're fed so many post-9/11 movies filled with political ambiguity, but this story is unequivocally about good vs. evil, with a happy ending," Landesman said. "FARC once represented an idea of freedom for peasants, but it became a purely evil narco-trafficking and hostage-taking mechanism."
McLarty and Burns are repped by UTA; Landesman is repped by CAA.
"Saw" producers Twisted Pictures and the Roseblood Movie Company, the horror/thriller division of RKO Pictures, are teaming for remakes or four RKO horror classics from the 30's and 40's reports Variety.
Andy Fickman will direct at least one of the films which include:
Five Came Back (1939): Lucille Ball and John Carradine star in the John Farrow-directed feature about a flight to South America which crash lands in the jungle. As the pilots rush to fix the plane, they realise it can only carry five of the twelve passengers back, and time is running out as head hunters get closer.
I Walked With a Zombie (1943): The Jacques Tourneur-directed story of a young Canadian nurse who comes to the West Indies to care for the seemingly paralysed wife of a plantation manager. The nurse becomes resolute to cure her, even if she needs to use a voodoo ceremony.
The Body Snatcher (1945): Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff starred in this adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's story of a surgeon who hires a cabman to dig up graves to provide him with fresh corpses for dissection. The cabman soon turns to murder to get new corpses for the doctor. Robert Wise ("The Sound of Music," "The Day the Earth Stood Still") directed.
Bedlam (1946): Boris Karloff and Anna Lee starred in this Mark Robson-directed adaptation of William Hogarth's "A Rake's Progress". Set in an insane asylum, an artistocrat's protege seeks to reform the conditions at the mad house, much to the chagrin of the apothecary general.
RKO chairman Ted Hartley is producing the remakes with Mark Burg, Oren Koules and Carl Mazzocone.
Brian Levy's New School Media has optioned "Fight Club" and "Choke" author Chuck Palahniuk's 2005 novel "Haunted" says the trades.
The story revolves around a group of characters who answer an ad for a writers retreat and unwittingly end up competing in a "Survivor"-like scenario, where the host withholds heat, power and food.
As the storytellers grow more desperate they ruthlessly plot to make themselves the hero of the reality show or film that they expect will be made from their plight.
Belgian helmer Koen Mortier ("Ex-Drummer") will adapt and direct.
Could the big-screen adaptation of Runaways be Marvel Studios' Goonies? Kevin Feige sure hopes so.
"I love the idea of kids banding together, discovering this thing," the president of production tells MTV.com, "which I think all kids secretly wonder at one time or another whether their parents are good or evil. Well, these guys find out, unfortunately, that their parents happen to be supervillains. I loved, when I was a kid, movies like Goonies and Explorers — and a non-genre example of that is Stand by Me — the idea that when I came home from school, I could go on an adventure anywhere."
Announced in May, Runaways is based on the Marvel Comics series created in 2003 by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona. In it, a group of teen-agers discover their parents are part of a crime organization called the Pride. The kids defeat their parents, and then protect Los Angeles from the criminals who pour in to fill the void in the underworld.
Vaughan is writing the script, which Feige says will essentially follow the comic's initial story arc.
Marvel's movie slate is filled through 2012, which will see the release of The First Avenger: Captain America and The Avengers; Runaways will come sometime after.
It also may signal a new direction for Marvel Studios films, as it's unlikely to feature the cameos and Easter eggs that form the building blocks of the current stable.
"If it fits a dramatic moment that we want to get across in the film, we would be able to do that — but I wouldn't want to rely on having Iron Man come in and wave every five minutes so we can put that in the commercial and sell more," Feige said.
Soderbergh to make 3-D 'Cleopatra'
Live-action musical may star Zeta-Jones
By MICHAEL FLEMING, ELSA KESLASSY
Soderbergh
Zeta-Jones
Jackman
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For his next directing effort, Steven Soderbergh is plotting a 3-D live-action rock 'n' roll musical about Cleopatra.
He is courting Catherine Zeta-Jones to play the Egyptian queen and Hugh Jackman to play her lover, Marc Antony.
The $30 million "Cleo" will be shopped for financing and distribution within the next two weeks. Greg Jacobs is producing with Casey Silver.
The music has been written by the indie rock band Guided by Voices, and the script is by James Greer, a former bass player for the band and an author.
While Soderbergh has recently done a spate of wildly different projects, this one will be his first full-blown musical.
Soderbergh, who's about to release the Benicio Del Toro starrer "Che" and wrapped Matt Damon starrer "The Informant," is also prepping a Richard LaGravanese-scripted Liberace film at Warner Bros., with Michael Douglas attached to play the entertainer and Damon to play his companion, who sued him for palimony.
Before "Cleo," Soderbergh's directing "The Girlfriend Experience," setting porn star Sasha Grey to play a $10,000-a-night call girl in a film that will be simultaneously distributed in theaters, on DVD and on the HDNet movie channel by Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner's HDNet label.
Calls to Soderbergh's reps went unreturned.
Universal Pictures has acquired screen rights to the Electronic Arts video game "Army of Two" reports the trades.
Having sold more than a million units since it launched in March, the two-player game is a contest in which a pair of private military contractors fight their way through a web of intrigue.
"The Bourne Ultimatum" co-writer Scott Z. Burns will adapt the property which will fast-track the project to begin production in 2009.
Scott Stuber will produce with EA, the first time the video game manufacturer has been directly involved in a film production.
Chris Columbus is in negotiations to direct the long-gestating "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" for Paramount Pictures reports Variety.
Jim Carrey is still set to star as newspaper columnist-explorer Robert Ripley who goes on strange adventures that defy explanation.
Originally slated to go into production last year with Tim Burton at the helm, Columbus has pitched a new concept that Paramount and Carrey sparked to.
As a result, the original China-based storyline will be scrapped. The studio will soon hire a writer to draft the project and is aiming for a 2011 release.
Ben Stiller is in early talks to direct DreamWorks narrative film version of "The Trial of the Chicago 7", a project which the likes of Paul Greengrass and Steven Spielberg have been candidates to helm says The Hollywood Reporter.
The political drama about the 1968 riots at the Democratic convention and their aftermath would mark a departure for Stiller who's helming work has been on comedies like "Tropic Thunder" and "Zoolander".
Under terms of the DreamWorks/Paramount separation agreement, DreamWorks has taken over development of the project and wants to put the film into production right away.
Universal Pictures has acquired Mike Sobel's "Towering Inferno"-style disaster epic "Skyscraper" set in a super-skyscraper says the trades.
The story centers on a Donald Trump-esque developer sets out to build a mile-high structure in Chicago. When the tower starts to falter, a crew must rescue the city from mayhem.
Neal Moritz, who worked with former NYC criminal lawyer Sobel on Sony's upcoming creature revenge thriller "Animals", will produce.
Adrien Brody has been cast in the indie action feature "The Courier" for Arclight Films reports the trades.
Michael Brandt and Derek Haas ("Wanted") penned the script which centers on a daredevil courier who's pursued across the country by corrupt cops and rival crime bosses when he has to deliver a briefcase to a notorious underworld figure who can't be found.
Russell Mulcahy directs the film which is scheduled to start filming in January in Louisiana and Las Vegas.
Jean Reno has joined the Vince Vaughn Universal comedy "Couples Retreat" says Variety.
The story follows four couples who go to a tropical island resort, where they discover that participation in the resort's couples therapy is not optional. Reno will play a therapist and operator of the resort.
"Iron Man" writer/director Jon Favreau penned and will star in the comedy that Peter Billingsley is helming.
Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, Malin Akerman, Kristin Davis and Faizon Love also star. Shooting is scheduled to begin shortly.
Bronson
Fionnuala Halligan in London
29 Oct 2008 17:48
Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn. UK, 2008. 92 mins.
With Bronson, Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn (the Pusher trilogy) takes his first director-for-hire job and makes an indelible stamp on it. Bronson is about the UK's most violent prisoner, Charles Bronson, born Michael Peterson, but it's in no way a biography. This is Refn's nihilistic tribute to Kubrick and A Clockwork Orange; a hyper-violent showcase with strong theatrical elements scored elliptically to classical music and classic pop tunes. It is propelled by a muscular – literally – performance from an almost-unrecognisable Tom Hardy, compellingly if repellently watchable in the title role.
Commercially, this will live at the fringes: a violent, often funny cabaret which doesn't really aim to illuminate, it will find buyers but will have a tough trek out of hard-core art house internationally due to its subject matter. Refn's framing can't help but attract: he presents Bronson as a jester on the stage, a showman, a face-painted, elaborately-moustachioed philosopher whose ambition was only ever to be famous. That, coupled with Hardy's show-stopping performance, will draw select audiences to the film. Ratings could be an issue. While Bronson contains no elements of sexual violence, there is always a possibility that it will court controversy in the UK, where Bronson is tabloid fodder, and be adopted by the same right-wing elements that embraced A Clockwork Orange.
Jailed in 1974, when he was 19, for a robbery, Bronson's prison term has been repeatedly extended due to attacks on prison staff and hostage-taking situations, not to mention his famous rooftop protests, and he has only spent four-odd months out of prison in last 34 years, 30 of them spent in solitary confinement. Physically, he maintains a regimen which keeps him in a shape similar to Hardy's, and he currently writes poetry and paints. Refn presents him as a man who found his natural habitat behind prison bars; whose bare-knuckle violence and animalistic physicality resulted in the fame he had long sought.
Refn tells the story episodically, with a loose narrative timeline, interspersed with Bronson as a MC on stage. Visually, Bronson is a stagy, theatrical, claustrophobic affair, set inside darkened, spotlit prison cells with memorable spashes of colour and an intense focus on Hardy's face.
Production companies
Vertigo Films
4DH Films
International sales
Protagonist Pictures
+ 44 (0)207 306 5155
Producers
Rupert Preston
Danny Hansford
Screenplay
Brock Norman Brock
Nicolas Winding Refn
Cinematography
Larry Smith
Main Cast
Tom Hardy
James Lance
Amanda Burton
Matt King
The Human Contract
Patrick Z McGavin in Chicago
29 Oct 2008 18:40
Dir/Scr: Jada Pinkett Smith. US. 2008. 106mins
A seriously-intended dramatic study of erotic obsession, jealousy and violence, Jada Pinkett Smith's debut feature The Human Contract is a messy and frequently furious entwining of the sacred and the profane. Despite some entertaining stretches and compensatory observations about contemporary Los Angeles, the work is finally undone by too frequent lapses into the overwrought or simply incomprehensible .
Produced by Overbrook Entertainment, Will Smith's production company, The Human Contract was directed by Pinkett Smith from her own script. While it attempts to subvert genre and received ideas about erotic gamesmanship, voyeurism and sexual hedonism, these notions are almost exclusively accessed from a male point of view, leaving the movie's more interesting, compelling female lead too dramatically undeveloped to register as a convincing figure.
The movie, which thematically suggests a mélange of of 91/2 Weeks, Basic Instinct and Rising Sun, premiered at the Chicago International Film festival. Its adult material, sexual exhibition and the name recognition of Pinkett Smith (and her husband, a producer) should guarantee it some theatrical traction, especially in urban markets. Internationally, the presence of Paz Vega could pay dividends in the Spanish-language arena.
Visually, Pinkett Smith clearly relished her time working with Michael Mann on the director's Los Angeles crime thriller Collateral. The nighthawk LA imagery has a sensual pull and sometimes intoxicating rhythm. The story unfolds through a network of noteworthy urban architecture, glass and steel corporate offices and ultra sleek, chic high-rise apartments.
The movie's damaged central characters are introduced in the opening seconds. Julian Wright (Clarke) is naturally drawn to the sexually rapacious and highly suggestive Michael (Vega). Although he has been advised by his mentor (Danson) to avoid any personal embarrassment in order to facilitate a business merger by a culturally conservative conglomerate, Julian naturally finds himself straying repeatedly due to his increasing obsession with the mysterious Michael.
Unfortunately both characters are overburdened by a suffocating psychological profile. Michael is a self-mutilator. Julian's corporate rise is harshly contrasted against the personal drudgery of his pious, emasculating mother (Cassidy) and a sister (Pinkett Smith) who has been abused by her estranged husband.
Unraveling a part of Michael's hidden side only intensifies Julian's irrational and violent impulses. The lacerating self-punishment finally becomes too much for the story to bear. At best The Human Contract is unguarded, awkward and blunt. At worst it becomes an assault of the senses. Clarke gets the entitlement and the rage down perfectly; he goes a bit soft in his jealousy and need to possess her. Vega is a beautiful and a sharply carnal presence. Like Penelope Cruz's early roles in English, her lack of fluency and ease with idiom and language dulls her natural expressiveness and vibrancy.
Production companies
100% Woman
Overbrook Entertainment
Tycoon Entertainment
International sales
Lightning Entertainment
+ 1 (310) 255 7999
Producers
Dawn Thomas
Mike Jackson
Miguel Melendez
Cinematography
Darren Genet
Production designer
Carlos Barbosa
Editor
Michael Trent
Music
Anthony Marinelli
Main cast
Jason Clarke
Paz Vega
Idris Elba
Ted Danson
Jada Pinkett Smith
Joanna Cassidy
Tava Smiley
Anne Ramsay
'Age of Rage' for Searchlight, Webb
Second pairing for the studio and the director
By Steven Zeitchik
Oct 30, 2008, 12:00 AM ET
Fox Searchlight and Marc Webb could be entering a new age.
The specialty division has signed on for a dystopian tale titled "Age of Rage" and is negotiating with Webb to direct and potentially write. The story combines elements of "Children of Men" and "Lord of the Flies," according to those familiar with the project.
"Rage" would mark the second pairing for the director and the studio; Webb is making his directorial debut with "500 Days of Summer," a quirky romantic comedy starring Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt that Searchlight will release next year.
The Gersh- and Anonymous-repped Webb is a noted music-video director who has helmed videos for Snow Patrol, Miley Cyrus and Green Day. "Rage" would add to Searchlight's diverse production slate; the company has such titles as rap biopic "Notorious" and Hess Bros. comedy "Gentlemen Broncos" set for next year.
Rhys Ifans, Chloe Sevigny and David Thewlis are in final negotiations to star in writer-director Bernard Rose's "Mr. Nice" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on Howard Marks' 2002 best-selling autobiography, Ifans will play Britain's one-time most-wanted man, a late-'60s-era Oxford graduate and teacher who turned to drug smuggling to impress his future wife Judy (Sevigny).
While enlisting the help of an Irish Republican Army boss (Thewlis) for a job, he was recruited by a British intelligence officer for a loose network of informants.
The charming criminal assumed the alias Mr. Nice. After encounters with the Mafia and CIA and nearly 30 tons of pot smuggling, he spent seven years in prison.
Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant are in negotiations to star in an untitled romantic comedy, previously titled "Buffalo Faith", for Sony Pictures says Variety.
Marc Lawrence ("Music and Lyrics," "Two Weeks Notice") penned the screenplay and will direct the story of an estranged high-powered New York couple who witness a murder and are placed in a witness-protection program in a small Wyoming town.
The project was originally set up at Castle Rock Entertainment with Andrew Fleming ("Hamlet 2") to direct. Filming will begin in March.
Samuel L. Jackson and Maggie Cheung have joined the cast of Quentin Tarantino's WWII film "Inglourious Basterds" says The Playlist.
Cheung plays Madame Mimieux, the French matron of the Cinematheque that takes in the protagonist Shosanna (Melanie Laurent) when she is homeless and being sought by the Nazis. Despite being born in Hong Kong, Cheung speaks fluent French.
Jackson will provide his voice for the narration which is sporadicly used throughout the film.
Gary Oldman will join the Denzel Washington-led post-apocalyptic action film "Book of Eli" for Warner Bros. Pictures' reports Variety.
The story revolves around a lone warrior (Washington) who must fight to bring society the knowledge that could be the key to its redemption.
Oldman has been set to portray the despot of a small makeshift town who's determined to take possession of the book Eli's guarding.
Allen and Albert Hughes direct while Joel Silver, Andrew Kosove, Broderick Johnson and Washington himself will produce.
Shooting begins in February in New Mexico with a release set for January 15th 2010.
Cimino Returns
31 October 2008 2:32 AM, PDT
Michael Cimino, who won the 1978 Oscar for best director for The Deer Hunter but who fell from Hollywood's grace after his 1980 film Heaven's Gate became a costly flop, expressed his frustration over been shunned by his peers during a news conference at the Rome Film Festival on Thursday. "It's horrible," Cimino said after he was greeted by the assembled news writers with a standing ovation. "It's like being unable to sing." (His last film, 1996's The Sunchaser, was panned by critics when it opened in limited release and earned just $23,107.) Cimino had been invited to attend the festival as a "special guest" and is presenting a documentary that features classic dance numbers from movies. There was no indication whether it includes any scene from Footloose, which Cimino was originally hired to direct. (He parted company over "creative differences" with producer Craig Zadani, who later said, "Cimino wanted to make a darker movie. We wanted to make an entertainment.") He told the Rome news conference that he had written numerous screenplays that he was unable to sell to producers. "But I have just finished a new script and perhaps now is a good time. I believe we will shoot it soon, and I will bring it to the festival."
Wild Bunch AFM slate mixes major buzz titles and new film-makers
Nancy Tartaglione-Vialatte in Paris
03 Nov 2008 06:00
Wild Bunch is heading into the AFM with a series of new projects from young film-makers; the first images from Woody Allen's latest; and at least one film that could spark a bidding war among US distributors.
The company will screen Largo Winch, its $35.6m (Euros 28m) comic book adaptation about the eponymous vagabond billionaire. Shot mostly in English, the Jerome Salle-directed film is generating a lot of buzz, with a sequel already in preparation. Both Salle and star Tomer Sisley are on board for the sequel and each have already been signed to US representation at CAA and Endeavor, respectively.
Other hot properties on Wild Bunch's slate include the timely Move On! Storming The Gate, a documentary from Alex Jordanov and Scott Stevenson about progressive grassroots movement MoveOn.org which has been a major player in the upcoming US presidential election.
With the film nearly completed, the film-makers will shoot reactions to the outcome of next week's election day, says Wild Bunch chief Vincent Maraval. A screening is planned for the AFM while the completed film could be a Sundance entry.
Whatever Works , the latest from Woody Allen, stars Larry David, Evan Rachel Wood, Patricia Clarkson and Adam Brooks. A teaser will be shown for the first time at the AFM.
New films on the block
Regarding new films on the slate, Maraval told Screen Daily, "The new AFM projects correspond to what have been our greatest successes and created our brand – projects from young, irreverent, provocative, original and modern talent. It's the marriage of genre films and modernity within a very strong universe and films that are entirely unique."
New titles on the line up include:
· The Bunny And The Bull from director Paul King, known to UK audiences for BBC series The Mighty Boosh. A road movie set entirely in an apartment, the film is "a mix of the best of US buddy movies with the poetry and emotion of Michel Gondry. It is like nothing that's been done before," says Maraval.
· Dagur Kari's The Good Heart stars There Will Be Blood's Paul Dano and the Bourne series' Brian Cox in a dark comedy set in New York. Kari previously directed the acclaimed Noi Albinoi. Images will be available from the film which will be ready for Cannes.
· Soundtrack From A Revolution tells the story of the American civil rights movement through music. Executive produced by Danny Glover and with the participation of Wyclef Jean, John Legend, Joss Stone and The Roots, the film is directed by Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman. A promo reel will be available at the AFM.
· Wild Bunch will also commence sales on the newly-acquired Valhalla Rising, a violent genre film from the director of the Pusher trilogy, Nicolas Winding Refn. The film stars Mads Mikkelsen and will be released in France by Le Pacte.
· The first scenes will be available from the Jan Kounen-directed love story of the two artistic giants Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky. Mikkelsen also stars in Coco along with Anna Mouglalis. Maraval calls it, "the film of maturity of one of the greatest hopes in French cinema, who, after stumbling with Blueberry, came back to form with 99 Francs and should define himself with this film."
· Continuing its relationship with Kim Chapiron, director of cult hit Sheitan, Wild Bunch will present a demo reel of Dog Pound. The film, which will shoot in the US in English, is a harrowing story of kids in prison who fight for their lives while fighting to keep hope alive. Somali-Canadian hip-hop artist K'Naan stars and is expected to release his latest album at the completion of the film.
Rounding out the slate of new projects is Spanish film Hierro, directed by first-timer Gabe Ibanez and produced by the makers of Pan's Labyrinth and The Orphanage. When a woman's young son vanishes, she is forced on a journey that leads her into a nightmare of horror and loss. Mararval points out that the film is not just an exercise in horror and has a strong emotional core.
Wild Bunch market screenings at the AFM include Javier Fesser's Camino, Hayao Miyazaki's mega-hit Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea and Fabrice du Welz's well-received Vinyan.
A teaser of Radu Milhaileanu's The Concert will be available for the first time – the Weinstein Co. acquired the film in Cannes – as will a promo for Rintaro's Yona Yona Penguin, a teaser for Laurent Tirard's Petit Nicholas and a teaser for Ken Loach's Eric Cantona film, Looking For Eric.
Hayden Christensen in talks for lead in HandMade's remake of Mona Lisa
Wendy Mitchell in Santa Monica
07 Nov 2008 06:00
Hayden Christensen is in formal negotiations to take the lead in HandMade's remake of Mona Lisa. He will take on a younger version of George, the character made famous by Bob Hoskins in the original.
Larry Clark will direct the project, budgeted at about $8m and set to shoot in New York from March 2009. Clark also wrote the script with David Reeves.
Further cast will be announced in the next few weeks.
The original 1986 Mona Lisa, directed by Neil Jordan, won Hoskins as Oscar nomination for his portrayal of a small-time chauffeur who delves into the London underbelly with a high-class call girl.
"The original film still stands up. HandMade has a lot of little gems in its library, but not all of them will stand up for a remake," said Michael Ryan, HandMade Films International director. "A lot of people do remember the original movie and it's a great story. The original film was a long time ago, and it did huge business in the UK. A lot of people remember it as an iconic film but never even saw the original."
Ryan said Christensen, who is currently shooting Bone Deep for Screen Gems, was at the right career point for such a meaty role. "The character has got a tough edge to him but he's got to have some of that vulnerability," Ryan said.
Clark had been pursuing a Mona Lisa remake for several years. "Larry wanted it to be about this underbelly of New York," Ryan said. "I think that works, it sets it up differently than the original. Larry is the right sort of director and he's wanted to do it for years. It's a down and dirty story."
HandMade has done some pre-sales already but none are ready to be announced. Other partners could come on board in the future, but for now the project is wholly produced and owned by HandMade.
HandMade has another hot remake in the works, with Paul WS Anderson's The Long Good Friday set to shoot in March/April 2009 in Miami. Anderson has just delivered the first draft of the script; HandMade and partners Sony and StudioCanal are discussing cast now.
HandMade's slate also includes Toronto hit 50 Dead Men Walking, which recently closed 17 new deals including Metrodome for the UK; animation Planet 51; Jordan Scott's Cracks and Charles Shyer's Eloise In Paris.
Elle Driver goes zombie with Dead Snow pickup
Geoffrey Macnab in Santa Monica
07 Nov 2008 06:00
Fledgling French sales outfit Elle Driver has added a Norwegian Nazi zombie movie to its AFM slate.
Tommy Wirkola's Dead Snow, now in post-production, is a comedy horror film about a group of eight medical students who are attacked in their cabin by a battalion of German zombie soldiers. All rights are available excluding Norway. Elle Driver will be screening a promo reel during the market.
Cold Snow, scripted by Wirkola and Stig Frode Henrikse, is Wirkola's follow-up to Kill Buljo - The Movie in 2007. It was produced by Tomas Evjen and Terje Strømstad through Miho Film AS.
Coproduction companies are Yellow Bastard Productions, News on Request, Euforia Film and Zwart Arbeid.
Following their successful collaboration on the global hit Rambo,
Sylvester Stallone and Nu Image/Millennium Films are reuniting on
action thriller The Expendables.
Stallone wrote and will direct and star alongside Jason Statham with
Jet Li in final negotiations to join the story of mercenaries who
embark on a mission to overthrow a South American dictator. Statham
redently starred opposite Li in the revenge thriller War.
Nu Image/Millennium Films has commenced talks with buyers here on The
Expendables, set to begin shooting in Costa Rica and Louisiana in
February with Avi Lerner, John Thompson and Kevin King Templeton
producing and Danny Dimbort, Trevor Short and Boaz Davidson serving as
executive producers.
"We can always count on Sly to write a great script and follow his
instincts directing the film," Millennium president Boaz Davidson
said. "And the bonus of having two of today's top action stars, Jason
Statham and Jet Li, co-staring with Stallone is going to make a
fantastic hi-powered film."
"Making films with Nu Image/Millennium gives me as a film-maker the
freedom to make the films I envision," Stallone said. "That doesn't
happen in the business anymore. I am happy to be partnering with them
again and looking forward to working with Jason and Jet."
Nu Image/Millennium's AFM slate includes Solitary Man starring Michael
Douglas and Mary Louise Parker, Robert Rodriguez's Red Sonja with Rose
McGowan, Tim Blake Nelson's dark comedy Leaves Of Grass starring
Edward Norton, Holocaust drama My Friend Anne Frank and family title
Rin Tin Tin In New York to be directed by Danny Lerner.
Buyers, sellers navigate perils at quiet AFM
Jeremy Kay in Santa Monica
10 Nov 2008 06:00
Caution has been the watchword of the AFM as buyers and sellers navigated a course through a perilous landscape in the wake of the global financial collapse.
As the market headed into its final stages, only the bigger US sales agents were selling out as buyers sought to fill 2010 slots with sure bet product.
Beaten back by a resurgent dollar and fears over Hollywood's shaky independent production and financing base, international distributors inevitably migrated towards completed product and projects with key elements attached. Others came but didn't buy, unwilling to take any risk before they know how the economic crisis would pan out.
Many avoided pre-buys, doubting that in a market bereft of equity that some of the agency-packaged pictures will ever get made.
Films already financed were obvious hot sellers. Thus Paramount Vantage International sales chief Alex Walton reported a "sensational" response to the crime thriller remake 13 backed by Barbarian, Oceana Media and Magnet Media Group and starring Jason Statham and Mickey Rourke.
Walton said he was close to selling out on completed titles like Overture pictures Traitor and Last Chance Harvey, while IM Global virtually sold out on Paranormal Activity which DreamWorks will release in the US.
Meanwhile stars continued to drive sales. There was frenzied business for Summit International's The Book Of Eli starring Denzel Washington and Nu Image/Millennium's Sylvester Stallone mercenary romp The Expendables in which he will star alongside Statham and Jet Li.
Mandate International did a roaring trade with a roster that includes the George Clooney-starrer Men Who Stare At Goats, Tarsem's War Of Gods and the Nicolas Cage supernatural thriller Season Of The Witch, the last two falling under the supply arrangement with Relativity Media.
Jere Hausfater of Essential Entertainment struck a cautious note when he said it was generally no longer feasible to kick-start financing with a few pre-sales, while Walton said the tendency to launch sales solely on the basis of a screenplay was not always a viable option.
"We need Valkyrie and Twilight to open well in the US too," Hausfater added. "That will provide a big boost to the independent business."
Ealing goes gravedigging with John Landis comedy
Wendy Mitchell in Santa Monica
06 Nov 2008 06:00
John Landis will direct black comedy Burke And Hare for Ealing Studios and Fragile Films.
Based on a true story, Burke And Hare is about two 19th century graverobbers who find a lucrative business providing cadavers for an Edinburgh medical school.
Piers Ashworth and Nick Moorcroft, who previously wrote Ealing hit St Trinian's, wrote the script.
Ealing/Fragile's Barnaby Thompson will produce and James Spring will executive produce.
Casting is underway now for a shoot in spring 2009 in Edinburgh, London and at Ealing Studios.
Barnaby Thompson said: "We are thrilled that John Landis is coming to Ealing Studios to make a film. Nobody has a track record like him. Burke And Hare is a black comedy in the tradition of such Ealing classics as The Ladykillers and Kind Hearts And Coronets, and I think John's sensibility will be perfect for the material."
Landis, famed for films such as Trading Places, An American Werewolf In London and The Blues Brothers, most recently directed the Emmy-winning documentary Mr Warmth: The Don Rickles Project.
Landis added: "I am thrilled to be making a picture for Ealing. Burke And Hare have inspired a number of movies over the years, but Piers Ashworth and Nick Moorcroft have written a unique and terrific screenplay which offers me a tremendous chance to make an historically accurate, very black, romantic comedy!"
Brenner said: "At a time when independent films are struggling to flourish in a particularly tough climate I'm really thrilled to have such an exciting, commercially appealing project."
Ealing has a particularly active slate currently including Stephan Elliott's Easy Virtue starring Jessica Biel, Richard Eyre's The Other Man starring Antonio Banderas, Oliver Parker's Dorian Gray (now in post) starring Ben Barnes, and Julian Fellowes' From Time To Time (now shooting) starring Maggie Smith.
Affleck and Alba star in Winterbottom's Killer Inside Me for Wild Bunch
Geoffrey Macnab in Santa Monica
08 Nov 2008 08:00
Prolific UK director Michael Winterbottom is to hit the film noir trail with The Killer Inside Me, a $13 million adaptation of a novel by Jim Thompson (The Grifters) starring Casey Affleck and Jessica Alba.
Wild Bunch has worldwide sales rights on the film excluding the US which Endeavor is handling. A third major actor will be announced shortly. Shooting will begin in Jan.
A relentless psychological thriller, the film follows West Texas sheriff Lou Ford's descent into violent psychosis. As murder victims begin to pile up in his town, suspicion falls on Lou. He will do anything to escape but he cannot escape what he is.
The film is being produced by Chris Hanley, Robert Weinbach, Bradford Schlei and Winterbottom's regular partner Andrew Eaton.
Production entities are Hanley's Muse and Cyclone. Financing comes from Barbarian Film, Oceana Media and The Indion Entertainment Group.
Sergei Bodrov to direct Marco Polo movie for Endgame, Hollywood Gang
Jeremy Kay in Santa Monica
09 Nov 2008 21:45
After bringing the life of the Asian warrior Genghis Khan to the big screen, Mongol director Sergei Bodrov is training his sights on Marco Polo for Hollywood Gang Productions and Endgame Entertainment.
Hollywood Gang's Gianni Nunnari and Endgame's James D Stern will produce The Silk Road: The Adventures Of Marco Polo and Hollywood Gang's Craig Flores and Endgame's Adam Del Deo and Douglas E Hansen will serve as executive producers. Flores and Hansen will oversee production.
The story will recount the adventures of the 13th century Italian explorer as told through the eyes of his prison mate, the romantic writer Rustichello Da Pisa.
"The life of Marco Polo is an amazing story rich with detail that will make an astonishing film," Stern said. "Sergei is a great film-maker and the perfect candidate to breathe life into a story about a man whose determination and courage resonates with audiences around the world."
"Sergei is the perfect visionary director to tell this Titanic love story set against the heroic journey of the greatest adventurer of all time," Nunnari added. "We are excited to embark on this mission with Sergei and our partners at Endgame."
Bodrov is represented by the William Morris Agency and The Arlook Group.
Edgar Ramirez ("Che," "Vantage Point," "The Bourne Ultimatum") has signed on to star as the infamous 'Carlos the Jackal' in "Ilich: Story of Carlos" for Film en Stock, Canal Plus and Egoli Tossell says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story centers on the true story of Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, a Venezuelan-born leftist revolutionary who worked for radical Palestinians and groups in Syria, Libya, Iraq and communist Romania.
Famously raiding the OPEC headquarters in Vienna in 1975, 'Carlos' founded a worldwide terrorist organization and eventually ended up ridiculed and alone in exile in Sudan before being picked up by French police. He is currently serving a life sentence in France.
Ramirez will tackle four to five languages for the complex role and Olivier Assayas will helm the project which will be released as a feature as well as a three-part TV series.
Shooting will take place across France, Germany, Hungary, Austria, Lebanon, Yemen and possibly Sudan starting in January.
Chevy Chase, Burt Reynolds, Vinnie Jones and Michael Madsen are set to star in the dire sounding satire "Not Another Not Another Movie" according to Reuters.
This spoof of spoof films has Madsen playing the ex-con son of studio executive Chevy Chase. When Chase up and leaves his failing studio, Madsen and his idiot gangster friend (Jones) take over, assigning a PA (David Leo Schultz) to direct a spoof of spoof movies.
Burt Reynolds will play an actor playing the director of this movie within a movie. Several actors will play themselves spoofing their most memorable roles including Richard Tyson (the villian in Kindergarten Cop) and Wolfgang Bodison (the African-American Marine on trial in A Few Good Men).
Stuttering" John Melendez, Ellie Gerber, Tim Piper, Jennifer Sciole and James Duval. Filming is almost complete and a Spring 2009 release is planned.
Joe Johnston ("Hidalgo," "The Rocketeer," "Jurassic Park III") is set to direct "First Avenger: Captain America" for Marvel Studios says The Hollywood Reporter.
The original 1940's comic dealt with Steve Rogers, a rejected Army candidate who undergoes an experiment involving a sort-of 'supersoldier serum' that takes him to the pinnacle of human form.
The character was revived in recent years and reintroduced as part of the Avengers team, his body having been in suspended animation since the end of World War Two.
The new film is a period piece set during the Second World War, though the upcoming "The Avengers" movie in which he plays a key role will be set in the modern day. That film is also scheduled for Summer 2011.
No writers are yet attached though the project is scheduled for a May 6th 2011 release. Kevin Feige is producing.
Johnston's next film is "The Wolfman" remake which is already complete and scheduled for release early next year.
Krivična prijava zbog stavljanja filma Turneja na Internet
BEOGRAD, 11. novembra 2008. (Beta) - Protiv Ivana Jelića iz Beograda podneta je krivična prijava jer je na Internet neovlašćeno postavio piratsku kopiju filma "Turneja" Gorana Markovića, koji se trenutno prikazuje u srpskim bioskopima.
Kako je danas saopšteno iz Ministarstva unutrassnjih poslova, Služba za borbu protiv organizovanog kriminala podnela je prijavu protiv Jelića (21) zbog neovlašćenog iskorišćavanja autorskog dela.
"Osumnjičeni je bez odobrenja nosilaca autorskih prava, scenariste i reditelja Gorana Markovića i producenta Svetozara Cvetkovića, umnoženu kopiju 'Turneje' postavio na sajt www.rapidserbia.com i na taj način omogućio korisnicima ovog sajta da neovlašćeno preuzmu kopiju filma", navodi se u saopštenju.
Markovićeva "Turneja" je srpski kandidat za Oskara, a prema poslednjim podacima Filmskog centra Srbije (od 5. novembra - prim Jor), za četiri nedelje prikazivanja imala je 23.047 gledalaca.
Jelić je na sajt Rapidserbia.com postavio i kopije domaćih filmova "Čitulja za Eskobara" Milorada Milinkovića, "Četvrti čovek" Dejana Zečevića i "Hadersfild" Ivana Živkovića, dodaje se u saopštenju.
Takođe je tamo postavio i epizode domaćih TV serija "Vratiće se rode", "Moj rodjak sa sela", "Selo gori, a baba se češlja", "Bila jednom jedna zemlja", "Mješoviti brak", "Neki novi klinci", "Gorki plodovi" i "Bela lađa".
Ivan Jelić će uz krivičnu prijavu biti priveden nadležnom istražnom sudiji, navodi se u saopštenju Ministarstva unutrašnjih poslova.
New Year's Day release for Russia's most expensive film
Olia Hercules
11 Nov 2008 17:08
Russia's most expensive film, the $36.5m Inhabited Island, will be released on January 1.
The New Year's Day opening comes against a background of financial difficulties which have led to other local films being delayed.
"None of our projects were put on hold. We only have a couple of films in the pipeline anyway, and those were all very carefully and securely financed," said Alexander Rodnyansky, the film's producer and President of CTC Media.
"The crisis did however have a negative impact on Inhabited Island's promotion budget," he added. Large companies and banks that were supposed to invest in the promotion campaign pulled out, forcing CTC to cut the promotion budget.
The film will premiere in Russia, the C.I.S., and the Baltic states on January 1, said Rodnyansky. Ukraine will have 150 copies, and the Russian release will be across more than 1,200 screens.
The film, based on the Strugatsky brothers' 1969 novel Prisoners Of Power, is a sci-fi dystopian tale about a totalitarian planet, set in the distant future.
The first film adapted from a novel by the brothers was Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker in 1979. And although Inhabited Island is an epic, full of special effects unprecedented in Russia and packed with action, the film is promising to be more than just another run of the mill sci-fi flick.
Rodnyansky explains, "This film is a combination of breath-taking action and a strong social ethos, the latter being more important than the spectacle aspect to a lot of people."
"It will definitely be understood outside Russia. In fact, films like this will appeal for as long as totalitarian power remains topical," added Rodnyanskiy.
On attendance numbers, the producer commented, "the crisis might actually have a positive affect on cinema attendance, as it is one of the cheapest types of entertainment there is."
"Besides, this crisis will hopefully lower production costs, which have been sky high in Russia recently. It was more expensive to shoot a film in Russia than in Germany," added Rodnyansky.
Inhabited Island will be shown in two parts in Russia and the C.I.S, with the second part due to be released in October, 2009.
The film which is four hours long, will be edited into a single film for its release in Europe, the US and Asia.
The film's international release is due to take place in the second half of 2009.
Many Australian actors struggle to make it big in Hollywood, but not Sam Worthington. Those international audiences unfamiliar with his Aussie efforts like "Gettin' Square," "Macbeth," "Rogue" and "Somersault" will get your first big squizz at him in next year's "Terminator Salvation".
I hope you like him because his post-Terminator resume is filling up fast. Not content with James Cameron's "Avatar", the "Clash of the Titans" remake, and the Keira Knightley drama "Last Night", the Aussie boy will star alongside Dame Helen Mirren in the John Madden-directed actioneer "Debt" for Miramax Films and Marv Films says Variety.
An English-language remake of the Israeli thriller Ha-hov, Worthington and Mirren will play Israeli Mossad agents hunting a Nazi war criminal. "Stardust" scribes Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman wrote the screenplay. Vaughn will also produce.
Forster joins in Paramount's 'War'
Film based on Brooks novel 'World'
By MICHAEL FLEMING, TATIANA SIEGEL
Forster
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Paramount has set "Quantum of Solace" director Marc Forster to helm "World War Z," based on the Max Brooks bestselling novel about a worldwide infestation of flesh-eating zombies.
"Changeling" scribe J. Michael Straczynski is writing the screenplay, and Brad Pitt's Plan B is producing.
Brooks -- the son of Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft -- wrote a detailed tale in which a researcher for the U.N. Postwar Commission interviews survivors from countries all over the world, 10 years after the crisis, to gather a first-person post-mortem on a war that obliterated every country on the map.
Forster is unlikely to return for another James Bond installment.
As for "WWZ," "The genre always fascinated me, and when they pitched it to me, it reminded me of the paranoid conspiracy films of the '70s like 'All the President's Men,' " Forster told Daily Variety.More than one option(Co) Daily Variety
Filmography, Year, Role
(Co) Daily Variety
Par bought the book for Plan B in 2006, and it is one of several high-profile projects for the company headed by Pitt, who next stars for the studio in the David Fincher-directed "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."
Plan B is also prepping an adaptation of the novel "Eat, Pray, Love," with Ryan Murphy directing and Julia Roberts expected to star; the Fincher-directed projects "The Killer" and "Black Hole"; and a film about drug addiction based on two nonfiction tales: "Beautiful Boy" and "Tweak."
Forster is repped by CAA and Management 360.
Warner Bros. Pictures has picked up Ari Rubin's Delta Force prison action thriller spec script says The Hollywood Reporter.
Francis Lawrence ("I Am Legend," "Constantine") is attached to direct the true story of the riots and siege of Atlanta Federal Penitentiary in 1987. Cuban and American prisoners seized control of the maximum security facility and took more than 100 federal prison staff members hostage.
The situation was so extreme that the FBI's hostage rescue team was ill-equipped to handle the riots, and Delta Force, the Special Forces detachment, was called in to retake the prison.
Michael De Luca, David Keane, Mark Bowden and Aaron Bowden will produce.
Pamela Pettler ("Corpse Bride," "Monster House") will pen the screenplay for Hasbro/Universal's feature film take on the board fame Monopoly says The Hollywood Reporter.
Shaping a narrative out of the iconic real-estate game, Ridley Scott will direct the project and plans on giving it a futuristic sheen along the lines of his famed 1982 feature "Blade Runner".
Scott, Giannina Facio and Hasbro's Brian Goldner are also producing.
Martin Campbell ("Casino Royale," "Goldeneye") is set to direct the action thriller "Nagasaki Deadline" for Alcon Entertainment, Lightstorm Entertainment and 8:38 Productions reports Variety.
The story is centered on an emotionally damaged FBI agent who must decipher historic events in a desperate race to avert a terrorist plot.
David and Peter Griffiths ("The Hunted," "Collateral Damage") penned the original screenplay which William Broyles Jr. ("Cast Away") is currently working polishing.
James Cameron is one of several producers on the project. The project is aiming to begin production next year after Campbell wraps up the American film remake of his own 80's BBC mini-series "Edge of Darkness".
Jim Caviezel is going on the hunt for Samuel L. Jackson in the London-set espionage thriller "Blown" says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story centers on Will Matlock (Caviezel), a top MI5 operative whose routine investigation of a global corporation leads him to discover an imminent terrorist attack on the UK.
Jackson will play Julian Lezard, the businessman who engages him in a high-stakes game of wits and deception.
Martha Fiennes directs the film which George Tiffin penned and will produce.
8
(France)
By JAY WEISSBERGRead other reviews about this film
Powered By An LDM Films presentation of an LDM Films production, in association with Ace & Co., Media Screen. (International sales: Films Distribution, Paris.) Produced by Marc Oberon, Lissandra Haulica. Reviewed at Rome Film Festival (noncompeting), Oct. 23, 2008. Running time: 103 MIN.
TIYA'S DREAM
Produced by Franck-Nicolas Chelle. Directed, written by Abderrahmane Sissako.
THE LETTER
Produced by Gael Garcia Bernal, Pablo Cruz, Finni Johannsson. Directed, written by Gael Garcia Bernal.
AIDS
Produced by Marc Oberon, Lissandra Haulica. Directed by Gaspar Noe.
HOW CAN IT BE?
Produced by Mira Nair, Ami Boghani. Executive producer, Anadil Hossain. Directed by Mira Nair. Screenplay, Rashida Mustafa, Suketu Mehta.
THE WATER DIARY
Produced by Christopher Gill. Directed, written by Jane Campion.
MANSION ON THE HILL
Produced by David Cress, Neil Kopp. Directed, edited by Gus Van Sant.
THE STORY OF PANSHIN BEKA
Produced by Marc Oberon, Lissandra Haulica. Directed by Jan Kounen. Screenplay, Regine Abadia, Kounen.
PERSON TO PERSON
Produced by In-Ah Lee, Philipp Steffans. Directed by Wim Wenders. Screenplay, Erin Dignam, Wenders.
INTRODUCTION
Narration: Catherine Deneuve.
TIYA'S DREAM
With: Nigist Anteneh, Tefera Gizaw, Fekadu Kebede.
THE LETTER
With: Ingvar E. Sigurdsson, Hringur Ingvarsson.
AIDS
With: Dieudonne Ilboudo.
HOW CAN IT BE?
With: Konkona Sen Sharma, Ranvir Shorey, Birsa Chatterjee.
THE WATER DIARY
With: Alice Englert, Tintin Kelly, Isidore Tillers, Harry Greenwood, Genevieve Lemon, Miranda Jakich, Justine Clarke, Russell Dykstra.
THE STORY OF PANSHIN BEKA
With: Loydi Hucshva Haynas, Olivia Aravelo Lomos, Denis Rafael Barbaran; Auristela Brito Valles.
PERSON TO PERSON
With: Pendo Duku, Tsehaie Abraham Kidane, Megan Gay, Bhasker Patel, Robert Seeliger, Ian Dickinson, Thomas Spencer, Gerhard Gutberlet, Aminata M. Kalokoh, Mena Z. Kalokoh.
It's difficult to know who's the targeted audience for the ultra-worthy omnibus compilation "8." Helmers including Gael Garcia Bernal, Jane Campion and Gus Van Sant were asked to tackle the eight Millenium Development Goals established in 2000 to halve world poverty by 2015, including eradicating hunger, promoting gender equality and guaranteeing universal education. The results are often didactic, occasionally simplistic, and only rarely genuinely affecting. "8" is a good tool to get high schoolers thinking globally, but beyond classrooms and fests eager to promote the string of top names, pic has little hope for wider release.
An intro, voiced by Catherine Deneuve, runs through a potted history of the U.N. as newsreel images are projected onto body parts. Segue to the first short, Abderrahmane Sissako's "Tiya's Dream," shot by the Mauritanian helmer in Ethiopia to illustrate the goal of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger. As the only African in the group, it's unsurprising that Sissako expresses doubt, through Tiya (Nigist Anteneh), that eliminating poverty is a realistic goal.
Bernal's short "The Letter" is inexplicably set in Iceland and deals with the right to universal primary education; a scene with a class learning about world cultures through a kind of fun fair reinforces the globalized village theme, though the entry is one of the weakest. Gaspar Noe's "AIDS," originally presented as an independent short in Cannes in 2006, is the most stylized, composed largely of fixed shots of Dieudonne Ilboudo, a man from Burkina Faso recounting his struggle with the disease in voiceover.
Gender equality and women's empowerment are the themes of Mira Nair's "How Can It Be?," in which a Brooklyn-based Muslim woman (Konkona Sen Sharma) leaves her husband (Ranvir Shorey) and son to seek fulfillment with a married man. Nair's choice of story is certainly brave in this context, but it's not the best illustration of the struggle for equal rights and feels unsatisfying.
More worked through is Jane Campion's "The Water Diary," which stars her daughter Alice Englert and, like the Noe, preemed as an indie short at Cannes in 2006. Tackling the goal of environmental sustainability, Campion sets her contribution in the Australian outback, where global warming has created extreme drought conditions and water conservation leads to drastic measures. Story, the longest of the group, has a satisfying narrative arc that incorporates its primary theme without didacticism.
Not so Gus Van Sant's lazy "Mansion on the Hill," featuring his now tedious skateboarder fetish via images of middle-class kids rolling down streets, intercut with titles explaining infant mortality statistics. It would take a sophistical character out of Moliere to package this as a meaningful device, and Van Sant doesn't bother mentioning that the U.S. has the second highest infant mortality rate in the developed world.
Best of the bunch is "The Story of Panshin Beka," by Jan Kounen ("Darshan: The Embrace"). Handsomely shot in sharp black-and-white, pic incorporates the folklore of the Peruvian Amazon in its tale of a pregnant woman (Loydi Hucshva Haynas) unable to get medical attention when deadly complications arise. On all levels, from narrative involvement and sensitivity to local culture to the superb tech aspects, Kounen's entry easily stands alone.
Wim Wenders' "Person to Person" sets itself apart in a different way, playing like an infomercial for micro-credit. Aiming to illustrate the Millenium Goal of a global partnership for development, Wenders has the Third World subjects of cynical and apathetic journalists pop off the screens to take back their identities, much like the toys in "The Nutcracker" coming to life. Blatant proselytizing pulls the entire pic into the realm of an upbeat instructional manual for community organizers.
Visuals throughout are varied and generally strong, from Sissako's rich tonalities to Noe's grainy, deep saturations. Lengths vary, though none of the pics is longer than 15 minutes.
More than one option(Person) In-Ah Lee
Ah Lee - Executive Producer, Producer
(Person) In-Ah Lee
Ah Lee - Production ExecutiveMore than one option(Person) Konkona Sensharma
(Person) Konkona Sen Sharma
More than one option(Film) The Letter
Chiara Mastroianni, Manoel De Oliveira
(Film) The Letter
2005, Ziad Hamzeh
(Film) The Letter
(Film) Tegami
More than one option(Film) The Imax Nutcracker
(Film) Nutcracker: The Motion Picture
(Film) Schelkunchik
(Film) The Nutcracker Prince
(Film) George Balanchine's The Nutcracker
INTRODUCTION
Music, Nicolas Jorelle. French dialogue.
TIYA'S DREAM
Camera (color), Dominique Gentil; editor, Nadia Ben Rachid; sound (Dolby Digital), Philippe Welsh. Amharic dialogue.
THE LETTER
Camera (color), Rain Kathy Li; editor, Alex Rodriguez; sound (Dolby Digital), Gunnar Arnason. Icelandic dialogue.
AIDS
Camera (color), Noe; editors, Noe, Marc Boucrot; sound (Dolby Digital), Issa Traore, Boucrot, Cyril Holtz; assistant director, Olivier Thery-Lapiney. Original title: SIDA. French dialogue.
HOW CAN IT BE?
Camera (color), Declan Quinn; editor, Allyson Johnson; music, Mychael Danna, Rob Simonsen; sound (Dolby Digital), Dominick Tavella. English dialogue.
THE WATER DIARY
Camera (color), Greig Fraser; editor, Heidi Kenessey; music, Mark Bradshaw; costume designer, Jane Patterson. English dialogue.
MANSION ON THE HILL
Camera (color), David Hupp, Rick Charnoski, Buddy Nichols, Tristan Brillanceau-Lewis; sound (Dolby Digital), Leslie Shatz; casting, Simon Max Hill.
THE STORY OF PANSHIN BEKA
Camera (B&W), David Ungaro; editor, Anny Danche; music, Jean-Jacques Hertz, Francois Roy, Nadine Kaiser. Original title: Panshin Beka winoni. Shipibo-Konibo dialogue.
PERSON TO PERSON
Camera (color), Franz Lustig; editor, Toni Froschhammer; production designer, Sebastian Soukup. English dialogue.
British funnyman Simon Pegg spoke with Empire Magazine this week and went into detail on his forthcoming self-written comedy "Paul".
Directed by Greg Mottola ("The Daytrippers," "Superbad"), the story has Pegg and his regular cohort Nick Frost as Graham and Clive – two British geeks on a pilgrimage to the annual San Diego Comic-Con.
While travelling across the Midwest in a hired RV, the pair come across a small alien named Paul who escaped from Area 51 who enlists them to find his way home. Pegg teases him as "not your average alien" and says despite the high concept the film will have "a more lo-fi indie feeling."
At the moment he's not sure whether Paul will be entirely CG or not - "We're figuring it out at the moment and having real fun, working closely with Double Negative who did Shaun and Hot Fuzz and Cloverfield and Hellboy II. We're looking to really work to find the best way to do it and to create something which is utterly believable and sympathetic and has gravity and presence and is somebody that you totally buy. He's the eponymous hero, so he has to be amazing."
Shooting is scheduled to kick off next April in New Mexico. His long awaited third Frost/Pegg/Wright team-up is currently titled "World's End" and is in the works, but no details are yet out.
Sammo Hung is negotiations to star in "War Monkeys," a horror comedy shaping up to be the biggest feature yet from the independent arm of Dark Horse Films.
UTA-repped Kevin Munroe ("TMNT") is in negotiations to direct the film for Dark Horse Indie.
The horror comedy follows two janitors who, during a Christmas holiday, get trapped in an underground research facility after accidentally unleashing military-trained Rhesus monkeys. Hung is one of the janitors who battles the rabid simians.
Cleve Nettles wrote the script, based on a story by DHI producer Chris Patton. Robert Sanchez is also producing.
"Monkeys, guns, explosions. As a genre freak, I couldn't ask for anything more," said Munroe, who became obsessed with the project after initially agreeing to read a friend's work.
"Monkeys" is eying an early 2009 start. The monkeys will be a combination of real monkeys, animatronic puppets and CGI.
Ruben Arizpe with partner Faith Zuckerman of Infinite Filmed Entertainment/7 Renegades Entertainment will produce and finance the project in association with an Asian co-production entity.
DHI recently celebrated an Emmy win for its John Landis-directed documentary "Mr. Warmth," based on the life of Don Rickles, and is gearing up to release "My Name Is Bruce," starring and directed by Bruce Campbell.
Hung, repped Blue Stone Entertainment, is a veteran of the Hong Kong kung fu scene, directing, acting and choreographing dozens of movies.
Thor Freudenthal ("Hotel for Dogs") is in negotiations to develop and possibly direct "Measle and the Wrathmonk" for Warner Bros. Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
Evan Dunsky penned the initial adaptation of the children's book by Ian Ogilvy, the story centers on a young boy who, after his parents go missing, is sent to live with an eccentric uncle who turns out to be a crazy wizard known as a wrathmonk.
Before the boy knows it, he is shrunk and banished to be a villager in his uncle's toy train set and must figure out how to survive in the hostile environment.
Robert Zemeckis and Jack Rapke will produce the film using performance-capture technology.
Profile: Ole Bornedal
Jacob Wendt Jensen reports
14 Nov 2008 00:00
Director Ole Bornedal is enjoying something of a comeback. After the success of his debut film Nightwatch in 1994, Bornedal went to Hollywood to remake the thriller with Ewan McGregor for Miramax.
But the film disappointed on its release and Bornedal decided to focus on theatre work at home in his native Denmark. He directed the 2002 English-language film I Am Dina, which was at the time the most expensive Scandinavian film ever made, but the film struggled to live up to its high expectations.
However, last year saw two Bornedal films hit the radar with a bang, catapulting Bornedal back into the league of European directors to watch.
Just Another Love Story is a mistaken-identity drama about a family man who is assumed to be the boyfriend of an accident victim, while The Substitute is a children's genre film about a teacher possessed by an alien. Both impressed audiences and critics at home and on the festival circuit, including Sundance.
Mandate Pictures has picked up English-language remake rights to both projects and will co-produce with Bornedal's regular partner, Michael Obel of Thura Film. Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures will executive produce The Substitute.
Now Bornedal is in post-production in Copenhagen on his next film, Free Us From Evil, a thriller about an immigrant from the Balkans wrongly accused of murder in a small Danish town. The locals decide to take the law into their own hands in the middle of a party celebrating the town's 400th anniversary.
"I wouldn't say you were wrong if you told me the film sounds like a sharp allegory on the hatred of strangers we are witnessing a lot these days," says Bornedal. "I try to take the European tradition of character study and blend it with the American tradition of storytelling."
Bornedal makes a point of casting little-known Danish actors in his films. Free Us From Evil stars Lene Nystrom, the former lead singer of 1990s pop group Aqua and stand-up comedian Lasse Rimmer as a couple trying to protect the accused man.
"On set, using newcomers gives us a stronger ensemble," Bornedal explains. "On the other hand with amateurs you have to be prepared to save them more than the professionals. I had a lot of lifebuoys at hand with inspiration from my time in theatre in order to bring the amateur up to the level needed."
Thura Film is producing Free Us From Evil, and TrustNordisk is handling international sales. The film is due for release in Denmark in March 2009.
Bornedal is also working on a handful of projects with different international companies and scriptwriters. Maldeeds, for one, is a thriller set in luxurious surroundings - and in broad daylight.
"I got the idea on a sunny vacation I had," Bornedal explains. "Why not use the opposite setting of a thriller? Usually there is a dark house in one of the leading parts. Not in my film. I usually get my ideas from an image, a curious thought or some absurd detail of everyday life."
Transporter 3
Tim Grierson in Los Angeles
19 Nov 2008 07:00
Dir: Olivier Megaton. US/UK/France. 2008. 103 mins.
A perfunctory action film which drives around in noisy circles but goes nowhere, Transporter 3 is neither compelling enough nor outlandishly goofy enough to leave much of an impression. Series star Jason Statham supplies ironic cool as the titular tough-guy courier, but first-time director Olivier Megaton shows little grasp for pacing or action-sequence construction.
Transporter 3 opens on November 26 in the US, where its primary action competition will be the weighty Quantum Of Solace. Transporter 2's $85m worldwide gross nearly doubled the original's box office, and with Statham's visibility boosted by recent turns in The Bank Job ($62m worldwide) and Death Race ($66m), this third offering hopes to be a sturdy theatrical performer. But since Statham remains a second-tier action star, ancillaries will go a long way towards determining the ongoing financial viability of this franchise, which has now changed hands from Fox to Lionsgate.
Frank Martin (Statham) is summoned by a shadowy government official (Knepper) to transport Valentina (Rudakova) from Marseilles to an undisclosed location. Though they initially dislike one another, Frank and Valentina start to bond during their transcontinental journey while fending off those who want her dead.
The Transporter series demands a total suspension of disbelief in order for the knowingly over-the-top action sequences to be both viscerally engaging and audaciously funny. Statham is the perfect antihero for these films since his chiselled face and detached air give the ludicrous plots a necessary grounding in reality.
Unfortunately, though, even though Statham retains the right mixture of force and charm, everything else in Transporter 3 feels slipshod. Producer Luc Besson reteams with co-writer Robert Mark Kamen on the screenplay for a third go-round, but the story's odd-couple love story and strained commentary on the evils of corporate environmental pollution has very little teeth.
Narrative thinness could be forgiven if the action scenes compensated, but the colourfully named Olivier Megaton proves to be anything but explosive as an action director. Even with famed martial-arts choreographer Cory Yuen overseeing the fisticuffs, Transporter 3's hand-to-hand fights generate little excitement. Part of the problem is that Megaton speeds up or slows down the action so often, he undermines the whole momentum. But in a larger sense, the movie simply doesn't have enough moments of inspired preposterousness. A chase involving a car and a moving train is as close as Transporter 3 gets to the giddy excesses of past entries in the franchise.
Statham's supporting cast varies from the solidly professional to the truly irritating. Acting veteran François Berléand returns as Frank's sarcastic French-inspector friend, and he does his best with a generic sidekick character. As the film's villain, Robert Knepper tries to embody quiet menace, although his dialogue hits all the predictable beats. But the real disaster is newcomer Natalya Rudakova. Portraying an immature young woman, Rudakova can't make Valentina's impetuousness either sexy or endearing. And while her sparring with Statham is meant to create sexual tension, it instead only makes her a thoroughly unlikable love interest and not someone you'd want to be stuck transporting anywhere.
Production companies
EuropaCorp
TF1 Films
Grive Productions
Apipoulaï Productions
Current Entertainment
Canal+
US distribution
Lionsgate
Producers
Luc Besson
Steven Chasman
Screenplay
Luc Besson
Robert Mark Kamen
Cinematographer
Giovanni Fiore Coltellacci
Production designer
Patrick Durand
Main cast:
Jason Statham
Natalya Rudakova
Francois Berleand
Robert Knepper
Twentieth Century Fox is gearing up to continue its "X-Men" franchise with a younger set of mutants.
Studio has tapped "Gossip Girl" creator Josh Schwartz to write "X-Men: First Class."
Schwartz, the creator and exec producer of CW's teen sudser hit as well as Fox's youth-centric "The OC" and NBC's "Chuck," is expected to inject a next-gen sensibility into the superhero series, which has earned $1.2 billion worldwide.
Writing assignment has also included the possibility of directing the pic, but so far Schwartz has opted not to take the helm.
Lauren Shuler Donner, who produced all three "X-Men" pics, as well as next summer's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," is producing "First Class" alongside "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" scribe Simon Kinberg.
Fox is keeping quiet on plans and declined to confirm details of the project. The studio has been considering ways to continue its successful series of "X-Men" movies after the third installment, the Brett Ratner-helmed "X-Men: The Last Stand," collected $459 million in 2006.
Fox has been leaning toward using the younger characters introduced in the previous pics in future installments -- teenagers with powers taught at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning.
Resulting film would likely draw from elements of the Marvel comic of the same name, launched in 2006, and enlist such characters as Iceman, Rogue, Angel, Colossus, Jubilee and Shadowcat, who have appeared prominently or made cameos in prior pics.
Given Hollywood's penchant for reboots with new actors playing familiar roles, pic could also reintroduce characters. Comicbook revolves around the Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Beast, Iceman, Angel and Professor X.
Naturally, "First Class" could also result in its own series of sequels.
Pic joins other "X-Men"-related projects already in the works at the studio. Fox is actively developing a standalone "Magneto" pic, as well as considering a "Deadpool" spinoff, based on a character played by Ryan Reynolds in "Wolverine." Shuler Donner is producing "Magneto."
Regular slate of "X-Men" pics would provide Fox with a reliable series of movies that perform at the B.O. and not repeat a dismal summer sesh like the studio experienced this year.
Although Schwartz has enjoyed smallscreen success, he has yet to crack the world of film with a significant project. He wrote and is attached to direct the coming-of-age comedy "Looking for Alaska" for Paramount.
Tackling a new "X-Men" installment will likely give Schwartz instant credibility within the studio world
Warner Bros. has snapped up "The Days Before," a sci-fi action spec by tyro scribe Chad St. John, and set up the project with Gianni Nunnari ("300") at his Hollywood Gang shingle.
Story centers on aliens invading Earth by traveling backwards through time and wiping out humanity -- yesterday by yesterday -- while one man stays a yesterday ahead of them, trying to convince the world that the end is coming again.
Craig Flores of Hollywood Gang will exec produce.
Nunnari's teamed with "300" partner Mark Canton of Canton Prods. on Greek mythology epic "War of the Gods," with Relativity's Ryan Kavanaugh producing and financing. Hollywood Gang and financier Endgame Entertainment recently joined to produce Sergei Bodrov's period epic "The Silk Road: The Adventures of Marco Polo."
St. John has previously penned "The Further Adventures of Doc Holiday" for Bruce Willis.
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"
, as well as considering a "Deadpool" spinoff, based on a character played by Ryan Reynolds in "Wolverine."
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'Arrested Development' film gets closer
Mitch Hurwitz, Ron Howard ink deals for feature treatment
By Nellie Andreeva
Nov 21, 2008, 12:00 AM ET
"Arrested Development"
The "Arrested Development" feature has moved closer to reality, with Mitch Hurwitz and Ron Howard reportedly closing deals for the long-gestating project from Imagine and Fox Searchlight.
The possible migration of the critically acclaimed but short-lived Fox series to the big screen has been a hot topic among fans for the past year. Speculation has been fueled by cast members of the show, including Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Jeffrey Tambor, who have been frequently quoted in interviews that a feature adaptation is in the works.
Hurwitz, who created and exec produced the Emmy-winning series, is on board to write the film as well as direct with help from Howard. The series, from Imagine TV and 20th TV, was a pet project of Howard, who had a lot to do with its distinct visual style. In the final episode, Howard, playing himself, heard the Bluth TV family's pitch of their story and liked it for a movie.
Leslie Simmons contributed to this report.
Anna Kendrick ("Twilight," "Rocket Science") has landed the coveted female lead role opposite George Clooney in Paramount and Montecito's comedy "Up in the Air" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Kendrick beat out the likes of Ellen Page and Emily Blunt for the role of a young woman who finds herself pulled into the orbit of a "career transition counselor" (i.e. professional firer) careening through the airless world of business travel.
"Juno" director Jason Reitman adapted and will direct the film version of Walter Kirn's 2001 novel.
Ivan Reitman, Joe Medjuck, Tom Pollock, Dan Dubiecki, Ted Griffin and Jeff Clifford are producing.
Mila Kunis has joined the cast of action thriller "The Book of Eli" for Warner Bros. Pictures, Silver Pictures and Alcon Entertainment says The Hollywood Reporter.
The centers on a lone hero named Eli (Denzel Washington) who must fight his way across the wasteland of a near-future America to protect a sacred book that might hold the key to saving the future of humanity.
Kunis plays a woman named Solara, at first enlisted to betray Eli, she ultimately joins him in his quest. Anthony Peckham has performed a rewrite of Gary Whitta's script.
Albert and Allen Hughes are directing which begins shooting in February in New Mexico.
It's been an interesting last month or so in terms of early footage presentations. "Watchmen" and "Star Trek" have both kicked off presentations with screenings of about 20 minutes of footage in London, New York, Los Angeles and Sydney in recent weeks.
Now it looks like next year's "Terminator" sequel may be doing something similar - albeit on a smaller scale. The film's director McG was on hand in London's West End to see around seven minutes of scenes from the film along with an interview session talking about the work which is currently in early pre-production.
Comparing the franchise with the recent Batman and Bond reinventions, McG tells Time Out Magazine that the plan was to take the popular franchise back to basics and "strip away any sense of glitz or irony and focus on character, drama and gritty, intense action."
When he approached actor Christian Bale about doing the role of John Connor, the Batman actor "told me to fuck right off, he didn't want to do it. He said, 'Write it so that it could be read cold on stage and I'll think about doing it.'" McG staged a 'cold table reading' of the script to prove to the star that it could work as a serious drama without the benefit of special effects and stunts.
The film is said to chronicle Connor's journey from "unloved wanderer in the wilderness to humanity's saviour, as he uncovers the machines' plan to harvest human DNA and develop the android 'T-800' model".
McG confirms both Bale and scribe Chris Nolan have signed on for two more films. Did he get James Cameron's blessing? "I did go to see James Cameron. He didn't give us his blessing, but he didn't shit all over our movie. When Jim was making Alien, he was following the great Ridley Scott, so he knows how we feel."
Will Schwarzenegger make an appearance? "We're trying to synthesise a human character with a CGI character and that may or may not have something to do with the T800...At the moment it's not good enough and we're running out of time."
Finally he shot down claims of an ending that leaked online which had a 'good Terminator' becoming John Connor - "That is not the ending. John Connor is not the machine. We did discuss that idea, but that is not the ending, I can say that right now."
When the time comes to close the door on the hit animated series "South Park", creator Trey Parker tells The Los Angeles Times that they may do it with another feature film.
"We talked about maybe some day doing a movie to sort of end it all, and that seems like the best idea. That's been a big thought to do the last show as a movie" says Parker.
He admits that we've already seen many of the ideas they had been saving for the movie last year. "We came up with this pretty good idea for a movie, and then of course what happened was we got in the middle of a South Park run, and were completely out of ideas and we were like, well, we've got to use the movie idea. And that became [the three-part episode] 'Imaginationland.'"
As of now though there's no end planned for the TV show incarnation currently in its twelfth season. The previous film was 1999's "South Park: Bigger, Louder, & Uncut" which became famous for its foul language and memorable musical numbers including the Oscar-nominated "Blame Canada."
Paramount Pictures has picked up the life rights of 51-year-old Missouri journalist Linda Trest. Anthony Walton and Andrew Dresher wil pen a script inspired by her story says The Hollywood Reporter.
Trest was a reporter for the Gasconade County Republican in the town of Gerald, she began hearing stories about a federal agent nicknamed "Sergeant Bill" who was rousting people from their homes.
Since Gerald had been ravaged by methamphetamine abuse, local law enforcement was happy to assist the fed's efforts to clean up the town with arrests, home searches and investigations.
The only hitch: Bill A. Jakob turned out to be just an unemployed cop and former trucking company owner from a different town with no actual law enforcement credentials. Trest eventually exposed Jakob's bizarre con.
Brad Pitt and David Benioff are producing.
Robert Schwentke ("Flightplan, "The Time Traveler's Wife") is attached to direct the thriller "Venus Fixer" for New Line and Mandalay Pictures reports Variety.
Based on a true story, the project centers on a Holocaust survivor recruited by the American military to track a serial killer on the rampage in postwar Berlin.
He must partner with a German cop who had been his friend and colleague before the Nazi regime came to power.
Author J.C. Pollack (aka. James Elliott) penned the screenplay. Cathy Schulman is producing.
Mandalay is also developing the Universal Pictures remake of "The Birds" with director Martin Campbell attached.
Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson has joined the cast of Alex de Rakoff's indie London gangland movie "Dead Man Running" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Set in London, de Rakoff's script centers on an ex-con trying to go straight who is given 24 hours to raise 100,000 pounds ($150,000) to pay off a loan shark (Jackson) or become a "dead man running."
The mission takes him from the dog tracks of East London to the underground drug scene of rural Manchester as they try every trick and scam in the book to get the cash before it's too late. The project is set in a criminal world as hard hit by the recession as Wall Street.
Tamer Hassan ("Layer Cake"), Danny Dyer ("The Business"), Brenda Blethyn ("Secrets and Lies") and Monet Mazur ("Stoned") also star.
UK soccer players Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole are serving as executive producers. Shooting began yesterday.
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Mike Goodridge in Los Angeles
24 Nov 2008 01:14
Dir: David Fincher. US. 2008. 166 mins.
One of the most eagerly anticipated end-of-year studio films, David Fincher's The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button is a wildly ambitious fantasy which contains many intriguing elements and superb production values but ultimately fails to cohere as the epic tragedy it wants to be. Buoyed by Fincher's name and the star pairing of Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, the film will attract intense media and public interest at first, but the extended running time and convoluted story will prove problematic when it hits thousands of multiplexes around the world.
Paced elegantly, but with determined leisure by Fincher over 166 minutes, this elongated whimsy is not easy to engage with emotionally, even while it frequently recalls writer Eric Roth's own 1994 effort Forrest Gump in its story of a fictional misfit caught up in 20th century history. It even comes with stunning Gump-like special effects. But as you might expect from David Fincher, Button is far less accessible than the blockbusting syrup-fest that was Gump; its deadpan, surreal tone is more reminiscent of Big Fish, Amelie or the John Irving adaptations Hotel New Hampshire and Cider House Rules.
With Paramount handling domestic and Warner Bros on international and a budget close to $100m on the line, the film will be released with careful expertise and is sure to develop a fanbase. But in a competitive season of period epics – Australia, Defiance, Valkyrie among them – and high-end literary and stage adaptations (Doubt, Revolutionary Road, Frost/Nixon, The Reader), Benjamin Button might find itself falling between the cracks as neither mainstream enough for the multiplex crowd nor meaningful enough for arthouse purists.
Roth and Robin Swicord wrote the "screen story" here, taking the title and basic concept of F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story and creating an entirely different Gump-eqsue odyssey for the titular hero.
The story is told in flashback by Caroline (Ormond), the daughter of a woman called Daisy (Blanchett) who is withering with old age on her death bed in a New Orleans hospital. The TV overhead warns of an impending hurricane hitting ("Katrina", no less). As Daisy lies dying, she instructs Caroline to read to her from the diary of one Benjamin Button.
Button, it emerges, was born to a wealthy couple. The mother dies in childbirth while the father Thomas (Flemying) is horrified to discover that the baby is a wrinkled old creature with ossified bones, arthritis and other symptoms of old age. Disgusted by the sight, he leaves the baby on the door stoop of an old people's home run by sassy black servant Queenie (Henson) who takes Benjamin in, names him and raises him.
As Benjamin grows in size, he also becomes less withered and it becomes apparent that he is aging backwards. He meets the young Daisy (Fanning) and plays with her, even while her grandmother scorns the unusual friendship.
When he hits 17, Benjamin leaves the home and travels the world on the tugboat of boozy Irish captain Jared Harris, spends time in Murmansk where he has his first love affair, with a diplomat's wife (Swinton), and watches his friends die in a World War II sea battle.
Back in the US, he again meets Daisy who has matured into Cate Blanchett and eventually after a series of near misses and misadventures, the two become lovers in a period where their bodies are roughly the same age. But after the golden years, she starts aging while Benjamin keeps getting younger.
Benjamin Button is played by Pitt throughout, with the help of impressive prosthetic makeup and digitally imposing his head onto other actors' bodies. Pitt gives his best performance to date, capturing the weariness of old age as convincingly as the vigour of youth. Blanchett (who is also given a digital rejuvenation for her teenage years) is as superb as ever, although the chemistry between the two is muted to say the least.
The real star of the movie is Fincher, whose imagination has run wild here – from a bizarre prologue about a clockmaker who designs a railway clock that goes backwards, to a sequence of seven shots in which a man is hit by lightening in different circumstances, to a Jeunet-esque sequence of "what ifs" revolving around the events leading up to a tragic car accident.
The curious thing about Benjamin Button is the questionable profundity of this lengthy saga. Is it a meaningful parable about love and time or is it just a gigantic shaggy dog story? With that in mind, you can't help but look at your watch occasionally and wonder whether some plot meanderings, while always pleasant, have any bearing on the story whatsoever.
Production companies
Kennedy/Marshall
North America distribution
Paramount Pictures
International distribution
Warner Bros Pictures International
Producers
Kathleen Kennedy
Frank Marshall
Cean Chaffin
Screenplay
Eric Roth
Screen story by Eric Roth & Robin Swicord
From the short story by F Scott Fitzgerald
Cinematography
Claudio Miranda
Production designer
Donald Graham Burt
Editor
Kirk Baxter
Angus Wall
Music
Alexandre Desplat
Main cast
Brad Pitt
Cate Blanchett
Taraji P Henson
Tilda Swinton
Julia Ormond
Jared Harris
Jason Flemying
Elias Koteas
Elle Fanning
WE ARE FROM THE FUTURE Review
Posted by Todd Brown at 2:39pm.
Posted in Film & DVD Reviews .
[When we first linked to the trailer for new Russian time hopping action film We Are From The Future back in January I commented on how I always find it interesting to watch an emerging film culture - and make no mistake, despite Russia's long cinematic history and entirely new film culture is emerging there now - find it's footing and settle into the balance of commerce and art that will, hopefully, sustain it into the future. My feeling at the time was that this film in particular would end up being a fairly disposable piece of pop fluff but it looked like very well made pop fluff and fluff run through a distinctly Russian filter as opposed to simply recycling tired American plot lines. And so it was a pleasant surprise when I spotted the film riding the top of Russia's box office charts and now here's our regular Russian contributor Andrey with his thoughts on the film.]
The topic of the time traveling has been overused so much that nowadays hardly any director would risk applying it again since so many movies that were dealing with time traveling either had a complete fiasco or were a product of mediocrity and boredom. Bad examples are too many to list; good ones are just as few as two that come to my mind: "Terminator" and "Back to the Future". Other than that, movie producing companies were trying to stay away from this subject.
Who could expect that a new flick about time transportation would come from the land of reviving movie industry – Russia, with straight to the face name that says it all...almost all: "We are from the future".
When I first saw the poster with four young Russian guys depicted on it all looking cool and dynamic I imagined it would be some teen comedy a-la "American Pie", Russian "Back to the Past" cheap version. Later when I had a chance to see it I was pleasantly surprised by the whole tonality and atmosphere of the movie. After it had ended, I was sitting still for about ten minutes because it made me thinking, it was the same feeling I had after watching American Beauty or Crash, the feeling of peaceful silence, calmness and sorrow. And here's why...
The story is about four young guys from Saint-Petersburg who make their living by digging out and selling anything that relates to WW2: medals, arms, ammunition, utensils and so on. One day they go for a big hunt, hoping to find a revolver or a machine-gun. As they dig deeper and deeper somewhere away from the cities and society they decide to take a break and cool down swimming in a lake they found in the area. Once they dive and get back to the surface they find themselves in the middle of the battle back in 1942, right next to the frontier close to the German battalions. Confused, scared, and anxious they get found by Russian soldiers and have no choice but to play according to the strict military rules of that time.
They go through constant fights, quarrels, hard personal decisions, love, and friendship to the understanding of simple truths that cannot be found back there in Russia of 2008. Eventually they found their way back to the future....Shortly, that's what the movie is all about, sounds simple, doesn't it? It could be, if only not the message it conveyed so sharply and boldly...
One of four is a skin-head, huge, muscled Russian racist with a swastika on his shoulder, who admires Hitler, and wishes U.S.S.R. had cooperated with Wermacht. That's what he was like before getting into the oven of WW2...
The movie is basically based on comparing the spirit and courage of Russian soldiers during WW2, and racist moods in modern Russian society. It's not stated explicitly, the message is quite subliminal, but it shown so powerfully and non-judgmentally that it gets right to the core of human perceptions.
There is a scene in the movie where the four guys became prisoners and are locked up in a barrack with a tortured, bleeding Soviet soldier who was hardly alive. At some point one of four who's pissed with his friend's racist background, whispers into the ear of the soldier: "Do you know that in the future there will be crowds of Nazis in Moscow? They will be walking tall around the town screaming:" Hi Hitler!" The soldier screams:"It will never happen!" and putting all his energy in the effort starts choking the guy who told him that.
The subject of WW2 is very close to all Russians; almost every family lost someone during those four years. Millions lives had perished, millions of children became orphans. It was all a sacrifice, one huge sacrifice in sake of the victory. They thought that Nazism was conquered forever. In their mind the words Russian and Nazism never had a place to be together. Who knew that new Russia would become such a fertile ground for neo-Nazis proudly showing off their identity right in the center, in the heart of the Mother-Land.
The movie poses many questions; it reaches straight to the core making one think about our general responsibility for the society where we live, and for our personal responsibility to improve this world for better...
Review by Andrey Korzh
Vera Farmiga ("The Departed," "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas") has joined "Up in the Air" for Paramount Pictures and Montecito, reports Variety.
The story centers on a human resources executive whose only joy in life comes from the prospect of notching his millionth frequent-flyer mile, a goal he pursues with zeal as the rest of his life falls apart because he is constantly on the road.
Farmiga will play a businesswoman who develops a romantic relationship with George Clooney's lead character through meetings in airports and hotels around the country.
Jason Reitman adapted the screenplay from Walter Kirn's novel of the same name and will direct. Shooting starts in late February in St. Louis, Miami and Las Vegas.
Pascal Laugier ("Martyrs") will direct the horror thriller "Details" for Paramount Vantage and Blumhouse Productions reports Variety.
Based on a short story by China Mieville, the story centers on a daughter who disappears after awakening supernatural forces that inhabit the random patterns of everyday objects.
Dan Kay wrote the original adaptation and Laugier polished the script. Jason Blum and Steven Schneider will produce.
George Lopez, Billy Ray Cyrus, Amber Valletta and Katherine Boecher have joined the comedy "The Spy Next Door" for Relativity says The Hollywood Reporter.
The movie centers on a man (Jackie Chan) asked to baby-sit his neighbor's children who must protect them from secret agents after one of the kids accidentally downloads a code.
Lopez is a CIA agent who might not be all that he appears; Cyrus is another agent. Valletta is the kids' mom, while Boecher plays a Russian underworld operative.
Brian Levant is directing, while Robert Simonds and Ryan Kavanaugh are producing. Filming will take place in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Columbia Pictures is keeping its comedy coffers flush by inking a pair of laffer lit deals.
Studio has acquired an untitled pitch by "Accepted" scribe Mark Perez for Adam Sandler's Happy Madison to produce. Col has also tapped the writing team of Tim and Tom Mullen to adapt Antony Moore's novel "The Swap" for the bigscreen.
Perez's pitch centers on a man in a troubled marriage who figures out a way to create the perfect wife.
Perez is writing the comedy "Early Retirement" for Warner Bros. and the Elizabeth Banks starring vehicle "What About Barb" for Universal.
"The Swap," which was published last year by Harvill Secker, centers on an out-of-shape comicbook dealer who, haunted by the loss of a priceless comicbook, tries to reverse his fortunes at his high school reunion and becomes involved in murder, romance and the unearthing of long-buried secrets.
John Calley, Diana Napper and Lisa Medwid will produce the film for John Calley Prods. The Sony-based shingle's credits include "The Da Vinci Code" and "The Jane Austen Book Club" plus the upcoming "Angels and Demons."
The Mullens are set to direct their teen comedy "Deers and Beers," with Montecito producing. Their other projects include "One of the Guys" at 20th Century Fox, with Sandra Bullock attached to star, and the Mark Waters helming vehicle "Strike" for Par Vantage.
This is one of those things that almost seems too good to really exist. Did a talented French director really convince Jean-Claude Van Damme to play himself in an arty hostage thriller, giving him his best production values in years, one of his best movies, and definitely the best acting performance and most personal artistic expression of his career (so far)? Okay, I can believe somebody would come up with the idea, I can sort of believe Van Damme would be interested, but it's hard to believe that they really found the money, really made it, really executed it this good. 2008, I love you.
This is the story of Jean-Claude Van Damme (Jean-Claude Van Damme), an action star getting too old to do long takes and depressed because he's in a losing battle for custody of his daughter. The worst part: his daughter says she doesn't want to live with him because everybody makes fun of her every time he's on TV.
Jean-Claude goes home to Brussels, where he plans to stay with his parents and get his life back together. But he needs to get some money to send to his lawyers and just happens to choose a bank that's in the middle of being robbed. So the thieves take him hostage, but instead of seeing him as a threat like they might in most action movies they just think this is surreal - holy shit, that's Jean-Claude Van Damme! One guy in particular is excited and gets him to kick a cigarette out of a guy's mouth. I mean, what would you do if you had Jean-Claude Van Damme hostage? I wonder why he didn't try to get him to do the splits on a wall like he did in CYBORG?
The feel is more art movie than Van Damme, at times it's even kind of pretentious, which you gotta kind of appreciate in a Van Damme movie. Never thought you'd be able to accuse him of being pretentious. The storytelling is very confident, bordering on cocky, some good non-linear tricks and unfolding the story from different perspectives. The soundtrack is nice and soulful, lots of horns used in the score, a throwback to action movies from the pre-Van Damme era.
As you've probaly seen or heard, Van Damme is mistaken as the one robbing the bank, and a crowd forms outside to cheer him on. I'm not sure what this DOG DAY AFTERNOON element of the story is supposed to be saying exactly, but it shows how despite the "washed up" status of a guy like Van Damme there are still people who want to root for him. It might be harder to find them here in the US but I completely believe that he is a hero in Belgium as "the guy who left this shithole" as they say in the movie. And that's exactly what makes this a great movie for Van Damme: it's one that only he could've ever done. As you know I'm more into the Seagal pictures than the Van Dammes, but that's the reason why: he developed his own style, he made his movies personal and weird, he made movies that couldn't have really been recast as Van Damme movies or done legit with Matt Damon or somebody.
And now Van Damme has done that in spades. The movie is fun because of this idea of seeing the life of an aging action star, but the things that really make it great are specific to his life and his movie persona. I don't think he's really had a custody battle, but everything else pretty much comes from his life. There's a great scene that almost seems like it could've come from a documentary where he argues with his agent about the movies he's up for. He can get lots of money but he can't get a role that makes him happy - he wants to take less money for a studio role (he supposedly did JCVD for free).
The part that surprised me most (SPOILER) almost seems like a gimmick out of a Spike Lee movie: suddenly Van Damme floats up above the bank, showing that it's a set. He looks directly into the camera and for several minutes does a heartfelt monologue talking to his fans about his career, his womanizing, his drug problems, his love of karate. Now, alot of non-action fans will claim this is Van Damme's first real acting performance. If you've watched a bunch of his DTV shit though you know he's been trying, for example he was good as a junkie scumbag in UNTIL DEATH. But this is a better movie and a better performance. It turns out he's way more likable when speaking in his native tongue and (I'm guessing) getting to improvise more. And you know what, I knew Van Damme wanted to be a real actor but I didn't know he'd get the chance to do a monologue about not feeling he deserves his success. I didn't think I'd see him cry real tears on film. He even talks about things in his personal life I never knew he got shit about. Some of his defenses aren't exactly convincing, but the fact that he's baring his soul like that puts you on his side.
Holy shit, this is a real movie! They really made this!
This is a miracle of a movie but to be honest I don't think it's the action fan's dream you might expect. There's only one serious action sequence, the classic opening set to Baby Huey's "Hard Times." Van Damme is filming a war movie and it's a CHILDREN OF MEN style continuous shot. Man, I only wish he was doing movies like that these days. The only thing that shot has in common with his real movies is the crappy skipped frames and the director who doesn't seem to be paying attention.
There's a scene where a lawyer lists off acts of violence in Van Damme's movies - hopefully somebody who knows his filmography better than me can tell me if those are specific references or not. But I don't get the impression director Mabrouk El Mechri has an undying love for action genre, just a European's admiration for Van Damme. In the movie Van Damme talks about his movies with embarrassment, the fictional movies they mention don't seem very believable, and my apologies but it is my duty as the author of SEAGALOGY to point out that the Seagal running joke doesn't make sense (it has to do with him cutting off his ponytail for the first time, but he doesn't actually have one in many movies including some of the more iconic ones like UNDER SIEGE and ABOVE THE LAW.) There's some funny discussion of John Woo, which I loved, but it made me wonder if El Mechri would only admit to watching a John Woo movie and not, say, a Sheldon Lettich.
I don't really take offense though because the movie clearly presents Van Damme as an underdog character for you to root for, and I respect that it's not a comedy. The laughs it gets out of worshipful fans are relatable, not mean-spirited. You get a kick out of seeing some dudes from a video store freak out over seeing Van Damme cross the street. Shit, that's how I felt when I saw Seagal playing guitar. But it's too bad El Mechri isn't more of an action fanatic, because the one thing that would take this from an A to an A+ would be a kickass action setpiece at the climax. We've seen what he did on the set, we've seen the cigarette trick, and after the monologue we know what he has to prove to himself. It's the perfect setup for the mechanics of a serious action movie to kick in. And then they don't.
But oh well, this is still a very unique and entertaining movie and I'm thankful for its unlikely existence.
--Vern
Four Christmases
By TODD MCCARTHYRead other reviews about this film
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Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon's holiday trip is canceled and they end up at their parents' homes in the laffer 'Four Christmases.'
A Warner Bros. release of a New Line Cinema presentation, in association with Spyglass Entertainment, of a Birnbaum/Barber, Wild West Picture Show/Type A Films production. Produced by Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, Jonathan Glickman. Executive producers, Toby Emmerich, Michael Disco, Richard Brener, Mark Kaufman, Guy Riedel, Peter Billingsley. Co-producers, Derek Evans, Udi Nedivi. Directed by Seth Gordon. Screenplay, Matt R. Allen, Caleb Wilson, Jon Lucas, Scott Moore; story, Allen, Wilson.
Brad - Vince Vaughn
Kate - Reese Witherspoon
Howard - Robert Duvall
Paula - Sissy Spacek
Creighton - Jon Voight
Denver - Jon Favreau
Marilyn - Mary Steenburgen
Pastor Phil - Dwight Yoakam
Dallas - Tim McGraw
Courtney - Kristin Chenoweth
Susan - Katy Mixon
Aunt Donna - Colleen Camp
The biggest artistic challenge facing first-time feature helmer Seth Gordon in "Four Christmases" was how to photograph co-stars Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon in the same frame, as he's about a foot and a half taller than she is. It's a dilemma the director never really solves in this oddly misanthropic, occasionally amusing but thoroughly cheerless holiday attraction that is in no way a family film, but will no doubt be mistaken for such by many unsuspecting patrons. Given the cast and comic expectations, commercial results should be moderately bright, at least initially, for this New Line venture inherited by Warner Bros.
Parents will know they've walked into the wrong film right away, as the opening scene has lovers Brad (Vaughn) and Kate (Witherspoon) pretending not to know each other and enacting a pick-up scene at a trendy bar before slipping into the bathroom for some quick shtupping. Remainder of the script by a foursome of writers spins on the view held by these two smug, self-satisfied San Francisco professionals that family visits over Christmas are to be avoided at all costs.
With their planned trip to Fiji canceled by fog, the couple have the misfortune of being shown on TV stranded at the airport, resulting in instantaneous parental calls to come visit. As each has divorced parents, that makes four households to stop by -- something of a challenge for a twosome who have sworn off marriage and kids, for reasons that shortly become obvious.
Format thus sets up an episodic structure that would seem to demand that each visit top the last in excruciating, hilarious awfulness. But nothing outdoes the spectacle of the first family encounter, with Brad's grumpy redneck father (Robert Duvall) and his muscle-bound brothers, Denver and Dallas (Jon Favreau and Tim McGraw), cage wrestlers both. Sequence unquestionably makes fun of these lower-class yahoos and ends in catastrophe.
Next up are Kate's mom (Mary Steenburgen) and assorted offspring, notably including Kate's sister Courtney (Kristin Chenoweth, an excellent sibling match-up with Witherspoon). As happened with Brad at the initial stop, beans get spilled about Kate here that she'd rather keep in the deep freeze. As Mom has taken up with a good ol'-time-religion preacher (Dwight Yoakam), everyone heads off to a Christmas pageant in which the visitors are embarrassingly drafted to portray Joseph and Mary.
Visiting Brad's rich old hippie mother (Sissy Spacek), her son must endure the company of Ma's boyfriend, who just happens to be one of his own former buddies.
By the time they get to the home of Kate's father (Jon Voight, also aptly cast opposite Witherspoon), she's so bummed she packs off Brad, for whom the main lesson of the day has been "the dangers of procreating." Kate is in a different state of mind, a rather odd one given the calamities of the day, and one that sets up a momentary conflict quickly solved.
Vaughn is his usual motor-mouthed, preoccupied self, although less antic and vulgar and more polite and considerate than his norm. Breaking type here is Witherspoon, who abandons her perky, upbeat image for the brittle, somewhat chilly piece of work that is Kate. With all the scripts doubtless at her doorstep in the wake of her "Walk the Line" triumph, it's a wonder she chose this one, which in no way relies upon her special talents and does her no particular favors.
Set in the Bay Area, the pic has modest production values that could have used a little of the coin that no doubt went to pay the 11 producers. Director Gordon parlayed his documentary success with "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters" into this narrative gig, and his work is not without promise, although he had even more trouble setting up over-the-shoulder shots with his two stars than he did with the two-shots.
Camera (FotoKem color, Deluxe prints), Jeffrey L. Kimball; editors, Mark Helfrich, Melissa Kent; music, Alex Wurman; additional music, John O'Brien; music supervisor, Bob Bowen; production designer, Shepherd Frankel; art directors, Mike Atwell, Oana Bogdan; set designers, Daniel Bradford, Dawn Snyder; set decorator, Jan Pascale; costume designer, Sophie de Rakoff; sound (SDDS/Dolby Digital/DTS), Jeffrey S. Wexler; supervising sound editor, Elmo Weber; co-supervising sound editor, Russell Farmarco; re-recording mixers, Weber, Brad Sherman; associate producer, Mary Rohlich; assistant director, Rip Murray; casting, Juel Bestrop, Seth Yanklewitz. Reviewed at Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Nov. 19, 2008. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 88 MIN.
Paul Schrader, writer of Taxi Driver and Raging Bull and director of American Gigolo and The Walker, is to quit Hollywood for Bollywood after a scathing attack on the US film industry.
Schrader has signed on to write and direct the India-set action flick Extreme City, a decision he puts down to his increasing frustration with the state of American movie-making.
"I take a good look around and what I see is a barren, barren place," he said. "In terms of the financial community, in terms of audiences, in terms of distribution. It's cold out there."
Schrader's recent experiences in the US may have been more trying than his counterparts'. In 2005 he was fired from a prequel to The Exorcist after virtually completing the film - only the soundtrack was not in place. Warner Bros replaced him with Renny Harlin, who produced a completely different movie.
Extreme City sounds as if it might carry some box-office weight in the US, despite being shot in India. It centres on an American man who travels to the subcontinent to help resolve a kidnapping case for his father-in-law, only to get caught up in a gangster plot.
Bollywood has been crossing over with Hollywood more often in the past year. Steven Spielberg's Dreamworks is now backed by India-based firm Reliance Entertainment and Will Smith's production company is producing two films with Indian counterpart UTV.
go, šreder, go! :!:
Dolph Lundgren's career may get a resurgence thanks to one of his old co-stars - Sylvester Stallone.
Talkign with Review Nation, Stallone revealed at the Las Vegas premiere of "Transporter 3" that he was close to signing Lundgren for his new action feature "The Expendables".
Jason Statham and Jet Li have already signed on the project about three mercenaries tasked with infiltrating a South American country and liberating the population from a ruthless dictator.
Shooting kicks off in February in Costa Rica and Louisiana.
French musician Johnny Hallyday and French actress Sylvie Testud have joined the Hong Kong-set crime thriller "Vengeance" reports Variety.
Scripted by Wai Ka-fai, the story is about a French assassin-turned-chef who comes to Hong Kong to avenge a murder. Anthony Wong, Simon Yam, Lam Suet and Lam Ka Tung also star.
Johnnie To directs the project which has begun shooting in Hong Kong and will be released next Summer.
Tykwer's The International to open 59th Berlin Film Festival
Martin Blaney in Berlin
28 Nov 2008 14:11
The world premiere of Tom Tykwer's The International, starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts has been named as the opening film of the 2009 Berlinale on February 5.
The action thriller also stars Armin Mueller-Stahl, Brian F. O'Byrne, Ulrich Thomsen and Jack McGee.
The International will be presented 'out of competition' in the festival's Official Competition programme.
The film is a Mosaic Media Group production, co-produced by the UK's Rose Line Productions Ltd and Siebente Babelsberg Film.
The International spent nine of its 13 weeks shoot at Babelsberg or on location in the German capital in autumn 2007, as well as shooting at locations in New York, Istanbul and Milan.
Sony Pictures Releasing will release The International theatrically in Germany a week later on February 12.
This is Tom Tykwer's second film to open the Berlinale; his first international production, Heaven, starring Cate Blanchett and Giovanni Ribisi, kicked off the first festival under Dieter Kosslick's direction in 2002.
Adam Shankman recently talked to Entertainment Weekly about the upcoming sequel to last year's hit musical movie.
"We just got an outline and some ideas from John Waters, and now we're going out to writers" says Shankman. A July 2010 release is planned.
The story will follow Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) and her pals as they navigate the "next era of music," the late '60s.
"That period was superpolitical, it was a time of serious change. We're trying to track, in a comedic way, the historical elements" says Shankman.
To that extent, he confirms the film's heartthrob Link (Zac Efron) will become swept up in the British Invasion trend (expect a Beatles/Austin Powers look).
"Superbad" and "Juno" star Michael Cera and his real-life girlfriend Charlyne Yi have teamed for the unconventional indie comedy "Paper Hearts" which is already the hot ticket item at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival in January.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the project is a part-documentary, part-scripted comedy about the real-life relationship between the pair with music playing a key theme.
Nicholas Jasenovec, another person tied to Judd Apatow's productions, makes his directing debut with the film.
Want a peek into the mind of Jodorowsky's KING SHOT?
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John Brownlow ("Sylvia," "The Hero") is set to pen the remake of 1935 pirate feature "Captain Blood" for Warner Bros. Pictures reports the trades.
Based on Rafael Sabatini's novel and set in the 1600s, it tells the story of a doctor who is convicted for treason, sold into slavery and escapes to the high seas as a pirate.
Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland and Basil Rathbone starred in the Oscar-nominated original.
Phillip Noyce is attached to direct the remake, a U.K.-Australia co-production that Bill Gerber is producing.
Mark Romanek ("One Hour Photo") is set to direct a big screen adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's 2005 novel "Never Let Me Go" reports Production Weekly.
Alex Garland ("The Beach," "28 Days Later") penned the adaptation of the book by the "Remains of the Day" and "When We Were Orphans" author which was named one of TIME's 100 Best Novels since 1923.
The story follows 31-year-old Kathy whom years ago was raised at Hailsham, a private school in the English countryside where the children were sheltered from the outside world and were told their well-being was crucial for the dystopian society they would eventually enter (they were often subjected to medical checkups).
When two former Hailsham students, her female best friend and the boy she had a crush on, come back into her life - the trio uncover the truth about both their childhood and their lives now.
"Punisher: War Zone" director Lexi Alexander tells Latino Review that she was sent the script for "Jonah Hex" and "really liked it".
She tells the site "I like it even more that Mr. Josh Brolin is still attached. Who knows if he'll stay, but it's more exciting than I thought. You get a story like this you think, "Oh God, I'm going to be doing the same thing over and over again." but it's really, really interesting."
She acknowledges however that she "would change some things in the script." However she's not in anyway attached just yet - "It's not there yet. I'm sure there's many, many directors up for the same thing."
It seems as if Sherlock Holmes' arch-nemesis Moriarty does appear in Guy Ritchie's new feature film take on the character - but not in person.
"You don't really see him. I think he's there because if the franchise carries on, there's a possibility that he will appear in a larger guise" British thesp Mark Strong told IGN UK.
Shades of Blofeld from the Connery-led 007 films? Strong himself plays the film's antagonist Lord Blackwood who's "a cultist/Satanist lord who is the ultimate cad."
Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law play Holmes and Watson in the Warner Bros. Pictures production scheduled to open November 20th 2009.
Guy Ritchie's more action-packed take on "Sherlock Holmes" has suffered a few bizarre accidents of late reports The Sun.
Robert Downey Jr. was knocked out accidentally by seven-foot British actor Robert Maillet after catching a thundering hook to the chin.
Downey "went flying and was out cold...he didn't want to go to hospital and kept trying to get up" says a source on the set in Kent, England. Revived by medics, Downey needed stitches inside his mouth.
There's also reports that the set was closed for two hours when a tanker making a delivery to the set burst into flames.
Talking with Empire Online, Alfonso Cuaron confirms that he's serving only as a producer on the new film version of Roald Dahl's "The Witches".
"I'm excited about it - I really hope we can put it together...I've always wanted to do a version of Roald Dahl's very naughty Uncle Oswald" says Cuaron who adds that his friend Guillermo del Toro "wrote this amazing screenplay really quickly" for the project which will be more faithful to the book than the previous adaptation.
Don't expect this new take to share much of a similarity with that 1990 live-action adaptation starring Anjelica Huston, Brenda Blethyn and Rowan Atkinson. "It won't be like the original Nicholas Roeg version, which was a beautiful film - because Guillermo wants to do it completely in stop-motion animation."
Cuaron's next film is the road movie "A Boy and his Shoe" which begins filming next Spring in England, Scotland and France.
Ray Winstone has been cast as Julius Caesar in Steven Soderbergh's musical based on the life of Cleopatra reports MTV News.
Talking with the director himself, Soderbergh explained why he wanted to do the film - "I wanted to do a real rock n roll musical like 'Tommy.' During my research it appeared that most were female driven. So I started thinking about female protagonists. I was thinking about Catherine. It doesn't take too long to think about Catherine and famous female historical figures to get to get to Cleopatra."
Catherine Zeta-Jones is set to play Cleopatra and Hugh Jackman is almost locked for Mark Antony. Reports of the film being set in the 1920's have been refuted - "it's a period story all the way" but all of it will be done on backlots rather than on-location.
James Greer, a former member of indie band Guided by Voices, penned the script "He went away for like six weeks and wrote this great script! It's like an Elvis musical in a way. It's not serious. I mean it's historically pretty accurate but its sort of like 'Viva Las Vegas' meets 'Tommy'". GBV's music will be used throughout.
Filming is slated to commence in April.
Overture Films and A Bigger Boat are developing an untitled anthology feature consisting of two dozen short comedy films reports Variety.
Peter Farrelly, John Penotti and Charles Wessler will produce the project said to be in the vein of "The Groove Tube" and "Kentucky Fried Movie".
Brett Ratner, Todd Phillips, Mike Judge, Josh Gordon and Will Speck are already in talks for the project, and Farrelly himself will also direct two of the shorts. Pre-production is underway with shooting scheduled to begin in January.Previous Article Submit a Scoop
Ashton Kutcher is attached to the romantic comedy "American Neurotic" for Sony Pictures says Cinema Blend.
The story follows a New York womanizer with commitment issues. He confesses the details of his female conquests to his psychiatrist, and then shortly thereafter meets his dream girl.
One problem: His dream girl is his shrink's daughter.
Kutcher and his love interest get closer while Kutcher's best friend and the girl's father do everything they can to keep them from getting together.
A director is currently being sought.
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Hilary Swank to star in Antti J. Jokinen's The Resident
Audrey Ward
04 Dec 2008 00:18
Academy Award winner, Hilary Swank, is to star in psychological thriller The Resident.
Antti J. Jokinen is directing the film from a script he co-wrote with Robert Orr (Savior) and re-written by Erin Cressida Wilson (Secretary, Fur). Originally from Finland, Jokinen is the co-founder of the production company, Solar Films.
Jokinen said "The Resident is a modern version of Fatal Attraction and Polanski's The Tenant. To collaborate with Hilary Swank as a first time writer/director is mind-blowing. It was a ray of clarity when I met with her. She is fantastic."
Simon Oakes, Nigel Sinclair and Guy East of Hammer are producing the film. Hammer's Tobin Armbrust and Alex Brunner are executive producers along with Tom Lassally of 3 Arts Entertainment. Hilary Swank will also serve as an executive producer.
Oakes said "We are very excited to have the incredibly talented Hilary Swank on board for the first US Hammer production in over three decades."
Exclusive, Hammer's recently launched sales and distribution arm, will be handling worldwide sales of the film.
Other upcoming Hammer projects include The Wake Wood, which is currently in post-production, The Quiet Ones, to be directed by Jesse Dylan (Kicking & Screaming) and Let the Right One In, to be adapted and directed by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield).
The Resident follows a young doctor (Swank), who is settling into a new life and a new loft in Brooklyn when mysterious occurrences lead her to suspect that she is not alone in her home.
Largo Winch
Lisa Nesselson in Paris
02 Dec 2008 12:45
Dir: Jerome Salle. France/Belgium. 2008. 109mins.
A fun slice of escapism, neatly packaged for international consumption, Large Winch falls just a sliver short of creating a new action-adventure franchise, although a sequel is apparently at script stage. Lanky French stand-up comic Tomer Sisley isn't conventionally movie-hero rugged as the titular protagonist but, playing a rebellious Yugoslav orphan adopted as a baby by a billionaire tycoon, he's appealing enough to keep this comic book-inspired romp rolling.
Director Jerome Salle (Anthony Zimmer) tells his complicated tale energetically in a logical blend of French and English dialogue and gives the seemingly-ubiquitous Kristin Scott Thomas a particularly juicy role as well. Local returns should be encouraging on Dec 17 release for this all-action story, which is based on the first four instalments of the 16 hard-back comic books to date about a casually-cool young man who isn't sure he wants the headaches of bottomless wealth thrust upon him.
When self-made billionaire Nerio Winch (Manojlovic) dies unexpectedly in Hong Kong, his empire appears to be up for grabs and his board of directors is frantic. But there's a secret heir in the wings - so secret that even temporary acting director Ann Ferguson (Scott Thomas), Nerio's close collaborator of 20 years, knew nothing of his existence until her boss's sudden death.
But Largo (Sisley), who will be the fifth wealthiest person on earth if and when he successfully takes possession of his late father's 65 percent stake in Winch International, is being held prisoner in a cockroach-infested jail in Brazil on trumped up drugs charges.
As an emergency shareholders' meeting looms, antics set in the present and well-integrated flashbacks introduce a range of characters from loyal to mercenary. Freddy (Melki, with an impressive facial scar) works as Nerio's chauffeur and aide-de-camp. Marcus (Waddington) is in charge of security. Korsky (Roden), a wealthy Georgian arms dealer, is planning a hostile takeover bid on Nerio's holdings. Naomi (Thierry) is Korsky's nubile mistress.
Korsky actually says "I am the story's bad guy"-- but there just may be a worse baddie out there.
Enigmatic control freak Nerio - whose presence is so strong he even speaks to Largo once from the grave – has set up a challenging labyrinth for Largo and his enemies to navigate, building to multiple twists throughout.
Anthough Largo Winch offers nearly non-stop action across a pleasing range of exotic locations, it's an almost restful, emotionally coherent alternative to the pumped-up likes of Quantum of Solace and Transporter 3. In a National Treasure – but not quite so silly – way, there's no futuristic technology or weaponry on display here, just brains, guts, cars, boats, planes and cell phones, intelligently employed. And that's refreshing.
Production companies
Pan-Europeenne
Wild Bunch
TF1 Films Production
Casa Productions
International sales
Wild Bunch,Paris
+33 1 53 01 50 20
Producer
Nathalie Gastaldo
Screenplay
Jerome Salle
Julien Rappeneau
Based on the graphic novels by Jean Van Hamme and Philippe Francq
Cinematography
Denis Rouden
Production design
Michel Barthelemy
Editor
Richard Marizy
Music
Alexandre Desplat
Main cast
Tomer Sisley
Kristin Scott Thomas
Miki Manojlovic
Gilbert Melki
Melanie Thierry
Anne Consigny
Karel Roden
Steven Waddington
Rasha Bukvic
Atlas, Relativity pact on film six pack
'Season of the Witch' is first title under deal
By TATIANA SIEGEL
Alexander
Roven
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More than one option(Film) The Dark Knight
L Zharkova, Oleg Kovalov
(Film) The Dark Knight
Atlas Entertainment, the production company behind "The Dark Knight," has pacted with Ryan Kavanaugh's Relativity Media to produce at least six films over the next three years.
Steve Alexander, who recently joined Atlas from CAA, will oversee all the projects on behalf of Atlas and serve as producer on some of the films.
The first title covered under the new arrangement is the supernatural thriller "Season of the Witch," which reteams Nicolas Cage with "Gone in Sixty Seconds" director Dominic Sena. Produced by Atlas' Charles Roven and Alex Gartner, the film began shooting Nov. 6 in Austria and Hungary.
"Chuck is a unique producer in that he looks at films from a creative perspective, but he also is very attentive to the bottom line profitability," Kavanaugh said. "There are few producers who have the amazing visceral talents Chuck and the Atlas team have and still look at the overall package from an investor's standpoint."
Relativity most recently worked with Roven and Gartner on last year's heist pic "The Bank Job," which proved to be a modest box office hit earning $63 million worldwide.
"'The Bank Job' was such a great experience," Roven said. "When Relativity decided to expand their single-picture business, we were delighted that Ryan asked us to increase our output with them."
As part of its slate financing business, Relativity has a long-term co-financing deal in place with Sony Pictures. Atlas also is in business with Sony, having signed a first-look deal with the Culver City studio earlier this year. Relativity and Atlas say the new arrangement will present greater opportunities to partner with Sony.
"As a former agent and producer, I have experienced that the key to success is pairing great talent with smart people on both the business and creative side," Alexander said. "You combine Chuck's reputation for making quality films with Ryan, who is one of the smartest financial minds in Hollywood, and the end result is an unstoppable partnership."
Atlas, which also produced last year's "Get Smart," is in post-production on the Sony thriller "The International," starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts, which bows Feb. 13.
As the biggest player in Hollywood's slate financing world, Relativity has produced nearly two dozen films this year with Sony and Universal Pictures, including "Hancock," "Wanted" and "Mamma Mia!" The company's one-off picture business has spawned such pics as "3:10 to Yuma" and "The Forbidden Kingdom." Last year, Relativity also struck 13 output deals covering more than 100 territories worldwide.
David R. Ellis will direct "Six Days Till Midnight," a Mark Bacci-scripted thriller set for an April start.
Pic is about a wealthy businessman who encounters a stranger who says he has six days to answer one question. For each day he doesn't get the answer, a loved one will be killed, ending with the businessman's death at the end of the sixth day.
The $25 million pic is being financed by Oceana Media and produced through Emmett/Furla Films. Randall Emmett, Arianne Fraser, Ksana Golod and George Parra are producing.
Ellis had a long career as a stuntman before moving to second unit director and then helming the fright films "Final Destination 2," "Snakes on a Plane," and most recently "Final Destination 4," which he shot in 3-D and which New Line/Warner Bros. releases in August.
"I've been doing high-concept B movies, and this is the best script I've been associated with, a thriller with a great twist," Ellis told Daily Variety.More than one option(Co) Daily Variety
Filmography, Year, Role
(Co) Daily Variety
Oceana Media's Myles Nestel and George Furla will be executive producers. Ellis' daughter, Tawny Ellis Lehman, will be co-producer.
Oceana Media most recently financed the remake "13," the Ashton Kutcher starrer "Spread," the upcoming Hilary Swank starrer "Betty Anne Waters" and "The Greatest," the Pierce Brosnan-Susan Sarandon starrer that will debut at Sundance.
Emmett/Furla just wrapped the Werner Herzog-directed "Bad Lieutenant" with Nicolas Cage.
Unlike most zombie movies about a small group of survivors fending off undead hordes, scribe J. Michael Straczynski tells MTV News that his adaptation of Max Brooks' "World War Z" will emphasize that book's global events.
"The scale of what we're doing here is phenomenal...it has that international feel to it" he says. One example? "You're in India with hundreds of boats trying to get out of there with a tidal wave of zombies." He says the film is "[just as] political as the book was."
Straczynski says he completed the first draft of the screenplay in the Spring and has been waiting for a director for several months before Marc Forster ("Quantum of Solace") was attached. "Now that Marc is here, I'm working with his notes to make one final pass on the script. Our hope is to get it moving into production by the first of the year" he says.
The book was told in the format of a United Nations investigator taping interviews with around two dozen survivors from different regions around the globe who were affected by a zombie pandemic. The scribe has kept that approach for the film.
"We follow this guy all over the world as he goes on these interviews, and he has his own personal story as well. You're cutting between the past and the present, how he got to this point" he says. The approach also allows him to cherry-pick his favorite moments in the book, and move the narrative throughout different points in time.
Stracinski će uvijek u mom srcu imati mjesto kao scenarista najbolje serije na svijetu.
Keanu Reeves will star in "47 Ronin," an epic period film for Universal Pictures based on the true tale of a band of samurai swordsmen who avenged the death of their master in 18th century Japan.
Chris Morgan, who co-wrote "Wanted" and penned the upcoming "Fast and Furious" for Universal, is writing the script. Scott Stuber will produce through his Stuber Prods. banner.
Reeves stars in sci-fi remake "The Day the Earth Stood Still," which Fox bows Friday.
In "47 Ronin," he will play one of the swordsmen; the group and their master are revered in Japan for their revenge attack on Dec. 14, 1702.
The film will tell a stylized version of the story, mixing fantasy elements of the sort seen in "The Lord of the Rings" pics, with gritty battle scenes akin to those in films such as "Gladiator."
Morgan is writing the script and tailoring it so that Reeves -- who's half-Asian -- can fit the role as one of the swordsmen. The intention is to begin shooting next year after a director is hired.
Walter Hamada and Chris Fenton will be exec producers.
Under his U-based shingle, Stuber is shooting the Vince Vaughn starrer "Couples Retreat" and is preparing for the release of the Joe Johnston-directed "The Wolfman," the Jennifer Aniston starrer "Traveling" and "Repossession Mambo." Stuber is prepping "Your Highness," with David Gordon Green to direct and Danny McBride to star.
Frequent "Entourage" helmer Julian Farino is set to direct the indie comedy "Oranges" says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story focuses on a man who has a romantic relationship with the daughter of a family friend, turning his life and everyone else's in the family upside down.
Jay Reiss and Ian Helfer penned the script and Anthony Bregman is producing. Shooting begins next year.
HBO will air a live telecast in the spring of Will Ferrell's Broadway show "You're Welcome America. A Final Night With George W. Bush."
The cable net's special will be directed by Marty Callner, who also has helmed HBO comedy segs starring Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams and George Carlin. Exec producers are Callner for Funny Business as well as Ferrell, Adam McKay and Jessica Elbaum for Gary Sanchez Prods.
HBO is now a producing partner of the stage show itself, joining a team that includes Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel and Steve Traxler, who count plays "August: Osage County" and "Speed-the-Plow" among their Rialto credits.
An exact date for the HBO airing has not been confirmed, although it seems likely it would come toward the end of the run of "You're Welcome America" to prevent the telecast from cannibalizing ticket sales for the Broadway engagement. Limited Rialto stint is slated to end March 15.
Politically themed comedy "You're Welcome America," structured as a parting address from outgoing President Bush, will be Ferrell's first solo special for HBO.
Stage production is helmed by McKay, the writer-director with whom Ferrell has collaborated on pics including "Step Brothers," "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" and "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."
Ferrell and McKay also are exec producers of HBO skein "Eastbound and Down," bowing Feb. 15.
"Will Ferrell: You're Welcome America. A Final Night With George W Bush" begins previews at the Cort Theater on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, ahead of a Feb. 5 opening.
Alain Goldman ("La Vie en Rose") is set to produce while Guy Nattiv and Erez Tadmor ("Offside," "Strangers") are set to write and possibly direct an untitled project that centers on the Mossad, the Israeli external intelligence service says The Hollywood Reporter.
The film will follow the true story of the investigation into the disappearance of a 9-year-old boy from the streets of Jerusalem in the early 1960s.
The case, known as the Yossele Case, took on major importance in Israel -- still in its nascent stages as a country -- which was making its mission to be seen as a country that would provide a safe haven for Jews throughout the world.
The police proved to be ineffectual, and the prime minister called on the Mossad to step in. Filming is aiming to commence in the Spring.
Halcyon Co. and director McG are developing a fifth installment of the "Terminator" franchise for release in 2011 reports Variety.
McG, who directs the upcoming fourth film installment "Terminator Salvation", made the announcement at the Dubai International Film Festival this week.
Christian Bale has signed on in the role of John Connor for all three films in the newly planned trilogy.
No decision has been made in regards to filming locations, though the Middle East was mentioned as a locale.
Halycon's Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek were originally going to wait until the release of 'Salvation' next summer before moving forward with a fifth film but have been encouraged by fan and studio reaction to move ahead of schedule.
With word yesterday of "The Phantom" coming back to the silver screen, many questions were raised as to what this new film will entail. Today I briefly chatted with the film's writer Tim Boyle who graciously answered them for me.
First up this is a REBOOT ala "Batman Begins" and NOT a sequel to Simon Wincer's 1996 feature film as has been previously reported.
There are two main villians in this - one from the comic, the other an original but as to which ones they can't be disclosed for now. The Phantom himself and Diana Walker will be in it of course, "oh and their kids..." he adds.
The tone is described as "real world gritty" and is set both in and out of the jungle. "It will have some elements of the original comic, but we are making it work for the screen" says Boyle.
Don't expect a purple leotard outfit either - "Like Batman Begins, where he takes a high tech spelunking suit and turns it into the basis of his costume - we're looking at making it a real world costume. Think of what Bryan Singer did with the blue and yellow Wolverine costume - that's what we have to do. Make it accessible to the public without annoying the fans too much."
Things are still very early in the production process, there'll be more information on the way soon.
Acclaimed scribe Peter Morgan ("Frost/Nixon," "The Queen") has lined up "The Special Relationship", the third movie in his Tony Blair trilogy as his directorial debut effort reports Variety.
Morgan, director Stephen Frears and actor Michael Sheen teamed for the 2003 British TV movie "The Deal" which tracked the rise of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The trio reunited for the feature film "The Queen" in 2006.
This third film will deal with the intimate political relationship between Blair and President Bill Clinton between 1997 and 2000. Morgan initially planned to focus the pic on George W. Bush as well as Bill Clinton, but decided to narrow its scope.
Sheen will reprise his role as Blair, and Kathleen Kennedy will produce. No word on Frears involvement as yet.
Vikas Swarup, the author of "Q&A" on which multiple award winner "Slumdog Millionaire" was based, has had his new second novel "Six Suspects" optioned by Starfield Productions and BBC Films says The Hollywood Reporter.
Described as "Agatha Christie meets Elmore Leonard in Delhi" by producer Paul Raphael ("Under the Bombs"), the story follows six independent narrative strands that interlock as each of the lead characters in each subplot have the motive and opportunity to kill a high-profile thug.
Raphael, who has an 18-month option on the newly published novel, has begun a search for a "heavy-hitting" scriptwriter.
Raphael and his father, the screenwriter and novelist Frederic Raphael ("Eyes Wide Shut"), are teaming to pen an adaption of Ivo Stourton's Cambridget-set novel "The Night Climbers." The "dangerous love story" will mark the first time father and son have worked together on a film.
Screenwriter Hossein Amini ("The Four Featheers," "The Wings of the Dove") has been hired to pen a new Jack Ryan movie for Paramount Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
The character, created by novelist Tom Clancy, was played by Alec Baldwin in "The Hunt for Red October", Harrison Ford in "Patriot Games" and "Clear and Present Danger", and by Ben Affleck in "The Sum of All Fears".
Amini's new Ryan film is planned as an origin story, not derived from Clancy's novels and will feature a new, younger star.
Mace Neufeld and Lorenzo Di Bonaventura are producing. Sam Raimi ("Spider-Man") was previously attached to direct but left due to scheduling conflicts.
Much maligned director Paul WS Anderson tells IGN that the "Resident Evil" franchise is set for another sequel.
"I'm writing a script right now. The script side is happening. It's going to be difficult what's happening when until the whole SAG [strike] thing is resolved. But that's something I'm working on right now. Everyone at [game developer] Capcom has had their input into the idea and they're all very excited. I don't want to tell you what it is but it's very exciting."
He added, "Once again we're doing it completely with the blessing of the videogame company. We got a lot of flack [on the sequels] for, 'Why isn't the movie set in the mansion just exactly like the very first videogame?' That's just not progression for me. As the Resident Evil videogames themselves have developed in leaps and bounds -- it's like when we did the last movie people were like, 'Resident Evil doesn't take place in the desert. What the f*ck is this?' Well, where does Resident Evil take place? Does it take place in Raccoon City exclusively? Well, I don't think so because the game has been in Antarctica, in Raccoon City, now it's in Africa. We're doing it very much in conjunction with the developers of the videogame to give the audience something fresh but something that fits within the world of the videogame."
Meanwhile what about his long-awaited adaptation of the "Castlevania" video game? "We still want to make the movie, but I can't say we're going into production in January or anything like that. It's a project that everybody likes. I love the videogame. I think the script is really strong" he says.
He added "Everyone is really enthusiastic about it, but we're still in the process of deciding when the movie gets shot. Not many movies can afford to take the hit of putting the cast and crew on hiatus for months while the strikes gets resolved. So I think in terms of anything we're developing there won't be any sort of priority until the SAG strike is resolved."
Anderson also stated that Rogue Pictures is no longer involved with "Castlevania," but director Sylvain White is still attached.
Scribe Christopher McQuarrie ("Valkyrie," "The Usual Suspects") is working on three projects that are being tailored as star vehicles for Tom Cruise reports Variety.
McQuarrie and Mason Alley will co-write New Regency's "Flying Tigers" based on the volunteer fighter squadron formed to help the Chinese fight the Japanese during early WW2.
McQuarrie will write and produce United Artists' adaptation of the British television series "The Champions" about a team of government agents rescued from a plane crash in the Himalayas by an advanced civilization and given superhuman abilities. Guillermo del Toro will produce.
Most urgent though is Spyglass' espionage drama "The Tourist", a remake of the 2005 French thriller "Anthony Zimmer". McQuarrie is rewriting the Bharat Nalluri-directed feature for Cruise to star with Charlize Theron.
"Men in Black" and "Get Shorty" director Barry Sonnenfeld is attached to direct and produce "The How-To Guide for Saving the World" for MGM Films says the trades.
BenDavid Grabinski's action comedy script tells the story of a loser who discovers a book on how to prevent an alien invasion and then has to put that knowledge to use when one actually occurs.
Grabinski's script made this year's unofficial Black List of "most liked" screenplays.
Quote from: "crippled_avenger"Much maligned director Paul WS Anderson tells IGN that the "Resident Evil" franchise is set for another sequel.
"I'm writing a script right now. The script side is happening. It's going to be difficult what's happening when until the whole SAG [strike] thing is resolved. But that's something I'm working on right now. Everyone at [game developer] Capcom has had their input into the idea and they're all very excited. I don't want to tell you what it is but it's very exciting."
He added, "Once again we're doing it completely with the blessing of the videogame company. We got a lot of flack [on the sequels] for, 'Why isn't the movie set in the mansion just exactly like the very first videogame?' That's just not progression for me. As the Resident Evil videogames themselves have developed in leaps and bounds -- it's like when we did the last movie people were like, 'Resident Evil doesn't take place in the desert. What the f*ck is this?' Well, where does Resident Evil take place? Does it take place in Raccoon City exclusively? Well, I don't think so because the game has been in Antarctica, in Raccoon City, now it's in Africa. We're doing it very much in conjunction with the developers of the videogame to give the audience something fresh but something that fits within the world of the videogame."
Meanwhile what about his long-awaited adaptation of the "Castlevania" video game? "We still want to make the movie, but I can't say we're going into production in January or anything like that. It's a project that everybody likes. I love the videogame. I think the script is really strong" he says.
He added "Everyone is really enthusiastic about it, but we're still in the process of deciding when the movie gets shot. Not many movies can afford to take the hit of putting the cast and crew on hiatus for months while the strikes gets resolved. So I think in terms of anything we're developing there won't be any sort of priority until the SAG strike is resolved."
Anderson also stated that Rogue Pictures is no longer involved with "Castlevania," but director Sylvain White is still attached.
Yeah! :!:
New JUDGE DREDD Film Is Greenlit For Production By DNA FILMS!!
Rebellion and 2000 AD are proud to announce that Judge Dredd is coming to a cinema near you soon!
Together with DNA Films, the movie production company behind such great sci-fi movies such as Sunshine and 28 Weeks Later, Judge Dredd will go into production in 2009.
Jason Kingsley, CEO and Creative Director said, "We can't give away too many details at this point, but we're looking forward to working with DNA Films to bring Judge Dredd back to the big screen."
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/39529
Još kad bi Verhoeven režirao... :D
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm3.static.flickr.com%2F2026%2F2495940576_692b6913ef.jpg&hash=7e4dd16a6b892aaad8853e6da7efe443f6fd56a6)
A sequel to Richard Kelly's cult hit Donnie Darko will begin shooting this month, Screen Daily reports.
Titled S. Darko, the film takes place eight years after the events of the first film and follows Samantha Darko (Daviegh Chase), the younger sister of the first movie's lead character, as she travels across America with her best friend Corey. On the road trip the pair start to witness strange visions.
Chris Fisher (Nightstalker) will direct the film. Kelly, who wrote and directed 2001's Donnie Darko, is not involved in the sequel.
"I am a great admirer of Richard Kelly's film and hope to create a similar world of blurred fantasy and reality," said Fisher.
Donnie Darko starred Jake Gyllenhaal as a teenager who, after a near death experience, is told by a giant bunny that the world will end in 28 days.
Fisher added: "Donnie's not in [the new film] but there are meteorites and rabbits."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dczcw0aNMEo
Kuku majko, kad sam vidio ovu sliku za trenutak sam pomislio da je u pitanju nekakav Asylumov atak na Donija Darka, kad ono stvarno rade sequel :x
kuku, mafijo, pa ovo ne da nije za most anticipated, ovo je za poseban fear and loathing topic...
Joj... :(
Quote from: "zakk"kuku, mafijo, pa ovo ne da nije za most anticipated, ovo je za poseban fear and loathing topic...
kao da do sada već niste zapazili pravilo:
ono što je jednome 'anticipacija' drugome je - 'konstipacija'! :roll:
Quote from: "Ghoul"Quote from: "zakk"kuku, mafijo, pa ovo ne da nije za most anticipated, ovo je za poseban fear and loathing topic...
kao da do sada već niste zapazili pravilo:
ono što je jednome 'anticipacija' drugome je - 'konstipacija'! :roll:
Ja, ali kad se radi o nastavku Donija Darka, to bi trebalo da bude nepodijeljena konstipacija.
Nemojte da gresite dusu.
Sylvester Stallone is after his old "Demolition Man" co-star Sandra Bullock to join him in his new action film "The Expendables" reports JoBlo.
Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Forest Whitaker and Randy Couture star in the story of a team of mercenaries on a mission to overthrow a South American dictator.
Bullock would play a government agent (paired up with Whitaker) on the hunt for Stallone's crew of hired guns. Stallone co-stars and directs.
Sylvester Stallone has set actress Juliana Paes to be a part of his new action film "The Expendables" reports Stallone Zone.
Stallone apparently saw a picture of Juliana Paes in a magazine and found that she would be perfect for a role.
Stallone has been in Brazil's Rio de Janiero since Tuesday finishing up pre-production and locking down the remaining cast.
James Cameron is apparently considering the "Forbidden Planet" remake as one of his upcoming projects according to IESB.
Post-"Titanic", Cameron was previously attached to the project which never made it into development. He went on to other things.
Since then however "Changeling" scribe J. Michael Straczynski has come in with a whole new take on the classic 50's feature that Warners has gotten excited about.
The studio is said to be keen on making this Cameron's first post-"Avatar" project. Already a 2010 release date has been loosely targeted.
In another report, IESB says that Straczynski's new take on the material is not a remake so much as a prequel.
The original followed a Star Cruiser investigating what happened to the colony ship Bellerophon that disappeared on a planet some two decades before. There they find the only survivors - a scientist and his daughter - and technology left behind by an advanced civilization. The rest of the colonists have been killed by a giant invisible creature that starts killing off the Cruiser's crew.
The new 'Planet' is said to deal with the launch and what happened to the crew of the Bellerophon.
Director David Fincher ("Zodiac," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") calls his Keanu Reeves-led mysterious "Chef" project "a celibate sex comedy".
Fincher tells MTV News that "It's really about the creative process. It's truly an aromatic art-form, making food. I love that idea. And I love Keanu's passion for that world."
The script tells the story of a chef who tries to make a comeback from major personal issues. He gathers his old friends together as his 'dream team' and ends up falling in love with the newest member of the group.
He also talked about his involvement in the "Heavy Metal" anthology film, saying he'll do "whatever story no one else wants to do."
"We have like twenty-four stories and artwork for it. I have time to do one or two and I have dibs on eight or nine, so somewhere in there we'll figure it out if we can ever get the money together" he adds.
Kurt Wimmer's script for "Salt" (previously titled "Edwin A. Salt" and at that stage set to star Tom Cruise) is apparently pretty darn good. The Phil Noyce-helmed flick, which tells of a CIA officer who is fingered as a Russian sleeper spy, is set to encompass some terrific action, great spades of suspense and a terrifically meaty role for the foxy lead. But silver's not good enough for Sony, so they're going for Gold.
Word around the slightly-cold streets of Hollywood today is that Oscar Winning screenwriter (and director) Brian Helgeland has been hired by Sony to do a quick pass thru on the script, punching up the dialogue, before its March 2nd start date.
Sony want this to be one of their key releases of the next twelve months - if only because they're hoping this first chapter will spin-off into a franchise (with Ms Jolie back as Evelyn Salt).
Helgeland's somewhat of a saving grace in Hollywood. He's been hired to rewrite such scripts as "The Bourne Supremacy" and "Assassins" and the films have been all the more better for it. The man knows character - and you only have to check out one of his scripts (say this one here, for "L.A Confidential") to see how crafty he is at writing converse.
Helgeland, of course, wrote (and consequently won an Oscar for) "L.A Confidential", "Payback", "Mystic River" and the upcoming "Nottingham". This'll be his first collaboration with director Noyce ("Patriot Games", "Rabbit Proof Fence").
QuoteHelgeland, of course, wrote (and consequently won an Oscar for) "L.A Confidential", "Payback", "Mystic River" and the upcoming "Nottingham".
... a pravićemo se da nemamo pojma da je pisao i POSTMANA sa Kevinom Kostnerom :D
The Notable Films Of 2009: Part OneBy Garth FranklinThursday, January 1st 2009 1:15amThe first article of the new year and to celebrate I'm taking a closer look at the most interesting films currently slated for release sometime this year. Not every film is listed here (I've avoided the deliberately bland films like "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" or the "Hannah Montana" movie), and by no means is this a 'best of' list either.
Rather this is a breakdown of the most interesting titles - films that could end up being either Oscar or Razzie nominees but do deserve a closer look. This is a multiple part article with the rest of the parts coming daily over the next week right up until the first official film releases of the year on January 9th:
9
Opens: September 9th 2009
Cast: Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Crispin Glover, Martin Landau, Christopher Plummer
Director: Shane Acker
Summary: In a post-apocalyptic world, 9 awakens and discovers a small community of others like him taking refuge from fearsome machines that roam the earth intent on their extinction. He soon convinces the others to take the offensive if they are to survive.
Analysis: Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov ("Wanted") both produce this very strange looking sci-fi animated tale for Focus Features. Too early to call yet, and the trailer is yielding some quite divided reaction.
17 Again
Opens: April 17th 2009
Cast: Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, Michelle Trachtenberg, Matthew Perry
Director: Burr Steers
Summary: A 37-year-old washed up man is miraculously transformed back to the age of 17 and attempts to recreate his best years. His attitudes however ar totally uncool to today's kids and in the process he could lose the best things that ever happened to him.
Analysis: Another take on the "Big" formula, the film's main selling point is that it's is the first real feature resting almost entirely on the appeal of tween hunk Zac Efron. Without his musical strengths to back him up, the reviews for the surprisingly buff youngster's rather cliche sounding fantasy comedy may not be as flattering as they were for "Hairspray" and the HSM franchise.
2012
Opens: July 10th 2009
Cast: John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, Woody Harrelson
Director: Roland Emmerich
Summary: From the director of "Independence Day" and "The Day After Tomorrow" comes another epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors.
Analysis: After the odious "10,000 B.C.", Emmerich makes a third attempt at an apocalypse. No aliens or global warming this time, rather its the planetary alignment that coincides with the end of the Mayan calendar in December 2012 causing the Earth's core to overheat and global disasters to ensue.
Like most of Emmerich's work the script has generally been panned as ludicrous and vapid. Yet the man can deliver big-time Hollywood visuals, has a $200 million to buy the best effects money can buy, and a pretty decent cast in his corner. There's no doubt it'll stink, but it should be a quite spectacular looking clunker if the surprisingly effective teaser trailer is anything to go by.
500 Days of Summer
Opens: July 10th 2009
Cast: Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Clark Gregg, Rachel Boston, Matthew Gray Guble
Director: Marc Webb
Summary: Romantic comedy in which a greeting-card writer reflects on a broken heart caused by Summer (Deschanel), a cynic who doesn't believe in love. He tries to prove her wrong, but she may succeed in the opposite.
Analysis: Fox Searchlight is releasing this so-called 'anti-romantic comedy' right in the middle of a busy Summer which means they likely have faith in it. The pedigree behind it is also impressive, but a lot will depend on reaction to its premiere at this year's Sundance Film Festival in a few weeks.
Adoration
Opens: May 8th 2009
Cast: Scott Speedman, Devon Bostick, Rachel Blanchard, Noam Jenkins, Kenneth Walsh, Katie Boland
Director: Atom Egoyan
Summary: A school assignment translating a news story about a terrorist becomes something more when a student, using a false identity, takes his assignment online to probe a family secret. As public reaction grows stronger, the truth about Simon's family emerges.
Analysis: Acclaimed filmmaker Egoyan is back with a very complex story that intertwines two different narrative streams - a reality in which a boy's parents had died in a car crash, and a false story about the father planting a bomb in his mother's suitcase. A Cannes screening yielded divided reaction, many calling it provocative and fascinating but flawed in some of its execution. The cast looks pretty good too (I'm a big fan of Noam Jenkins who plays the father in this).
Adventureland
Opens: March 27th 2009
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Ryan Reynolds, Kristen Stewart, Martin Starr, Paige Howard
Director: Greg Mottola
Summary: From the director of "Superbad", this is a comedy set in the summer of 1987 and centered around a recent college grad (Eisenberg) who takes a nowhere job at his local amusement park, only to find it's the perfect course to get him prepared for the real world.
Analysis: Though Judd Apatow gets all the acclaim, it was writer/director Greg Mottola that turned "Superbad" into the best effort of Apatow Productions to date - far less sentimental, much better paced and notably smarter in its crass humor than the likes of "Knocked Up" or "The 40-Year-Old Virgin".
Now Mottola heads out on his own with another coming of age comedy with a great cast, including Ryan Reynolds and "Twilight" star Kristen Stewart. The 1987 amusement park setting also provides an excellent backdrop and the film's trailer looks like fun.
Agora
Opens: December 18th 2009
Cast: Rachel Weisz, Max Minghella, Rupert Evans, Michael Lonsdale, Richard Durden, Ashraf Barhom
Director: Alejandro Amenábar
Summary: A historical drama set in Roman Egypt, concerning a slave who turns to the rising tide of Christianity in the hopes of pursuing freedom while also falling in love with his master, the famous female philosophy professor and atheist Hypatia of Alexandria.
Analysis: Amenábar's second English-language film, the first being 2002's haunting "The Others", this epic $73 million period piece shot throughout Malta marks the Spanish helmer's first feature film since 2004's "The Sea Inside". The sets look suitably epic, Weisz is a guaranteed great performer and the project looks to be one of those films that could be both a critical and commercial success if marketed and handled properly.
Amelia
Opens: October 23rd 2009
Cast: Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, Virginia Madsen, Christopher Eccleston
Director: Mira Nair
Summary: Swank will play Earhart in the formative stages of her career. A look at the life of legendary American pilot Amelia Earhart, who disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 in an attempt to make a flight around the world.
Analysis: Could be a serious Oscar contender, especially for Hilary Swank, and there has yet to be a proper biopic about this pioneering aviatrix. The film also has a solid pedigree with a script by Ron Bass and acclaimed Indian helmer Mira Nair behind the camera. Earhart's story itself is fascinating and with Fox Searchlight, the best of the arthouse distributors, solidly behind it - this will be a big film to watch next Fall.
Angels and Demons
Opens: May 15th 2009
Cast: Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgard
Director: Ron Howard
Summary: In this "The Da Vinci Code" follow-up, an Illuminati assassin is killing off the favorite candidates to become the new Pope and plans to detonate a bomb under Vatican City during the papal enclave. Harvard religious expert Robert Langdon races around Rome trying to stop the killer and his plans.
Analysis: Dan Brown's novel is punchier and lends itself to a film adaptation far better than the narratively inert 'The Da Vinci Code'. Hanks cut his hair, Ewan McGregor in a key supporting role (and a priest's smock), locations are famed Rome landmarks rather than uninteresting French countryside, and there's a much grislier and higher body count with several priests getting the chop. Nevertheless 'Da Vinci' still stunk and the same team behind it is involved so the risk is still quite apparent. Also the central villain's scheme of destroying the Catholic Church will be seen as a quite noble endeavor by audiences who aren't fans of that particular religion.
Armored
Opens: May 15th 2009
Cast: Matt Dillon, Jean Reno, Laurence Fishburne, Skeet Ulrich, Amaury Nolasco, Milo Ventimiglia, Fred Ward
Director: Nimrod Antal
Summary: A crew of officers at an armored transport security firm risk their lives when they embark on the ultimate heist... against their own company. When an unexpected witness interferes, the plan quickly unravels.
Analysis: While "Vacancy" may have been a narrative dud, director Nimrod Antal showed great promise with his limited budget. Now armed with more money and pure action style vehicle with a lot of great talent - this looks like one of those pure fun macho flicks, kind of a lower-rent "Con Air".
Assassination of a
High School President
Opens: February 27th 2009
Cast: Reece Thompson, Mischa Barton, Bruce Willis, Melonie Diaz, Josh Pais, Michael Rapaport
Director: Brett Simon
Summary: A high school senior hottie enlists the help of a neebish school reporter to track down a set of stolen SATs. Outing the school president for the crime, he becomes popular with everyone - only to learn that the truth is something much more elaborate and far-reaching than he anticipated.
Analysis: Receiving generally good reviews at Sundance, the project marks a welcome return of the dark high school comedy which reached its apex with the surprisingly acidic "Heathers". The property also fuses a lot of classic crime noir staples into a modern school setting. The main complaint seems to be that the film is too busy with too many characters, not something that can be said about many of the other films aimed at teens these days.
Astro Boy
Opens: October 23rd 2009
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Kristen Bell, Donald Sutherland, Nathan Lane, Bill Nighy, Eugene Levy, Matt Lucas
Director: David Bowers
Summary: A CG animated feature based on the classic Japanese anime series. A young robot marshals his super powers and returns home to Metro City in a valiant effort to save everything he cares about and understand what it takes to be a hero.
Analysis: Unlike the older "Speed Racer" which few remember anymore, the original 60's and 80's cartoons remain very popular worldwide while the more recent 2003 series has kept the property fresh in the eyes of a younger generation. On the downside it's the same team that brought us the notably lackluster "TMNT" CG-animated movie. So, the often somber and surprisingly mature emotional storylines of the 80's series will likely be ditched in favor of toddler-friendly action.
Avatar
Opens: December 18th 2009
Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, CCH Pounder
Director: James Cameron
Summary: "Avatar" tells the story of an ex-Marine, thrust unwillingly into an effort to settle and exploit an exotic planet rich in bio-diversity, who eventually crosses over to lead the indigenous race in a battle for survival.
Analysis: The year's most anticipated and secret movie in many quarters and marking the return of "Aliens" and "Titanic" director James Cameron to the director's chair after twelve years absence. Opening in both conventional and IMAX 3D, the live action/CG motion-capture film promises to break technological ground. A solid cast, led by Aussie spunkrat Sam Worthington who's proven himself an excellent actor on the local scene here in Oz over the past ten years, and Cameron's unmatched skill at large scale epic sci-fi makes this one of the biggest efforts of the year.
Away We Go
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Toni Collette,
Jeff Daniels, Allison Janney, Catherine O'Hara
Director: Sam Mendes
Summary: A contemporary comedy directed by Oscar winner Sam Mendes ("American Beauty," "Road to Perdition"). The story follows the journey of an expectant couple as they travel the U.S. in search of a place to put down roots and raise a family.
Analysis: Ditching his normally heavy-handed drama like "Jarhead" and "Revolutionary Road", Mendes tries modern day comedy with an interesting cast. The premise sounds rather unexciting however.
Bad Lieutenant:
Port of Call New Orleans
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Coolidge, Fairuza Balk, Brad Dourif, Shawn Hatosy, Xzibit
Director: Werner Herzog
Summary: Drawing elements from the original film 1992 Abel Ferrara film "Bad Lieutenant" starring Harvey Keitel, this remake features a crooked cop (Cage) who is a drug addict and takes sexual favors for bribes.
Analysis: While on the surface this looks to be as pointless and dismissible a remake as Nic Cage's last few films (Wicker Man, Bangkok Dangerous), the involvement of acclaimed helmer Werner Herzog ("Rescue Dawn," "Grizzly Man") changes things. Original film helmer Abel Ferrara has been very vocal with his dispassion about the project in interviews, but Herzog has on the record dismissed his comments and claims that despite the title the project isn't really a remake at all.
The Boat that Rocked
Opens: Summer/Fall 2009
Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rhys Ifans, Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh, Nick Frost, Emma Thompson, Jack Davenport, January Jones
Director: Richard Curtis
Summary: In 1966, radio stations broadcast rock and pop music to up to 25 million people in the UK from ships anchored in the North Sea, outside of any national jurisdiction. The comedy tells of one such group of DJs at the forefront of the UK pirate radio movement.
Analysis: The first feature film from British director Richard Curtis ("Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Notting Hill") since 2003's "Love Actually", the cast is truly brilliant and the subject matter should provide a lot of endearing fun.
The Box
Opens: November 6th 2009
Cast: Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, Frank Langella
Director: Richard Kelly
Summary: A suburban couple receive a wooden box that will deliver to its owner a million dollars with the press of a button. The catch? Pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human somewhere in the world...someone they don't know.
Analysis: He won our hearts with the sublimely brilliant "Donnie Darko", then lost them with that film's useless director's cut and the disappointing "Southland Tales". Now Richard Kelly is back for a new film, taking the classic sci-fi short story previously adapted as a "Twilight Zone" episode and turning it into a feature. The premise has a lot of possibility, but numerous lengthy delays to the film's release aren't a good sign.
Bride Wars
Opens: January 9th 2009
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Kate Hudson, Candice Bergen, Kristen Johnston, Bryan Greenberg, Steve Howey
Director: Gary Winick
Summary: Two best friends since childhood have planned every detail of their respective weddings, however a clerical error causes a clash in wedding dates - they're now to be married on the same date. Now they find themselves in a no-holds-barred, take-no-prisoners struggle.
Analysis: This year's "27 Dresses", though thankfully the star power of Hudson and potential Oscar winner Hathaway make this an easier pill for those not easily pleased by 'chick flicks' to swallow. The teaming is also one of those that will be interesting to see how they play off each other.
Bright Star
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Ben Whishaw, Abbie Cornish, Thomas Sangster, Kerry Fox, Samuel Barnett, Samuel Roukin
Director: Jane Campion
Summary: Ninteenth century poet John Keats has a three year secret love-affair with the girl next door named Fanny Brawne which was cut short by his death at age 25.
Analysis: "The Piano" director Jane Campion's first feature since 2003's failed sexual thriller "In the Cut", this project looks more promising - especially the inclusion of upcoming British and Aussie thesps like Ben Whishaw and Abbie Cornish. It's main issue will be competition with that other, higher profile poet love-affair feature "The Edge of Love" with Keira Knightley and Cillian Murphy.
Broken Embraces
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Penelope Cruz, Lluis Homar, Blanca Portilla, Rossy de Palma, Kiti Manver, Chus Lampreave, Lola Duenas, Angela Molina
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Summary: A four-way tale of amour-fou, shot in the style of '50s American film noir at its most hard-boiled with signature Almodóvar themes such as Fate, the mystery of creation, guilt, unscrupulous power, the eternal search of fathers for sons, and sons for fathers.
Analysis: The always interesting Almodóvar returns with his regular leading lady Penelope Cruz after their biggest success together with "Volver". Little is known about the new project's details but even his weakest films are miles better than many other filmmaker's best.
The Brothers Bloom
Opens: May 15th 2009
Cast: Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz, Mark Ruffalo, Rinko Kikuchi, Robbie Coltrane, Maximilian Schell, Ricky Jay
Director: Rian Johnson
Summary: Two brothers have perfected the art of swindling fortunes through years of fraternal teamwork. Now they've decided to take on one last spectacular job—luring a beautiful and eccentric heiress into an elaborate plot that takes them around the world.
Analysis: Stunning the film community with his brilliant contemporary high school-set noir thriller "Brick", Rian Johnson returned to Toronto with this comedic caper that scored excellent reviews. Though the film was delayed almost six months from this past overcrowded Fall, the move looks to be a good one and gives more discerning viewers something to watch amidst blockbuster-heavy May.
Bruno
Opens: May 15th 2009
Cast: Sacha Baron Cohen, Alice Evans, Trishelle Cannatella, Sandra Seeling, Ben Youcef
Director: Dan Mazer
Summary: Sacha Baron Cohen's gay Austrian fashion reporter character Bruno comes to the big screen. Much like his Ali G and Borat personas, the film mixes interviews with Cohen in character - this time the humor targeting specifically men uncomfortable with homosexuality.
Analysis: Expected to be one of the biggest films of the Summer after the wild success of "Borat", it will be interesting to see if audiences find the more abrasive Bruno character as appealing. More awareness of Cohen's crazy antics will also make the on-camera reactions likely more forced than they were on "Borat". Also, the deliberate mocking of people with homophobic views may make this a tough sell with Borat's core crowd of college-age males, quite a few of whom unfortunately share some of those views.
Mitch Hurwitz, the creator of the acclaimed sitcom "Arrested Development", indicated to Fancast this week that at least one cast member of the show is holding out on the idea of the movie.
Asked about rumors that both Will Arnett ("Blades of Glory") and Michael Cera ("Superbad") are the lone hold outs, Hurwitz says "I don't want to talk about who is holding out right now because we might still work that out and I don't want to pressure anyone through the press...Although I will say that Will Arnett is gung-ho, so there's a big clue."
He also admits that because this is for the fans, the budget will be quite limited - "The fans have been so sincere in their fondness for it. That's really the big motivation to make the film. It's not like it's going to pay very much! It's a really low budget film."
Cirque du Freak
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: John C. Reilly, Ken Watanabe, Chris Massoglia, Josh Hutcherson, Patrick Fugit, Ray Stevenson
Director: Paul Weitz
Summary: The frightening tale of a boy who unknowingly breaks a 200-year-old truce between two warring factions of vampires. Pulled into a fantastic life of misunderstood sideshow freaks and grotesque creatures of the night, he will fulfill his destiny in a place drawn from nightmares.
Analysis: Based on the first of Darren Shan's Vampire Blood trilogy, this New Orleans-set, big-budget young adult horror film from Universal will probably be derided as a Twilight cash-in, but the project is more ambitious than that. Having seen his "About a Boy" co-director and brother Chris stumble with his "Golden Compass" adaptation, helmer Paul Weitz is under pressure to deliver and word from the production last year in Louisiana is that he has. Will probably surprise a lot of people.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Opens: September 18th 2009
Cast: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Bruce Campbell, Andy Samberg, Mr. T, Tracy Morgan
Director: Chris Miller, Phil Lord
Summary: Inspired by the beloved children's book, the story is set in the tiny town of Chewandswallow where the weather came three times a day and rained things like soup, juice, mashed potatoes, hamburgers, etc. Soon the food gets larger, leaving the town a mess and people fearing for their lives.
Analysis: A cute premise, a fun book and some interesting visuals. Nothing about this really jumps out, but it is one of the safer-looking kiddie fare features of the year.
Coco avant Chanel
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Audrey Tautou, Alessandro Nivola, Maria Gillain, Emmanuelle Devos, Benoît Poelvoorde
Director: Anne Fontaine
Summary: A biopic of the female icon, the story will focus on Chanel's revolutionary effect on the fashion industry after setting up her first shop in 1910. Her creations range from the menswear-inspired female suits, to the signature fragrance Chanel No. 5.
Analysis: One of the most anticipated European projects of the year, the choice of lauded but hard to categorize Luxembourg-born filmmaker Anne Fontaine to direct should yield an interesting project to say the least. Tautou herself will show up everywhere closer to release when she replaces Nicole Kidman as the face of Chanel in an elaborate advertising campaign to be directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet ("Amelie").
Cold Souls
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Paul Giamatti, David Strathairn, Emily Watson, Dina Korzun, Lauren Ambrose, Katheryn Winnick
Director: Sophie Barthes
Summary: A famous American actor who, undergoing existential crisis, needs relief from his weary soul and decides to explore "soul extraction" as a distraction from the burdens of daily life .
Analysis: A downright strange blend of all sorts of genres, this will face tough comparisons to similar much-loved eccentric indies like "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "The Science of Sleep". The film's upcoming Sundance screenings will play a big part in determining how reaction to this will unfold.
Confessions of a Shopaholic
Opens: February 13th 2009
Cast: Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Joan Cusack, John Goodman, John Lithgow, Kristin Scott Thomas, Leslie Bibb
Director: P.J. Hogan
Summary: In the glamorous world of New York City, a fun-loving girl snags a job as an advice columnist for a financial magazine. As her dreams are finally coming true, she goes to ever more hilarious and extreme efforts to keep her less-than-spendthrifty past from ruining her future.
Analysis: Former soapie actress Isla Fisher has stolen the show with her supporting turns in the likes of "Wedding Crashers" and "The Lookout", but can she handle being a lead? Producer Jerry Bruckheimer seems to think so and under-rated helmer P.J. Hogan ("My Best Friend's Wedding," "Peter Pan") obviously has faith in her. The premise sounds decidedly thin but if sold right it could be a solid little hit for its distributor.
Coraline
Opens: February 6th 2009
Cast: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Ian McShane
Director: Henry Selick
Summary: A 3D stop-motion animated adventure based on Neil Gaiman's book. A young girl finds a secret door and discovers an alternate and more idyllic version of her life on the other side. When that world turns dangerous, she must count on her resourcefulness to save her family.
Analysis: The first stop-motion animated adventure to be originally filmed in 3D, Neil Gaiman's beautiful original work, "A Nightmare Before Christmas" director Henry Selick at the helm - you can't get much better credentials than that. The only downside is that with only a month to go, Focus doesn't seem to be really pushing the film's promotion that hard - c'mon kids, snap to it.
The Countess
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Julie Delpy, William Hurt, Daniel Brühl, Anamaria Marinca, Jeanette Hain,
Director: Julie Delpy
Summary: Based on the true story of the most prolific female serial killer in history - Hungarian Countess Elizabeth Báthory. After her husband's death, she and her collaborators were accused of torturing and killing hundreds of girls. Never formally tried, she was put under house arrest and walled up in a set of rooms until her death four years later.
Analysis: The third directorial effort by Delpy after such success with her second film, 2007's "2 Days in Paris", sees the French actress take a darker turn. Despite the gothic horror elements of the Bathory legend (eg. bathing in virgin's blood) that have been played up in various films, Delpy claims this is much more a drama about the abuse of power. Though there was a concern about the rival Slovak project "Bathory" starring Anna Friel, that film came out this past July and didn't receive much attention.
Crank: High Voltage
Opens: April 17th 2009
Cast: Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Dwight Yoakam, Efren Ramirez, Clifton Collins Jr., Bai Ling
Director: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor
Summary: In this high-octane sequel, hitman Chev Chelios' (Statham) launches himself on an electrifying chase through Los Angeles in pursuit of the Chinese mobster who has stolen his nearly indestructible heart.
Analysis: The original 2006 actioneer cost just $12 million and made three times that domestically so a sequel was pretty certain. The first trailer shows this is just as, if not more ridiculously over the top than its predecessor with cartoonish violence and sex galore throughout. Will easily appeal to its young male target demo.
Creation
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly, Jeremy Northam, Toby Jones, Benedict Cumberbatch, Bill Patterson
Director: Jon Amiel
Summary: A biopic of evolutionary theory developer Charles Darwin, the 'Origin of Species' author finds himself in a struggle between his love for his deeply religious wife and his own growing belief in a world of rational realism where God has no place.
Analysis: The more star-powered and closer to completion of two rival Charles Darwin projects (the other, "Mrs. Darwin", stars Joseph Fiennes and Rosamund Pike). It's hard to say how this will go down as director Jon Amiel is known more for blockbuster action/thrillers like "Copycat" and "Entrapment" than awards fare. Yet he can pull it off with the right material, as demonstrated by his work on the multi-award winning BBC mini-series "The Singing Detective". Shots of Bettany walking around on set show what could well be the most complained about cinematic hairstyle since Tom Hanks' "Da Vinci Code" hairdo.
The Damned United
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Michael Sheen, Jim Broadbent, Colm Meaney, Timothy Spall, Stephen Graham, Peter McDonald
Director: Tom Hooper
Summary: Despite being considered one of the greatest managers of English football, Brian Clough had a nightmarish 44 days in charge of Leeds United football club. This looks at that period, a time when the club members were all against him and he was sacked for turning the winning team into a losing one.
Analysis: Though it'll almost certainly be a hit in Blighty, it's hard to see how this very British-specific tale will appeal to an international audience - many of whom have never heard of the Leeds club let alone Clough's short involvement with them. The great cast though does make it worth a look.
Daybreakers
Opens: September 11th 2009
Cast: Willem Dafoe, Ethan Hawke, Sam Neill, Vince Colosimo, Claudia Karvan, Isabel Lucas, Jay Laga'aia
Director: Peter and Michael Spierig
Summary: In the year 2017, a plague has transformed most every human into vampires. Faced with a dwindling blood supply, the dominant plots their survival; meanwhile, a researcher (Hawke) works with a covert band of vamps on a way to save the human race.
Analysis: While the constraints of a super low-budget kept 2003 Australian zombie film "Undead" from every really breaking out, the Spierig Brothers displayed such talent that many have been anticipating their follow-up. Finally it has arrived in the form of this $21 million vampire actioneer that should give the early Fall a good dose of action and fun.
The Descent: Part II
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Gavan O'Herlihy, Joshua Dallas, Anna Skellern, Douglas Hodge
Director: Jon Harris
Summary: A search and rescue team take sole survivor Sarah back to where the horrible events happened to find any possible answers and survivors. However, whilst down in the cave... things don't go to plan as the group fight for their lives against the crawlers.
Analysis: The 2005 British horror film "The Descent" was one of the best efforts of the genre this decade and scored excellent reviews upon its release. Yet doing a follow-up to that claustrophobic spelunking effort seems almost sacrilegious as there really is simply no need. Still many are curious to see if this film can keep the suspense as effective even with the original director Neil Marshall stuck only in a producing position this time.
Disney's A Christmas Carol
Opens: November 6th 2009
Cast: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Bob Hoskins, Robin Wright Penn, Cary Elwes, Fionnula Flanagan
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Summary: A 3D CG-animated feature based on the Dickens classic about Ebenezer Scrooge, a miser who on Christmas Eve is visited by three ghosts who take him on an eye-opening journey revealing truths he's reluctant to face.
Analysis: Zemeckis tries his "Polar Express" and "Beowulf" treatment on the famous story and with the power of Disney behind him. Despite the countless adaptations already on the market (I was quite partial to the animated one with Scrooge McDuck), expect this to do big business in the Fall.
District 9
Opens: August 14th 2009
Cast: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, David James, Mandla Gaduka, William Allen Young, Vanessa Haywood
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Summary: "District 9" depicts a fictional world where extraterrestrials have become refugees in South Africa.
Analysis: The South African-born, Canadian based Blomkamp made his name helming various short films that blended documentary-style hand-held filming with photo-realistic CG imagery. Winning advertising's coveted Grand Prix award for a commercial for the video game "Halo", he was all set to helm the film adaptation of that game before the project fell apart. Instead of heading back to commercials though he's gone and made a feature film remake of his acclaimed six-minute short "Alive in Joburg" which dealt with aliens struggling to integrate into the apartheid like culture of Johannesburg. Could prove one of the year's real surprises.
Donkey Punch
Opens: January 23rd 2009
Cast: Jaime Winstone, Julian Morris, Tom Burke, Nichola Burley, Jay Taylor, Robert Boulter
Director: Oliver Blackburn
Summary: After meeting at a nightclub, seven young twenty-somethings party aboard a luxury yacht in the middle of the Mediterranean. But when one dies in a freak accident the others argue about what to do, leading to a ruthless fight for survival.
Analysis: A British snuff horror film, 'Punch' demonstrates that the Brits can do pointless horror just as bad as everyone else. Reviews for the film were understandably dismissive and in some cases labeled it vile due to the sexual tone of the violence. Nevertheless a few solid horror film reviewers warmed to it, and it will be remembered if only for bringing the titular sexual act to unaware audiences.
For those curious I can save you $10 right now - a 'donkey punch' is when a man, anally penetrating his partner doggy style, punches the partner in the back of the neck to supposedly cause muscular contractions to enhance his orgasm. It's as dumb as it sounds with the act often dismissed as not working, and often resulting in injury or even death to the partner.
Dorian Gray
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Ben Barnes, Colin Firth, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Rebecca Hall, Emilia Fox, Ben Chaplin, Caroline Goodall
Director: Oliver Parker
Summary: An adaptation of the classic Oscar Wilde novel, the story follows the handsome young playboy Dorian Gray whose youth and beauty are sustained by a magical portrait of him - a painting that visibly displays the toll his true age and hedonistic lifestyle have reaped on his body.
Analysis: Despite countless adaptations over the years - including some recent incarnations of the character by the likes of Stuart Townsend, Josh Duhamel and David Gallagher - there hasn't been a truly definitive film version of Wilde's only novel since 1945's "The Picture of Dorian Gray". A large cast of talented British thesps, led by "Narnia" franchise beefcake Ben Barnes, should pull in adults and young girls alike.
Drag Me to Hell
Opens: May 29th 2009
Cast: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, Jessica Lucas, David Paymer, Dileep Rao
Director: Sam Raimi
Summary: A young female loan officer denies an old woman a home extension and in retaliation a curse is placed on her. Haunted by an evil spirit, she seeks help to save her soul from eternal damnation and crosses boundaries she never thought she would to be set free.
Analysis: What would be considered a completely generic horror movie with a dull cast is only getting attention due to one critical factor - this being Sam Raimi's first time directing a non-Spiderman project since 2000's "The Gift" and his first attempt at horror outside of the "Evil Dead" franchise. Should be worth a look at least.
Dragonball Evolution
Opens: April 8th 2009
Cast: Justin Chatwin, James Marsters, Jamie Chung, Emmy Rossum, Eriko Tamura, Joon Park, Chow Yun-Fat
Director: James Wong
Summary: A live-action adaptation of Akira Toriyama's manga and anime series. It tells the story of an alien sent to destroy Earth, who has a change of heart and decides to join the humans in their fight against various aliens and bad guys.
Analysis: While there may be fans of the original anime keenly anticipating this, lets face it - the trailers quite frankly make this look like a stinker of almost "The Spirit" or "Battlefield Earth" proportions which makes me want to watch it simply for the camp factor. The economically beleaguered Fox is going to have a real challenge trying to make this appeal outside the fanbase.
Duplicity
Opens: March 20th 2009
Cast: Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Giamatti, Rick Worthy
Director: Tony Gilroy
Summary: A former MI6 operative and a former CIA agent, who now sell their skills in the world of corporate espionageare, are engaged in a clandestine love affair. When they're hired by rival companies to secure the rights to a secret formula, the tactics get dirtier as their mutual attraction grows.
Analysis: Known more for penning serious fare like the 'Bourne' movies, Gilroy follows up his Oscar-winning directorial debut "Michael Clayton" with what looks like an outright spy-themed farce that quite frankly might rub people the wrong way. It could be this year's answer to the Coens brilliant and under-rated "Burn After Reading", then again it might get lost. Not helping is serious Clive Owen spy thriller "The Internationa" opening a few weeks before and looking remarkably similar in some ways.
Easy Virtue
Opens: May 22nd 2009
Cast: Jessica Biel, Ben Barnes, Kristin Scott Thomas, Colin Firth, Kimberley Nixon, Katherine Parkinson
Director: Stephan Elliott
Summary: In 1929, a young Englishman impetuously marries a sexy and glamorous American woman. Returning to his family home, his mother has an instant allergic reaction to her new daughter-in-law. A battle of wits between the two women ensue over the young man's affections.
Analysis: Aussie helmer Stephan Elliott ("Priscilla: Queen of the Desert," "Eye of the Beholder") directs this adaptation of Noel Coward's play and while the movie promises some sly fun, reviews out of Toronto were decidedly mixed with comments that generally dismissed the film as over-directed fluff with solid performances. Works well as counter-programming on the same weekend as the new "Terminator" sequel.
Edge of Darkness
Opens: Fall 2009
Cast: Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Denis O'Hare, Peter Hermann, Shawn Roberts
Director: Martin Campbell
Summary: Based on the hugely popular and multi-award-winning British TV miniseries which followed a cop unravelling the truth behind the brutal killing of his daughter. His investigations lead him into a murky world of corporate cover-ups and nuclear espionage with dark forces threatening the future of life on Earth.
Analysis: Though several great British mini-series have been turned into lackluster American film adaptations ("The Singing Detective," the upcoming "State of Play"), this one could be different in that original writer/director Martin Campbell is returning to the material over twenty years on and with several great films ("Casino Royale," "The Mask of Zorro," "Goldeneye") under his belt. Yet going against it is the inherent strangeness of the material with its sci-fi last act twist, the age of the material (Thatcher-ism and nuclear energy management are no longer hot topics), and the question of whether star Mel Gibson's box-office drawing power has been tarnished by his various PR debacles over the past few years.
The Edge of Love
Opens: Spring 2009
Cast: Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy, Matthew Rhys
Director: John Maybury
Summary: The story explores the bohemian underworld of war-torn London and the intimate complexities of two young couples whose lives and loves become dangerously intertwined when one of them, brilliant poet Dylan Thomas, falls for the other man's wife.
Analysis: Initially a quite high profile feature with the apparent hiring then exiting of Lindsay Lohan in the secondary female role, the film already opened in the UK to positive notices, though almost all had the stipulation that its style outclassed its substance.
The Escapist
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Brian Cox, Damien Lewis, Joseph Fiennes, Dominic Cooper
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Summary: The story of a motley crew of unlikely companions. Juxtaposing the intricate preparations for their break-out with the actual escape itself, it becomes an intense, existential drama about every man's need to free himself from confinement and to redeem himself for past failings.
Analysis: Scoring good notices at Sundance last year and in general release in the UK over the Summer, this surprisingly elaborate escape thriller has an ending that some saw as bold while others got notably pissed off at. Great actors at work - Brian Cox, Damian Lewis as the slimy crim kingpin on the inside, Steven Mackintosh as a quite disturbing rapist, even normally lightweight Joseph Fiennes channels his inner Rocky. Ladies and gay boys, missing the bald pouting prettiness of Wentworth Miller on "Prison Break", will be satisfied by the sight of tight-buttocked "Mamma Mia" hunk Dominic Cooper dressed only in a pair of red jocks.
Everybody's Fine
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore, Sam Rockwell, Melissa Leo, Katharine Moening
Director: Kirk Jones
Summary: A widower who realizes that his deceased wife was his only connection to his children. He decides on a whim to take a road trip to reconnect with each of his grown kids, discovering that their lives are far from perfect.
Analysis: Miramax's remake of the Giuseppe Tornatore film "Stanno Tutti Bene", the great cast looks promising but this will be heavy reliant on early word-of-mouth if it wants a chance to break out.
Every Little Step
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Bob Avian, Michael Bennett, Charlotte d'Amboise, Ramon Flowers, Jessica Lee Goldyn, Marvin Hamlisch
Director: Adam Del Deo, James Stern
Summary: Documentary following the plight of real-life dancers as they struggle through auditions for the Broadway revival of "A Chorus Line". It also investigates the history of the show and the creative minds behind the original and current incarnations.
Analysis: Screened to positive notices in Toronto who also call it a big old crowd pleaser, 'Chorus' is one of those musicals everyone knows and so there should be an in-built audience ready to enjoy this light and breezy affair.
Zasto Donkey Punch u tMA,zar tek sad ima premijeru u Americi !Po Evropi on barem pola godine luta po bioskopima ! :? 8) :evil:
Mickey Rourke has joined the ranks of "The Expendables," joining the ensemble of the Sylvester Stallone-directed action adventure for Nu Image/Millennium Films.
Rourke will play an unscrupulous arms dealer who becomes the go-to guy for a group of mercenaries planning to topple a South American dictator.
Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Randy Couture and Dolph Lungdren play the title characters. Forest Whitaker and Ben Kingsley are also circling the project.
The Stallone-scripted film begins shooting in March in Brazil. Avi Lerner, John Tompson and Kevin King Templeton are producing, with Boaz Davidson, Trevor Short and Danny Dimbort exec producers.
In recounting his rise to Oscar contention with "The Wrestler," Rourke has credited Stallone for helping him get back in the business at a low ebb, when Stallone met him at a restaurant and gave him a role in "Get Carter."
Rourke is starring in "13," the Gela Babluani-directed remake of the French thriller "13 Tzameti," which also stars Statham, Ray Winstone, Sam Riley, 50 Cent and Ray Liotta.
D.J. Caruso ("Eagle Eye," "Disturbia") is set to direct "Jack the Giant Killer", a more adult dramatic take on the classic 'Jack and the Beanstalk' fable, for New Line Cinema reports Variety.
When a princess is kidnapped, a long-standing peace between men and giants becomes threatened, and a young farmer is given an opportunity to lead a dangerous expedition to the giant kingdom to rescue her.
Mark Bomback ("Race to Witch Mountain") penned the script, and Neal Moritz is producing.
Following up a months-old rumor, it now seems that "Hot Fuzz" and "Shaun of the Dead" stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have been confirmed to be playing Thomson and Thompson in director Steven Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson's "Tintin" says AICN.
The pair join Andy Serkis as Captain Haddock, though Tintin himself remains to be cast after original star Thomas Sangster dropped out.
The 3D, $135 million CG motion-capture film is based on the two-part "The Secret of the Unicorn" and "Red Rackham's Treasure" books by Herge, both published in the 40's.
In the story, reporter Tintin buys a Spanish galleon miniature for Haddock which promptly gets damaged and reveals a hidden parchment. Later, upon finding his apartment ransacked, the hunt begins for two further parchments that could lead to a hidden pirate treasure that belonged to one of Haddock's ancestors.
The Thompson twins are essentially the comic relief of the series, in these books they have a subplot dealing with a kleptomaniac whose been lifting wallets from all around town.
Spielberg will direct the first installment scheduled for release in 2010.
I Love You, Man
Opens: March 20th 2009
Cast: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg, J.K. Simmons, Jane Curtin, Jon Favreau, Jaime Pressly
Director: John Hamburg
Summary: A newly engaged real estate agent realises he has no male friend close enough to serve as his Best Man. He sets out on a series of "man-dates," before meeting a charming, opinionated man with whom he bonds. But the closer they get, the more his relationship with fiancee suffers.
Analysis: While Judd Apatow isn't involved in this, the inclusion of two of his regulars Segal and Rudd, along with some other recognisable talent like Favreau, Simmons, Pressly and so on means that many are understandably mistaking it for one of his. The actual big name producer though is Ivan Reitman so expect this to be a bit tamer. Still, the premise is a solid one and should ring true with various males about to get or already married.
I Love You Philip Morris
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro
Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Summary: When a married local Texas policeman turns to cons and fraud to allow him to change his lifestyle, his subsequent stay in jail results in his meeting the love of his life, a sensitive fellow inmate named Phillip Morris. Russell soon attempts escape after escape and executes con after con, all in the name of love.
Analysis: One of the year's most interesting looking projects, the true story elements and very frank nature of the main character's gay love affairs push what looks like an otherwise straight up Jim Carrey comedy vehicle into territory that could surprise and hopefully rattle some cages. Helping that along is the directors who smashed through a lot of boundaries with the unrelentingly black comedy "Bad Santa" a few years ago. The film's premiere at this year's Sundance will go a long way to determining its viability and quality however.
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Opens: July 1st 2009
Cast: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah
Director: Carlos Saldanha
Summary: The third adventure of the CG animated prehistoric creatures. On a mission to rescue the hapless Sid, the gang ventures into a mysterious underground world, where they have some close encounters with dinosaurs, battle flora and fauna, run amuck - and meet a relentless, one-eyed, dino-hunting weasel named Buck.
Analysis: While the last sequel felt like it was decidedly running out of ideas, the incorporation of a 'Lost World' element and dinosaurs should add some much needed fire and action to the mix. The saber-toothed gopher Scrat and his acorn-fetish however are what sell these movies and the producers sound like they're giving him a lot more screen time in this outing.
The Imaginarium
of Doctor Parnassus
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, Jude Law, Christopher Plummer, Tom Waits, Verne Troyer
Director: Terry Gilliam
Summary: An immortal who made a Faustian-style deal to give up his first born when they came of age tries to stop 'Mr. Nick' from collecting. The wager is renegotiated with whomever seduces the five souls first winning the right to keep the child.
Analysis: The true final work of the late Heath Ledger who died midway through production, this very strange sounding fantasy does seem to take Terry Gilliam back to his strengths which are needed after the poorly-received "Tideland". How Gilliam will visually represent the role switching from Ledger to the other actors like Depp and Farrell at different points in the movie is one of the big questions many want to know right now (the other actors play versions of the character when he enters different fantasy realms).
The Informant
Opens: September 18th 2009
Cast: Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale, Melanie Lynskey
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Summary: Based on the true story. A rising executive suddenly turns whistleblower for the FBI, but requires evidence of his multi-national's price-fixing conspiracy. Imagining himself as a kind of de facto secret agent, his ever-changing account frustrates the agents and threatens the case.
Analysis: Soderbergh's account of the biggest corporate whistleblower in history will likely garner a lot more awards attention than his recently overlooked Che Guevera biopic. Damon gained a stomach paunch for the role, which means people will probably refer to this as the 'Matt Damon got fat' film if nothing else.
Inglorious Basterds
Opens: August 21st 2009
Cast: Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Melanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Daniel Bruhl, Eli Roth, Samm Levine, B.J. Novak
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Summary: In German-occupied France, a young girl who's family was executed flees to Paris and forges a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema. Elsewhere a squad of Jewish soldiers engage in targeted acts of retribution and their fates soon intertwine.
Analysis: Tarantino brings his self-aware long diatribes and penchant for extreme violence to the macho WW2 team movie most iconified by the likes of "The Dirty Dozen". The script leaked online long ago and has been very well-reviewed with many describing it as simply 'insane'. It also thankfully doesn't even try to be hisortically accurate in the slightest which should give it a lot of leeway with the fanboys but will likely lock it out of anything more serious than box-office glory. The late Summer release date is puzzling though.
Inkheart
Opens: January 23rd 2009
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Jim Broadbent, Andy Serkis, Sienna Guillory, Rafi Gavron
Director: Iain Softley
Summary: Mortimer "Mo" Folchart and his 12-year-old daughter, Meggie, share an extraordinary gift for bringing characters from books to life when they read aloud. But there is a danger: when a character is brought to life from a book, a real person disappears into its pages.
Analysis: The most expensive victim of the New Line collapse, the Brendan Fraser-led fantasy movie finallly hits almost a year and a half after its originally intended date release date. With the kiddie fantasy genre now seen as essentially dead outside of the Potter franchise, don't expect much from this.
The International
Opens: February 13th 2009
Cast: Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Brían F. O'Byrne
Director: Tom Tykwer
Summary: An Interpol agent and a Manhattan Assistant D.A. are determined to bring to justice one of the world's most powerful banks. Uncovering myriad and reprehensible illegal activities, they set out on a high-stakes chase from Berlin and Milan to New York and Istanbul.
Analysis: For someone who was very vocally against playing James Bond, Clive Owen has certainly gotten into playing action heroes that obviously wish they were 007. What looks like a very generic conspiracy thriller, not helped by an awful first trailer, may actually work due to two factors - obvious on-location shooting, and the past work of German director Tom Tykwer ("Run Lola Run," "Heaven," "Perfume") which should make this at least somewhat less conventional than its premise sounds.
Jennifer's Body
Opens: September 18th 2009
Cast: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, Adam Brody, J.K. Simmons
Director: Karyn Kusama
Summary: When a gorgeous cheerleader is possessed by a demon and starts feeding off the boys in a small Minnesota farming town, her "plain Jane" best friend must kill her, then escape from a correctional facility to go after the Satan-worshipping rock band responsible.
Analysis: One of the most anticipated early Fall releases, the project is the second script by Oscar-winning "Juno" scribe Diablo Cody while "Juno" director Jason Reitman has a producing credit. "Girlfight" and "Aeon Flux" helmer Karyn Kusama directs and the cast is superb, so it looks like it will easily be one of the year's best genre features.
John Rabe
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Ulrich Tukur, Steve Buscemi, Daniel Bruehl, Anne Consigny, Lu Huang, Zhang Jingchu
Director: Florian Gallenberger
Summary: German businessman John Rabe was a Nazi party member and Siemens executive who was able to create a safety zone within the Chinese city of Nanjing to protect civilians from Japanese atrocities which claimed the lives of an estimated 300,000 civilians during the 1937/38 massacre.
Analysis: A biopic of one of the more unusual unsung heroes of WW2, the mostly German and Chinese cast mean this will be relegated to the arthouse, but Buscemi's role as an American doctor who helped the victims will be a performance many will be looking out for.
Julie and Julia
Opens: August 7th 2009
Cast: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Jane Lynch, Vanessa Ferlito, Dave Annable, Chris Messina
Director: Nora Ephron
Summary: A 30-year-old secretary comes up with an unusual personal assignment - cook all 524 recipes in Julia Child's 1961 French cuisine recipe book over the space of a year. As the recipes get more complicated, she realizes she has turned her kitchen into a miracle of creation and cuisine.
Analysis: The teaming of Oscar nominees Streep and Adams in a purely uplifting chick flick, combined with direction from Ephron ("Sleepless in Seattle," "You've Got Mail") looks like it could be this year's "The Devil Wears Prada"-sized monster hit. There's also an interesting sounding mix of both the contemporary story of Adams' quest with flashbacks of Streep's trip through the French countryside assembling the book.
Kick-Ass
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Aaron Johnson, Lyndsy Fonseca, Mark Strong, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Summary: The comic book adaptation centers on a high school dweeb named Dave Lizewski who decides to become a superhero even though he has no athletic ability or coordination. Things change when he eventually runs into real bad guys with real weapons.
Analysis: After the surprising large success of the well-received "Wanted", the author of that comic (which bared little resemblance to the final film) gets another of his works translated in the form of this young superhero movie. What looks interesting here is that director Matthew Vaughn ("Stardust," "Layer Cake") took his time and assembled the film's finances in a way that let him have a LOT of control over what makes it into the film with little to no studio interference. The result should hopefully be something surprisingly edgy.
Killshot
Opens: January 23rd 2009
Cast: Diane Lane, Mickey Rourke, Johnny Knoxville, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Thomas Jane, Rosario Dawson
Director: John Madden
Summary: Carmen and her husband Wayne become entangled in a scam with a bumbling, small time con artist and his over-the-hill hitman partner the Blackbird. Ultimately, it all comes down to one wife, one husband, two killers... and one lethal killshot.
Analysis: A truly stunning cast, an Oscar-nominated director, a Tarantino producing credit, and a script based on an Elmore Leonard novel. Yet the film has been delayed over a year and is being dumped in early January which all indicates that despite the stellar mix of talent here, a stinker of high proportions is about to be unleashed.
Knowing
Opens: March 20th 2009
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Rose Byrne, Chandler Canterbury, Ben Mendelsohn, Terry Camilleri, Adrienne Pickering
Director: Alex Proyas
Summary: In 1958, a strange girl puts a paper with a list of numbers on it into a timecapsule. Fifty years later it's unearthed and ends up in the hands of a professor who learns its terrifying truth. The paper accurately predicted all global disasters of the past fifty years and an upcoming event that involves him and his son.
Analysis: What could be written off as another of tedious Nic Cage action feature (ala "Next," "Bangkok Dangerous") simply can't be so easily dismissed. Not only is the premise stronger than usual here, but this also marks the return of acclaimed Australian director Alex Proyas whose films like "The Crow," "Dark City" and "I, Robot" show that the man knows how to handle solid sci-fi storytelling. The film was delayed a few months from its original release, but was done well ahead of time and was said to have allowed Proyas proper time to do some final tweaking on it that he was keen to finish.
Land of the Lost
Opens: June 5th 2009
Cast: Will Ferrell, Danny R. McBride, Anna Friel, Jorma Taccone
Director: Brad Silberling
Summary: A has-been scientist, his crack smart assistant, and a redneck survivalist are sucked into space-time vortex and land back in prehistoric times. The trio have no weapons, few skills and questionable smarts to survive in an alternate universe full of marauding dinosaurs and fantastic creatures from beyond our world.
Analysis: A property that people are familiar with but not fanatically (allowing for changes), a trio of good comedy cast members, the "Lemony Snicket" director handling the visuals, the blessing of the original kids show creators the Krofts. It all sounds good, but a lot will depend upon tone which we won't know until we see some footage.
The Last House on the Left
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Tony Goldwyn, Monica Potter, Sara Paxton, Garret Dillahunt, Rhys Coiro, Martha MacIsaac, Aaron Paul
Director: Dennis Iliadis
Summary: Remake of the 1972 film "The Last House on the Left" directed by Wes Craven. A pair of adventurous teen girls are kidnapped, raped and murdered by a gang of thugs. The killers unwittingly hole up in the home of one victim's parents, who, upon realizing what their guests did, devise gruesome revenge.
Analysis: The original torture porn, Wes Craven's debut feature with its graphic rape and very believable tone remains his darkest and most confronting film to date, so much so it was banned for many years in several countries. Now comes the inevitable remake which will probably beef up the violent gore, town down the sexual violence, and essentially deliver a more mainstream interpretation.
The Last Station
Opens: 2009
Cast: Christopher Plummer, Helen Mirren, James McAvoy, Paul Giamatti, Anne-Marie Duff
Director: Michael Hoffman
Summary: Based on Jay Parini's 1990 novel, explores the turbulent final year in the life of the Russian writer and philosopher Leo Tolstoy and his troubled marriage to wife, Sofia. His trusted follower Chertkov becomes Sofia's cunning adversary.
Analysis: Despite some casting shifts, Anthony Hopkins and Meryl Streep were to originally play the couple, this $20 million adaptation under the helm of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" helmer Michael Hoffman should get a lot of attention later in the year - especially in international circles. The casting alone seems almost enough to guarantee awards talk.
Leaves of Grass
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Edward Norton, Tim Blake Nelson, Susan Sarandon, Richard Dreyfuss, Keri Russell, Lucy DeVito
Director: Tim Blake Nelson
Summary: A college classics professor is lured home from the Ivy League to the backwoods of Southeastern Oklahoma by his identical twin, a hedonistic, pot- smoking career criminal. He soon finds that Plato and Marcus Aurelius have ill-prepared him for dealing with homicidal yokels.
Analysis: A film that could either be Charlie Kaufman-like black comedy genius or a forgettable dope comedy, the inclusion of Norton as twins alone seems worth a look.
The Limits of Control
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Paz de la Huerta, Hiam Abbass, Gael García Bernal, Alex Descas, John Hurt, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Summary: This is the story of a mysterious loner, a stranger, whose activities remain meticulously outside the law. He is in the process of completing a job, yet he trusts no one, and his objectives are not initially divulged. The film is set in the striking and varied landscapes of contemporary Spain (both urban and otherwise).
Analysis: Acclaimed indie helmer Jarmusch ("Broken Flowers") tries the Woody Allen trick of moving his very American-set storytelling style to picturesque Spanish locales. Giving the lead roles to Spanish actors and the bit parts to Americans though will make for an interesting on-screen representation. Perfect festival fare.
Little Ashes
Opens: March 27th 2009
Cast: Javier Beltran, Robert Pattinson, Matthew McNulty, Marina Gatell, Adria Allue, Simón Andreu, Adrian Devant
Director: Paul Morrison
Summary: In 1922, Madrid is wavering on the edge of change. A young Salvador Dali, Federico Garcia Lorca and Luis Bunel form a trio of socially elite friends. As time passes, Salvador and Federico find their very close friendship one night becoming something else...
Analysis: The first post-"Twilight" project of Pattinson will really shake up his fanbase thanks to reports of scenes featuring nudity and gay sex. In many ways its a good project for the actor, establishing artistic cred in between the blockbuster "Twilight" movies, but the role of Dali is a challenging one and he may get a harsh reception if he doesn't handle it quite right. The subject matter itself is not without controversy, Dali famously denying the affair right up til his death despite glaring evidence to the contrary.
The Lodger
Opens: January 23rd 2009
Cast: Alfred Molina, Hope Davis, Simon Baker, Shane West, Rachael Leigh Cook, Donal Logue
Director: David Ondaatje
Summary: Based on the book on which Alfred Hitchcock's silent classic is also based. A grizzled detective is on the trail of a ruthless killer intent on slaughtering prostitutes along West Hollywood's Sunset Strip, one using grisly methods are identical to that of Jack the Ripper.
Analysis: Despite the likes of Molina, Davis and helmer Ondaatje involved, the January dumping date and quick-to-DVD release plan bode ill tidings for this thriller. The updating of the story to contemporary LA, though saving on expenses, has turned it into a very generic looking serial killer movie.
The Lonely Maiden
Opens: May 29th 2009
Cast: Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken, William H. Macy
Director: Peter Hewitt
Summary: The film centers on three museum security guards who have become attached to the artwork they've watched over for decades. When they learn their beloved pieces are to be transferred to another museum, they concoct a scheme to "steal" them back.
Analysis: Macy, Freeman and Walken in a heist movie together. Sounds inspired on first thought, and certainly the early-Summer limited release means the studio has high hopes for this as one of the potential more adult-oriented sleeper hits of the season.
Long Weekend
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Jim Caviezel, Claudia Karvan
Director: Jamie Blanks
Summary: A remake of the classic 1978 Australian thriller. The original features a couple under marital strain who set off for the coast for a vacation. As their weekend rolls on, nature inexplicably begins to react quite unkindly to this couple's presence.
Analysis: One of the classic cheesy 70's Ozploitation films gets a remake by "Valentine" and "Urban Legends" helmer Jamie Blanks. The theme of the environment fighting back is a more interesting one in our more enviromentally aware day and age, but it also invites comparisons to last year's odious "The Happening". Reviews for the film out of Toronto indicated this could be a surprise little sleeper for horror fans.
The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Ann-Margret, Ellen Burstyn, Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Evans
Director: Jodie Markell
Summary: A young and rebellious socialite boldly hires a farm hand to be her escort for the elaborate party season. As their passion grows and she defies social convention for a chance at real love, the loss of a priceless diamond sets off a series of accusations and betrayals that threaten to shatter their future.
Analysis: Reviews from Toronto last year were underwhelming, calling it an "admirably earnest but curiously flat attempt" and shooting down many hopes for the film's future. Based on an old and unproduced Tennessee Williams script, the film will likely be dumped in limited release sometime during the year.
The Lovely Bones
Opens: December 11th 2009
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Michael Imperioli, Saoirse Ronan
Director: Peter Jackson
Summary: Based on the critically acclaimed best-selling novel by Alice Sebold, the story centers on a young girl who has been murdered and watches over her family – and her killer – from heaven. She must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal.
Analysis: One of the most beloved and acclaimed books of the past decade with "Lord of the Rings" and "King Kong" helmer Peter Jackson in the director's chair promises this will be one of the biggest film releases of the Fall and an almost certain awards contender. A kerfuffle involving original star Ryan Gosling seems to have passed by without any real negative impact on the production.
Fame
Opens: September 25th 2009
Cast: Debbie Allen, Charles S. Dutton, Kelsey Grammer, Megan Mullally, Bebe Neuwirth, Thomas Dekker
Director: Kevin Tancharoen
Summary: Much like the Oscar-winning original, directed by Alan Parker, the story will track the failures and fortunes of super-ambitious young performers and their teachers as they navigate a school year at the prestigious High School for the Performing Arts in New York.
Analysis: An unnecessary remake, the idea here is to obviously cash in on a whole new soundtrack and a re-release of the title number. Other than that, its a generic cast of young-uns - headlined by teen hunk Thomas Dekker from "Heroes" and the "Terminator" TV series - meeting some great older actors who obviously seem to be here to collect a paycheck. One of 2009's more cynical endeavours.
Fanboys
Opens: February 6th 2009
Cast: Sam Huntington, Chris Marquette, Dan Fogler, Jay Baruchel, Kristen Bell, Carrie Fisher, Ray Park
Director: Kyle Newman
Summary: It's 1998 and three former high school friends reunite to undertake the road trip of their fan-tasies - visiting George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch with plans to break in, steal "Star Wars: Episode I" and stake their claim as the first fanboys in history to watch it.
Analysis: The long-delayed, controversially changed and then later restored comedy about geeky fanboys arrives nearly two years after it was originally intended to hit. After so many issues behind-the-scenes, it's hard to imagine this living up to any of the hoopla that has surrounded it. Those going in who aren't aware of all the elaborate backstory will probably appreciate it more.
Fast and Furious
Opens: April 3rd 2009
Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, John Ortiz, Laz Alonso, Gal Gadot
Director: Justin Lin
Summary: When a crime brings them back to L.A., fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto reignites his feud with agent Brian O'Conner. But as they are forced to confront a shared enemy, Dom and Brian must give in to an uncertain new trust if they hope to outmanuever him.
Analysis: With 'Tokyo Drift' not proving much of a winner, Universal has brought back the main cast members from the first "The Fast and the Furious" for this fourth time round. Diesel, Walker, Rodriguez and Brewster all went on to other projects but none of them really found great success so this coming back has a mild tinge of desperation about it. Yet the teaser trailer was actually pretty fun so who knows, it could be the best yet.
The Fighter
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Brad Pitt
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Summary: Dicky Eklund is a talented fighter who once went the distance with Sugar Ray Leonard, but then turned to crime and landed in prison. Turning his life around, he helps his underperforming half-brother find the spark for a remarkable run that led to the world lightweight champion title.
Analysis: Following up such great acclaim for his Mickey Rourke comeback effort "The Wrestler", Darren Aronofsky skews into another sports-themed story with this boxing drama. Mark Wahlberg has been working out for a year to get into shape, and the teaming of Pitt and Aronofsky that was supposed to happen with "The Fountain" will finally flower here. One of the year's most anticipated awards contenders.
Fighting
Opens: April 24th 2009
Cast: Channing Tatum, Terrence Howard, Brian White, Luis Guzman, Zulay Henao
Director: Dito Montiel
Summary: A scam artist sees that a small-town kid now living destitute in New York has a natural talent for streetfighting. The two form an uneasy partnership as the enter the corrupt bare-knuckle circuit where rich men bet on disposable pawns. Almost overnight, he becomes a star brawler.
Analysis: Dito Montiel's follow-up to the well-received but barely seen "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints", this takes "Step Up" star Tatum into territory that sounds much like last year's "Never Back Down". Yet Montiel's skill at showing the poorer and grittier side of New York in 'Saints' should lend this some good credibility.
Final Destination: Death Trip 3D
Opens: August 21st 2009
Cast: Shantel VanSanten, Bobby Campo, Haley Webb, Nick Zano, Krista Allen, Andrew Fiscella
Director: David R. Ellis
Summary: On what should have been a fun-filled day at the races, Nick O'Bannon has a horrific premonition in which a bizarre sequence of events causes multiple race cars to crash, sending flaming debris into the stands, brutally killing his friends.
Analysis: The fourth film in the series brings back the second film's director David Ellis whose chapter was the lightest and most fun of the series. This time the major disaster is a car racing stadium collapse with various unknown teens, but the 3D aspect and the series avoidance of nasty gore in favor of elaborate setups should make this one of the more fun films to use the gimmick.
Friday the 13th
Opens: February 13th 2009
Cast: Jared Padalecki, Danielle Panabaker, Aaron Yoo, Amanda Righetti, Travis Van Winkle
Director: Marcus Nispel
Summary: A re-imagining of the classic horror film "Friday the 13th." Searching for his missing sister, Clay heads up to the eerie woods of legendary Crystal Lake, where he stumbles on the creaky remains of rotting old cabins. He, and some college kids are about to find much more than they bargained for.
Analysis: Another unnecessary remake, this follows in the footsteps of 2007's simply pointless "Halloween" re-tread. The good news is Platinum Dunes is better at this sort of thing than Rob Zombie, and the company has brought back Director Marcus Nispel who did the effective "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" reboot a few years back. Considering the sorry state of some of the previous 'Friday' sequels, this should at least prove more interesting than them. It's also great to see "Supernatural" star Padalecki get a chance to strut his stuff on the big screen.
Funny People
Opens: July 31st 2009
Cast: Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman, RZA, Aubrey Plaza
Director: Judd Apatow
Summary: A famed comedian learns that he has a rare untreatable blood disorder, and only has six months to a year left to live. Taking a 25-year-old deli counter worker and aspiring stand-up comedian under his wing, he sets out to resolve things with his remarried ex-wife.
Analysis: Judd Apatow's third directorial effort after "The 40 Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up" is said to be funnier and darker than his previous fare which has often drifted into sickly sweet sentimental territory at the cost of realism (abortion is only vaguely brought up once in all 2.5 hours of "Knocked Up" for example). As long as he can keep the runtime to a more manageable level than usual, and fully exploit talents like Sandler, Bana and Schwartzman - this should prove one of the year's biggest comedy hits.
G-Force
Opens: July 24th 2009
Cast: Bill Nighy, Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis, Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Jon Favreau, Penelope Cruz
Director: Hoyt Yeatman
Summary: A comedy adventure about the latest evolution of a covert government program to train animals to work in espionage. Armed with the latest high-tech spy equipment, these highly trained guinea pigs discover that the fate of the world is in their paws.
Analysis: Never underestimate kid-friendly cute critter movies as box-office juggernauts "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" and "Marley and Me" so ably demonstrated this year. Jerry Bruckheimer is producing so expect some bang for your buck, and the late Summer slot means there's little competition for its target demographic until Robert Rodriguez's "Shorts" two weeks later.
Game
Opens: September 4th 2009
Cast: Gerard Butler, Michael C. Hall, Alison Lohman, Amber Valletta, Logan Lerman, Kyra Sedgwick, Ludacris
Director: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor
Summary: Set in a future-world where humans can control other humans in mass-scale, multi-player online gaming environments, a star player from a game called "Slayers" looks to regain his independence while taking down the game's mastermind.
Analysis: The guys behind "Crank" and "Pathology" bring their twisted attitudes and taste for reality-defying violence and sex to a virtual game thriller - an environment where that kind of action is actually more believable and fitting. An excellent cast with "300" star Butler, Dexter's Michael C. Hall and even "The Closer" herself Kyra Sedgwick get to go wild. On paper it seems more promising than Neveldine and Taylor's previous work, but we'll see.
Gatchaman
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Not Available
Director: Kevin Munroe
Summary: CG-animated feature based on the classic anime "Battle of the Planets" (aka. "G-Force"). Set in a future world grappling with environmental and technological issues, the story focuses on five reluctant heroes whose remarkable genetic code makes them Earth's only hope of defeating extra-terrestrial invaders.
Analysis: While one shudders to think of the ways Imagi may screw up the "Astro Boy" property like their lackluster "TMNT" did with the Ninja Turtles, this more action-oriented property certainly lends itself more to the CG-animated approach. Certainly the storyboards really look quite spectacular and epic in scope, giving sci-fi fans a new action-heavy space saga to get behind.
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
Opens: May 1st 2009
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Lacey Chabert, Michael Douglas, Emma Stone, Anne Archer
Director: Mark S. Waters
Summary: A committed bachelor, who thinks nothing of breaking up with multiple women on a conference call, looks like he may ruin his brother's wedding, he is visited by the ghosts of his former jilted girlfriends, who take him on a revealing and hilarious odyssey through his failed relationships.
Analysis: Aside from a beautiful wedding, one of the top female fantasies must be the ability to turn a dedicated bachelor who refuses to settle down into a loving committed partner. The reality is men rarely change, so consider this "A Christmas Carol"-style story as porn for the hopless romantics out there. A good cast and director should help, but the problematic behind-the-scenes issues with Ben Affleck commiting to then leaving the role which McConaughey then took over does bring up questions about its quality.
G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra
Opens: August 7th 2009
Cast: Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller, Christopher Eccleston, Ray Park, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Director: Stephen Sommers
Summary: From the Egyptian desert to deep below the polar ice caps, the elite G.I. JOE team uses the latest in next-generation spy and military equipment to fight the corrupt arms dealer Destro and the growing threat of the mysterious Cobra organization to prevent them from plunging the world into chaos.
Analysis: Already being snickered about as a disaster of "Battlefield Earth" proportions, the idea of changing the very ra-ra patriotism toy line into a more global-friendly live-action movie sounds utterly ridiculous. A good cast is in place, but so is director Stephen Sommers ("The Mummy," "Van Helsing") who doesn't understand the meaning of the word subtlety let alone quality. Could surpise though and turn out to be just mediocre.
Green Zone
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Matt Damon, Jason Isaacs, Greg Kinnear, Brendan Gleeson, Amy Ryan, Yigal Naor, Antoni Corone
Director: Paul Greengrass
Summary: A pair of CIA agents go in search of evidence of weapons of mass destruction during the Iraq occupation. Meanwhile a news correspondent is following their mission and taking notes. Based upon the acclaimed book "Imperial Life in the Emerald City".
Analysis: As has been proven for several years now, no-one really gives a rat's ass about Iraq-themed dramas. Yet the re-teaming of "Bourne" franchise helmer Greengrass and star Matt Damon, together in a setting that actually lends itself to Greengrass' often frustrating shaky cam style of filming, promises to be one of the more seriously regarded dramas of the Fall.
H2
Opens: August 28th 2009
Cast: Not Available
Director: Rob Zombie
Summary: "H2" will pick up at the exact moment the first movie stopped and follow the aftermath of Michael Myers murderous rampage through the eyes of heroine Laurie Strode.
Analysis: A pointless sequel to the tedious remake, it doesn't get much more bottom of the barrel for horror fans than this tripe. Then again the original "Halloween 2" wasn't exactly glorious cinema so who knows.
Harry Potter and
the Half-Blood Prince
Opens: July 17th 2009
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Jim Broadbent, Robbie Coltrane, Michael Gambon
Director: David Yates
Summary: Dumbledore and Harry work to find the key to unlock Voldemort's defenses. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts and Harry finds himself more and more drawn to Ginny.
Analysis: The studio's decision to delay this eight months has only increased the anticipation for the film. With its focus on teenage hormones, the return of staples like Quidditch, the significant involvement of some supporting characters who've been short changed in the movies of late, and of course the already famous ending - this already looks like it'll go down as one of the fan's favorite chapters in the franchise.
He's Just Not That Into You
Opens: February 6th 2009
Cast: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Connolly, Scarlett Johansson
Director: Ken Kwapis
Summary: An all-star cast is featured in the stories of a group of interconnected, Baltimore-based twenty- and thirtysomethings as they navigate their various relationships from the shallow end of the dating pool through the deep, murky waters of married life.
Analysis: A truly astounding ensemble cast will pull in a lot of people to this otherwise conventional rom-com about modern love and relationships. The multiple stories approach in this kind of genre is always a gamble though as often only one or two of the subplots reallly click with us while the rest just take up time and often sour us from revisiting even those moments we liked. Will depend upon early review reaction.
The Horsemen
Opens: March 13th 2009
Cast: Dennis Quaid, Ziyi Zhang, Lou Taylor Pucci, Clifton Collins Jr., Patrick Fugit, Eric Balfour, Peter Stormare
Director: Jonas Akerlund
Summary: A bitter, emotionally distanced detective investigates a series of murders of rare violence. He soon discovers a terrifying link between himself and the suspects in a chain of murders that seem to be based on Biblical prophecies.
Analysis: A supposedly quite gory serial killer thriller, nothing here really seems that dynamic short of the inclusion of 'Crouching Tiger' actress Zhang Ziyi as a potential suspect. Akerlund made a name for himself a few years ago with the hardcore drug addict drama "Spun" so his take on this overcrowded and formulaic genre may offer one or two interesting angles.
Howl
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: James Franco, David Strathairn, Alan Alda, Jeff Daniels, Mary-Louise Parker, Paul Rudd
Director: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
Summary: A 1950s-era tale, focusing on the obscenity trial launched to censor poet Allen Ginsberg's groundbreaking and controversial book-length poem 'Howl'. Animated segments will recreate the poem itself.
Analysis: Already labelled as this year's "I'm Not There", this unusual semi-biopic take on Ginsberg mixes censorship and morality issues with animated segments and 50's counter-culture themes. Franco, decidedly overlooked by many this year for his brilliantly understated "Milk" work, will probably get a lot more attention for his role as Ginsberg. A truly excellent supporting cast make this very much awards fare.
The Human Factor
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman
Director: Clint Eastwood
Summary: Covers the campaign by rugby star Francois Pienaar and President Nelson Mandela to secure the 1995 Rugby World Cup to give the whites and blacks in South Africa a common cause to rally around as the country was trying to heal from the wounds of apartheid.
Analysis: If you thought Eastwood's two films this year were Oscar bait, just wait til this comes out. Many have been clamoring for Freeman to portray Mandela over the years, most notably in a film adaptations of Mandela's own "Long Walk to Freedom" biography. While that project never happened, having him do it here - and under the helm of Eastwood - seems a match made in heaven. Using Rugby Union as the introduction point will guarantee this big international business but may limit its American appeal as the game isn't well-known States-side.
Tsui Hark ("Once Upon a Time in China," "Zu Warriors") will direct Andy Lau in the $13 million period martial arts suspense thriller "Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame" for Huayi Brothers says The Hollywood Reporter.
Chen Kuofu's script is set during the Tang Dynasty in 690 A.D. around the time of the inauguration of Empress Wu, China's only female leader.
When mysterious deaths of a series of loyal subjects threaten to delay the ceremony, she calls the infamous Detective Dee (Lau) back from an exile into which she cast him eight years earlier.
Dee accepts the challenge and partners with gung-ho Commander Bei and the Ghost Doctor, a master of disguise, to solve the crimes.
Though the case is fiction made for the film, Dee was a real figure (more of a judge than a detective). Casting for the other roles is still underway.
Shooting gets underway Hong Kong, Beijing, Hangzhou and Henan beginning in May for a release in the Summer of 2010.
Mao's Last Dancer
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Kyle McLachlan, Joan Chen, Bruce Greenwood, Amanda Schull, Jack Thompson, Aden Young
Director: Bruce Beresford
Summary: At the age of 11, Li Cunxin was plucked from a poor Chinese village by Madame Mao's cultural delegates and taken to Beijing to study ballet. In 1979, during a cultural exchange to Texas, he fell in love with an American woman. Later he managed to defect and went on to perform in the US and Australia.
Analysis: A "rags to riches story par excellence" says Beresford, the Aussie helmer behind such acclaimed films as "Driving Miss Daisy," "Breaker Morant," "Black Robe" and "Paradise Road". Though his last three films barely scored releases, the multiple Oscar-nominee is still regarded as a master of the craft and many have just been waiting for him to get the right vehicle to match his skill with small-scale dramas. He's spent at least two years on this project and the results should hopefully prove fruitful.
Mary and Max
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Toni Collette, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Humphries, Eric Bana
Director: Adam Elliot
Summary: Claymation feature following the simple story of a 20-year pen-pal friendship between two very different people: Mary Dinkle, a chubby, lonely 8-year-old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, and Max Horowitz, a 44-year-old obese Jewish man with Asperger's syndrome living an isolated life in New York City.
Analysis: Scoring an Oscar for his brilliant claymation short "Harvie Krumpet", director Adam Elliott has assembled this full-length claymation feature that took five years to develop. It's also about to become a very high profile film thanks to its prestigious spot as the opening film of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, the first time an animated feature has achieved such status. If reviews for that go well, this could mean another Oscar for Elliott and his team come next February.
Me and Orson Welles
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Zac Efron, Claire Danes, Christian McKay, Ben Chaplin, Kelly Reilly, Eddie Marsan, Leo Bill
Director: Richard Linklater
Summary: Set in the heady world of New York theatre, a teenage student lucks his way into a minor role in the 1937 Mercury Theatre production of "Julius Caesar," directed by 22-year-old genius Orson Welles. Over the course of a week he fell in and out of love.
Analysis: Though teen heartthrob Zac Efron is what will get many through the door, screenings in Toronto last year labeled Richard Linklater's new film as merely a solid little drama but with a truly exceptional and possibly awards-caliber performance by stage actor Christian McKay and his portrayal of the legendary Orson Welles. Will be interesting to see where they schedule a release for it.
Men Who Stare at Goats
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, Rebecca Mader, Terry Serp
Director: Grant Heslov
Summary: A desperate reporter stumbles upon the story of a lifetime when he meets a man who claims to be a former secret U.S. military psychic soldier who was re-activated post-9/11. The pair travel through Iraq and look into the secret Army unit tasked with creating paranormal powered soldiers.
Analysis: An utterly strange sounding black comedy, the stellar cast and Clooney's production partner Heslov directing means this will probably be a critical gem. Will it find an audience, especially one which has shown great aversion to Iraq war-themed films in recent years? We'll see.
Middle of Nowhere
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Susan Sarandon, Eva Amurri, Anton Yelchin, Justin Chatwin, Willa Holland
Director: John Stockwell
Summary: Romantic comedy in which a young woman rebels when she discovers her mother has blown her college money on the pageant aspirations of her younger sister.
Analysis: Real-life mother and daughter Susan Sarandon and Eva Amurri play the leads in this coming-of-age comedy that scored mediocre reviews in Toronto last year. "Blue Crush" and "Turistas" helmer John Stockwell helms what's described as a formulaic tale which focuses far too much on Amurri's bustline according to one reviewer.
Moon
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey, Matt Berry, Kaya Scodelario, Benedict Wong, Malcolm Stewart, Robin Chalk
Director: Duncan Jones
Summary: Sam Bell has spent the last three years alone mining precious Helium 3 on a moon base. With just two weeks to go before his contract ends, he starts seeing things and feeling strange. He soon learns his bosses have their own plans for replacing him and the new recruit is eerily familiar.
Analysis: An arthouse, low-budget sci-fi flick. This very internal drama rests all its potential on the shoulders of Rockwell who has proven himself many times before to be one of the best actors of his age currently out there. Can the film itself be sustained for its runtime without becoming to depressing or ridiculous? We'll see.
Monsters vs. Aliens
Opens: March 27th 2009
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, Stephen Colbert, Kiefer Sutherland, Paul Rudd
Director: Rob Letterman, Conrad Vernon
Summary: A group of people turned into monsters by accident find their government incarceration cut short when a mysterious alien robot lands on Earth and begins storming the country. The motley crew is enlisted to combat the Alien Robot and save the world.
Analysis: Though various films have been converted to the recent Real-3D technology, and some have been made with it deliberately in mind (ala "Journey to the Center of the Earth"), this Dreamworks Animation feature is generally considered the first real feature developed for truly demonstrating the new technology. Visiting the studios last year, the results are highly impressive with scenes being changed and adjusted to avoid issues that come with the technology such as eye strain and an avoidance of hyper-editing. The story looks like a lot of fun too, something that can't be said for many of the other animated features this year.
Mr. Nobody
Opens: 2009
Cast: Jared Leto, Diane Kruger, Sarah Polley, Rhys Ifans
Director: Jaco Van Dormael
Summary: In the year 2092, a time when Mars is a vacation spot, Nemo Nobody is a 120-year-old man who is the last mortal among humans who have become immortal due to scientific advances. When Nemo is on his deathbed, he reviews the three possible existences and marriages he might have experienced.
Analysis: A $58 million, English language, Belgian experimental sci-fi feature shot in 2007 is led by Leto who says he plays "twelve different versions of one life". Director Jaco Van Dormael has been pursuing this project since 2001 and at this price it is easily the most expensive Belgian film to date. Yet funding came relatively easy based on Dormael's skill and what was said to be the strength of his script which has already been published. The film display's Nemo's life in three stages, and each life's design was also based on the work of British photographer Martin Parr. Certainly amongst the year's strangest projects.
My Bloody Valentine 3D
Opens: January 16th 2009
Cast: Jensen Ackles, Jaime King, Kerr Smith, Betsey Rue, Edi Gathegi, Tom Atkins, Kevin Tighe, Megan Boone
Director: Patrick Lussier
Summary: Tom, an inexperienced coal miner causes a fatal accident and a year on the sole survivor awakes from his coma seeking revenge. Now, a decade after that incident Tom returns home to find things have changed, but the killer may have also returned to finally finish the job.
Analysis: The recent improvement in stereoscopic 3D has been confined to kids films for the most part so far, making this experiment with what's otherwise a pointless slasher remake more interesting than it deserves to be. "Supernatural" star Ackles should make for a better lead than usual, but the premise just sounds ridiculous. Still, axes swinging at audience members in full 3D should at least deliver some screams from the jumpy types.
My Life in Ruins
Opens: May 8th 2009
Cast: Nia Vardalos, Richard Dreyfuss, Harland Williams, Rachel Dratch
Director: Donald Petrie
Summary: Georgia has lost her spark. Discouraged by her lack of direction in life, she works as a travel guide, leading a rag-tag group of tourists as she tries to show them the beauty of her native Greece. While opening their eyes to an exotic foreign land, she too begins to see things in new ways.
Analysis: "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" creator Vardalos had a major sleeper hit, then followed it up with the atrocious drag comedy "Connie and Carla" which promptly bombed. Now she's back on more comfortable soil with this light romantic comedy. The idyllic Greek Islands location shooting should also deliver some beautiful scenery. Still, don't expect a 'Wedding' style hit.
My Sister's Keeper
Opens: June 26th 2009
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Alec Baldwin, Sofia Vassilieva, Joan Cusack, Jason Patric, Thomas Dekker
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Summary: A couple live an idyllic life with their young son and daughter. But sudden, heartbreaking news forces them to make a difficult and unorthodox choice in order to save their baby girl's life. Their actions ultimately set off a court case that threatens to tear the family apart.
Analysis: Though the likes of "Alpha Dog" and "John Q" never took off, director Nick Cassavetes scored a free pass from a large amount of people for 2004's touching romance "The Notebook". It's doubtful this more dramatic family bonding drama will hit as well, but it does for once give Diaz at least something a bit meatier than she usually gets to show off her range.
Nutcracker: The Untold Story
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: John Turturro, Nathan Lane, Elle Fanning
Director: Andrei Konchalovsky
Summary: A nine-year-old neglected girl is given the gift of a wooden nutcracker doll who comes to life and takes her on a wondrous journey though a stunning dimension where toys assume human form and everything appears ten times larger.
Analysis: A strange sounding fantasy musical, the big news here is that Tim Rice is contributing lyrics to eight new songs using Tchaikovsky's scores which means the soundtrack will probably be more interesting than the film.
New Moon
Opens: November 20th 2009
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Peter Facinelli
Director: Chris Weitz
Summary: The second film in the "Twilight" series. Bella Swan is devastated by the abrupt departure of her vampire love Edward but her spirit is rekindled by her growing friendship with the irresistible Jacob Black. Suddenly she finds herself drawn into the world of the werewolves, ancestral enemies of the vampires, and finds her loyalties tested.
Analysis: With the first film being one of last year's biggest hits, newly formed Summit Entertainment seems to have gotten cocky and is rushing forward with their franchise - making many fans concerned that quality is going to be sacrificed in favor of haste. The very public firing of original director Hardwicke, one of the first film's great strengths, and her being replaced by the more conventional Chris Weitz seems a bad move. The recasting of Jacob will also cause some consternation. They may pull it off however, but only time and a bunch of rabid fan blogs will tell.
New in Town
Opens: January 30th 2009
Cast: Renee Zellweger, Harry Connick Jr., J.K. Simmons, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Frances Conroy, Mike O'Brien
Director: Jonas Elmer
Summary: An ambitious executive living in Miami is offered a temporary assignment - in the middle of nowhere - to restructure a manufacturing plant. The job soon becomes a life changing experience as Lucy discovers greater meaning in her life and most unexpectedly, the man of her dreams.
Analysis: A cute little comedy about big city girl falling for small town living, this marks Zellweger's first return to romantic comedy genre since the "Bridget Jones" sequel and could be seen as a test as to whether she still has the chops to pull it off.
New York, I Love You
Opens: February 13th 2009
Cast: Kevin Bacon, Orlando Bloom, James Caan, Hayden Christensen, Ethan Hawke, John Hurt, Shia LaBeouf, Natalie Portman, Christina Ricci
Director: Various
Summary: Twelve separate segments connected together via transitional linking sequences. New York City is the main unifying character and the films will show the city as a living, breathing and loving whole.
Analysis: A follow-up to the festival adored anthology "Paris, je t'aime", this time the setting is the less exotic Big Apple but the cast is more recognizable, and the directors list is surprising with the likes Mira Nair, Shekhar Kapur, Allen Hughes, Yvan Attal, Brett Ratner, Fatih Akin and actresses Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman each helming segments. Reviews of a work-in-progress screening in Toronto were kind but not gushingly positive.
Nailed
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jessica Biel, James Marsden, Catherine Keener, Tracy Morgan, James Brolin
Director: David O. Russell
Summary: A socially awkward small-town receptionist has a nail accidentally shot into her head by a clumsy workman, eliciting wild sexual urges. She soon goes on a crusade to fight for the rights of the bizarrely injured and meets an immoral congressman who takes advantage of her.
Analysis: Already infamous before any material has been shown, this dark comedy had more on-set troubles that pretty much any other production in this whole guide. From numerous stops and starts caused by financial woes to reported screaming diva behavior not from Biel but rather Gyllenhaal, and of course Russell's famously fiery persona that rubs a lot of people the wrong way - the unreleased EPKs would be a real collector's item. Still Russell has delivered the goods with the likes of "Three Kings" and "I Heart Huckabees" so we'll see what ends up on the screen.
Nine
Opens: September 9th 2009
Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cottilard, Penelope Cruz, Kate Hudson, Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren
Director: Rob Marshall
Summary: Based on the Broadway musical and inspired by Fellini's classic film "8 1/2". World famous film director Guido Contini prepares his latest picture and balances the numerous women in his life - his wife, his sultry mistress, his film star muse, his confidant and costume designer, his mother and a young American fashion journalist.
Analysis: The year's biggest musical, an all-star cast of award winners and "Chicago" helmer Rob Marshall hope to strike Oscar glory again with the Fellini-inspired feature. The release date gimmick is cute, but the film may be better poised later in the year when musicals have become a recent staple.
Night at the Museum:
Battle of the Smithsonian
Opens: May 22nd 2009
Cast: Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Hank Azaria, Robin Williams, Ricky Gervais, Owen Wilson, Christopher Guest
Director: Shawn Levy
Summary: It's a new "Night" and "Museum" for Ben Stiller, who is joined by several other stars from the original film, as well as new characters from history - including Amy Adams as famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart, Hank Azaria as villainous Egyptian pharaoh Ka Mun Rah, Christopher Guest as Russian tyrant Ivan the Terrible.
Analysis: The first film was a runaway smash, so the sequel was inevitable. Armed with a stronger cast, most notably plucky Adams as Amelia Earhart, and the more ambitious setting of the Smithsonian museum - expect this to be one of the year's biggest hits.
Ninja Assassin
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Rain, Naomie Harris, Ben Miles, Sho Kosugi, Rick Yune
Director: James McTeigue
Summary: Raizo (Rain) is one of the deadliest assassins in the world. Haunted by the merciless execution of his friend by his bosses, he breaks free and vanishes. Now he waits, preparing to exact his revenge. Meanwhile a Europol agent has stumbled upon a money trail linking back to Raizo's agency.
Analysis: Korean pop star Rain bares his bloodied pecs in this hyper-violent action frenzy from Joel Silver. Originally slated for last Fall, its pushing back indicates the studio may have difficulty marketing it domestically where not many people are aware of him outside of regular "The Colbert Report" viewers or "Speed Racer" fans. Internationally however expect this to do gangbusters.
Notorious
Opens: January 16th 2009
Cast: Jamal Woolard, Angela Bassett, Derek Luke, Anthony Mackie, Antonique Smith, Naturi Naughton
Director: George Tillman Jr.
Summary: The life of rapper Christopher 'The Notorious B.I.G.' Wallace. Rising from the streets of Brooklyn to become one of the most influential hip hop artists of all time, his narratives about violent life were told with a gritty, objective realism that won him enormous respect.
Analysis: The Biggie Smalls biopic has taken its time in development, but years after his death the rapper remains a well-known and highly regarded artist with a life cut short by time. No matter what the reviews, expect this to be one of January's biggest earners.
Not Quite Hollywood
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Quentin Tarantino, Dennis Hopper, Fred Schepisi, George Miller, George Lazenby, Barry Humphries
Director: Mark Hartley
Summary: Proving that documentaries don't have to be dour affairs with serious issue-driven subject matter, 'Hollywood' takes a nostalgic and often hilarious look back at the Oz-ploitation genre - the often cheesy, B-Grade action, sex comedies and horror movies made in Australia throughout the 1970's and 80's.
Analysis: From giant killer boar actioneer "Razorback" to the Duel-esque "Road Games", 'Hollywood' was one of the most fun times I had watching a film in 2008 and this year international audiences will get a chance to see it for themselves. What really sticks in the memory the most are the hilarious anecdotes of the almost Wild West-nature of the productions. Shot for ultra-cheap, this was filmmaking where health and safety standards were ignored - resulting in some truly dangerous stunts with often unintentionally hilarious consequences. Scoring great reviews at the Toronto Film Festival last Fall, a limited release is planned for this year - I urge you to seek it out.
Observe and Report
Opens: April 10th 2009
Cast: Seth Rogen, Anna Faris, Michael Pena, Ray Liotta, Jesse Plemons
Director: Jody Hill
Summary: A mall security guard dreaming of becoming a cop, patrols his jurisdiction with an iron fist. When a serial flasher hits the mall, he seizes the opportunity to showcase his under appreciated law enforcement talents on a grand scale. His pursuit of glory launches a turf war with a competitive local detective.
Analysis: Following up the acclaimed but little seen "The Foot Fist Way", director Jody Hill made what many expected to be a straight forward, Seth Rogen-led studio comedy. Instead a not-so-secret test screening led to some unexpected reactions with audiences said to be confused and uncomfortable with the very edgy and quite dark humor more in line with "Bad Santa" than anything else. Rogen's character in particular was described as a "racist asshole" and probably his downright meanest character yet. That won't go over great with the studio big wigs, but lets hope as much of that cut makes it to theaters as possible.
Obsessed
Opens: April 24th 2009
Cast: Idris Elba, Beyonce Knowles, Ali Larter, Bruce McGill, Jerry O'Connell, Christine Lahti
Director: Steve Shill
Summary: Derek Charles is a successful asset manager who has just received a huge promotion, is blissfully happy in his career and in his marriage to the beautiful Sharo. But when Lisa, a temp worker, starts stalking Derek, all the things he's worked so hard for are placed in jeopardy.
Analysis: Another stalker thriller that owes everything to "Fatal Attraction", this is the kind of project the Beyonce should avoid if she really wants to properly branch out into acting. She also is stuck in the thankless Anne Archer role, leaving the juicy vamp bitch routine to "Heroes" star Ali Larter who easily looks to outshine her judging by the trailer alone. Even the teens will call it "Swimfan" in an office setting.
Old Dogs
Opens: November 25th 2009
Cast: John Travolta, Robin Williams, Kelly Preston, Seth Green, Ella Bleu Travolta, Lori Loughlin, Matt Dillon
Director: Walt Becker
Summary: An unlucky-in-love divorcee and a fun-loving bachelor are unexpectedly charged with the care of six-year-old twins while on the verge of the biggest business deal of their lives. The pair stumble in their efforts, leading to one debacle after another.
Analysis: Travolta and Williams is one of those pairings that you wonder why it hasn't happened before, but can't really say that you're keen to rush out and see. Under the helm of Walt Becker who had a hit with "Wild Hogs", expect more of the same style of studio-safe physical comedy and puerile gags that made the likes of "RV" and 'Hogs' into major-earning hits.
Orphan
Opens: July 24th 2009
Cast: Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman, CCH Pounder
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Summary: The tragic loss of their unborn child has devastated a couple, taking a toll on their marriage and the wife's fragile psyche. They decide to adopt another child and find themselves strangely drawn to a young girl. Soon an alarming series of events lead them to believe this seemingly angelic little girl is not what she appears to be.
Analysis: Another spooky kid horror film to join the likes of "Bless the Child" and "Godsend", for some reason this is being opened in the height of Summer. Promising Spanish-born commercial and music video director Jaume Collet-Serra disappointed with the "House of Wax" remake so one's not expecting much more from this his third feature effort.
The Other Man
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Antonio Banderas, Romola Garai
Director: Richard Eyre
Summary: The story of Peter who discovers his wife Lisa has been receiving messages a man he never knew existed. Peter's obsession with this unknown rival escalates and, against the advice of his daughter, a hurt and vengeful Peter flies to Milan to seek out the mysterious Ralph and the truth about their relationship.
Analysis: Panned at last year's Toronto Film Festival which said the fine cast were wasted and interesting direction were wasted by the project's simply weak script, the film remains set for a release sometime later in the year.
Outlander
Opens: January 23rd 2009
Cast: James Caviezel, John Hurt, Ron Perlman, Sophia Myles
Director: Howard McCain
Summary: A spacecraft crashes into the majestic fjords of ancient Norway and into the time of the Vikings. From the wreckage emerge two bitter enemies: a soldier from another world and a bloodthirsty creature. As the later ravages the Viking world, the soldier forms an unlikely alliance with the primitive but fierce warriors.
Analysis: Essentially being dumped by the Weinsteins despite a hefty $50 million price tag for the mini-major, this Viking-era set sci-fi tale sounds interesting and scored a lot of buzz a few months back when a very promising trailer showed up online. A few notable Net critics have seen and liked it so genre fans should start hunting hard for showtimes.
Pandorum
Opens: September 4th 2009
Cast: Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster, Norman Reedus, Cam Gigandet, Antje Traue, Cung Le
Director: Christian Alvart
Summary: A dark and claustrophobic tale about two crewmen who awaken aboard their spacecraft, unaware of their mission or their identities. As they piece things together, the men make a harrowing discovery that threatens the survival of mankind.
Analysis: Little is known about this German co-produced, $40 million sci-fi thriller shot in Berlin late last Summer. A first real look is scheduled to take place at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival in May where Summit Entertainment is shopping it around to buyers.
A Perfect Getaway
Opens: March 13th 2009
Cast: Timothy Olyphant, Steve Zahn, Milla Jovovich, Kiele Sanchez, Chris Hemsworth, Katie Chonacas
Director: David Twohy
Summary: The story centers on a newlywed couple who encounter two strange hikers.
Analysis: "Pitch Black" and "Below" director David Twohy returns with an almost urban legend sounding story. Shot last year, the film has been suspiciously absent from MGM's promotional material despite the March release date being firmly locked in. Even Twohy himself is perplexed by this judging by comments on his blog, so keep an eye out as he's usually a solid director.
The Pink Panther 2
Opens: February 6th 2009
Cast: Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Alfred Molina, Emily Mortimer, Aishwarya Rai, Andy Garcia, Lily Tomlin, John Cleese
Director: Harald Zwart
Summary: Martin reprises the role of intrepid-if-bumbling French police detective Jacques Clouseau. When legendary treasures from around the world are stolen Dreyfus is forced to assign Clouseau to a team of international experts charged with catching the thief.
Analysis: The vile and unnecessary Steve Martin-led reboot of the classic Peter Sellers franchise was a big family hit so naturally a sequel is in order. Smartly teased throughout all of 2008 with specially made trailers, scathing reviews shouldn't stop this from raking in the dough.
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Cate Blanchett, Liam Neeson, Lily Tomlin, Betty White, Fankie Jonas, Noah Cyrys
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Summary: From Japanese animation legend Hayao Miyazaki ("Spirited Away," "Princess Mononoke"). The animated adventure centers on a 5-year-old boy and his relationship with a goldfish princess who longs to become human.
Analysis: Forget Disney or Dreamworks, when it comes to good quality animated films only two companies have produced consistently excellent results - Pixar and Japan's Studio Ghibli. From the Oscar-winning masterpiece "Spirited Away", to the delightful likes of "Castle in the Sky" or "My Neighbour Totoro, " Hayao Miyazaki is one of the single greatest geniuses of the field and even his lesser work is never less than compelling. Released in Japan to massive success last year, Miyazaki's first film since 2004's "Howl's Moving Castle" scored very good notices from the international press at a Venice Film Festival screening last year. The English dub version should hit in a limited release sometime in the Summer.
Powder Blue
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Ray Liotta, Forest Whitaker, Jessica Biel, Patrick Swayze, Kris Kristofferson, Eddie Redmayne
Director: Timothy Linh Bui
Summary: Several Los Angeles residents - a strip club dancer and the club's owner, a corporate criminal and one of his ex-employees, a mortician, a transsexual prostitute, and a suicidal ex-priest, - meet on Christmas Eve through chance, tragedy and divine intervention.
Analysis: One of those ensemble pieces that could be the next Oscar-winning "Crash" or the next barely scene "The Air That I Breathe", this seems more the latter. Swayze as a strip club owner is certainly the most interesting casting choice while Whitaker's storyline of the ex-priest saved by a transsexual hooker certainly seems the most interesting. Wait for the reviews.
Planet 51
Opens: November 20th 2009
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin Long, Seann William Scott, Gary Oldman, John Cleese
Director: Joe Stillman
Summary: On a remote planet, the inhabitants live in fear of an alien invasion. Their paranoia is realized when astronaut Capt. Charles "Chuck" Baker arrives from Earth. Befriended by a young resident, the astronaut has to avoid capture in order to recover his spaceship and return home.
Analysis: An odd-looking CG animated effort, this was one of the more costly projects in production at New Line when the studio was dismantled. Now its being trundled out around Thanksgiving to try and nab some of the kiddie market. An excellent cast here, and the premise is cute, but something just seems off about it.
Possession
Opens: January 23rd 2009
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Lee Pace, Michael Landes, William B. Davis
Director: Joel Bergvall, Simon Sandquist
Summary: A woman finds her life is torn apart when her husband and brother-in-law are left comatose after a horrific car accident. Soon though the brother-in-law wakes up insisting he is her husband. Could her husband's spirit have returned in his brother's body or is something else at work?
Analysis: Essentially being dumped by its distributor after sitting on a shelf for well over a year, the film continues Gellar's dire post-Buffy track record of poor projects alongside the likes of "The Return," "The Air I Breathe," "Suburban Girl" and the profitable but awful "Scooby-Doo" and "Grudge" franchises. Expect this to end up on many's 'Worst Of' lists, or a fairer comparison - this year's "One Missed Call".
The Princess and the Frog
Opens: December 25th 2009
Cast: Anika Noni Rose, John Goodman, Keith David, Jim Cummings, Jenifer Lewis, Bruno Campos
Director: Ron Clements, John Musker
Summary: Set in the great city of New Orleans, a beautiful girl named Tiana and a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again, share a fateful kiss that leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous and swamps of Louisiana.
Analysis: Disney's first traditionally animated major feature since 2004's "Home on the Range", the film is also drawing a lot of headlines for the Mouse House finally (after forty-eight films) acknowledging cultural diversity and giving us an African-American princess character. Designers have gone back to the 50's style of animation, ditching much of the CG elements so there's an "organic feel to the drawing". It's Christmas release slot should mean bumper family business.
The Proposal
Opens: June 12th 2009
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Malin Akerman, Craig T. Nelson, Mary Steenburgen, Denis O'Hare, Betty White
Director: Anne Fletcher
Summary: When high-powered book editor faces deportation to her native Canada, she declares that she's actually engaged to her unsuspecting put-upon assistant Andrew whom she's tormented for years. He agrees to participate in the charade, but with a few conditions of his own.
Analysis: Never underestimate those Sandra Bullock rom-coms. Back in the formula that's made her a very comfortable living, there's nothing particularly interesting about this one other than the pairing with Reynolds - a Canadian himself which makes for a nice touch of irony.
Public Enemies
Opens: July 1st 2009
Cast: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Giovanni Ribisi, Billy Crudup, Stephen Dorff, David Wenham
Director: Michael Mann
Summary: The story of legendary Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger - the charismatic bank robber whose lightning raids made him the number one target of a fledgling FBI and its top agent, and made him a folk hero to much of the downtrodden public.
Analysis: Easily the most anticipated film of the Summer outside of a few effects-driven blockbuster sequels, "Heat" and "Collateral" helmer Michael Mann's take on bank robber John Dillinger has amongst the most impressive ensembles of the year in one of those kinds of films that could be both a critical and commercial success. A July 4th holiday weekend slot should ensure a big turn out.
Push
Opens: February 6th 2009
Cast: Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, Djimon Hounsou, Maggie Siff, Scott Michael Campbell
Director: Paul McGuigan
Summary: Burrows deep into the deadly world of psychic espionage filled with artificially enhanced paranormal operatives. Against this setting, a young man and a teenage girl take on a clandestine agency in a race against time that will determine the future of civilization.
Analysis: Already being dismissed as a "Heroes"-clone, McGuigan's action thriller has suffered from some less than exciting marketing. Yet in a presentation at last year's Comic-Con he demonstrated a very elaborate backstory and mythology to the film which could yield something smarter and deeper than many might expect.
Traileri za 2009:::
Dance Flick
Taken (been there, done that)
The Uninvited (rimejk Priče o 2 seje)
Underworld III
The Pink Panther II
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG2hEkYjEDY&feature=related
Quote from: "Kunac"Traileri za 2009:::
The Uninvited (rimejk Priče o 2 seje)
O ne,zasto bre skrnave masterpiece,mada ova milfBanks izgleda dobro :evil: ,ali trailer je do jaja banalan i prost ! :cry:
Story
Wasting Away
Wasting Away
Allan Hunter in Edinburgh
05 Jan 2009 13:13
Dir: Matthew Kohnen. US. 2008. 96mins.
Does anyone have an appetite for yet another zombie comedy? Shaun Of The Dead felt like the last word on the genre but Wasting Away has enough deadpan wit and genuine charm to suggest there is always room for one more. Matthew Kohnen's inventive, well-acted romp has cult potential written all over it. Theatrically it feels more like a midnight movie, horror festival item but the prospects on DVD and ancillary should be much more full-blooded.
There is something of the Evil Dead series in the manner Wasting Away so readily embraces its B-movie lineage and at the same time brings something fresh and appealing to the table. There is more than enough gore, severed body parts and bad taste antics to satisfy genre fans but there is also gleefully outrageous comedy and warmth that could help nudge its appeal more towards the mainstream.
A military serum with the code name Irresistible Force is designed to create an army of super soldiers. Naturally, it has some unexpected side-effects which result in the recipients of the serum turning into flesh-eating zombies. A keg of the lurid green substance winds up at the back door of a bowling alley. Mike (Davis) has a passion for creating unusual food and drink combinations and uses it to make ale ice-cream. One taste of his cone and his ex-girlfriend Vanessa (Robinson), shy, mild-mannered Tim (Terry), co-worker Cindy (Beutler) and Mike all collapse, die and return to life as shuffling zombies. The catch is that they initially have no idea what has happened. A good deal of the film's humour comes from how the rest of the world responds to them and the dawning realisation of their fate.
Kohnen's topsy turvy approach means that the film unfolds from the point of view of the zombies. The scenes between them are in full colour with everyone unchanged and just as handsome and limber as ever. Kohnen switches to shadowy black and white to show the hideous, ungainly monsters that the rest of the world see.
Kohnen has a good feel for the kind of po-faced dialogue that wouldn't be out of place in a more conventional zombie shocker. His film also has the advantage of likeable characters and performers who have personality and comic timing. Matthew Davis is the stand-out as the boorish but ultimately heroic Mike, facing every situation with a positive mental attitude. " Do you think Mexican brains are spicy?" he breezily enquires before tucking into another tasty victim.
Kohnen maximises the comedy by placing the zombies in the most mundane situations; Vanessa is well-equipped to cope with a dodgy job interview whilst Tim is ever the gentleman as he asks Cindy's father if he might start dating his daughter. The response is a hail of bullets and a stick of dynamite thrown in his direction.
Playful and well-sustained, Wasting Away never overstays its welcome and emerges as the kind of material to give cult films a good name.
Production company
Wasted Pictures
International sales
K5 International Ltd
(44) 1923 333 597
Producer
Sean Kohnen
Screenplay
Matthew Kohnen
Sean Kohnen
Cinematography
Allan Fiterman
Editors
Michael Schwartz
Emily Chiu
Music
Newton Brothers
Main cast
Matthew Davis
Julianna Robinson
Michael Grant Terry
Betsy Beutler
Wong Kar Wai odavno najavljuje Lady From Shangai sa Nicole Kidman ali sluti da se nikada nece ni desiti....
:[
Quote from: "Shozo Hirono"Quote from: "Kunac"Traileri za 2009:::
The Uninvited (rimejk Priče o 2 seje)
O ne,zasto bre skrnave masterpiece,mada ova milfBanks izgleda dobro :evil: ,ali trailer je do jaja banalan i prost ! :cry:
Priča o dvije sestre? Pa toj propasti od filma upravo i treba rimejk! Hopefully neki u kome će dvije seje da hituju off... :twisted:
Race to Witch Mountain
Opens: March 13th 2009
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, Carla Gugino, Ciaran Hinds, Alexander Ludwig, Tom Everett Scott
Director: Andy Fickman
Summary: When a Las Vegas cab driver meets two teenagers with supernatural powers, he finds himself in the middle of an adventure he can't explain. With the only chance to save the world lying in unraveling the secrets of Nevada's mysterious Witch Mountain, the race begins.
Analysis: Disney's relaunch of its 70's franchise that began with "Escape from Witch Mountain" goes back to the original Alexander Key book for some of its storyline. The aim though is to obviously introduce the property to a generation who've never heard of the original or its subsequent sequels and TV movies. Trailers look bland but perfectly kiddie-safe, just don't expect this to be a crossover hit.
Red Cliff
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Tony Leung, Zhang Fengyi, Chen Chang, Yong Hou, Jun Hu, Chi-Ling Lin, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tong Jiang
Director: John Woo
Summary: In 208 A.D., an ambitious Prime Minister declares war on two of China's divided kingdoms - beginning a military campaign of unprecedented scale. Left with no other hope, the kingdoms formed an unlikely alliance culminating in a battle that changed the course of Chinese history forever.
Analysis: John Woo's ambitious $80 million epic is cut down from its two film, four-plus hour runtime into a 150 minute single feature for non-Asian markets. The first part of the uncut version opened in several Asian countries in July to stellar box-office and great reviews from both Eastern and Western press. The film's international plans are still being finalized, but expect a lot of attention probably around mid-year as attempts are made to turn this itno the biggest Asian international hit film since "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".
The Road
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Robert Duvall, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Director: John Hillcoat
Summary: An adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize-winning 2006 novel. The post-apocalyptic tale follows a journey taken by a father and his young son over a period of several months, across a landscape blasted years before by a cataclysm that destroyed civilization.
Analysis: Pushed back from December to avoid the Oscar crunch may have proven a good move if the $20 million project is what many hope it will be. Considered an even better book than his "No Country for Old Men", McCarthy's novel is a bleak and very dark tale that many are worried will be toned down for the big screen. The hiring of director John Hillcoat, who pulled off the uncompromising Guy Pearce and Ray Winstone Aussie western "The Proposition" a few years back, is a brilliant choice and the cast is excellent.
A Serious Man
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Michael Stuhlbarg, Sari Wagner, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed, Aaron Wolff, Adam Arkin, Jessica McManus
Director: Joel & Ethan Coen
Summary: A Jewish academic living in a middle class Jewish neighborhood in 1967 Minneapolis contemplates his spiritual and existential struggle as his wife contemplates leaving him for his colleague, his brother crashes on his couch, his son is a pothead, and his daughter regularly steals from him.
Analysis: After the success of their recent two all-star outings "No Country for Old Men" and "Burn After Reading", the Coen brothers have gone the complete opposite tack with their next project - hiring little known but well-respected stage and screen actors like Stuhlbarg and Kind for the lead roles. The semi-autobiographical nature of the project will also draw a lot of interest and could give these boys yet another potential awards contender on their resume.
Shanghai
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: John Cusack, Gong Li, Ken Watanabe, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chow Yun-Fat, David Morse, Rinko Kikuchi
Director: Mikael Hafstrom
Summary: In the months leading up to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, an American man arrives in Shanghai to find his friend recently murdered. In investigating his friend's death, he stumbles upon a secret the United States government has been keeping and falls in love in the process.
Analysis: After being granted permission to shoot in the Chinese city, the $10 million production found its permit quickly being revoked by the Government who expressed concerns about the script. The result is Bangkok and the United Kingdom standing in for the real Shanghai which seems kind of against the entire point. Still Cusack himself has emphatically endorsed the project in interviews, calling it a ""once-in-a-lifetime opportunity". We'll soon see.
Sherlock Holmes
Opens: November 21st 2009
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Kelly Reilly, Eddie Marsan
Director: Guy Ritchie
Summary: In a dynamic new portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous characters, Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.
Analysis: Here's a project that will either be seen as a brilliant reinvention of the character or another embarassment for Ritchie whose spotty track record doesn't guarantee success. Holmes has been portrayed countless times over the years, reaching his apex with the 80's Granada TV series which remains the most accurate and acclaimed translations of Doyle's work to date, in fact Jeremy Brett's portrayal is easily considered the definitive take on the character - even more so than Basil Rathbone's legendary incarnation in the 1940's.
In contrast Ritchie's "Holmes" seems to bare little resemblance to Doyle's character. Holmes is a cold, distant, obsessive-compulsive - a man whose emotional state we only glimpse through the occasional cracks in his very controlled facade. In contrast the Holmes here is more of a bare-knuckle brawler and swashbuckling man of action. The choice of Downey Jr. is an intriguing one, and the idea of creating a further franchise of Holmes movies with Moriarty coming in at later stages is a good idea that will hopefully open up some of the original works to a new generation. Still, let us see how this pans out first.
She's Out of My League
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Jay Baruchel, Alice Eve, T.J. Miller, Nate Torrence, Krysten Ritter, Geoff Stults, Lindsay Sloane
Director: Jim Field Smith
Summary: An airport security agent is stunned when a successful and outrageously gorgeous babe falls for him. Even his friends, family and ex-girlfriend are equally perplexed. Now he has to figure out how to make the relationship work
Analysis: Another one of those fantasy-fulfillment stories where the geeky kid nabs the hot girl might appeal to a young teen base but has little potential beyond that despite Baruchel's Apatow-backed screen cred.
Shorts
Opens: Augut 7th 2009
Cast: Jon Cryer, William H. Macy, Leslie Mann, James Spader, Jimmy Bennett, Kat Dennings, Trevor Gagnon
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Summary: Set in the suburb of Black Falls where everyone works for the same company producing a gadget that's sweeping the nation. A mysterious rainbow-colored rock falls from the sky and changes everything for a lonely 11-year-old as it grants wishes to anyone who holds it.
Analysis: Rodriguez is back with his over indulgent, CG-fueled family fantasy filmmaking style that made big money with the "Spy Kids" franchise. The moral lessons and cheese will no doubt be high, but the low-budget high gloss visuals are generally quite original.
Shutter Island
Opens: October 2nd 2009
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Emily Mortimer, Michelle Williams, Max von Sydow
Director: Martin Scorsese
Summary: The story of two U.S. marshals who are summoned to a remote and barren island off the cost of Massachusetts to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a murderess from the island's fortress-like hospital for the criminally insane.
Analysis: Scorsese returns with an adaptation of "Mystic River" author Dennis Lehane's thriller about the hunt for a female killer hiding out in an insane asylum. With a stunning cast, acclaimed source material and Scorsese's usual skill - expect this to be one of next year's big Oscar contenders.
The Soloist
Opens: April 24th 2009
Cast: Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr., Catherine Keener, Tom Hollander, Lisa Gay Hamilton
Director: Joe Wright
Summary: Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, a former classical music prodigy, playing his violin on the streets of L.A. As Lopez endeavors to help the homeless man find his way back, a unique friendship is formed, one that transforms both their lives.
Analysis: Following up the acclaimed "Atonement" with this true story of a real life musical prodigy, the concern here is whether this will succumb to formula trappings the way Rod Lurie's "Resurrecting the Champ" unfortunately fumbled its very similar storyline. Wright's touch and the pairing of Downey Jr. and Foxx seem perfect awards material - yet the studio's delay of this until the last dregs of April obviously indicates they have a lack of faith in it.
Sorority Row
Opens: October 2nd 2009
Cast: Briana Evigan, Leah Pipes, Rumer Willis, Jamie Chung, Audrina Patridge, Carrie Fisher
Director: Stewart Handler
Summary: When five sorority girls inadvertently cause the murder of one of their sisters in a prank gone wrong, they agree to keep the matter to themselves. After graduation a mysterious killer goes after the five of them and anyone who knows their secret.
Analysis: Another forgettable teen horror story of frat girls getting stalked by a slasher, a cast of unknowns, and a premise that makes the odious "Black Christmas" remake seem Tolstoy-epic in comparison.
Star Trek
Opens: May 9th 2009
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, Bruce Greenwood
Director: J.J. Abrams
Summary: A reboot of the 'Star Trek' franchise, this follows a young James T. Kirk and his initial command of the Starship Enterprise which sets out on a race to stop a rogue Romulan commander from the future who is out to kill the famed Captain and rip the planet Vulcan apart.
Analysis: The franchise is in need of a reboot after the woeful last two films and lackluster spin-off "Enterprise". Abrams has made excellent casting choices all round, especially in the supporting roles (eg. Pegg, Saldana, Urban). There's also an obviously much bigger budget and flashier action in play, which explains why the trailers are really appealing to those who never got into Trek before.
On the other hand Abrams debut directorial feature "M:I-3" was flashy but decidedly hollow, and he has categorically stated he much prefers Lucas' "Star Wars" films to Roddenberry's more understated and grounded Trek universe. Scribes Kurtzman and Orci have yet to pen anything but a mediocre script, and having had to rush this one out due to the writer's strike is not a good sign - yet they are fans of the franchise and in interviews have demonstrated respect and knowledge of Trek canon.
The real fear here is the "Quantum of Solace"-effect - taking a formulaic franchise with issues and stripping it of any recognisable characterization, adequate plotting or coherent action. The result is you've thrown out not just the elements that didn't work, but almost all of those that did as well. The overly busy and somewhat cartoonish visual effects glimpsed so far seem to reinforce this with the shaky cam look and overuse of lens flare in place of the franchise's often graceful wide shots which established a better sense of scale and majesty. Still, one of the year's biggest curiosities - and potential successes.
State of Play
Opens: April 17th 2009
Cast: Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, Jason Bateman, Robin Wright Penn
Director: Kevin MacDonald
Summary: A feature film remake of the highly acclaimed 2003 BBC mini-series. When the assistant of rising congressman Stephen Collins is brutally murdered, his old friend and newspaper reporter Cal McCaffrey untangles a mystery of murder and collusion among the nation's most high-powered political and corporate figures.
Analysis: The first trailer was notably underwhelming and truncating a six-hour mini-series that reveled in exploring shades of grey into a dumbed down two-hour generic thriller never goes well. Other notable changes include the shift from London to Washington DC, the change from oil company collusion to Defense Department misspending, and the seeming removal of the love triangle element with Collins' wife. The miscasting of both Crowe and Affleck is not great either as initial stars Edward Norton and Brad Pitt were a better match for the material.
The upside is that three of the best writers out there - Tony Gilroy ("Michael Clayton," the Bourne trilogy), Peter Morgan ("The Queen," "Frost/Nixon") and Billy Ray ("Shattered Glass," "Breach") - all worked on "Lions for Lambs" and "The Kingdom" scribe Matthew Michael Carnahan's original script. MacDonald is one of the most promising directors in the business thanks to "The Last King of Scotland" and "Touching the Void". The supporting cast of McAdams and Mirren are great, though both will have a hard time matching the work James McAvoy and Bill Nighy did in their respective roles in the original which won the later some prestigious awards.
The Stepfather
Opens: October 16th 2009
Cast: Dylan Walsh, Sela Ward, Penn Badgley, Sherry Stringfield, Jon Tenney, Paige Turco, Amber Heard
Director: Nelson McCormick
Summary: Michael Harding returns home from military school to find his mother happily in love and living with her new boyfriend. As the two men get to know each other, Michael becomes more and more suspicious of the man who is always there with a helpful hand.
Analysis: Yet another pointless remake with little to offer other than "Gossip Girl" hunk Penn Badgley potentially whipping off his shirt, or "Nip/Tuck" good guy Dylan Walsh hamming it up as the psycho stepdad. The original 'Stepfather', "Lost" star Terry O'Quinn, makes for a much more convincing threat of a figure than Walsh so it's surprising he wasn't invited back.
Street Fighter:
The Legend of Chun-Li
Opens: February 27th 2009
Cast: Kristin Kreuk, Michael Clarke Duncan, Neal McDonough, Taboo, Chris Klein, Moon Bloodgood
Director: Andrzej Bartkowiak
Summary: A live-action feature film based on Capcom's video game. The new film is focused on female fighter Chun-Li and her journey for justice.
Analysis: The first attempt to adapt the video game in 1994 resulted in a truly terrible film. Yet even it had the likes of Raul Julia, Jean Claude Van Damme at his height, Kylie Minogue and Ming Na in key roles - here the highest profile role has been given to the promising but little know "Smallville" star Kristin Kreuk. The attempt at a more gritty and realistic tone however just comes off as a studio trying to pinch pennies, in this case with a story sounding even more lackluster than its predecessor. Having the helmer of the odious "Doom" doesn't help either. Another Fox Spring dud to rival "Dragonball".
Sugar
Opens: April 3rd 2009
Cast: Algenis Pérez Soto, Rayniel Rufino, Andre Holland, Michael Gaston, Jaime Tirelli, José Rijo
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Summary: A Dominican baseball pitcher, struggling to make it to the big leagues, advances to the United States' minor league system in Kansas. As he struggles with the new language and culture he ultimately questions the single-mindedness of his life's ambition.
Analysis: The duo behind acclaimed Ryan Gosling feature "Half Nelson" return with this feature that screened at both Sundance and Toronto last year to a solid but only modest reception. Will probably not have much appeal outside of the baseball fan market.
Sunshine Cleaning
Opens: March 13th 2009
Cast: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, Steve Zahn, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Clifton Collins Jr., Jason Spevack
Director: Christine Jeffs
Summary: A single mom and her slacker sister go into the crime scene clean-up business in order to make some quick cash. In no time, the girls are up to their elbows in murders and other specialized situations. The pair find a true respect they have always craved finally blossoming.
Analysis: What was hoped to be the next "Little Miss Sunshine" at last year's Sundance Film Festival ultimately couldn't live up to the hype. Quickly labelled a disappointment despite its Grand Jury Prize nomination, it was picked up by a distributor and has sat languishing for almost a year. Now, without the pressure to live up to such a high standard, this will probably fare better on the open market than amongst highbrow festivalgoers.
Surrogates
Opens: September 25th 2009
Cast: Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, James Francis Ginty, Boris Kodjoe, Ving Rhames
Director: Jonathan Mostow
Summary: In the near future, humans live in isolation and interact through robotic bodies that serve as surrogates. When several surrogates are murdered, a cop investigates the crimes through his own surrogate and is forced to bring his human form out of isolation to unravel a conspiracy behind the crimes.
Analysis: His first film since the third "Terminator", Jonathan Mostow ("U-571," "Breakdown") certainly knows how to create well-paced entertainment and the premise does sound as though it holds a lot of thematic potential. No promo clips have been cut yet but when they do appear they should give us a better idea of which way this will go.
Taken
Opens: January 30th 2009
Cast: Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace, Katie Cassidy, Goran Kostic
Director: Pierre Morel
Summary: When his estranged daughter is kidnapped in Paris, a former spy sets out to find her at any cost. Relying on his special skills, he tracks down the ruthless gang that abducted her and launches a one-man war to bring them to justice and rescue his daughter.
Analysis: Released all over the world except for the US around August last year, the violent revenge thriller scored so-so reviews but should provide a welcome escapist action kick to the otherwise rather unexciting looking January line-up.
Taking Woodstock
Opens: August 14th 2009
Cast: Emile Hirsch, Liev Schreiber, Imelda Staunton, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Demetri Martin, Eugene Levy
Director: Ang Lee
Summary: Elliot Tiber played an unexpected but pivotal role in making the 1969 Woodstock Festival into the famed happening it was when he granted the concert a permit to use his neighbor's farm in White Lake, New York. He soon found himself swept up in a generation-defining experience.
Analysis: Ang Lee's first English film since being cheated out of the Best Picture Oscar for "Brokeback Mountain", this tribute to the free-love spirit of the 60's deals with the Woodstock concert from a unique perspective. The release date seems a little strange, but don't be surprised if this becomes not just a critical darling but one of his bigger commercial hits.
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
Opens: June 12th 2009
Cast: Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, Luis Guzman, Michael Rispoli, James Gandolfini
Director: Tony Scott
Summary: A criminal mastermind and his highly-armed gang hijacks a New York City subway train and threatens to execute the passengers. As a result, a subway dispatcher must use his knowledge of the underground to save the hostages and figure out how the crims were planning to escape.
Analysis: Penned by David Koepp, directed by Tony Scott and starring both Denzel Washington and John Travolta. The result is obviously one of the big action thriller highlights of the Summer. If there's any problem here it's simply the familiarity of the material which has been adapted twice before - in 1974 with Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw, and a TV movie in 1998 with Edward James Olmos and Vincent D'Onofrio. Thus the film's key twist, a rather disappointing one too, has long been spoiled unless Koepp has come up with a completely new angle.
Terminator Salvation
Opens: May 22nd 2009
Cast: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Moon Bloodgood, Anton Yelchin, Bryce Dallas Howard, Common
Director: McG
Summary: Set in post-apocalyptic 2018, John Connor finds his fated future as the leader of the human resistance against the machines altered by the appearance of a stranger. The pair embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet's operations and a terrible secret about its plans.
Analysis: While it sounded as unnecessary as the disappointing third film in the series, 'Salvation' has effectively grown to become one of 2009's upcoming highlights. Excellent trailers, the post-Judgement Day setting and promises of exploration of the mythology never before seen are piquing interest. Better still are comments from the likes of Bale and Aussie star Sam Worthington, both well-respected actors who staunchly claim to have joined the project based on the quality of the script rather than the title itself.
While what's there all looks good, the single most gripping thing that sold the project to me still hasn't been shown widely to the public yet. What was it? The final shot of the Comic-Con trailer of Connor lying on a steam-engulfed metal walkway screaming "you son of a bitch" as a T-800's metallic skeletal hand scratches a huge gash in his cheek. Hopefully it'll be added in the next trailer.
They Came From Upstairs
Opens: July 31st 2009
Cast: Ashley Tisdale, Robert Hoffman, Carter Jenkins, Austin Butler, Ashley Boettcher, Henri Young, Regan Young
Director: John Schultz
Summary: The story revolves around a group of teens who team up to defend their Maine vacation home from aliens who have invaded their upstairs rooms.
Analysis: Though an obvious kiddie film, the inclusion of "High School Musical" star Tisdale seems a deliberate attempt to pull in the tween crowd and make this more of a 'family movie'. Still, the premise is very trite and familiar, with parents and girls likely to opt for something more suited to each of those demographic age groups rather than this attempted hybrid.
Thirst
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Kang-ho Song, Ha-kyun Shin, Ok-bin Kim, Mercedes Cabral
Director: Park Chan-wook
Summary: A priest who became a vampire through a failed medical experiment finds himself dangerously drawn to the wife of his childhood friend and the pair begin an affair and soon conspire to kill her husband.
Analysis: The $5 million new film from the "Oldboy" and "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" director promises his usual touch of outright weirdness in this eccentric "Twilight"-style feature which he calls a "very very sad and tragic melodrama".
This Side of the Truth
Opens: March 20th 2009
Cast: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, Jonah Hill,, John Hodgman, Tina Fey, Christopher Guest
Director: Ricky Gervais, Matt Robinson
Summary: Set in a contemporary world where no one has ever lied. Gervais will play a performer who tells the first lie and harnesses its power for personal gain.
Analysis: With an absolute stellar roster of talent including those above along with Jeffrey Tambor, Nate Corddry, Patrick Stewart and Jason Bateman, "The Office" creator and British funnyman Ricky Gervais makes his directorial debut with this cute sounding 'what if' premise that seems more suited to his talents than last year's well-received but little seen "Ghost Town".
The Time Traveler's Wife
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams, Ron Livingston, Jane McLean
Director: Robert Schwentke
Summary: Bana portrays a man with a time-traveling gene who manages to appear and re-appear at different times in the life of his one true love.
Analysis: Time travel romance stories have their own subgenre and when it works you get the likes of the Hugo-award winning "Doctor Who" episode 'The Girl in the Fireplace' or the sadly cancelled before its time "Journeyman". One of the most famous and beloved books of that genre now gets a film adaptation which has unfortunately been sitting on a shelf for a long time due to the collapse of New Line. Still unscheduled, the project will hopefully find a release sometime this year, though one gets the impression it just won't have the impact that Niffenegger's book had.
Tooth Fairy
Opens: November 13th 2009
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Ashley Judd, Julie Andrews, Chase Ellison, Billy Crystal, Ryan Sheckler, Alex Ferris
Director: Michael Lembeck
Summary: A bad deed on the part of a tough minor-league hockey player (Johnson) results in an unusual sentence: He must serve one week as a real-life tooth fairy.
Analysis: One of those films that just sounds nauseating by premise alone, think "The Pacifier" but with better casting.
Transformers:
Revenge of the Fallen
Opens: June 26th 2009
Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Kevin Dunn, Julie White, John Benjamin Hickey
Director: Michael Bay
Summary: Sam Witwicky, now in college, again joins with the Autobots against their sworn enemies, the Decepticons. Rumors are that the latter are looking into freeing a dark and ancient Transformer of immense power.
Analysis: So the script wasn't exactly high art, but you have to admit that 2007's "Transformers" did a remarkable feat - it turned an old 80's cartoon about talking vehicles into one of the biggest action films of the past decade and one that even non-fans of the franchise actually quite liked.
Now comes its sequel, easily one of the year's most anticipated films, with even more robots and the emergence of a more interesting villain. Story wise there's more potential here, Ehren Kruger thankfully lending some polish to Kurtzman and Orci's writing, while Bay has ramped up the scale on the production end, filming all over the shop including shots at the actual pyramids in Giza.
If there's any downside here it's that the public fondness for Shia LaBeouf has cooled in the wake of last year's bad PR misbehavior and disappointing project choices of late (Eagle Eye, Indy 4). Similarly a definite sense of backlash has begun against filmmakers relying on shaky cam, quick-cut editing of their action sequences - something Bay has made his stock in trade.
Two Lovers
Opens: February 13th 2009
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw, Isabella Rossellini, Elias Koteas
Director: James Gray
Summary: A Brooklyn-set romantic drama about a bachelor torn between the family friend his parents wish he would marry and his beautiful but volatile new neighbor.
Analysis: An ensemble romantic drama that would've otherwise gotten little attention has now become something of a minor must-see event due to it being the so-called final film of the recently 'retired from acting' Joaquin Phoenix. Premiering to good notices in Cannes last year, it's being described as an old fashioned love story which emphasizes restraint rather than silly twists.
Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail
Opens: February 20th 2009
Cast: Tyler Perry, Tyler Perry, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Derek Luke, Robin Coleman, Jackson Walker, Drew Sidora
Director: Tyler Perry
Summary: Mabel "Madea" Simmons is back and her penchant for trouble-making lands her behind bars. She comes to the rescue of Candace, a fellow inmate preyed upon by a large woman named Big Sal.
Analysis: He could cut together a feature film of his endoscopy exam and call it "Tyler Perry's The Bowel That Moves" and it would still be a license to print money. Marking the seventh film by Perry in just a little over three years, this is also one of his most popular plays with the actor back in drag as the sassy Southern matriach who really gets to let loose here.
The Ugly Truth
Opens: April 3rd 2009
Cast: Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler, Eric Winter, John Michael Higgins, Nick Searcy, Kevin Connolly, Cheryl Hines
Director: Robert Luketic
Summary: A romantically challenged morning show producer's search for Mr. Perfect has left her hopelessly single. Her bosses soon team her with Mike Chadway, a hardcore TV personality who promises to spill the ugly truth on what makes men and women tick.
Analysis: Pure conventional chick flick formula, the only redeeming qualities here are the inclusion of Scottish hunk Butler as the male lead along with "Monster-in-Law" and "Legally Blonde" helmer Luketic directing. The latter should at least guarantee a slick, fast and quite wide appealing production.
The Unborn
Opens: January 9th 2009
Cast: Odette Yustman, Gary Oldman, Cam Gigandet, Meagan Good, Carla Gugino, Jane Alexander, Idris Elba
Director: David S. Goyer
Summary: Plagued by merciless dreams and a tortured ghost, a young woman turns to a spiritual advisor who discovers a family curse dating back to Nazi Germany. A creature is determined to come through to our world and is using her as the doorway through.
Analysis: "Blade: Trinity" and "The Invisible" writer/director David Goyer has his fourth go at a feature film with this awful sounding horror flick which hopes to cash in on the early January period when horror films for some reason tend to do big business. Early reviews have leaked out and it's already scoring numbers not much better than "One Missed Call" and "Good Luck Chuck", so expect this to end up on a few of those 'worst of' lists for this year as well.
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Opens: January 23rd 2009
Cast: Rhona Mitra, Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Steven Mackintosh, Kevin Grevioux
Director: Patrick Tatapolous
Summary: Delves into the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires and the barbaric Lycans. Lucian emerges as a powerful leader who rallies the werewolves to rise up against cruel vampire king Viktor who has persecuted them for hundreds of years.
Analysis: Scoring a visit to the set of this in New Zealand early last year, what surprised me was the sheer scale of it. Despite the lack of franchise star Kate Beckinsale, the producers and filmmakers aren't short changing this sequel which looks to take things back toward a simpler story after the overly choreographed and over-plotted "Underworld: Evolution". Only early reviews that should start popping up in a week or two will tell if its a worthy addition to the cult series.
The Uninvited
Opens: January 30th 2009
Cast: Emily Browning, Elizabeth Banks, Arielle Kebbel, David Strathairn
Director: Thomas & Charles Guard
Summary: A remake of the 2003 Korean supernatural thriller. A young girl finds her late mother's former nurse Rachel has become engaged to her father. Soon, her mother's ghost warns her that Rachel has evil intentions and together with her sister they must expose the truth to their father.
Analysis: The marketing one-sheets, and the ghost element, push this into the supernatural thriller genre but otherwise this seems like a play on one of those late 80's/early 90's thrillers like "Flowers in the Attic" or "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle". The inclusion of Browning and Strathairn in the cast is a good sign, but the fact that this another one of those PG-13 Asian ghost movie remakes bodes very ill for its chances of being any good. Also as much as I love her, Banks is much better at playing light and funny than creepy stepmom.
Up
Opens: May 29th 2009
Cast: Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, John Ratzenberger, Delroy Lindo, Jordan Nagai
Director: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Summary: 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen fulfills his lifelong dream when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to South America. Unfortunately an overly optimistic 9-year-old Wilderness Explorer has stowed away onboard.
Analysis: Pixar, what more needs to be said. Coming off the universally acclaimed "Wall-E", this more conventional looking tale probably won't go down as well with the critics but even the studio at its weakest - 2006's "Cars" for example - is still better than almost every other studio's best. The biggest release this year for the Memorial Day Holiday Weekend.
Up in the Air
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick
Director: Jason Reitman
Summary: Ryan Bingham, a corporate hatchet man who loves his life on the road, is forced to fight for his job when his company downsizes its travel budget. The cutbacks happen as he is about to reach five million frequent flyer miles and just after he's met the frequent-traveler woman of his dreams.
Analysis: Based on Walter Kirn's 2001 novel, this rather breezy sounding comedy is getting a lot of attention due to the attachment of "Thankyou for Smoking" and "Juno" director Jason Reitman. Basic details are still slim, but with his acidic skill behind the camera - expect this baby to have a lot of bite.
Watchmen
Opens: March 6th 2009
Cast: Patrick Wilson, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Carla Gugino, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jackie Earle Haley
Director: Zack Snyder
Summary: Set in an alternate 1985 America where the Cold War threatens to spill over and costumed superheroes have been forced into retirement. When one of them is killed, an investigation by the masked vigilante Rorschach uncovers a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes.
Analysis: The most anticipated film of the fanboy set this year, this certainly looks like it'll be the highlight of the otherwise anemic pre-Summer line-up. However the self-serious approach to superheroics that was so groundbreaking when Alan Moore's acclaimed comic mini-series came out seems almost cliche in the post-"Batman Begins"/"The Dark Knight" world. There's also the worry that Snyder may be TOO loyal to the material, being too concerned with getting the details right rather than conveying the spirit and intent of the work.
Promo material has emphasized goofy slow-mo jumps and cheesy modern music which Snyder has steadfastly claimed will thankfully NOT be the case with the final film. Yet the mob mentality that dominates online superhero geekdom, demanding others conform to a rigid opinion of certain films, could hinder in a case like this where knowledge of the existing property is fairly limited in spite of major acclaim.
Finally of course there's the ensuing legal fallout from Fox's downright despicable and desperate attempt to block the film, or at least nab a big share of its profits. Its motivation is obvious of course, shoring up Fox domestic's increasingly anorexic bottom line so that Tom Rothman can at least delay having his scrotum being turned into Rupert's latest coin purse. Yet the sheer pettiness of it threatens to hurt this project which could lose a significant advantage if pushed back into the flashier and more demanding Summer season. Whenever it comes out though, this should be a must see in the cinema.
Weather Girl
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Tricia O'Kelley, Patrick J. Adams, Ryan Devlin, Kaitlin Olson, Mark Harmon, Jon Cryer, Jane Lynch
Director: Blayne Weaver
Summary: A Seattle weather girl flips out on a morning news show when she discovers that her boyfriend, the morning anchor, has been cheating. Forced to move in with her slacker brother, she has to cope with being 35, single, unemployed, and infamous.
Analysis: A cute looking, surprisingly strongly-casted, low-budget independent rom-com, the film premiered at last year's Slamdance Festival and should hopefully clean up a few dollars in limited release. A photogenic cast and a premise that's quirky but relatable shows it has real potential.
When in Rome
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, Will Arnett, Dax Shepard, Danny DeVito,
Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Summary: An ambitious young New Yorker, disillusioned with romance, takes a whirlwind trip to Rome where she defiantly plucks magic coins from a "foolish" fountain of love, inexplicably igniting the passion of an odd group of suitors. When a charming reporter pursues her with equal zest, how will she know if his love is the real thing?
Analysis: Just as Leo & Kate's "flying" on the bow of the "Titanic" has lead to a thankful culling of morons trying to recreate the scene, so to 'Rome' should lead to some accidental drownings or more likely arrests of the intelligence-challenged who mistake movie logic and reality. A large cast of suitors, the utterly photogenic Bell and Duhamel in the leading roles, and the Roman locales should make this appointment viewing for rom-com fans.
Where the Wild Things Are
Opens: October 16th 2009
Cast: Catherine Keener, Benicio Del Toro, James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara, Forest Whitaker
Director: Spike Jonze
Summary: Maurice Sendak's classic book "Where the Wild Things Are" comes to the big screen in an adventure tale for every generation.
Analysis: Shot years ago in Australia, the long-awaited adaptation of the classic children's fantasy book hit major controversy last year when a test screening sent children into crying fits or screaming from the theater. Having hired the edgy and visionary Spike Jonze to direct Sendak's famously dark and quite grown-up material, the studio suddenly decided it wanted a more kid-friendly family feature.
The result was a year long delay of the project and Jonze being given more money and time to rework the project so it "delivers for a broad-based audience". The worry now is that all the creativity and quality of Jonze's original vision has been lost in a studio-accepted sterilization. Hopefully even tamed Jonze is still great Jonze.
Whiteout
Opens: September 11th 2009
Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht, Alex O'Loughlin, Tom Skerritt
Director: Dominic Sena
Summary: A U.S. Marshal about to finish a two-year stint at the South Pole is thrust into Antarctica's first murder investigation. As the death toll mounts, the mystery deepens with shifting loyalties, deadly whiteouts, and a relentless killer who will stop at nothing to protect a secret buried for over sixty years.
Analysis: Along with the solid Antarctic-set murder mystery comic story it's based on, the film essentially has British 'Underworld' babe Kate Beckinsale caught in a sandwich between the American hunk from 'The Spirit' and the Australian hunk from 'Moonlight'. Fangirls will write reams of erotic and slash fiction about that coupling I can tell you. The multitude of delays, well over a year now, by Silver Pictures indicates that it probably isn't good.
Wild Child
Opens: May 8th 2009
Cast: Emma Roberts, Natasha Richardson, Shirley Henderson, Alex Pettyfer, Aidan Quinn
Director: Nick Moore
Summary: A self-obsessed, pampered Los Angeles teen girl finds herself shipped off to an English boarding school and a foreign world of early curfews, stern matrons and mandatory lacrosse. Her fellow students who won't tolerate her spoiled ways, but she still intends to shake up this rigid system.
Analysis: With all the men at "Wolverine" or "Star Trek" in early May, and the older women at "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" or "My Life in Ruins", the young female tween crowd is being offered this rather tired looking option as one of their only respites of the Summer. Alex Pettyfer, known more for his pretty boy looks and mole-riddled skin than being the lead in that disastrous flop "Stormbreaker", is the Eurotrash dreamboy of Roberts affection.
The Wolfman
Opens: November 6th 2009
Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving
Director: Joe Johnston
Summary: A remake of the classic Universal monster feature. A haunted nobleman is lured back to his family estate after his brother vanishes. Reunited with his estranged father, Talbot sets out to find his missing brother... along the way discovering a horrifying destiny for himself.
Analysis: After the disastrous "Van Helsing", it is easy to become worried about Universal ever again having a go at resurrecting its old classic monster movies. Yet the first preview for this at San Diego's Comic Con showed a lot of promise, a film that opted for little to no computer animation and felt more like an effective throwback to that classic era than anything else. A great cast, Rick Baker's FX makeup, and Johnston ("Hidalgo," "Jurassic Park III") who can handle big studio entertainment with ease.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Opens: May 1st 2009
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Kitsch, Danny Huston, Dominic Monaghan, Will.i.am
Director: Gavin Hood
Summary: This prequel tells the story of Wolverine's epically violent and romantic past, his complex relationship with Victor Creed, and the ominous Weapon X program. Along the way, Wolverine encounters many mutants, both familiar and new, including surprise appearances by several X-Men legends.
Analysis: After a year of multiple comic book superhero movies, Wolverine has pretty much the entire Summer to himself this year along with the coveted first weekend of May release slot. The "X-Men" movies are always huge openers, no matter the quality, and even this slimmed down cast spin-off should do gangbusters.
The release comes amidst various behind-the-scenes rumblings of production issues, notably rumors of Fox having issues with director Gavin Hood and Richard Donner showing up on set to officially 'advise' but unofficially beef up the action quotient. Certainly the Sydney-based production was abuzz with talk of an allegedly very problematic third act.
In a more practical sense, the focus on all the new mutants may undermine development of the Wolverine character himself. Certainly the trailer screenings have seen a lot more reaction to Taylor Kitsch's Gambit, a character fans have been clamoring for since the first film, than Jackman's return. Casting is excellent and this holds more promise than Brett Ratner's last lackluster entry into the series.
Year One
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Jack Black, Michael Cera, Oliver Platt, David Cross, Hank Azaria
Director: Harold Ramis
Summary: When a couple of lazy hunter-gatherers are banished from their primitive village, they set off on an epic journey through the ancient world.
Analysis: Harold Ramis returns to helming a comedy after the disappointing "The Ice Harvest" with this prehistoric Judd Apatow-produced feature. On the surface it sounds like something along the lines of the early scenes of Mel Brooks classic "A History of the World: Part One", though sadly nothing as imaginative as the Spanish Inquisition kickline is to be found here. Still, script reviews of the film last year indicated a lot of Bible-related satire that will probably offend the very people whom will actually get the jokes better than those not familiar with th good book's teachings. The teaming of Cera and Black also holds promise.
Yonkers Joe
Opens: January 9th 2009
Cast: Chazz Palminteri, Christine Lahti, Tom Guiry, Linus Roache, Michael Lerner, Michael Rispoli, Roma Maffia
Director: Robert Celestino
Summary: An ode to old time gamblers, now outdated in an age of powerful upscale casinos, "Yonkers Joe" tells the story of a dice hustler whose determination to make one last grab for a big score in Vegas is complicated by the reappearance of his estranged, mentally challenged son.
Analysis: The first limited release film of the year, this con movie meets family drama first hit the Tribeca Film Festival last year. It garnered good but not stellar notices, with most saying that had it been a straight up gambling drama rather than having to incorporate the 'troubled son' storyline it would've been much more effective.
You and I
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Mischa Barton, Anton Yelchin, Shantel VanSanten, Alex Kaluzhsky, Charlie Creed-Miles, Igor Desyatnikov
Director: Roland Joffé
Summary: Two teenage girls, Janie who is American and Lana who is Russian, fall in love after meeting at a t.A.T.u concert and are swept into a dangerous world of obsession, drug abuse and murder along with dealing with the real hardships that come along with relationships.
Analysis: Likely to be saddled as 'that Mischa Barton lesbian movie' by filmgoers, "The O.C." starlet and Anton Yelchin are the only real recognisable names in this $12 million project inspired by Russian pop band t.A.t.u. who exploit lesbian imagery in their videos to sell music. Stuck on a shelf for years, the film premiered at Cannes last year to poor reviews, so bad even Barton herself refused to show up at the premiere or do press for it. Looks like the biggest music-themed film disaster since "Glitter".
Young Americans
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Topher Grace, Anna Faris, Dan Fogler, Teresa Palmer, Michael Ian Black, Michelle Trachtenberg
Director: Michael Dowse
Summary: Follow an aimless college grad who pursues his dream girl at a wild Labor Day weekend party. He, his twin sister and their best friend struggle with their burgeoning adulthood over the course of the night.
Analysis: Shot almost two years ago and taking its time, this reunites Topher Grace with some writers from "That '70s Show" in what's described as a retro 80's vehicle. The promising inclusion of brilliant Chicago-born funnyman Michael Ian Black in the cast builds hope.
The Young Victoria
Opens: TBA 2009
Cast: Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Jim Broadbent, Miranda Richardson, Mark Strong, Paul Bettany
Director: Jean-Marc Vallee
Summary: Focuses on the early, often turbulent, years of the monarch's rule after becoming Queen at 18. After her legendary romance and marriage to Prince Albert which left her devastated by his death in 1861, she wore black for the rest of her life and remained largely secluded.
Analysis: Shot a while back, this take on the early and rarely covered years of the British monarch looks to gather better notices than last year's lavish but underwhelming Keira Knightley costume drama "The Duchess". A strong supporting cast in particular, helped along by Blunt's charm, make it worth a gander.
Youth in Revolt
Opens: February 20th 2009
Cast: Michael Cera, Ray Liotta, Steve Buscemi, Jean Smart, M. Emmet Walsh, Adhir Kalyan, Justin Long
Director: Miguel Arteta
Summary: The irreverent story about the wild adventures of a teenage boy named Nick Twisp who meets the girl of his dreams while on a family vacation and has to turn his life and the lives of all those around him upside down in order to be with her.
Analysis: A massive ensemble cast are part of this C.D. Payne novel adaptation including the talents listed above along with the likes of Fred Willard, Zach Galifianakis, and Mary Kay Place just to name a few. In the book the character is 14, the film upgraded that age to 16, and then 20-year-old Cera was cast which has raised a few eyebrows. The lack of screenings or even promotional material with only about six weeks to go before release is not a very promising sign.
Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson and Amanda Seyfried ("Mamma Mia!") will star in Atom Egoyan's new thriller "Chloe" for StudioCanal and Montecito Picture Co. reports Variety.
Moore will play a successful doctor who suspects her husband (Neeson) of cheating. She tests his fidelity by hiring an escort (Seyfried) to seduce him.
The move creates complications that put her family in danger. Erin Cressida Wilson penned the script.
Ivan Reitman and Tom Pollock will produce. Shooting is scheduled to begin February 9th in Toronto.
Colin Farrell, Ed Harris, Jim Sturgess ("21," "Across the Universe") and Saoirse Ronan ("Atonement," "City of Ember") have joined writer/director Peter Weir's "The Way Back" reports Variety.
The quartet are final negotiations to star in the fact-based story, based on Slavomir Rawicz's memoir, of a group of soldiers who engineered a grueling escape from a Siberian gulag in 1942.
Farrell plays a tough, tattooed Russian; Harris an American; and Sturgess portrays a young Polish inmate. Ronan will play a Russian on the run who meets up with the fugitives.
Production is scheduled to begin in March in Bulgaria.
In a webchat for Empire Online, director Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire," "The Beach") has shot down rumors of the various projects he's been linked to as his next gig.
First up the "Judge Dredd" remake which he has been linked to due to his production company DNA nabbing the rights last Summer. Boyle says "Where has this come from? Someone asked me about Judge Dredd the other day...I hated the last version of it; I can't imagine the next one will be any better."
Meanwhile the adaptation of Terry Pratchett's Bromeliad trilogy has been shelved - "It's fallen apart. Frank Cotrell Boyce ("Millions") and I were going to do it for DreamWorks but sadly no longer. Sorry about that – wonderful novel(s)."
Will he still do Irving Welsh's "Trainspotting" sequel "Porno"? "Just waiting for the original actors to age. Help them if you can. Take them out drinking – get them away from the spas and those moisturisers."
One rumor he did confirm though was that he had been asked to do a remake of Park Chan-wook's "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance", the third installment in the Korean helmer's Vengeance Trilogy which also included 2003's "Oldboy". Boyle didn't confirm if he accepted, but did sound keen on the idea of having a female leading character in his next project.
"Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" star Lena Headey will make her directorial debut on the dark low-budget British thriller "Kill Drug" reports Empire Online.
Tom Bacon's script follows Sally, the daughter of Sue, a woman who murders her abusive husband in the 70s and then goes on to found a underground vigilante network in present-day London.
When Sally is recruited into the gang, along with two men, she discovers that all is not as it seems, and that absolute power may have corrupted her mother absolutely.
Headey will probably take a small role in the film, but the part of Sally remains to be cast. Jason Flemyng and Charlotte Rampling are attached with shooting to commence in January of next year.
Rotterdam boasts 43 world premieres
Screen staff
11 Jan 2009 22:42
The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) will feature 43 world premieres as well as 35 international and 34 European premieres.
The line-up includes a strong showing from Eastern Europe with Andrey Khrzhanovsky's Room And A Half and Alexei Balabanov's Morphia and Armenian director Harutyun Khachatryan's Border. All will appear in the Spectrum section.
As previously announced, eight world premieres will compete for the VPRO Tiger awards. Click here for more.
The festival will also include a record 33 films supported by the Hubert Bals Fund, all of which will compete for the $13,500 (Euros 10,000) Dioraphte Award.
The festival has also announced details of its Bright Future section. Included in the line-up are two British films: Nick Moran's directorial debut Telstar and Pat Holden's Awaydays. Noud Heerkens' Last Conversation and Jiska Rickels' doc Babaji, An Indian Love Story are among the Dutch entrants.
IFFR 2009 World premieres
VPRO Tiger Awards Competition
Dogging: A Love Story (Simon Ellis. UK)
At West of Pluto (À l'ouest de Pluton) (Henry Bernadet, Myriam Verreault .Canada)
Schottentor (Caspar Pfaundler. Austria)
Wrong Rosary (Uzak ihtimal) (Mahmut Fazil Coskun. Turkey)
Tourists (Turistas) (Alicia Scherson. Chile)*
The Hungry Ghosts (Michael Imperioli. USA)
The Strength of Water Armagan Ballantyne. New Zealand, Germany)
Floating in Memory (Liu li Peng Tao. China) *
Bright Future
All My Failed Attempts (Tan Chui Mui. Malaysia)
Bollywood Hero (Diederik van Rooijen. Netherlands)
Last Conversation (Het laatste gesprek) (Noud Heerkens. Netherlands)
The Tree (El árbol) (Carlos Serrano Azcona. Spain, Mexico)
April Showers (Águas mil) (Ivo M. Ferreira. Portugal)
Looking For Cherry Blossoms (Sakura na hito tachi) Joe Odagiri Japan
Oh My Soul (Nicholas Monsour USA)
The Blessing (Velsignelsen) (Heidi Maria Faisst. Denmark)
Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi (Ian Olds. USA)
Tattoo (Ci qing) (Wang Liren. China)
Agrarian Utopia (Uruphong Raksasad. Thailand)
Babaji, An Indian Love Story (Jiska Rickels. Netherlands)
Spectrum
The Absence (L'absence) Mama Keïta Senegal, France 2009
Kikoe (Iwai Chikara. Japan)
Border (Sahman) (Harutyun Khachatryan. Armenia,Netherlands)*
This Area Is Under Quarantine (Boriven nee yu pai tai karn kuk kun) (Thunska Pansittivorakul. Thailand)
Dazzle (Oogverblindend) (Cyrus Frisch. Netherlands)
The Ferrari Dino Girl (Holka Ferrari Dino) (Jan Nemec. Czech Republic)
Crepuscule (Maartje Seyferth, Victor Nieuwenhuijs. Netherlands)
FILM IST. A Girl & A Gun (Gustav Deutsch. Austria)
Room And A Half (Poltory komnaty ili sentimentalnoe puteshestvie na rodinu) (Andrey Khrzhanovsky. Russia)
The Middle Mystery Of Kristo Negro (Day tingnga ti misteryo ti Kristo Negro) (Khavn De La Cruz Philippines)
* Hubert Bals funded
Rotterdam announces 2009 Competitions line up
Eleanor Kenny in London
07 Jan 2009 16:13
Fourteen films have been selected for Rotterdam's VPRO Tiger Awards Competition 2009, including eight world premieres.
The line-up features first or second films from all five continents competing for three top prizes of $20,500 (Euros 15,000) each. For the first time, films from Turkey, New Zealand and Indonesia are included in competition.
In addition, the Tiger Awards Competition for Short Films includes twenty-seven films shorter than 60 minutes; the three Tiger Awards for Short Film each come with $4000 (Euros 3,000).
World premieres include the feature début by Quebec based filmmakers Henri Bernadet and Myriam Verreault, A L'Ouest De Pluton (At West Of Pluto) and Alicia Scherson's second feature Turistas (Tourists) from Chile.
The world premiere of The Strength Of Water, is the first film from New Zealand in competition at Rotterdam. Presented at CineMart in 2002, the film was co-produced by Germany's Pandora Film.
While Wrong Rosary, also a world premiere, is the first Turkish film to be included in the Tiger Awards competition. A love story set in present day Istanbul, it is written and directed by Mahmut Fazil Coskun.
Other European films to have their world premiere include Caspar Pfaundler's second feature Schottentor from Austria; Sois Sage (Be Good), Juliette Garcias's début from France and from Britain - Dogging a Love Story, by Simon Ellis.
Six films in competition are from Asia including: Dark Harbour from Japan; Breathless from Korea; Blind Pig Who Wants To Fly From Indonesia; No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti from Taiwan; and Peng Tao's Floating In Memory.
As previously reported in ScreenDaily, the Tiger Awards Jury comprises visual artist Marlene Dumas; Turkish writer and filmmaker Yesim Ustaoglu, Mr Park Ki-Yong, director of the Korean Academy of Arts and co-director of the Cinema Digital Seoul Film Festival; Hungarian writer, director and actor Kornél Mundruzco and Kent Jones, associate director of programming of the Film Society of Lincoln Centre, New York.
The International Film Festival Rotterdam 2009 will open with the world premiere of The Hungry Ghosts, Michael Imperioli's feature début, on Wednesday 21st January. The Hungry Ghosts is also in competition.
The full programme of IFFR 2009 will be announced on January 15, 2009 on www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com
The 14 films in IFFR 2009's VPRO Tiger Awards Competition
(in alphabetical order by international film title)
A L'Ouest De Pluton (At West Of Pluto) by Henri Bernadet & Myriam Verreault (Canada, 2009), world premiere
Be Calm And Count To Seven (Aram Bash Va Ta Haft Beshmar) by Ramtin Lavafipour (Iran, 2008), European premiere.
Blind Pig Who Wants To Fly by Edwin (Indonesia, 2008), European premiere.
Breathles (Ddongpari) by Yang Ik-June (South Korea, 2008), international premiere
Dark Harbour (Futoko) by Naito Takatsugu (Japan, 2008), international premiere
Dogging A Love Story by Simon Ellis (United Kingdom, 2009), world premiere
Floating In Memory (Liu Li) by Peng Tao (China, 2009), world premiere and IFFR 2009 Opening Film
No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti by Leon Dai (Taiwan, 2008), international premiere
Schottentor by Caspar Pfaundler (Austria, 2009), world premiere
Sois Sage (Be Good) by Juliette Garcias (France, Denmark, 2008), European premiere
The Strength Of Water by Armagan Ballantyne (New Zealand, Germany, 2008), world premiere
Turistas (Tourists) by Alicia Scherson (Chile, 2009), world premiere
Wrong Rosary (Uzak Ihtimal) by Mahmut Fazil Coskun (Turkey, 2009), world premiere
SUNDANCE INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES NHK FINALISTS
The Sundance Institute and NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) have announced the twelve finalists for the 2009 Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Awards. The annual cash award to support new artists in international cinema (winners announced at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival) is celebrating its 13th year with an impressive list of past recipients including: Alex Rivera (The Sleep Dealer), Miranda July (Me and You and Everyone We Know) and Walter Salles (Central Station).
The twelve finalists for the 2009 Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Awards are:
EUROPE
Celia Galán Julve / ROSITA GUZMÁN IS ALIVE (Spain) – When dangerous fugitive Rosita Guzmán disappears into the Mexican desert, criminologist Garcia Navarro, convinced that she is a product of an unjust system, becomes obsessed with finding and unraveling the truth about her.
Lucile Hadzihalilovic/EVOLUTION (France) – A group of young boys who are isolated from the world act as guinea pigs in a series of bizarre medical procedures intended to trigger a reverse evolutionary step. EVOLUTION depicts the attempts of one young, unruly test subject as he seeks to escape experimentation and recall his clouded past.
Marco Van Geffen/AMONG US (Netherlands) - Cross-cultural misunderstandings and miscommunications compound when a Polish au pair goes to work for a Dutch family. Structured in a puzzle-like narrative, AMONG US depicts the young woman's tenure there from various points of view, and the characters failure to connect.
LATIN AMERICA
Fellipe Barbosa /CASA GRANDE (Brazil, co-writer Karen Sztajnberg) - A teenage boy struggles to define his future and explore issues of class privilege among Rio's decadent elite while his overprotective parents spiral into bankruptcy.
Marcelo Gomes and Cao Guimarães /THE MAN OF THE CROWD (Brazil) - In a vast Brazilian metropolis, two solitary subway employees gradually come to know one another, triggering a change in perspective on their lonely lives.
Diego Lerman / THE DISCIPLINE MONITOR (LA PRECEPTORA NACIONAL)(Argentina) – During the last years of the military dictatorship, a sexually repressed school monitor in Buenos Aires indulges in a strange compulsion, allowing her dark desires to compromise her role at the school.
UNITED STATES
Dee Rees / PARIAH (USA) - When forced to choose between the fragile cohesion of her middle-class family and imperative loyalty to her best friend, a Bronx teenager is forced to juggle conflicting identities and risk friendship, heartbreak, and family in a desperate search for sexual expression.
David Riker/ THE GIRL (USA) - A young, single mother from South Texas is thrown into an unexpected and life-changing journey when her attempt to smuggle immigrants across the border ends disastrously, leaving her stranded with a young girl from southern Mexico.
John Magary / BLOOD ABUNDANCE, OR THE HALF-LIFE OF ANTOINETTE (USA) - Set amidst poverty, with moments of both joy and upheaval, BLOOD ABUNDANCE, OR THE HALF-LIFE OF ANTOINETTE is a retelling of the chaotic life of Antoinette Dawson as she raises her seven children in New Orleans.
JAPAN
qurata kenji / SPEED GIRL (Japan) – Nijiko, a gifted speed skater, runs through the world at full speed, leaving her friend Mitsuo in her wake. When Nijiko mysteriously disappears, Mitsuo learns what it means to look out for someone in love and prayer.
Yukiko Mishima / WHEN NOBODY CALLS YOUR NAME (Japan) – A middle-aged crematorium worker emerges from a life of solitude when an 8 year old boy asks her to pose as his mother so he can join a boxing gym.
Season Noda (niga oolong) /LIMBO MAMBO (Japan) – When Tadahito Urushibara unexpectedly dies and becomes a corporeal ghost, he has the opportunity to reexamine his life, forge new bonds with his family, and resolve his relationships.
Hitfix knows who will be playing Wallace in Edgar Wright's SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD!!!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. I'm extremely excited for Edgar Wright's upcoming film... I love Bryan Lee O'Malley's SCOTT PILGRIM books and I love Wright's flicks, so it's natural that I'd be excited for this movie. I have no earthly idea what the hell this movie will look like... at all, but that's kind of the excitement of the project for me. Edgar's going to be doing something different here.
Plus he's assembling a great cast. We already know he has Michael Cera as the title hero and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as his hottie girlfriend to be. Now he's gotten a Culkin according to Hitfix.
Kieran Culkin looks like a lock to play Scott's gay roommate, Wallace.
I love Scott and Wallace's interaction in the books... Wallace's humor is dry, but he's still a likable character.
I'm also a fan of Kieran's. I thought he turned in great performances in IGBY GOES DOWN and THE DANGEROUS LIVES OF ALTAR BOYS. It'll be very interesting to see how he bounces off of Michael Cera. What do you folks think?
"Coraline" director Henry Selick says that his next project will be an adaptation of "Golden Compass" author Philip Pullman's children's book "Count Karlstein" says JoBlo.
The story follows an evil Count who has become wealthy and powerful due to a deal with the devil. In exchange for his power, he offers up a human sacrifice. When the devil comes calling, Karlstein offers up his two young nieces but as you might expect, they're not ready to go quietly.
"I have a couple of other things, but the primary one is an older Philip Pullman kids book called COUNT KARLSTEIN. I've got a film story worked out and I'll eventually write a screenplay and start designing" says Selick.
The "Nightmare Before Christmas" helmer is also producing zombie comedy "Paranorman" penned by "Coraline" storyboard artist Chris Butler who's currently on his second draft. The story follows a 13-year-old named Norman who's the only chance a small town has to survive a zombie uprising.
The duo behind the multi-award winning HBO mini-series "John Adams" are adapting John Steinbeck's classic novel "East of Eden" for Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment says Variety.
First published in 1952, the story is a retelling of the Cain and Abel story, set in California's Salinas Valley. The multigenerational story focuses on the Trask brothers and a woman who comes between the siblings.
Tom Hooper will direct and Christopher Hampton will adapt the script while Brian Grazer, Jonathan Sanger and Ed Albert will produce.
The project was famously adapted before in to the classic 1955 James Dean movie that was helmed by Elia Kazan. Production aims to begin later this year.
Alex Holmes ("House of Saddam") is set to pen "The Infiltrator" for 2929 Productions reports Variety.
Based on a memoir by Robert Mazur, the true story follows the customs official who helped uncover a massive money laundering scheme that involved Pablo Escobar.
Holmes' adaptation will focus on Mazur's transformation from a married accountant to an undercover operative who hobnobbed with unsavory figures.
In the process he brought down several major banks that were laundering tens of millions of dollars for Escobar as well as Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega, Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
Dutch helmer Matthijs van Heijningen ("The Black Meteor," "The Ball") is tipped to be helming Strike and Universal Pictures prequel to John Carpenter's 1982 horror/sci-fi classic "The Thing" says Bloody Disgusting.
Heijningen is pushing to make the lead character in his prequel the brother of the original film's lead character R.J. Macready (Kurt Russell). In the original an American scientific expedition to the frozen wastes of the Antarctic is interrupted by a group of seemingly mad Norwegians pursuing and shooting a dog.
The team soon realizes that an alien life-form with the ability to take over bodies is on the loose and they don't know who may already have been taken over.
"Battlestar Galactica" showrunner Ronald D. Moore penned the prequel which is said to take place from the Norwegian camp's point of view. Heijningen is also attached to direct "Army of the Dead".
Rob Cohen is apparently attached to direct "The Sea Artist", a film about modern day pirates reports Production Weekly via Slashfilm.
Details of the story are unknown but the subject is timely considering the heightened awareness of modern day piracy in recent months, the recent Sirius Star oil tanker hostage incident, and a general lack of films dealing with the subject matter (last film I can recall with modern day pirates was "6 Days, 7 Nights").
Tony Puryear, a comic book artist and music video director, penned both this script and an unproduced screenplay based on the "Buck Rogers" property. Both his scripts garnered good reviews.
Jim Sheridan ("In the Name of the Father," "In America") is developing a film about notorious Boston mobster turned FBI informant Whitey Bulger reports Variety.
Sheridan and Nye Heron are adapting Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill's book "Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob" for Sheridan to direct.
Bulger rose to prominence in Boston as a feared enforcer and built the Winter Hill Gang into an enterprise that did everything from selling drugs to procuring guns for the Irish Republican Army.
His rise was helped by John Connolly, a childhood pal who became an FBI agent. Bulger disappeared 14 years ago, creating a major law enforcement scandal. Bulger himself is considered the main inspiration for Jack Nicholson's underworld kingpin character in Martin Scorsese's Oscar-winning "The Departed".
Shooting hopes to begin later this year.
Focus Features is developing a biopic about Nigerian musician and political maverick Fela Kuti says The Hollywood Reporter.
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti garnered fame in the U.S. for his fusion style of music known as Afrobeat. He often was imprisoned on what human-rights groups called trumped-up charges when he went back to his native country and spoke out against its government and policies. He died in 1997.
Focus will use Michael Veal's book "Fela: The Life and Times of an African Musical Icon" as source material.
Emma Stone ("Superbad") is in final negotiations to star alongside Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg in Sony Pictures horror comedy "Zombieland" reports Variety.
s The story centers on a band of survivors who team to fight the living dead in the post-apocalyptic Southwest after a zombie plague ravages America.
Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese wrote the screenplay and Ruben Fleischer directs. Shooting kicks off February in Atlanta.
Exclusive! Edgar Wright Draws A Formidable Lucas Lee For SCOTT PILGRIM!
Beaks here...
I'm biased as hell, but I honestly think Edgar Wright has aced every casting decision on SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD. Just this week, we learned (via HitFix's Gregory Ellwood) that Kieran Culkin will be joining Michael Cera (Scott) and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Ramona) as the title character's gay roommate, Wallace. Now, we can confirm one of Ramona's Evil Exes.
How does Chris Evans as skateboarder/movie star Lucas Lee strike you?
For a younger Jason Lee type (which is what the character obviously needs to be), I really don't think Edgar could've done better than this. Evans was a perfect Johnny Storm in those unfortunate FANTASTIC FOUR movies, and took a huge step forward as an actor in Danny Boyle's SUNSHINE. Playing a parody of a pretty boy actor type? This is right square in his wheelhouse. He's going to kill this.
I spoke with Evans the other day (for the upcoming PUSH), and he was incredibly enthusiastic about joining Edgar and the gang up in Toronto. I've completely avoided the script for this, so I'm not entirely sure which boyfriends are left to cast. Here's hoping there's a part for Craig Wasson.
And if you're wondering who's playing Knives Chau, here's an incriminating photograph of Ms. Ellen Wong.
With Heath Ledger's last film "The Imagnarium of Doctor Parnassus" all wrapped up, the film's director is looking forward to his next project, or rather backwards.
"Tony [Grisoni] and I have started rewriting Don Quixote just this last week. [We] finally got the script back. I re-read the greatest script ever written and realise we gotta get rewriting! I really wanna knock that one out in the next month or so" director Terry Gilliam ("12 Monkeys," "Time Bandits") tells Empire Online.
A decade ago Gilliam and Grisoni ("Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas") penned "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote", an original attempt to film Cervantes' classic novel. The production only got through a week of filming before being closed down due to various on-set disasters from injuries to key cast-members to flash floods and interference from the Spanish Air Force.
The troubles were filmed and shown in great detail in the documentary "Lost In La Mancha". After various legal issues and insurance claims were sorted out, rights to the 'Quixote' script eventually went back to the pair.
Gilliam is still keen on the project and hopes to begin filming later this year. "[I'm] starting to think I was lucky, because maybe the film will be better seven years later. It will have matured a bit longer" he says.
Director Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day," "King Arthur"), currently in Park City for the Sundance premiere of his cop thriller "Brooklyn's Finest", tells Coming Soon he wants to stay in New York for his next project.
"It's called 'Scarpa' with Morgan Creek, and it's New York again, Brooklyn, FBI, Italian gangsters, it takes place from the '60s to the '90s, and we're talking to Sean Penn" says Fuqua about the biopic of Gregory Scarpa Sr..
Scarpa was the chief enforcer for the Colombo crime family and an FBI informant for over thirty years. He also earned the nickname "The Grim Reaper".
Much like 'Finest', the film could be produced outside the studio system - "I still want to do it for under a certain amount of money - I would just love to stay under $30, under $25 (million), I'd love to try and have my independence that way."
For more from the interview, click here.
Sony Pictures has landed screen rights to Isaac Asimov's ground breaking science fiction trilogy "Foundation" and will develop it for Roland Emmerich ("Independence Day," "2012") to direct reports Variety.
Originally published as a series of eight short stories, Foundation is a complex saga about humans who are scattered on planets throughout the galaxy, living under the rule of the Galactic Empire.
A psycho-historian who can scientifically read the future sees an imminent empire collapse, and sets to work preparing to save the knowledge of mankind.
The project has bounced around the studios over time, originally at Fox before heading to Warner Bros. Pictures. Emmerich and Sony's bid beat out a Warner Bros./director Alex Proyas and Fox/producer Vince Gerardis at an auction for the property.
Emmerich and Michael Wimer will produce the film.
Despite various premieres there's little in the way of films selling at this year's Sundance Film Festival as distributors reel from the tough economic times and the dismal performance of last year's biggest purchases like "Hamlet 2," "American Teen" and "The Wackness".
The first big deal was Senator Distribution and Sony landed rights to Antoine Fuqua's violent police drama "Brooklyn's Finest" for low-to-mid seven figures. That film stars Richard Gere, Don Cheadle and Ethan Hawke in a story of police corruption and will score a theatrical release in the Fall with some edits looking likely to cut down on the film's unwieldly length.
Cinemavault picked up international rights to Derick Martini's "Lymelife" on the eve of its Sundance premiere in the Spectrum section. Alec Baldwin, Rory Culkin, Kieran Culkin, Jill Hennessy, Timothy Hutton, Cynthia Nixon and Emma Roberts star in the 1970's Long Island-set drama about the dangers of the American dream seen through the innocent eyes of a 15-year-old boy. A Spring theatrical release by Screen Media Films is planned.
Wild Bunch picked up international rights to "The September Issue", the documentary examining a month in the life of Vogue editor Anna Wintour who inspired Meryl Streep's character in "The Devil Wears Prada".
According to the trades other sales haven't happened yet but Lynn Shelton's comedy "Humpday" about two straight men who make a gay porno, Cherien Dabis's immigration drama "Amreeka", and the drama "Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire" are getting several offers.
Marc Webb's quirky romantic comedy "500 Days of Summer" and a secret screening of Steven Soderbergh's "The Girlfriend Experience" have also generated a lot of buzz in this first weekend of screenings.
Cher and Johnny Knoxville are attached to star in the slacker comedy "The Drop-Out" says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story follows a 35-year-old career college student (Knoxville) who is finally kicked out of his parents house. Desperate, he decides to get in good with the 62-year-old woman next door (Cher), so he can keep his food, couch and TV regimen intact.
In the mix is the woman's ne'er-do-well son, who is looking for a father figure, even if it's a guy his own age. That role is still being cast.
Ricky Blitt ("The Ringer") penned and will direct the project which John Jacobs is producing.
Four More Take On "Scott Pilgrim"By Garth FranklinMonday, January 19th 2009 3:01am Several more people have joined "Hot Fuzz" and "Shaun of the Dead" helmer Edgar Wright's upcoming comic book adaptation "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World" for Universal Pictures.
Based on Bryan Lee O'Malley's graphic novel, the story is about how teenager Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) has to defeat his girlfriend Ramona's seven evil ex-boyfriends in order to win her heart.
First up, AICN reports that hunk Chris Evans ("Fantastic Four," "Sunshine," "Push") is set for the role of pro-skateboarder turned movie star Lucas Lee, the second of the evil ex-boyfriends of Ramona V. Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead).
Also according to Empire, Ellen Wong has also signed on to play Scott's 17-year-old Chinese schoolgirl stalker Knives Chau. They also say Aubrey Plaza joined the cast late last week playing Julie Powers, the obnoxious girlfriend of Stephen Stills, the lead singer of Scott's band Sex Bob-omb.
Finally Slashfilm reports that Arshad Aslam (TV's "Zoey 101," "Samantha Who") was up for the role of Matthew Patel.
Last week it was confirmed that Kieran Culkin would play Pilgrim's gay former roommate Wallace Wells. Filming is scheduled to start in Toronto this March.
QuoteSony Pictures has landed screen rights to Isaac Asimov's ground breaking science fiction trilogy "Foundation" and will develop it for Roland Emmerich
Neeeee! NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:x :x :x
I Love You Philip Morris
I Love You Phillip Morris
Mike Goodridge in Park City
in Los Angeles
19 Jan 2009 12:02
Dirs: John Requa & Glenn Ficarra. US. 2009. 100 mins.
The studio movie which the studios wouldn't make, I Love You, Phillip Morris is a surprisingly conventional and sweet gay romantic comedy which isn't as funny as you might expect from the writers of Bad Santa, but is inherently remarkable for being a true story. Obviously audacious for the gay romance at its core, it otherwise plays like a polished Hollywood picture starring Jim Carrey and will satisfy a certain percentage of his audience even if the gay elements turn off some of his Yes Man audience.
Financed by Luc Besson's EuropaCorp, which stepped up when others balked, I Love You, Phillip Morris handles its gay characters with both sensitivity and irreverence, neither too politically correct nor off colour. The sexuality of Steven Russell, the extraordinary con artist played by Carrey, is central to the story, but first-time directors Requa and Ficarra and the actors play his gayness un-selfconsciously and honestly. In many ways, the film is as important as Brokeback Mountain in breaking down barriers in mainstream cinema, although the level of US distribution has yet to to be determined after its world premiere last night at Sundance.
We are first introduced to Russell as a happy family man working as a cop in Georgia and living with his wife Debbie (Mann) and young daughter. But it doesn't take long for him to confess in voiceover that he is an active gay man who is living a lie. After a car accident shakes him up, he comes out, moves to Florida and starts dating Jimmy (Santoro). But, as he explains, it's expensive to live the gay lifestyle to the hilt and before long he is committing cons and frauds to pay for it all.
Committed to the state penitentiary, he meets the love of his life – a handsome blond, blue-eyed boy called Phillip Morris (McGregor) and Steven uses all his sway in prison so they get to share a cell. When he is released, he promptly pretends to be a lawyer to get Phillip out and the two start living together but soon he is back to his old tricks, conning his way to become CFO of a large company and embezzling millions.
When he is caught, Phillip leaves him in fury at his deceptions. Steven goes to prison but once behind bars, he commits the ultimate con to break out and win back Phillip's love.
While this is certainly an adult film with plenty of ribald humour and sexual language, I Love You Phillip Morris is at heart a sweet romance with only a couple of glimpses of the two lead actors kissing and very little actual sex. Still, like in the recent Milk from Gus Van Sant (who was originally slated to direct this film), the film-makers don't try to hide their characters' sexuality and, thanks to unfettered performances from Carrey and McGregor. the relationship between Steven and Phillip seems natural and unforced.
The tone is always bright and perky, though the storytelling could have benefited from some more shading, especially as the convolutions of the true story produce a drag on the momentum in the third act. Nonetheless Requa and Ficarra have structured their screenplay cleverly, leaving the audience in the dark to the end as to Russell's final, spectacular con.
Production companies
Mad Chance
EuropaCorp
International sales
US – CAA +1 424 288 2000/Endeavor +1 310 246 3126
Int'l – EuropaCorp + 33 1 53 83 03 03
Producers
Andrew Lazar
Far Shariat
Screenplay
John Requa & Glenn Ficarra
Based on the book by Steven McVicker
Cinematography
Xavier Perez Grobet
Production designer
Hugo Luczyc-Wyhowski
Editor
Thomas J Nordberg
Music
Nick Urata
Main cast
Jim Carrey
Ewan McGregor
Leslie Mann
Rodrigo Santoro
Antoni Corone
Sundance
I Love You Phillip Morris
By JOHN ANDERSON
'I Love You Phillip Morris'
• All Sundance Coverage
A Europacorp presentation of a Mad Chance production. (International sales: CAA, Los Angeles.) Produced by Andrew Lazar, Far Shariat. Executive producer, Luc Besson. Co-producer, Miri Yoon. Directed, written by Glenn Ficarra, John Requa, based on the novel by Steve McVicker.
Steven Russell - Jim Carrey
Phillip Morris - Ewan McGregor
Debbie - Leslie Mann
Jimmy - Rodrigo Santoro
Cleavon - Michael Mandel
Less of a comedy than a hilarious tragedy, "I Love You Phillip Morris" stars Jim Carrey in his most complicated comedic role since "The Cable Guy" and as a character so criminal and gay it will leave auds both laughing and stunned. The rawness of the script by helmers Glenn Ficarra and John Requa and sexual bluntness of Carrey and Ewan McGregor's onscreen romance could limit the film's exposure, but curiosity about Carrey's "conversion" will be a big draw. And no one can say that all involved weren't swinging for the fences.
Based on a real-life story and the novel by onetime Houston Chronicle reporter Steve McVicker, "Phillip Morris" (the cigarette maker spells it with one L) is largely a portrait of a born criminal: During his larcenous lifetime, Steven Russell (Carrey) masquerades as a lawyer and a CEO, passes bad checks, and commits bank fraud, insurance fraud and credit card fraud.
That the film is a gay romance -- Phillip Morris (McGregor) will become the love and motivating force of Steven's life -- doesn't change the fact the lead character is a sociopath, whose first instinct when faced with difficulty is to find some felonious way around it.
Helmers Ficarra and Requa (who penned the equally transgressive "Bad Santa") load the first 10 minutes of "Phillip Morris" with so much action and development one can't help but get swept away: After the young Steven is told he's adopted (the scene with his parents is priceless), he resolves to be the best person he can be, grows up to be a Georgia policeman, plays organ in church, marries Debbie (a terrific Leslie Mann), has two kids, infiltrates the police computer to find his real mother (Mary Louise Burke), is rebuffed by her, goes into a tailspin, has a nasty car crash and emerges from it vowing never to live a lie again: He's a gay man, and he's going for it. And he starts living one lie after another.
Carrey has always been a very physical comedian, and though "Phillip Morris" never overplays that fact, Carrey's body is a large part of the comedy, particularly when Steven moves to Florida and adopts a flamboyant lifestyle and a flamboyant boyfriend (Rodrigo Santoro). Steven also cultivates a South Beach existence on a Costco income. "Being gay is really expensive" he discovers, so he starts kiting checks and collecting maxed-out credit cards, eventually going to prison, where he meets gentle blond cell nymph Phillip Morris.
It's hard to tell how viewers will react to "Phillip Morris," which has a distinct vein of darkness running beneath its glossy, well-lit, well-costumed surfaces. The direction is more than adept -- many of the laughs erupt at the end of scenes, as Carrey or McGregor toss off some seemingly random line, and it sticks.
The cutting, juxtaposition of scenes and reaction shots hit their targets precisely, with Steven's occasional suicidal plunge turned into a laugh. But given all the references to oral sex, the clingy physicality of Steven and Phillip and the one spectacular, ride-'em-cowboy sex scene involving Carrey, "Phillip Morris" will give some fans of "Ace Ventura" heart attacks
Production values are topnotch, particularly the lush cinematography of Xavier Perez-Grobet ("Before Night Falls") and the editing of Thomas J. Nordberg.
More than one option(Person) Miri Yoon
(Person) Miri Yoon
Apprentice, Assistant, Co-ProducerCamera (color), Xavier Perez-Grobet; editor, Thomas J. Nordberg; music, Nick Urata; music supervisor, Gary Calamar; production designer, Hugo Luczyc-Wyhowski; art director, Helen Harwell; costume designer, David C. Robinson; sound (Dolby/DTS), Paul Urmson; associate producers, Linda Fields Hill, Jeffrey Harlacker; assistant director, Stephen Hagen; casting, Bernie Telsey. Reviewed at Sundance Film Festival (Premieres), Jan. 19, 2009. Running time: 100 MIN.
Black Dynamite
By ROB NELSON
'Black Dynamite'
• All Sundance Coverage
A Sony Worldwide release of an Ars Nova production, in association with Harbor Entertainment. Produced by Jon Steingart, Jenny Wiener Steingart. Executive producers, Deanna Berkeley, James Berkeley. Co-producers, Jillian Apfelbaum, Alison Engel, Steven Funk, Seth Harrison, Matt Richards, Jenna Segal, Paul Segal. Directed by Scott Sanders. Screenplay, Sanders, Michael Jai White, Byron Minns, from a story by White, Minns.
Black Dynamite - Michael Jai White
Honey Bee - Kym Whitley
Cream Corn - Tommy Davidson
O'Leary - Kevin Chapman
Bullhorn - Byron Minns
Gloria - Salli Richardson-Whitfield
Chocolate
Giddy Up - Cedric Yarbrough
Chicago Wind - Mykelti Williamson
Sweet Meat - Brian McKnight
Back Hand Jack - Bokeem Woodbine
Tasty Freeze - Arsenio Hall
Kotex - John Salley
Richard M. Nixon - James McManus
Patricia Nixon - Nicole Sullivan
Less screwball farce than affectionate, Tarantino-esque grindhouse homage, Scott Sanders' raucous "Black Dynamite" tips its frilly pimp hat to early '70s African-American action pics. A vastly entertaining film, with a playfully suave and acrobatic perf by co-writer Michael Jai White in the title role, this film will delight both discriminating fans of the blaxploitation tradition and ordinary lovers of goofy, in-ya-face thrills. The rowdy midnight screening at Sundance drew a nearly $2 million sale to Sony by dawn; with proper positioning, the pic, spanning the ghetto to Tricky Dick's White House, could grow from word-of-mouth cult item to mainstream bank-breaker.
Helmer and co-writer Sanders, whose "Thick as Thieves" graced Sundance a decade ago, has assembled a topnotch crew with whom to flaunt the low-budget eye candy of "Dolemite," "Superfly" and, particularly, "The Mack": flared threads, tall 'fros, and, er, 'hos. The director's kung-fu kicks and .44 Magnum blasts are as stupendously timed as his slang-slinging one-liners -- which is to say that, unlike some blaxploitation remakes, "Dynamite" never forgets to deliver the goods.
Plot, such as it is, has muscular, mustachioed ladykiller Black Dynamite avenging his brother Jimmy's murder at the hands of drug-dealing cats in cahoots with the Man -- aka O'Leary (Kevin Chapman).
Teamed with the likes of flamboyant queen Cream Corn (Tommy Davidson) and tough-as-nails Bullhorn (co-writer Byron Minns), suave baadasssss Dynamite follows the Man's menace from a doped-up orphanage to a warehouse stocked with absurdly poisonous malt liquor, eventually getting it on with nectar-sweet activist Gloria (Salli Richardson-Whitfield).
Hilarious climax finds Dynamite going mano-a-mano with a nunchuks-swinging Richard Nixon.Sanders and his key collaborators -- veteran costume designer Ruth E. Carter, production designer Denise Pizzini, d.p. Shawn Maurer and editor Adrian Younge (who also wrote the wah-wah-fueled music) -- make enjoyably funky use of split screens, shaky zooms, and drooping boom mics. (Sanders stops short of digitally manufacturing scratches on the print a la "Grindhouse," which is maybe just as well.)
Pic's many fight scenes, owing to "Enter the Dragon" more than anything in the blaxploitation oeuvre, are ingeniously choreographed by the Yuan brothers, Ron and Roger.
Distinctly not circa '73 are soundwoman Sara Glaser's Dolby thwacks and cap-peelings -- but, like the film, they're loud and fun.
More than one option(Person) Michael Jai White
Actor
(Person) Michael Jai White
ActorMore than one option(Person) Scott Sanders
ADR, Assistant, Boom Operator
(Person) Scott Sanders
Director, Screenplay, Special Thanks
(Person) Scott Sanders
Actor
(Person) Scott Sanders
Associate Producer
(Person) Scott Sanders
Production Associate, Sound
(Person) Scott Sanders
CoordinatorMore than one option(Person) Kevin Chapman
Location Manager, Unit Manager
(Person) Kevin Chapman
ActorMore than one option(Person) Nicole Sullivan
Actor, Voice
(Person) Nicole Sullivan
Camera (color, Super 16-to-35mm), Shawn Maurer; editor, Adrian Younge; music, Younge; music supervisor, David Hollander; production designer, Denise Pizzini; set decorator, Antonia Nunez; costume designer, Ruth E. Carter; sound (Dolby Digital), Sara Glaser; supervising sound editor, Sean Gray; visual effects supervisor, Brian Adler; animation, Six Point Harness; fight coordinators, Ron Yuan, Roger Yuan; stunt coordinator, Ron Yuan; associate producer, Intesar Haider; assistant director, Chad Rosen; casting, Rick Montgomery. Reviewed at Sundance Film Festival (Park City at Midnight), Jan. 18, 2009. Running time: 90 MIN.
Magnolia Pictures has landed worldwide rights to Lynn Shelton's indie buddy comedy "Humpday", snatching up the rights for mid-six figures after a bidding war says Indiewire.
Mark Duplass and Joshua Leonard play two straight best friends, old college recently reunited, who decide to film themselves having sex with each other for an art project to be entered into 'Hump Fest', Seattle's annual amateur and locally produced porn festival.
The film premiered on Friday in the Sundance Film Festival's competition section and scored good notices. Magnolia will launch the pic on VOD before an August theatrical opening.
The Informers
On the other hand, Australian director Gregor Jordan's ode to the 80s, "The Informers", seems so out of place at this festival. Sure it's a guilty pleasure film full of copious amounts of sex and nudity, which is not objectionable per se, but a script helps, and actors who can solidly interpret characters.
Based on author Bret Easton Ellis' rambling tales of 1980s Los Angeles, "The Informers" is a multi-strand narrative set in 1984 Los Angeles, centered on an array of characters who represent both the top of the heap (a Hollywood dream merchant, a dissolute rock star, an aging newscaster) and the bottom (a voyeuristic doorman, an amoral ex-con).
Connecting the intertwining strands are a group of beautiful, blonde young men and women who sleep all day and party all night, doing drugs -- and one another --with abandon, never realizing that they are dancing on the edge of a volcano. I get what Ellis was doing, commenting on the sexual excesses of the 80s when AIDS was first coming into being, and the disease is certainly part of the film. But the screenplay, co-written by first-timer Nicholas Jarecki, along with novelist Ellis, has no depth whatsoever, but a meaningless series of unsympathetic caricatures, brought to life by a bevy of attractive, soulless actors.
None of this is the fault of director Jordan, an accomplished filmmaker who can only shoot the material available to him. He has a fluid, visual style, and the film certainly looks stylish and perfectly captures the period. With the exception of pros Billy Bob Thornton and a striking Kim Basinger, "The Informers" has very little to offer, apart from numerous sex scenes, drug-taking and the weirdest, out of place character played by Mickey Rourke who needs to think about the choices he makes.
This film about perpetual self-destruction is an unnecessary addition to Sundance, and it is likely given the film's bad reviews, that a theatrical release is an unlikely event, but rather relegated to cable and DVD. As a huge admirer of Gregor's work, it is unfortunate that he opted to do something this shallow and narratively incohesive, but then you're only as good as your source material and therein lay the problem.
Routh, Whitman, Pill Join "Scott Pilgrim"By Garth FranklinTuesday, January 20th 2009 3:10am Even more names have joined the cast of "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" for Universal Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
"Pilgrim" centers on young slacker Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera), who meets the woman of his dreams (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) but finds he can win her heart only by battling and defeating her seven evil ex-boyfriends.
Brandon Routh ("Superman Returns") plays the third evil boyfriend, Todd Ingram, a rocker with vegan psychic powers.
Mae Whitman ("Tinker Bell," "Avatar: The Last Airbender") is Roxy Richter, the fourth ex, a female who is half-ninja.
Satya Bhabha plays an ex-boyfriend who can summon demon hipster girls at will.
Brie Larson ("United States of Tara") plays Pilgrim's ex-girlfriend, Envy Adams, for whom he still has feelings.
Mark Webber ("The Hottest State," "Broken Flowers") is Stephen Stills - the lead singer of Pilgrim's rock band.
Alison Pill ("Milk," "The Book of Daniel") is the band's drummer while Johnny Simmons ("Evan Almighty," "The Spirit") is Young Neil, the band's biggest fan.
Finally Anna Kendrick ("Twilight," "Rocket Science") is Pilgrim's sister.
Edgar Wright co-penned and will direct the adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's cult favorite graphic novel which features romance, teen angst and plenty of fantastical action.
Marc Platt, Eric Gitter, Nira Park and Wright are producing.
Two feel Joss Whedon's 'Cabin' pressure
Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford eye horror feature
By Borys Kit and Jay A. Fernandez
Jan 21, 2009, 01:00 AM ET
Richard Jenkins, left, and Bradley Whitford (Getty Images photos)
Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford are moving to "The Cabin in the Woods."
Jenkins is on board and Whitford is in final negotiations to star in the mystery-shrouded MGM/UA horror project written by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, who also is directing. Whedon is producing.
Much like "Cloverfield," which Goddard scripted, the "Cabin" story line provides a new twist on a classic scenario -- in this case the young-people-stranded-in-the-woods horror trope.
"It's really just your basic typecasting: When you need two actors to run through the woods in low-cut nighties, you immediately think of Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford," Goddard joked.
Whedon said the casting signals what kind of movie they are hoping to make. "They're the first proof that though 'The Cabin in the Woods' is a classic horror film, it isn't one you've seen before."
While the studio and filmmakers were loath to provide character details, it is understood that Jenkins and Whitford will play white-collar co-workers with a mysterious connection to the cabin.
The UA production is prepping for a spring shoot and will open wide Feb. 5, 2010, with MGM distributing.
MGM, which Worldwide Motion Picture Group chairman Mary Parent spent much of 2008 rebuilding, has a lot riding on Whedon and Goddard's genre effort. It will be -- after the planned September opening of the studio's "Fame" revamp -- only the second homegrown production of the recharged Parent regime.
Gersh-repped Jenkins is riding high on his SAG and Film Independent Spirit awards noms for "The Visitor." He most recently was seen in "Burn After Reading" and "Step Brothers." He is additionally repped by Bill Treusch.
Whitford, repped by Endeavor and Greenlight Management, most recently appeared in "Bottle Shock" and "An American Crime."
Warner Bros. is turning to Tom and Jerry to create its own "Alvin and the Chipmunks"-like family franchise.
Plans are to bring the constantly warring cat and mouse to life as CG characters that run around in live-action settings.
Studio-based Dan Lin, currently producing the upcoming "Sherlock Holmes" and exec producer on "Terminator: Salvation," will adapt the classic Hanna-Barbera property as an origin story that reveals how Tom and Jerry first meet and form their rivalry before getting lost in Chicago and reluctantly working together during an arduous journey home.
Eric Gravning is penning the script.
Scribe wrote "B-Minor," which has Ron Howard attached to helm at Universal; "Mr. Burnout," which is set up at Participant Prods.; as well as "Class Act" at Walden Media, with Halle Berry aboard to star.
Warners owns the rights to Hanna-Barbera's slate of popular animated properties and has several of them in development for bigscreen adaptation.
Those include Robert Rodriguez's version of "The Jetsons" and producer Donald De Line's "Yogi Bear."
The live-action/animated combo has worked for Warners before.
The studio successfully turned "Scooby-Doo" into a live-action franchise with two films that earned a combined $457 million theatrically and a direct-to-DVD feature in the works. It cast the Looney Tunes characters opposite Michael Jordan in "Space Jam" long before that, and there was Joe Dante's "Looney Tunes: Back in Action," starring Brendan Fraser, in 2003.
Interest in the new projects certainly ramped up after "Alvin and the Chipmunks" earned a whopping $360 million worldwide, besting even Fox's predictions for the pic, which was budgeted at $60 million. A sequel was quickly greenlit, with the singing rodents skedded to hit the screen again in 2010.
Revenue potential from worldwide box office, DVD, games and merchandise sales, as well as the potential for sequels and earnings from TV and homevid spinoffs, is considered too good to pass up.
The built-in familiarity of the characters has studio bosses feeling they're not taking the kind of risk associated with creating a new property marketing mavens must promote from scratch.
"Tom and Jerry" originated as a series of 114 animated shorts, produced by MGM's toon studio between 1940 and 1960, and won seven Academy Awards. New toons were produced after that, and Warner Bros. released "Tom and Jerry: The Movie" in 1992 as a feature-length toon.
Lin will produce "Tom and Jerry" through his Lin Pictures, while Jon Silk will co-produce.
Lin is also producing Cameron Diaz starrer "The Box" and Ricky Gervais starrer "This Side of Truth," and he's exec producer on Rodriguez's "Shorts."
Tom Wilkinson and Jim Belushi round out the cast of Roman Polanski's "The Ghost." Lensing on the thriller based on the Robert Harris novel of the same name is to begin Feb. 4 in Berlin.
Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, Ewan McGregor and Olivia Williams had been previously announced as cast members.
Screenplay, penned by Harris and Polanski, centers on a former British prime minister who's holed up on an island writing his memoirs when his aide drowns, triggering political and sexual intrigue.
Polanski's producing along with Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde. Shoot will take place mainly at Studio Babelsberg.
Summit Intl., which has a longstanding relationship with Polanski and the producers, is repping the film for RP Prods. and has pre-sold "The Ghost" to Pathe in France; Kinowelt in Germany; Optimum in the U.K.; Rai Cinema in Italy; Acme UAB in the Baltic states; Dutch Filmworks in Benelux; and SPI Intl. in Eastern Europe.
A U.S. distributor has yet to be announced. ICM is representing North American rights.
Wednesday's announcement came as an appeals court issued a stay on a hearing in Los Angeles County Superior Court over Polanski's request for a dismissal of his conviction for having sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977.
Story
Berlinale's 2009 Panorama programme finalised
Martin Blaney in Berlin
21 Jan 2009 18:01
The section's main programme will open on February 5 with Danish actress-director Rie Rasmussen's debut feature Human Zoo while the Panorama Special strand will kick off with another debut, North (Nord) by Norway's Rune Denstad Langlo.
The final raft of titles to be confirmed include world premieres of new films from German directors Andreas Struck (Sleeping Songs), Jochen Hick (The Good American) and Marco Wilms (Comrade Couture), Russia's Pavel Bardin (Russia 88) and Hong Kong's Simon Chung (End Of Love)
In addition, Korean-born Sung-Hyung Cho brings her new documentary Home From Home to Berlin. The film looks at ex-pat Koreans returning to Korea after 30 years of living and working in Germany to spend their retirement in a purpose-built "German village".
In addition to celebrating 30 years of programming, the Panorama is also marking 10 years of the Panorama Audience Award by re-screening all of the winning films from the past decade - from Spanish filmmaker Benito Zambrano's Alone in 1998 to Eran Riklis's Lemon Tree in 2008.
The additional confirmed titles completing the programme are:
Panorama Main Programme
A North Chinese Girl by Zou Peng, People's Republic of China (WP)
Raging Sun, Raging Sky by Julián Hernández, Mexico (WP)
Retribution by Paulo Pons, Brazil
Russia 88 by Pavel Bardin, Russian Federation (WP)
Sleeping Songs by Andreas Struck, Germany (WP)
Strella by Panos H. Koutras, Greece (WP)
Panorama Special
Claustrophobia by Ivy Ho, Hong Kong, China
End Of Love by Simon Chung, Hong Kong, China (WP)
North by Rune Denstad Langlo, Norway (WP)
Short Cut To Hollywood by Marcus Mittermeier, Jan Henrik Stahlberg, Germany, Austria, USA (WP)
Yang Yang by Yu-Chieh Cheng, Taiwan (WP)
Panorama Dokumente
City Of Borders by Yun Suh, USA (WP)
Comrade Couture by Marco Wilms, Germany (WP)
Home From Home by Sung-Hyung Cho, Germany (WP)
Kashmir: Journey To Freedom by Udi Aloni, USA/Israel
Kiss The Moon by Kha lid Gill, Germany (WP)
Off Ways by Uli M Schueppel, Germany (WP)
The Good American by Jochen Hick, Germany (WP)
The Yes Men Fix The World by Mike Bonanno, Andy Bichlbaum, Kurt Engfehr, USA
War And Love In Kabul by Helga Reidemeister, Germany (WP)
Supporting Films
575 Castro Street by Jenni Olson, USA
Gevald by Netalie Braun, Israel
Queer Sarajevo Festival 2008 by Masa Hilcisin, Cazim Dervisevic, Bosnia and Herzegovina (WP)
The Casuarina Cove by Junfeng Boo, Singapore (WP)
The End Of The Pig Is The Beginning Of The Sausage by John Edward Heys, Germany (WP)
Dare
Tim Grierson in Park City
in Los Angeles
22 Jan 2009 06:59
Dir: Adam Salky . US. 2009. 90 mins.
Addressing serious themes through deceptively campy humour and outrageous sexual antics, Dare manages to revamp teen-movie archetypes. Director Adam Salky and screenwriter David Brind go for shock value in their tale of three students who cope with their final semester of high school by seducing one another, but while not all the filmmakers' gambits work, this low-budget comedy is thematically daring and increasingly engrossing as it rolls along.
Dare presents a marketing challenge in that the film has no major stars, except for Emmy Rossum who has appeared in The Day After Tomorrow and the film version of The Phantom Of The Opera. That, coupled with the film's frank sexual themes (including mild scenes of homosexuality), could make this a difficult theatrical proposition, although ancillary markets might be more receptive.
Split into three sections, Dare traces the lives of three high school students. Alexa (Rossum) is tired of being pigeonholed as the good girl and decides to sex up her image. Alexa's best friend Ben (Ashley Springer) is beginning to wonder if he might be gay. Johnny (Zach Gilford) is the class heartthrob who attracts both Alexa and Ben because of his bad-boy persona. Alexa and Johnny begin a sexual relationship, but soon Ben's interest in Johnny complicates that romance.
Adapted from a short film which focused on just Ben and Johnny, Dare has been expanded to include the Alexa character, who becomes the catalyst for a series of sexual explorations between the three students. At first, director Adam Salky seems to be settling for broad satire at the expense of these three cookie-cutter archetypes, but once each character "dares" to take his or her own sexual risk, it becomes clear that David Brind's screenplay is using these funny, titillating exploits to make larger points about the eternal adolescent desire to feel accepted and popular.
Dare craftily dramatises the different power shifts going on among these three characters, and the film's flamboyant, tawdry style gives the material a juicy vitality. On occasion, Salky allows the bed-hopping to descend into soap-opera theatrics, but for the most part Dare offers a wised-up reconsideration of the standard teen-movie clichés about jocks and cheerleaders that's as refreshing as it is legitimately sexy.
Taking their cue from Dare's lascivious overtones, the cast members deliver pert performances which never lose their grounding in recognisable behaviour. Emmy Rossum nicely negotiates Alexa's self-conscious transition from polite prude to sassy vixen while demonstrating that the uptight young woman still exists within this new persona. Once Ben embraces his homosexuality, Ashley Springer gives his character a seductive innocence that seems to be blossoming right in front of our eyes. And as the hunky Johnny, Zach Gilford possesses an androgynous handsomeness that makes his true romantic desires a teasing mystery which powers much of the film's forward momentum.
Production companies
Next Wednesday
Gigantic Pictures
US/International Sales
Cinetic Media
(1) 212 204 7979
Producers
Mary Jane Skalski
Jason Orans
Co-producer
David Brind
Screenplay
David Brind
Cinematography
Michael Fimognari
Production designer
Jennifer Dehghan
Editor
John F. Lyons
Music
Duncan Sheik
David Poe
Main cast:
Emmy Rossum
Zach Gilford
Ashley Springer
Ana Gasteyer
Rooney Mara
Sandra Bernhard
Alan Cumming
Adventureland
Tim Grierson in Park City
22 Jan 2009 07:00
Dir/scr: Greg Mottola. US. 2008. 107 mins.
Writer-director Greg Mottola's 80s-set Adventureland feels like a sweeter, more personal riff on Superbad (2007), the raunchy summer smash which he also directed. Jesse Eisenberg's winning performance and a choice soundtrack contribute significantly to a warm love story about two likeminded souls sharing a memorable summer working at a woebegone amusement park.
This goes out in the US on March 27 through Miramax, which will be hoping to attract the same fanbase as Superbad ($170m worldwide). Star Jesse Eisenberg drew accolades for his role in 2005's The Squid And The Whale, but Twilight's Kirsten Stewart as the female love interest will be the main draw here after her vampire romance's $324m worldwide take pre-Christmas.
In the summer of 1987, brainy college graduate James (Eisenberg) must take a summer job if he's to advance any further academically. With few options available, he signs on at Adventureland, a rundown local amusement park. Things look up, though, after he meets Em (Stewart), a cool, edgy girl who also works at Adventureland and shares his love of modern rock. They hit it off, but she doesn't tell him that she's secretly having an affair with the park's married mechanic (Ryan Reynolds).
Greg Mottola started out by writing and directing indie comedy The Daytrippers before directing mainstream movies such as Superbad. Adventureland represents a return to Mottola's roots, but if this comedy's broad humour and pop-culture period detail recall the style of Superbad, his writing here gives the story a heartfelt quality that was largely lacking in his for-hire studio feature. His lead character James may be a sensitive intellectual, but it's very believable that his hip demeanour would click with the gorgeous, introspective Em since they both dream of a larger world outside their shabby surroundings. Mottola supplies his leads with bouncy dialogue that rarely feels merely clever.
As he did in The Squid And The Whale, Eisenberg projects a sense of precocious intelligence and quiet confidence that belies his youthful countenance. James is certainly nerdy, but Eisenberg doesn't rely on self-deprecating gimmicks to elicit sympathy – instead, it's his brains and self-possession that make him attractive. As James's dream girl, Stewart conveys Em's flirtatious spirit while also hinting at the troubles secretly eating away at her.
The celebrated indie-rock band Yo La Tengo provide the wistful score, but the soundtrack is dominated by music supervisor Tracy McKnight's deft song selections (from The New York Dolls, Lou Reed, Big Star, The Replacements and others) which effectively accentuate the emotions of key scenes without overshadowing them.
Production companies
This Is That
Sidney Kimmel Entertainment
Domestic distribution/international sales
Miramax
+ 1 212 941 3800
Producers
Ted Hope
Anne Carey
Sidney Kimmel
Cinematography
Terry Stacey
Production designer
Stephen Beatrice
Editor
Anne McCabe
Music
Yo La Tengo
Main cast:
Jesse Eisenberg
Kristen Stewart
Ryan Reynolds
Martin Starr
Bill Hader
Kristen Wiig
Grace
By JOHN ANDERSON
'Grace'
• All Sundance Coverage
An Anchor Bay Entertainment (in North America) release of an Indigomotion presentation of an ArieScope Pictures production in association with Dark Eye Entertainment. (International sales: Lightning Entertainment, Los Angeles.) Produced by Kevin DeWalt, Cory Neal, Adam Green, Ingo Volkammer. Executive producers, Scott Einbinder, Simon Edery. Directed, written by Paul Solet.
Madeline - Jordan Ladd
Patricia - Samantha Ferris
Vivian - Gabrielle Rose
Henry - Serge Houde
Michael - Stephen Park
Dr. Sohn - Malcolm Stewart
"Rosemary's Vegan Vampire Baby" might have been the title of "Grace," a satirical creepfest that mines modern motherhood for all its latent terror: Breastfeeding. Baby monitors. Mothers-in-law. Splatter freaks will suckle on "Grace's" high corpuscle count and others will laugh at the sendup of post-natal obsessiveness. But progressive parents beware: When the movie's besieged mom fixes her problem child a bottle filled with meat juice squeezed from plastic-wrapped beef roasts, you may just lose your mind.
Madeline Matheson (Jordan Ladd) is first seen staring at the ceiling while having sex with her alternately dull and nasty husband Michael (Stephen Park). When, after Madeline gets pregnant, the couple visits midwife Patricia Lang (Samantha Ferris) -- who happens to be Madeline's ex-lover -- Michael asks insulting questions and has a skeptical attitude. On the way home, Michael won't let a car pass them on the road, causing an accident that kills both Michael and the nonborn baby.
Or so we think: Insisting on carrying the fetus to term, Madeline -- and everyone else -- is stunned when the baby is born alive. But rather than being Mommy's little bundle of joy, little Grace turns out to be a nipple-gnawing malcontent who attracts flies.
Hitchcock was renowned for imbuing the most pedestrian object with dread, and, while Solet certainly isn't pretending to be that subtle, he does bestow a sense of crawling tension upon the most benign, or even beneficent, subject -- hospitals, doctors, airbags, tofu, animal-oriented cable TV, a cat, a package of liver. It's both hilarious and politically piquant.
Madeline might have been able to rear little Grace if it were not for her mother-in-law Vivian (Gabriella Rose), who refers to Madeline as "that woman my son married" and is intent on wresting Grace away from her. Enlisting her own feckless Dr. Sohn (Malcolm Stewart) to declare Madeline incompetent, Vivian starts lactating herself in anticipation of getting the baby.
In the showdown between mother and mother-in-law, "Grace" is overcome with spasm of violence that is alternately sick-funny and downright chilling, but doesn't cancel out the intelligence, or at least drollery, with which so much of the film is put together. The cast, Ferris, Ladd and Rose specifically, play it with tongues pretty firmly in cheek. Squeamish-making script by Solet treats its aud's sense of propriety the way a baby treats a diaper.
Production values are good, but the baby-doll stand-ins can be pretty obvious.
Bill Hader and SNL scribe Simon Rich have written a slasher movie for Judd Apatow to produce according to CHUD
"It's partially Straw Dogs meets Halloween meets Home Alone meets Monster Squad" says the funnyman and "Superbad" star.
When will it get done? "I don't know if it's even going to get made. Judd met with us and said "I want to do a horror movie with you. I want to see you in a slasher movie."'
Despite talk of an "Arrested Development" movie barreling forward, former co-star of the sitcom Michael Cera tells MTV News that it's still early days yet.
"There's no script or anything, so the movie I think is more hypothetical than people think. I'd possibly play the part. I'd possibly put the script in my shredder...I'm enjoying being the villain" said the actor who is in Sundance at present promoting "Paper Heart".
Show creator Mitch Hurwitz was quoted last year as saying that Cera was the lone holdout of the original cast and Hurwitz doesn't want to write the script until he's confirmed the cast for the film.
Despite Cera's reluctance he's still open to the project and is "very interested to see what the story is with [the film]."
Horror director Alexandre Aja ("The Hills Have Eyes," "Mirrors") is considering a big screen version of Didier van Cauwelaert's satirical novel "The Gospel According to Jimmy" according to Sci-Fi Wire.
What's the plot? "You have to imagine, a few years from now, the Republicans want to get back in the White House, and the only thing that they find is like an old cloning project ... to clone Jesus from a blood cell on the Shroud of Turin. And one subject had survived, and he's fixing pools in L.A., named Jimmy. And they're going to find him and ask him to come back and help them to get back to power."
Who'd make a good Jesus? Aja thinks that Seth Rogen would be perfect casting. The project is still in early stages as a writer is being sought to adapt the property.
PARK CITY -- There's nothing funnier than Nazi zombies.
IFC Films, which had remained quiet throughout most of the Sundance Film Festival, suddenly jumped Wednesday to purchase U.S. distribution rights to the Norwegian horror-comedy "Dead Snow." Elle Driver also sold the film in foreign territories Germany, Benelux, the U.K. and Canada.
The mixed-genre flick premiered Saturday night in the Park City at Midnight section at the Egyptian Theatre, where interest was high enough that people were turned away. Written and directed by Tommy Wirkola, the film follows eight medical students who head into the mountains for a skiing vacation only to find themselves sharing the slopes with maniacal Nazi zombies intent on turning the snow blood red.
IFC Films' Arianna Bocco negotiated the deal with Adeline Fontan Tessaur and Eva Diederix at Elle Driver.
"We are thrilled to work with Tommy and our friends at Elle Driver on this unique film," IFC Entertainment president Jonathan Sehring said. "Tommy is a talented new filmmaker in world cinema, and we look forward to helping introduce him to U.S. audiences."
The indie distributor plans to release the film this year.
Colin Farrell and Keira Knightley are teaming for the British gangster thriller "London Boulevard" reports The Daily Mail.
Farrell will star as a South London criminal who was just released from prison and tries to turn his life around by becoming a handyman for a reclusive actress (Knightley).
"The Departed" and "Kingdom of Heaven" scribe William Monaghan makes his directorial debut on the project and is adapting Ken Bruen's original novel which is obviously inspired by the classic "Sunset Boulevard".
Shooting is slated to begin this summer in London and surrounding areas.
Endgame
Mike Goodridge in Park City
26 Jan 2009 12:55
Dir: Peter Travis. 2009. UK. 109 mins.
A fascinating subject – the behind-the-scenes negotiations between the ANC and South African government to end apartheid in 1985 – gets an intelligent if unremarkable screen treatment in Endgame, a made-for-TV thriller which had its world premiere at Sundance. Encompassing too many plot strands and characters in its 109 minutes, Endgame is ultimately bogged down in plot, leaving it unable to capture the story's emotional heft.
On a scene-by-scene basis, the film is absorbing, courtesy of director Pete Travis' urgent hand-held documentary style and a cast of excellent actors. But its international theatrical prospects are far from certain. South African stories have not been embraced by audiences of late (The Country Of My Skull, Red Dust, Catch A Fire, Goodbye Bafana) and Endgame will probably work best as the high-end TV movie it was designed to be. Perhaps the South African revolution will be better served by a grander theatrical treatment courtesy of Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon in The Human Factor, due out later this year.
The film, which doesn't track any one character, but keeps several plots going at the same time, begins by following Michael Young (Miller), the director of communications for mining outfit Consolidated Goldfield, as he is smuggled into an ANC stronghold. Although assumed by many to be a supporter of the apartheid regime, Consolidated was looking to secure its future in a South Africa which would inevitably overturn the white government. Young is charged with sponsoring talks between the ANC and influential Afrikaners representing President Botha.
Young manages to secure the participation of Professor Willie Esterhuyse (Hurt) as the lead white negotiator with future president Thabo Mbeki (Ejiofor) representing the ANC. Botha's head of intelligence Neil Barnard (Strong, in a slippery role not dissimilar from his Jordanian intelligence chief in Body Of Lies) ensures that Esterhuyse keeps him fully abreast of the conversations which take place at a country house in England.
But Barnard is also initiating talks with Nelson Mandela himself, moving him out of prison and into more comfortable quarters and then trying to negotiate with him separately from the ANC. By dividing Mandela from the ANC, he hopes to be able to control the inevitable changeover. As the negotiations carry on on both fronts, tensions run increasingly high, especially when Botha has a stroke and FW de Klerk steps into office.
Some of the best historical films from The Queen to Frost/Nixon tell their bigger stories from the point of view of one or two characters, and indeed Travis himself made a stunning debut by exploring the Omagh bombing as it affected one family. Endgame chooses to cover multiple famous figures from Mandela, Mbeki and Oliver Tambo to de Klerk, Botha and Esterhuyse, and inevitably suffers from a lack of focus.
But as he showed in Omagh and his Hollywood debut Vantage Point, Travis is incredibly gifted at building tension, and there are scenes here – notably a car chase in which Mbeki is almost driven off the road – which are about as well-orchestrated and visceral as it gets.
Production companies
Daybreak Pictures
Channel 4
Target Entertainment Group
Masterpiece
International sales
Target Entertainment Group
+ 44 870 164 7474
Producers
David Aukin
Hal Vogel
Screenplay
Paula Milne, based on The Fall Of Apartheid by Robert Harvey
Cinematography
David Odd
Production designer
Chris Roope
Editor
Clive Barrett
Dominic Strevens
Music
Martin Phipps
Main cast
William Hurt
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Jonny Lee Miller
Mark Strong
Clarke Peters
Derek Jacobi
Timothy West
Sundance
Kimjongilia
(Documentary -- U.S.-South Korea-France)
By JOHN ANDERSON
Former North Korean army captain Park Myung-ho, as seen in KIMJONGILIA, directed by N.C. Heikin Former North Korean army captain Park Myung-ho, as seen in director N.C. Heikin's 'Kimjongilia.'
A Green Garnet Prods. presentation. (International sales: Visit Films, New York.) Produced by Robert Pepin, David Novack, Young-sun Cho. Executive producer, Mike Figgis. Co-producers, Su Kim, the Saylors brothers. Co-executive producer, James Egan. Directed by N.C. Heikin.
Offering interviews, info, interpretive dance and generous helpings of North Korean kitsch, "Kimjongilia" tells us one thing we probably already know: That Kim Jong-Il, the despot with the black bouffant, is one of the world's worst at-large criminals, possibly mad, and with a legacy of horror that reaches across generations. Helmer N.C. Heikin orders up her indictment of the "Dear Leader" in a manner passionate and artistic, elevating fascinating, woeful facts into a wholly elevated realm. While mainstream theatrical isn't in the cards, this doc seems likely to lead a healthy life on cable, at festivals and in arthouses.
The Kim dynasty was established 60 years ago when the current leader's father, Kim Il-Sung, established North Korea as a Marxist state, invaded the south and kicked off the Korean War. Despite the "Great Leader's" brutality and incompetence, he was a revered, even mythic figure: "He can travel miles while sitting down," is just one of the claims made for him by the North Korean people, whose fealty to the Kims is portrayed by Heikin as that of an abused child to its parent.
As we learn, North Korean policy is to purge three generations of an offender, so many of Heikin's interview subjects -- who spoke from various locations outside North Korea -- were born or grew up in the current Kim's gulag of concentration camps, where stealing food, shirking work or just having a bad attitude means execution by firing squad. A quick death might be preferable, given North Korea's inability to feed its people: As many as 3.5 million may have perished during the famine of the mid-'90s when world food aid was diverted to the elite, and the common Korean left to die.
The horrors of life as portrayed by Heikin's subjects, all Kim victims, are both ameliorated and elevated by the director's devices, which include a smattering of cheesy Kim-era film and art; the brief introduction of the national flower, the Kimjongilia; and, most intriguingly, a uniformed female traffic agent, whose occasional appearances and dancing provides an anguished, abstract and mute commentary on many unspeakable things.
Production values are tops, notably Peterson Almeida and Mary Lampson's editing.
More than one option(Person) David Novack
ADR, ADR Mixer, Audio Mixer
(Person) David Novack
More than one option(Person) James Egan
Executive Producer
(Person) James Egan
ProducerCamera (color), Kyle Saylors; editors, Peterson Almeida, Mary Lampson; consulting editor, Kate Amend; music, Michael Gordon; animator, Wilhelm Ogterop. Reviewed at Sundance Film Festival (World Cinema -- competing), Jan. 21, 2009. Running time: 74 MIN.
(Korean dialogue)
Wayne Kramer to direct 'Automatic'
Warner Bros.taps helmer for buddy action film
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Kramer
Pic is a buddy action film in the vein of "Lethal Weapon" and is being produced by Joel Silver, whose Silver Pictures launched that franchise for WB.
Story follows two rookie cops out to make their mark and who team with a female former Delta Force operative to stop a mercenary who has stolen a cache of weapons.
The most recent draft was written by Marc Wolff. The hope is to get the film into production later this year.
Kramer, who'll do a pass on the script, last directed "Running Scared" and "The Cooler." He most recently completed writing and directing "Crossing Over," which will be released Feb. 27 by the Weinstein Co.
Kramer's repped by Endeavor and Artist Talent Mgmt.
Endgame
(U.K.)
By JUSTIN CHANG
'Endgame'
• All Sundance Coverage
A Channel 4, Target Entertainment Group and Masterpiece presentation of a Daybreak Pictures production. (International sales: Target Entertainment Group, London.) Produced by David Aukin, Hal Vogel. Executive producers, Liza Marshall, Arwel Rees, Ian Jones, Alison Rayson, Rebecca Eaton. Co-producer, David Wicht. Directed by Pete Travis. Screenplay, Paula Milne, based on the book "The Fall of Apartheid" by Robert Harvey.
Prof. Willie Esterhuyse - William Hurt
Thabo Mbeki - Chiwetel Ejiofor
Michael Young - Jonny Lee Miller
Neil Barnard - Mark Strong
Nelson Mandela - Clarke Peters
Oliver Tambo - John Kani
Rudolph Agnew - Derek Jacobi
P.W. Botha - Timothy West
The groundbreaking secret talks that precipitated the end of apartheid in South Africa are recounted crisply and involvingly in "Endgame." A proficient docudrama that simplifies and streamlines as much as it illuminates, director Pete Travis' crackling third feature (after "Omagh" and "Vantage Point") attempts something dramatically difficult -- putting a series of behind-closed-doors debates front and center -- and largely pulls it off, a few fiery car-bomb explosions notwithstanding. Strong performances, widescreen visual sweep and an ultimately inspiring tale of clandestine heroics should secure offshore arthouse berths for this well-made British telepic.
Adapted from Robert Harvey's "The Fall of Apartheid," "Endgame" begins in 1985, with President P.W. Botha's segregationist regime already on the brink of collapse; terrorist attacks by the left-wing African National Congress have become commonplace, and Nelson Mandela, in the final days of his 27-year prison term, has the sympathy of the world.
But change turns out to be economically motivated, as Michael Young (Jonny Lee Miller), chairman of the British mining company Consolidated Goldfields, sets out to initiate talks between white Afrikaner leaders and the ANC in an effort to ensure a peaceful transition and protect his company's interests.
Quietly determined and persistent, Young arranges for a series of roundtable discussions to take place at an estate in the English countryside, far from the frontlines, between ANC leader Thabo Mbeki (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Afrikaner professor Willie Esterhuyse (William Hurt). Esterhuyse is encouraged to "play along" by Neil Barnard (Mark Strong), the shrewd head of South Africa's National Intelligence Service, who is undertaking private negotiations of his own with the imprisoned Mandela (played with gravity by Clarke Peters, who resembles Mandela somewhat physically).
Using a vigorous editing style (by Clive Barrett and Dominic Strevens) and handheld Super 16 lensing (by David Odd), Travis approximates a less feverish version of Paul Greengrass' shaky-cam realist aesthetic. He turns the events into a political boardroom thriller that emphasizes rhetoric and warring ideologies as Esterhuyse and Mbeki clash over such subjects as power sharing, the release of political prisoners and the culture of fear ensnaring both sides.
Footage shot in South Africa is always of the tense, imminent-danger variety, and both Mbeki and Esterhuyse are made well aware that they're putting their lives at risk. A renegade ANC attack on civilians, shot from the bomber's perspective, carries a sickeningly suspenseful charge reminiscent of "The Battle of Algiers."
"Endgame" may leave some viewers wishing Peter Morgan -- the writer of such speculative political fictions such as "The Queen," "The Deal" and "Frost/Nixon" -- had tackled the project, which might have benefited from Morgan's deep-dish sense of characterization and way of finding intriguing entry points into the material. Paula Milne's efficient screenplay, which condenses the 12 actual meetings into a more workable number, doesn't get very deep inside Esterhuyse and Mbeki's heads, but Hurt and the ever-charismatic Ejiofor nicely convey the respect and friendship that develops between the two men as their talks gain traction.
Strong, carving a small niche for himself playing elegant men of power ("Body of Lies," "RocknRolla"), gets across the intelligence of a man seeking to gain political leverage. As the slightly tweedy Young, Miller recedes into the background as the discussions take centerstage but conveys presence and purpose throughout.
Pic's conclusion emphasizes the precedent-setting nature of the secret negotiations and the ANC's advisory role to other radical groups such as the IRA and, currently, Hamas. Tech credits are suitably rough-and-ready, with a fine blowup to 35mm at the Sundance screening caught.
Camera (color, Super 16-to-35mm, widescreen), David Odd; editors, Clive Barrett, Dominic Strevens; music, Martin Phipps; production designer, Chris Roope; set decorator, Neesh Ruben; costume designer, Dinah Collin; sound (Dolby Digital), Chris Ashworth; supervising sound editor, Kevin A. Brazier; re-recording mixers, Jamie Roden, Mark Paterson; visual effects, Molinare, Men From Mars; line producers, Nina Heyns, Lorraine Goodman; assistant director, Mark Goddard; casting, Celestia Fox. Reviewed at Sundance Film Festival (Premieres), Jan. 19, 2009. Running time: 109 MIN. (English, Afrikaans, Xhosa dialogue)
Production officially got underway yesterday on the first of the "Tintin" 3D motion capture films which Steven Spielberg is directing for Paramount Pictures according to a press announcement.
"Defiance" stars Jamie Bell and Daniel Craig have joined the production as the titular reporter and the villainous pirate Red Rackham respectively. The casting of Craig is an odd choice as the Rackham character literally appears on just three pages of the graphic novel and has barely any lines.
Gad Elmaleh and Mackenzie Crook have also joined the cast in supporting roles, as has Toby Jones ("Infamous," "The Mist") whom, though unconfirmed, seems likely to be playing Professor Cuthbert Calculus.
The five join the already cast Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as Captain Haddock and the Thompson twins respectively.
New "Doctor Who" showrunner Stephen Moffat, "Hot Fuzz" and "Shaun of the Dead" writer/director Edgar Wright, and Wright's "Ant-Man" co-scribe Joe Cornish adapted Herge's two-part graphic novels "The Secret of the Unicorn" and "Red Rackham's Treasure" for the first feature.
Officially titled "The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn", the film is on schedule for release in 2011.
Whilst making the press rounds this morning for CORALINE, Neil Gaiman revealed that the film adaptation of his Newbery Award-winning tome, THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, has finally landed a director. And it's not, as previously assumed/hoped, Henry Selick.
No, it's Neil Jordan, who once upon a time spun an elegant retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood" called THE COMPANY OF WOLVES. Though that film was much darker and far more sensual than Gaiman's kid-skewing yarn, it shows you how seriously Jordan takes his fairy tales. And, along with INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (as well as passages of the flawed-but-fascinating IN DREAMS), it also gives you an idea of how perfectly suited he is to this material. There will be no dulling of edges under Jordan's watch.
If you haven't read Gaiman's THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, it's a rather inventive variation on THE JUNGLE BOOK, with the protagonist being raised by ghosts instead of animals. I'm thrilled that it won the Newbery, and can't wait to see what Jordan does with it.
Joe Carnahan in negotiations to direct
By Borys Kit
Jan 27, 2009, 08:23 PM ET
Fox's big-screen version of "A-Team" looks to be finally coming together.
Joe Carnahan is in negotiations to helm the action movie with Ridley and Tony Scott's shingle Scott Free coming on board as producers. Stephen J. Cannell, who co-created the show, is also producing.
The trek to bring "A-Team" to the big screen has been a long one, with various actors, directors and writers landing on it before springing off of it. John Singleton was last attached, but ultimately left after casting issues stalled the project.
Carnahan, meanwhile, has been facing challenges with his passion projects that were to have been follow-ups to his kinetic movies "Smokin' Aces" and "Narc." "White Jazz" was muted when it encountered casting and financing issues. "Bunny Lake Is Missing" disappeared when star Reese Witherspoon hopped away.
Fox is betting this is the right combination, setting a June 11, 2010, release date for the feature, which is written by Skip Woods.
Carnahan seems like an ideal candidate for "A-Team," which told the adventures of a group of US Army Special Forces who are on the run for a crime they didn't commit. The team included Hannibal, the leader whose favorite line was "I love it when plan comes together; Face, a ladies man; Howling Mad Murdock, an unstable pilot; and B.A. Baracus, the surly muscle (B.A. stands for "Bad Attitude").
The 1980s series became a pop cultural phenomenon, with the theme song played by high school bands across the continent, made a star out of Mr. T, who played Baracus, and unleashed a slew of catchphrases onto the public.
Carnahan's gritty and grounded action style would be well-complemented by the Scotts. Tony Scott practically invented MTV-style shooting with his slick movies, ranging from "Top Gun" to "Man on Fire," while Ridley Scott's oeuvre, with such titles as "Gladiator," "Black Hawk Down" and "Body of Lies," is equally muscular.
Carnahan is repped by Endeavor.
Berlin Film Festival Golden Bear winner Jose Padilha ("Elite Squad") is set to helm the international thriller "The Sigma Protocol" for Universal Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on the final completed novel of the late "Bourne Identity" author Robert Ludlum, the 2001 thriller follows the son of a Holocaust survivor who gets entangled in an international conspiracy by industrialists and financiers to take advantage of wartime technology that reverses aging .
"Iron Man" co-writers Matt Holloway and Art Marcum are penning the script which will update the novel, use the current economic climate and make the protagonist a Wall Street type who specializes in the economy of catastrophic events, known as "black swan events."
Shooting will kick off in the Summer in various European locations. Padilha is also attached to direct the thriller "The Willing Patriot" for Warner Bros. and the drug tale "Marching Powder" for Plan B.
WB, Joel Silver shaping He-Man film
John Stevenson to direct live action 'Masters'
By MICHAEL FLEMING, MICHAEL FLEMING
Silver
Stevenson
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Warner Bros. and producer Joel Silver have set "Kung Fu Panda" co-director John Stevenson to make his live-action directing debut on "Masters of the Universe," a reimagining of the signature Mattel toy line.
Pic will revolve around He-Man, a prince who transforms into a warrior and becomes the last hope for a magical land being ravaged by the evil Skeletor.
Silver is producing through his Silver Pictures banner. Mattel's Barry Waldo will be exec producer.
WB acquired the property in 2007, and Justin Marks wrote the first draft of the script based on a story he developed with Neil Ellice.
The Mattel property was adapted into the 1980s cartoon series "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe."
The property was previously turned into a campy flop by Cannon Films in 1987, with Dolph Lungdren as He-Man and "Frost/Nixon" star Frank Langella as the villainous Skeletor.
The film project is a big priority for Mattel, which licenses a high-end line of He-Man toys that are popular with hardcore collectors.
Hollywood has become a magnet for branded toy-line properties, as DreamWorks and Paramount ready a June 26 release for "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" and Paramount preps for an Aug. 7 release on "G.I. Joe." Both began as toy lines that became hit animated series.
Waldo said Stevenson's vision to elevate the material matched with Mattel's desire to see He-Man become a big studio film. Mattel has also brought its "Hot Wheels" film to WB and Silver.
"John had such passion that we found ourselves running to catch up with his vision," Waldo said.
Stevenson has also worked on "Shrek" and "Shrek 2," "Madagascar" and "James and the Giant Peach." He began his career working for Jim Henson on projects that included "The Dark Crystal" and "Labyrinth."
Scott Derrickson to direct 'Hyperion'
Trevor Sands adapting Dan Simmons' novels
By MICHAEL FLEMING
"The Day the Earth Stood Still" helmer Scott Derrickson is set to direct "Hyperion Cantos" for Warner Bros. and GK Films.
Derrickson boards a project that will take two Dan Simmons sci-fi novels -- "Hyperion" and "The Fall of Hyperion" -- and meld them into one film being scripted by Trevor Sands.
Story is set in the distant future, as a space war threatens Hyperion, a planet known for the Time Tombs -- large artifacts that can move through time and are guarded by a gruesome monster called the Shrike.
Sands co-wrote and directed the 2002 film "Inside." Recently he's worked on Dimension's "Six Million Dollar Man" and adapted the David Brin sci-fi novel "Startide Rising" for Paramount.
Derrickson is also attached to direct "Paradise Lost" at Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures. Derrickson also co-scripted "Devil's Knot" for Dimension Films with Paul Boardman, his writing partner on "The Exorcism of Emily Rose."
King just wrapped "Edge of Darkness" with Mel Gibson.
Channing Tatum ("GI Joe," "Step Up") and director Dito Montiel are teaming up for a third time in "The Brotherhood of the Rose" for Warner Bros. Pictures reports Variety.
In David Morrell novel, two orphans are raised by a CIA operative to become assassins, only to become targets themselves.
Montiel ("Fighting," "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints") is rewriting Adam Cozad's earlier draft. Robert Mitchum starred in a two-part NBC miniseries adaptation.
Exclusive Images Reveal McG's Terminator Salvation Vision
By Hugh Hart January 30, 2009 | 6:57:00 PMCategories: Movies, Sci-Fi
New types of killer robots and a science-inspired conception of post-apocalyptic Earth are helping McG turn Terminator Salvation into an eye-scorching sci-fi flick.
The director knows it will take considerable polish to restore the franchise's sheen in the wake of Arnold Schwarzenegger's much-maligned 2003 swan song, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. And he cheerfully acknowledges that some observers initially questioned the wisdom of reviving the Terminator franchise with him at the helm.
"Nobody heard 'Terminator 4' and said, 'Oh that's a great idea -- I know, let's get McG to do it!" said McG when he rolled clips from his upcoming movie in Los Angeles earlier this month. "This asshole who did Charlie's Angels, and what kind of cock calls himself McG?'"
With one eye on the screen and the other on reactions from fans and journalists gathered at the Directors Guild of American screening room, the former music video director showed off the post-Judgment Day world he's crafting for Terminator Salvation. The scenes showed new Terminator models and bleak vistas from a nuke-ravaged Earth destroyed by sentient computer network Skynet.
Work-in–progress action sequences looked impressive enough to suggest that McG and his collaborators might just restore the franchise to its former glory.
The following exclusive concept art and images reveal McG's vision for Terminator Salvation as the director talks about putting the pieces together in time for the movie's May 22 release.
Getting the Robots Right: "The first film shows Schwarzenegger's T-800 coming from 2029 back in time," McG said. "Salvation takes place in 2018, so you see the R&D that went into the T-800. It's like the polio vaccine: You've got to go through a lot of lab rats to get to vaccine. In this film, humans are the lab rats. Skynet is testing on us to figure out how to make a photorealistic, leaner, smaller, more capable machine -- the T-800."
Skynet's arsenal includes the "Hydrabot," designed to seek and destroy humans trying to swim to safety.
A.I. Meets Skynet: "Artificial intelligence was so foreign during the glory days of '70s and '80s science fiction -– Blade Runner, Alien, Terminator," Mc G said. "In this day and age, it's here! You spell a word wrong on your BlackBerry, it spells it right for you. You got a bad knee, they put a titanium one in there. If you're depressed, we're not going to talk about your mom and dad, we're going to manipulate your serotonin re-uptake inhibitor and you're going to feel better in two weeks. I've always loved stories about 'That which makes us great will be our undoing.'"
Technology ramps up in Terminator Salvation with remote-controlled motorcycles dispatched by Skynet to destroy the humans.
Post-Apocalyptic Cinematography: "We talked to the people who monitored Chernobyl about what the world would sound and look and taste and feel like after the bombs have gone off," said McG. "Then we got a dead Kodak stock. We baked it in the sun a little bit too long to damage the film, and then we shot on uncorrected Panavision lenses that flare more easily and aren't quite as sharp as Primo lenses but have an interesting patina. Most importantly we added three times as much silver in the processing than one traditionally would to a color stock. Add it all up and you get this otherworldly, desolate feeling."
McG consulted with Caltech scientists to gather information on what a post-Judgment Day planet might look like.
Visual Effects: "It's critical to push the visual effects forward in this film," said McG. "In Terminator 2, when Robert Patrick's head came apart, that's pushing it forward. So we hired Charlie Gibson who's won two Academy Awards and did Gore Verbinski's last four or five movies. He's up there at [Industrial Light & Magic] cooking up a few things that I can say in fairness will go beyond viewers' expectation."
Calming James Cameron's Skepticism: "I didn't want to feel like the guy who gave birth to the Terminator is against what we're doing, so I go to see James Cameron to kiss the ring and tell him what I was trying to do," McG said. "He's cordial but says, 'I'm not going to endorse your movie. I reserve the right to hate it. But I wish you well, and if you're going to make a Terminator I'd prefer you make a good one to a bad one.'"
The devastation wreaked by Skynet in 2028 includes Hollywood's landmark Capital Records building, which lay in ruins.
The Quest for Credibility: "To get some credibility back into the Terminator mythology, we had to show the fans we really mean business by getting a great John Connor," McG said. "To me the choice was very simple: Christian Bale."
Bale Just Says No: "I met Bale at a pub in England while he was shooting Dark Knight," McG said. "He said, "I'm not interested in action, I'm not interested in pyrotechnics, I'm interested in story. If you can get the script to a place where actors on stage could just read it, naked, and it would be compelling for two hours because the characters change and evolve, then we'd have something to talk about." We had a respectful conversation, I gave him Cormac McCarthy's The Road, Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? to read but his answer was: "Until it's on the page, I'm not doing it."
The Jonathan Nolan Rewrite: "I went to Jonah Nolan, who co-wrote The Dark Knight," said McG, "and A) has a good dynamic with Christian, and B) he's a very intelligent guy who puts story and character at the forefront. So after Jonah worked on the script, we got Christian on board."
Sam Worthington, left right, plays the mysterious man who may -- or may not -- help Christian Bale's John Connor destroy Skynet.
Co-star Sam Worthington: "Alan Horn, the guy who runs Warner Bros., likes to kid, 'If you want a tough guy, you've got to hire somebody from Australia,'" McG said. "Sam's a pretty powerful screen presence. He can hold his own with Bale in a two-shot."
Connor's Story: "John Connor doesn't come into the picture saying, 'Follow me and everything's going to be cool,'" said McG. "He's just one of many soldiers when we meet him. It's like [Spider-Man] where you're Peter Parker: 'Hey I'm just a lowly high school photographer,' and he learns with great power comes great responsibility. Or the hacker [in The Matrix]: 'They call me Neo, who cares?' 'quot;No man, you're the one, you're going to lead us!' Of course Luke Skywalker, on and on, all those Joseph Campbell archetypes. So this is the story of how John Connor becomes leader of the resistance. He has to earn it."
Machine Music: "I wanted the sound of the resistance to be very delicate, reminiscent of Gustavo Santaolalla's analog guitar, so I thought of putting Gustavo together with Thom Yorke of Radiohead for the machine sound," said McG. "But their schedules were too tough, so then Danny Elfman articulated his sonic vision for the picture. He's a huge Terminator fan. I wish I could show you his house. Elfman lives in a haunted house that has strange prosthetic limbs from the turn of the century hanging on the wall."
Flesh-and-Blood Robots: "A lot of people make CG movies where actors are emoting to poles with tennis balls on top of them," said McG. "That's the last thing I wanted to do. I don't like dealing with cartoons, so to speak. I wanted real robots for the actors to interface with so you could get that grittiness and realism. There's an archetype shape to the T-800. We needed body types to suggest the robot that would combat John Connor, and Roland Kickinger is a good body type. His shoulders are huge, his waist is narrow. The [Industrial Light & Magic] guys used their calipers to measure shoulder spatial differences and said he'd make a good body double. Roland as an individual is not in the movie."
Stop Them Before They Multiply: "Imagine it's 1944 and we sneak into Hitler's Germany and find all these V-2 rockets with nuclear tips they're not supposed to have," said McG. "We'd go back to the powers that be and explain, 'This is a huge problem; it's going to change everything.' That's what happens with Connor –-he's got to raise the curtain and defeat Skynet because the launch of the T-800 means curtains for everyone."
The Third Act: "Is Skynet smart enough to use the best parts of ourselves against ourselves? Can we trust the machine?" Mc G asked. "Therein lies the rub and that's what act three is all about. The ending of this film is elliptical. It's going to make a lot of people mad and you'll see lot of people scratching their heads. It's not disposable, where you forget about it before you even get to the parking lot. It's going to make you think."
Images courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures
Universal Pictures is ready to drop the puck on its "Slap Shot" remake, setting Dean Parisot to direct the redo of the 1977 hockey comedy classic.
Peter Steinfeld ("21") is penning the script; Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall will produce.
The original starred Paul Newman as the fading player/coach of a minor league hockey team. Trying to hype the Charlestown Chiefs for a possible move South, the coach ramps up interest by turning his team into a group of brawling thugs.
When Steinfeld took the writing job and spoke about it last summer, Internet pundits were critical of the notion of updating a favorite sports film. Yet such nostalgic resistance certainly did not hurt "The Longest Yard, remake, a global hit that grossed far more than the original.
Parisot last helmed a remake of another comedy "Fun With Dick and Jane."
Bill Murray and Lucas Black have joined the cast of the period dramatic thriller "Get Low" for the Zanuck Co.
Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek star in the Aaron Schneider-helmed pic, which is based on the true story of Felix "Bush" Breazeale, a Tennessee recluse who planned his own funeral in 1938 while he was still alive and could enjoy it. Schneider, C. Gaby Mitchell and Chris Provenzano penned the screenplay.
Murray and Black play partners at the funeral home.
"Get Low," which starts shooting this week in Georgia, is being financed by K5 Intl., the Germany- and U.K.-based worldwide sales and finance firm. Richard, Dean and Harrison Zanuck are producing.
Murray most recently starred in Walden Media's "City of Ember."
Black recently wrapped a starring role in Screen Gems' "Legion," opposite Paul Bettany and Dennis Quaid.
Warner Bros. has set Aaron Sorkin to write "The Challenge," a courtroom drama for George Clooney's Smoke House shingle.
Clooney is producing with Smoke House partner Grant Heslov. Clooney may direct and hopes to play Navy lawyer Charles Swift in the drama about the effort by Swift and Georgetown U. law professor Neal Katyal to ensure a fair trial for Osama bin Laden's driver, Salim Hamdan, who'd been held at Guantanamo Bay for five years.
WB and Smoke House got started on the project over the summer by optioning Jonathan Mahler book "The Challenge: Hamdan v. Rumsfeld and the Fight Over Presidential Power" (Daily Variety, Aug. 13).More than one option(Co) Daily Variety
Filmography, Year, Role
(Co) Daily Variety
The courtroom drama wouldn't debate Hamdan's guilt or innocence but chart the dogged efforts of the two lawyers who sue the president because they feel the U.S. government has broken the law and violated the Constitution.
Captured in 2001 in Afghanistan while transporting two missiles in a car, Hamdan was ultimately convicted and sentenced to 5½ years by a military commission for providing material support to Al-Qaeda. He was cleared of the terrorism conspiracy charges that would have drawn a much longer sentence.
Sorkin, who most recently penned "Charlie Wilson's War," is working on a film about the formation of the social network Facebook. He's also prepping for production on DreamWorks pic "The Trial of the Chicago 7," to be directed by Ben Stiller.
The legendary John Carpenter (Halloween, The Fog, In the Mouth of Madness, The Thing), will direct The Ward, written by Michael and Shawn Rasmussen. Amber Heard (All the Boys Love Mandy Lane) has signed on to star. The Ward is an intense psychological thriller set in a mental institution where a young woman, Kristen (played by Heard) is haunted by a mysterious and deadly ghost. As danger creeps closer, she comes to realize that this ghost might be darker than she could have imagined. Production is scheduled for a May start.
Amber Heard""The Ward" is the kind of script that I've been looking for: a complex, visceral story, full of suspense and scares," said Carpenter. "I am especially pleased to be working with Amber because I know she will create a powerful central performance."
"The Ward" is being produced by Doug Mankoff, Mike Marcus and Andy Spaulding of Echo Lake Entertainment, which recently wrapped production on "The Joneses", co-starring Heard. Financing and producing alongside Echo Lake will be Peter Block and his recently launched company A Bigger Boat.
"Working with John Carpenter on "The Ward" is a dream come true; fans everywhere, me included, have been waiting for just this kind of thriller from him. It's great to be able to tackle it with the Echo Lake gang whose work I've also admired for years," said Block.
Heard is repped by Endeavor, Hyler Management and attorney Karl Austen. Her credits include "Pineapple Express," "Never Back Down," and "All The Boys Love Mandy Lane" as well as the series "Californication". Carpenter is repped by William Morris and Echo Lake Management. Writers Michael and Shawn Rasmussen are repped by Larchmont Literary Agency.
Echo Lake has added more commercial fare such as "The Ward" and "The Joneses" to its long track record of award winning arthouse films including titles like "Tsotsi", "Water", and "Away From Her". "We are excited to bring our focus on quality to bigger, more mainstream films" says Doug Mankoff, President of Echo Lake. "We saw firsthand what a great job Amber did on "The Joneses" and we knew that she and John Carpenter would make a perfect combination for "The Ward"."
FilmNation, the sales company started by Glen Basner, will begin international sales on the film at the Berlin Film Market next week.
Sony Pictures has scored the film rights to Danielle Trussoni's 'Da Vinci Code-esque' first novel "Angelology" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Will Smith's Overbrook and Marc Forster's Apparatus production companies will produce the story of a nun in New York who unwittingly reignites an ancient war between Angelologists, a group who studies angels, and a race of monster-like descendants of angels and humans called the Nephilim.
Fusing Biblical lore, the Orpheus myth, and the fall of rebel angels - the property sparked a fierce bidding war between Sony, Warners and Universal for the rights to make the project.
Director Marcus Nispel, best known for helming the horror remakes "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and the upcoming "Friday the 13th", already has two further projects in mind.
Talking with STYD, the first is the cloning thriller "Immaculate Conception". The story? "A girl gets pregnant, doesn't know why. You find out that she's part of an experiment. A splinter group of the church found a rusty old nail in the hills of Golgotha and they've harvested the DNA they believe is from Jesus Christ."
He adds that the tone is much more thriller than horror - "You think it goes like Rosemary's Baby but it's not a horror movie. It's like 'Marathon Man' or 'Coma'".
As for the second? Well it sounds similar to the Preston/Child novel "Reliquary". Entitled "Pod", it explores the seven sub-levels under Manhattan. Nispel says that "When they dig deep they find something they shouldn't have."
Nicolas Chartier's high-flying Los Angeles financing and sales company Voltage Pictures arrives at EFM with its most prestigious slate to date led by new work from Robert Redford and Terry Gilliam.
Chartier is in Berlin to introduce buyers to Robert Redford's romantic thriller The Company You Keep that is ready to shoot in July following a long gestation period that had previously seen it set up at Fox Searchlight.
CAA now represents North American rights to the big budget starring vehicle for Redford, who will direct and produce through his Wildwood label alongside Kingsgate Films' Greg Shapiro and Chartier.
Based on Neil Gordon's 2003 novel, The Company You Keep tells of a former radical activist who goes on the run for the sake of his young daughter after his identity is revealed.
Meanwhile Terry Gilliam is preparing a May 1 start date on the fantasy Zero Theorem, which will star Billy Bob Thornton and is being produced by Richard and Dean Zanuck.
The story revolves around a reclusive computer genius plagued with existential angst who is hard at work on a project designed to discover the meaning or life or its lack thereof. CAA is again handling North American rights.
Gilliam is currently in post-production on The Imaginarium Of Dr Parnassus which features Christopher Plummer, the late Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell.
Chartier is riding high following Anchor Bay's $3.5m Sundance acquisition of North American and Australian rights to David Mackenzie's LA hustler drama Spread starring Ashton Kutcher, while Summit Entertainment is preparing to release Kathryn Bigelow's war thriller The Hurt Locker, which Chartier produced with Shapiro.
Voltage will also talk to buyers here about Big Eyes, the drama about artist Margaret Keane starring Kate Hudson that is set to go in May, and the Steven Seagal action title A Dangerous Man that starts shooting on March 1. Chartier will also unveil eight minutes of footage from George A Romero's latest zombie installment ... Of The Dead, currently in post.
Martin Campbell, who has twice reinvented the James Bond franchise with 1995's "Goldeneye" and 2006's "Casino Royale", is in negotiations to direct the "Green Lantern" film for Warner Bros. Pictures reports Variety.
The attachment of such an in-demand action director has moved the DC Comics hero adaptation into a much higher priority window at the studio, cementing the project's place as a major 2010 or 2011 tentpole for the studio.
Greg Berlanti, who was previously attached to direct before leaving the project for "This Is Where I Leave You", wrote the script with Marc Guggenheim and Michael Green. Berlanti and Donald DeLine will produce.
Campbell, who also helmed the two Antonio Banderas-led "Zorro" films and "Vertical Limit", recently wrapped up work on the Mel Gibson-led thriller "Edge of Darkness" - a remake of the 80's British mini-series of the same name which he also helmed.
For their upcoming "Three Stooges" project, you can't blame the Farrelly Brothers for aiming high.
According to In Touch via Just Jared, the filmmakers are seeking both Johnny Depp and Sean Penn for their upcoming remake/anthology film.
"They want Johnny to play Moe and Sean Penn will be Larry - they're still looking to cast Curly" an insider apparently told the paper.
No names are confirmed and Film Drunk adds that the Depp rumor is bogus, though they add that Billy West is meeting with Sean Penn in L.A. today and tomorrow to help him work on his Larry impression/dialect.
Either way the Farrellys won't begin work on the project til they complete their current film "Walter the Farting Dog" starring the Jonas Brothers which kicks off production this spring.
Orlando Bloom ("Pirates of the Caribbean"), Vincent Cassel ("Eastern Promises," "Ocean's 12") and Olga Kurylenko ("Quantum of Solace," "Hitman") are set to star in the Australia-France-Germany co-production "The Cross" reports Variety.
Set against the backdrop of a futuristic border town, Bloom plays a man seeking to cross a mysterious border, something no one else has achieved.
Cassel, meanwhile, is the guard who will go to any lengths to foil him. Kurylenko takes the female lead.
Andrew Niccol ("Lord of War," "Gattaca") helms the $24 million production which begins filming this July in Australia.
Wieland Schulz-Keil, Jonathan Shteinman, Jean-Vincent Puzos, Remi Burah and Niccol will produce.
Brandon Routh tells Collider that Edgar Wright's upcoming "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" adaptation will fuse live action with some scenes of traditional animation.
Routh, who plays one of the evil ex-boyfriends of Pilgrim's love interest Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) also says the the script finishes the comic which is currently in its fifth volume of six.
Routh adds that filming on the other comic book adaptation he's attached to, "Dylan Dog", gets underway this April or May in New Orleans.
Steven Soderbergh is in talks to direct Sony Pictures adaptation of Michael Lewis' book "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game" reports Variety.
The book focuses on Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland Athletics who used a sophisticated computer analysis system to piece together a team that regularly contended for the World Series despite a payroll dramatically lower than such big-market rivals as the New York Yankees.
Brad Pitt has been circling the project for a year. Around the same time Steve Zaillian signed on to adapt the book after original scripter Stan Chervin left the project.
Soderbergh is looking to make the picture his next directing assignment, putting his Cleopatra-themed musical "Cleo" on hold for a year. Michael De Luca and Rachael Horovitz are producing.
Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman will team up for the romantic comedy "The Baster" for Mandate Pictures reports the trades.
Bateman and Aniston will play best friends Wally and Kassie. When neurotic and insecure Wally learns that Kassie plans to become pregnant through artificial insemination, he secretly replaces the donor's semen with his own and must live with the secret that he is the father of her child.
Will Speck and Josh Gordon ("Blades of Glory") will direct from a script by Allan Loeb ("21") based on Jeffrey Eugenides' short story.
Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa will produce. Filming kicks off this Spring in New York.
James Purefoy (HBO's "Rome"), Robert Carlyle ("The Full Monty"), Bob Hoskins ("") and William Moseley ("The Chronicles of Narnia") have joined the cast of medieval action thriller "Ironclad" for ContentFilm International says The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on a legendary story, "Ironclad" is set in 13th century England and tells the story of a formidable Knight Templar (Purefoy) and his "Magnificent Seven" who defended historic Rochester Castle against the tyrant, King John (Paul Giamatti), and his mercenary army.
Pete Postlethwaite, Lord Richard Attenborough, Colm Meany and Angus McFayden also star.
The film was initially to start production but got held up due to financing issues. Now it's raring to go again with a Summer start of production planned. Rick Benattar and Andrew Curtis are producing.
Ewan McGregor and Carey Mulligan ("An Education," TV's "Doctor Who") are in talks to topline "The Electric Slide" for Myriad Pictures says the trades.
The film is based on the true story of Eddie Dodson (McGregor), a Los Angeles-based furniture salesman who owned a high-end boutique furniture store on Melrose Avenue in L.A. in the 1980s.
He lived the Hollywood lifestyle, partying and hanging out with celebrity friends, when he fell in love and took the biggest risk of his life to impress his new girlfriend (Mulligan) - he robbed a bank. Dodson went on to rob more than 72 banks in the L.A. area before the FBI finally nailed him.
Tristan Patterson penned the script and will make his directorial debut. Christine Vachon, Brad Simpson, Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Jocelyn Hayes produce.
Amber Heard ("Pineapple Express," "The Informers") is in talks to star opposite Johnny Depp in "The Rum Diary", beating out the likes of Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightley says The Hollywood Reporter.
An adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's novel, the story follows a washed-up, hard-drinking journalist named Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp) in 1950s Puerto Rico.
Heard will play Chenault, the free-spirited girlfriend of a fellow journalist who cheats on him with Kemp, trying to convince him to run away with her.
The role of Sanderson has not been cast. Bruce Robinson is writing and directing.
Depp, Christi Dembrowski and Graham King are producing. Filming begins March 30 in Puerto Rico.
Berlin
Love Exposure
Ai No Mukidashi (Japan)
By RUSSELL EDWARDS
Religion, family and sexual mores are satirically skewered and roasted slowly in the iconoclastic, overlong Japanese indie 'Love Exposure.'
• Complete Berlin festival coverage
An Omega Project, Entertainment Inc., Studio Three Co. production. (International sales: Phantom Film Co., Tokyo.) Produced by Toyoyuki Yokohama, Shinya Kawai. Directed, written by Sion Sono.
With: Takahiro Nishijima, Hikari Mitsushima, Sakura Ando, Atsuro Watabe, Makiko Watanabe.
Religion, family and sexual mores are satirically skewered and roasted slowly in the iconoclastic, overlong Japanese indie "Love Exposure." Evoking an unhinged Ken Russell on a sushi binge, helmer Sion Sono's rep for excess ("Suicide Club") is consolidated by this delirious, hypnotic four-hour marathon about a teenage up-skirt snapper and his sacred love. Sono napalms Nipponese society's sugar coating by drawing on and transcending the trash aesthetic that excites fanboy Japanologists. Though far too long for midnight slots, fests bidding for cutting-edge status will pounce.
Tokyo teen Yu Honda (Takahiro Nishijima) is the traumatized son of a widower-cum-Catholic priest (Atsuro Watabe), who begins a sexual liaison with parishioner Kaori (Makiko Watanabe). When Dad's affair comes to a halt, he begins admonishing his son to confess to so many sins that the 17-year-old takes up new ones to appease his father's increased religious zeal.
One "sin," surreptitiously taking candid photographs of panties worn by female pedestrians, becomes a vocation. Unfortunately, a deal with a porn company comes undone when Yu turns down starring roles because he admits he's saving his priapic member for a Virgin Mary-like ideal woman.
On cue, narrative introduces feisty schoolgirl Yoko (Hikari Mitsushima), who loathes men and enjoys beating them up for their moronic attitudes. Yu falls in love and tries to win her -- in full knowledge that exposure of his superstar status will enrage her.
Observing the development of this bizarre courtship is religious cult rep Aya Koike (Sakura Ando). Aya not only wants to claim Yoko for herself but aims to convert each of the protags to her own spiritual cause. Pointed (and pointless) violence ensues at various intervals, beginning with Aya's castration of her comatose father.
Perf s have a legit tinge that suggests thesps drawn from avantgarde theater. But Mitsushima's turn as Yoko commands the screen. Tech credits are good enough.
More than one option(Person) Makiko Watanabe
Assistant Director, Actor, Screenplay
(Person) Makiko Watanabe
Assistant Camera, Assistant Camera Operator, Camera AssistantMore than one option(Film) The Suicide Club
(Film) Jisatsu Circle
More than one option(Person) Ken Russell
Director, Theme Lyrics, Actor
(Person) Ken Russell
Art Director, Assistant Property Master, CarpenterCamera (color, widescreen, HD-to-35mm), Sohei Tanigawa; editor, Junichi Ito; music, Tomohide Harada; production designer, Takashi Matsuzuka; sound, Yasushi Eguchi, Hajime Komiya. Reviewed on DVD, Sydney, Jan. 26, 2009. (In Berlin Film Festival -- Forum.) Running time: 237 MIN.
Beast Stalker
Ching yan (Hong Kong)
By DEREK ELLEYRead other reviews about this film
Powered By An Emperor Motion Pictures release of an Emperor Classic Films Co., Sil-Metropole Organization production. (International sales: Emperor, Hong Kong.) Produced by Albert Lee, Cheung Hong-tat, Candy Leung. Executive producer, Albert Yeung, Song Dai. Directed by Dante Lam. Screenplay, Jack Ng; story, Lam.
With: Nicholas Tse, Nick Cheung, Zhang Jingchu, Miao Pu, Liu Kai-chi, Keung Ho-man, Kwong Jing-hung, Sherman Chung, Zhang He, Wong Suet-yin, Wong Sum-yin.
(Cantonese, Mandarin dilogue)
Crying out for a Stateside remake from its opening reel, stygian crimer "Beast Stalker" grips like a vise, and is unquestionably the finest Asian action-psychodrama since South Korea's "The Chaser" last year. A major return to form by genre helmer Dante Lam, after his promising start a decade ago with pics like "Beast Cop" and "Jiang Hu -- The Triad Zone," this drama about a traumatized cop hunting down a child kidnapper to exorcise his own demons may have some Western theatrical potential as well as beastly upside on ancillary. Local haul late last year was a satisfying HK$8 million ($1 million).
While Lam's tight, claustrophobic direction finds a balance between pure action and character development, equal kudos are due scripter Jack Ng (who wrote the classic Donnie Yen/Sammo Hung starrer "SPL," plus several earlier Lam items like "Hit Team"). Dense, Swiss-clock-like screenplay, with overlapping patterns of guilt and fractured friendships, pulls several satisfying surprises on its audience right up to a final "oh, wow!" revelation that finally closes the plot circle.
Heading the strong cast is Nicholas Tse, downplaying his usual matinee-idol cool as Tong Fei, the young blowhard leader of a bunch of cops. Tong bawls out a colleague (Kwong Jing-hung) for screwing up a gambling bust that almost causes the death of another cop, Sun (Liu Kai-chi) -- a snafu that triggers the main story, as Tong and Sun, while chatting afterward, happen to spot a car carrying triad boss Cheung Yat-tung (Keung Ho-man), who has been rescued by his buddies en route to a court hearing for armed robbery.
Brief but electrically staged car chase ends in a tragedy that involves Cheung's prosecuting attorney, Ann Gao (mainland actress Zhang Jingchu), and sets up the guilt that drives Tong throughout the rest of the movie.
Three months later, Tong is on leave to settle his personal problems and becomes attached to Gao's young daughter, Ling-ling (Wong Suet-yin). When Ling-ling is kidnapped by killer-for-hire Hung King (Nick Cheung), Tong goes on a personal mission to save the kid, whom Cheung is using to force Gao to compromise some conclusive evidence against him.
Early in this section,the film starts playing with the audience's perceptions by including an unannounced flashback that seems to be taking place in the present. But such tricks serve to keep the tension ramped up rather than willfully confuse the viewer, and the complex web of relationships among cops, criminals, Gao and even Hung are cleverly resolved, right up to the final frame, as the action unfolds.
The plot does rely on some unlikely coincidences, but the leaps of imagination refreshingly recall a more devil-may-care era of Hong Kong production in which auds were expected to just go for the cinematic ride. As the pursuit of Hung starts in earnest -- much of it set within a geographically small area of the city -- the tension hardly lets up. Finale doesn't quite manage to cap the preceding setpieces, but the surprise coda does.
Tse, often a variable young star, is impressive here and has good buddy chemistry with Liu throughout. But it's Cheung, one of the territory's most underrated actors, who's the standout, turning a repellent, one-eyed killer into almost a figure of sympathy. Zhang, so good in mainland movies like "The Road," as well as Hong Kong drama "Protege," is OK here as the equally guilt-plagued attorney.
Action staging by Tung Wai, rhythmic-atmospheric score by Henry Lai and some tenebrous lensing keep the drama tight and ticking over.
More than one option(Person) Albert Lee
Actor, Carpenter, Photography
(Person) Albert Lee
Actor, Music Supervisor, Song
(Person) Albert Lee
Executive Producer
(Person) Albert Lee
ActorMore than one option(Film) Yol
(Film) La Strada
(Film) Jol
(Film) The Road
Bae Chang-ho, Bae Chang-ho
(Film) Fangxiang Zhi Lu
(Film) The Road
Camera (color), Cheung Man-po, Tse Chung-to; editor, Chan Ki-hop; music, Henry Lai; production designer, Yau Wai-ming; art director, Kong Hun-lim; sound (Dolby), Tam Tak-wing, Nip Kei-wing; action choreographer, Tung Wai; car stunts, Bruce Law; assistant director, Yiu Man-kei. Reviewed on DVD, London, Jan. 14, 2009. (In Berlin Film Festival -- Forum, Special Screenings.) Running time: 113 MIN.
Mickey Rourke is to reteam with Walter Hill in the action thriller St. Vincent
Mickey Rourke reteams with Hill
Jeremy Kay in Berlin
07 Feb 2009 06:32
Mickey Rourke's remarkable comeback continues apace as the white-hot Oscar nominee reunites with his Johnny Handsome director Walter Hill on the action thriller St Vincent, set to begin filming later this year.
Stuart Ford's IM Global is handling international sales and has reported feverish early interest from buyers in Berlin keen to see the next powerhouse performance from Rourke, who will be seeking to add a BATFA on Sunday to his earlier Golden Globe win for his acclaimed return to form in The Wrestler.
ICM is handling North American rights to the Occupant Films and Secret Handshake Entertainment production about an assassin who masquerades as a priest in order to finish off a high level informant, only to undergo a crisis of conscience when he takes confession from his target.
Occupant's Keith Calder, Joe Neurauter and Felipe Marino will produce along with Secret Handshake's Dena Hysell and Joe Gressis. ICM represents Rourke and Hill, back together for the first time in 20 years, and negotiated the deal with Occupant's attorney Erik Hyman on behalf of the producers.
Rourke recently won the best dramatic actor Golden Globe for his performance as a washed out fighter who tries to claw back personal and professional integrity in Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler. The role has also earned Oscar and Screen Actors Guild nominations.
Occupant Films was set up in 2005 and announced its arrival with Toronto 2006 midnight hit All The Boys Love Mandy Lane and last year's Sundance audience award winner The Wackness, both directed by Jonathan Levine. Secret Handshake is preparing Michael J Weithorn's comedy A Little Help starring Jenna Fischer and Chris O'Donnell.
Europacorp is planning a 15-20 million Euro, French-language adaptation of American author Douglas Kennedy's book "The Big Picture" says Variety.
Released under the title "L'homme qui voulait vivre sa vie", the story follows a successful lawyer whose life turns upside down and finds himself on the run with a new identity.
Eric Lartigau ("Prete-moi ta main") will direct the project which begins filming at the end of May.
Timothy Hutton has joined Roman Polanski's "The Ghost" for says The Hollywood Reporter.
The film tells the tale of a ghostwriter (Ewan McGregor) who is hired to complete the memoirs of a former British prime minister (Pierce Brosnan). When he uncovers secrets, his own life is put in jeopardy.
Hutton plays the role of the prime minister's American lawyer. Tom Wilkinson, James Belushi and Kim Cattrall also star.
Shooting kicks off this week in Berlin. Polanski, Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde and Patrick Wachsberger are producing.
Kate Hudson, Elias Koteas, Bill Pullman and Ned Beatty have joined the psychological thriller "The Killer Inside Me" for Wild Bunch says Screen Daily.
Based on the novel by Jim Thompson, the story follows a West Texas sheriff and his downward spiral from a boring small-town cop into a ruthless, sociopathic murderer.
Michael Winterbottom directs the $13 million project which also stars Casey Affleck and Jessica Alba.
Former "Doctor Who" companion turned writer/director Noel Clarke ("Kidulthood") has joined the cast of th sword-and-sandals pic "Centurion" for Pathe International says The Hollywood Reporter.
Neil Marshall ("The Descent," "Doomsday") helms the story which is set during the Roman invasion of Britain in 117 AD.
The story follows Quintus Dias, sole survivor of a Pictish raid on a Roman frontier fort, who marches north with General Virilus' famed Ninth Legion under orders to wipe the Picts from the face of the Earth and destroy their leader, Gorlacon.
Michael Fassbender, Dominic West and Olga Kurylenko also star in the film which is due to shoot at the end of Feburary in Scotland and London. Christian Colson will produce.
Chloe Sevigny, Michael Shannon and Willem Dafoe have joined Werner Herzog's upcoming psychological horror thriller "My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done" according to Production Weekly via JoBlo.
Loosely based on a true story, it centers on a man who apparently acts out some play in his mind and ends up killing his mother with a sword.
Herzog is presently finishing up the Nicolas Cage-led remak of "Bad Lieutenant".
Ciaran Hinds and Tom Wilkinson have joined the John Madden-directed Mossad-Nazi thriller "The Debt" for Miramax Films says The Hollywood Reporter.
Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman and Peter Straughan penned the script which tells the fictional story of how three young Israeli Mossad agents on a secret mission capture and kill a notorious Nazi war criminal in 1965.
Thirty years later, a man claiming to be the Nazi surfaces in Ukraine, and one of the former agents must go back undercover to seek out the truth.
Jessica Chastain has also joined the cast, playing a younger version of Helen Mirren's Mossad agent Rachel Singer. Hinds and Wilkinson play fellow Mossad agents.
Sam Worthington, Marton Csokas, Jesper Christensen and Romi Aboulafia also star. Shooting recently kicked off in London before moving on to Budapest and Tel Aviv.
Anne Hathaway is rumored to be starring in Stephen Chow's new film according to China.org.cn
Plot details are unknown but a rep for Chow's company calls it "a superhero, action-packed, special effects-rich, and of course funny" movie that will resemble "Kung Fu Hustle".
Chow will write and direct the comedy starring himself and Jack Black.
EuropaCorp close to 'One' deal
Besson's film unit eyes English-language remake
By ALI JAAFAR
An English-language remake of French-language thriller 'Tell No One' may soon be on the way.
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EuropaCorp, Luc Besson and Pierre-Ange Le Pogam's French-based finance, production and distribution powerhouse, is close to inking a deal with two U.S. majors to make an English-language remake of "Tell No One."
Original French-language pic, about a doctor grieving for his dead wife who discovers she may still be alive, was a surprise hit in the U.S., where it grossed more than $6 million for newbie distrib Music Box.
The remake will likely start shooting by the end of the year.
EuropaCorp is also in negotiations with a U.S. partner for an English-language remake of "District B13," about an undercover policeman and former criminal trying to infiltrate a gang armed with a neutron bomb.
The remake will be retitled "Brick Mansion."
The company, which is celebrating the success of its pic "Taken" after it topped the U.S. box office during the Super Bowl weekend, also has a brace of high-profile French projects in the pipeline.
Set to go into production soon is Jean Reno starrer "L'Immortel," a true story about a 50-year-old retiree in Marseilles who was shot 22 times but miraculously survived. Project will follow his attempts to discover the identity and motivation of the perpetrators of the crime against him.
"It's our Clint Eastwood French film," quipped EuropaCorp managing director Le Pogam. "It's a sophisticated film. It's very physical, but it also questions why we like violence so much."
The e20 million ($26 million) revenge thriller will be helmed by Gallic thesp-turned-helmer Richard Berry ("La Boite noire").
EuropaCorp is also prepping a $19.4 million-$26 million French-language adaptation of American author Douglas Kennedy's book "The Big Picture."
Pic's French working title is "L'Homme qui voulait vivre sa vie."
EuropaCorp has been developing the script for two years. Project is about a successful lawyer who finds himself on the run with a new identity.
French helmer Eric Lartigau, who scored a big hit with 2006 romantic laffer "Prete-moi ta main," will direct, with lensing to begin by the end of May.
EuropaCorp has increasingly established itself as one of Europe's premier production powerhouses, regularly financing big-budget projects entirely inhouse.
"In Europe we have beautiful professionals and a structure to help finance and constantly elevate the quality of films," Le Pogam said. "You can see in the last 10 years French cinema has become much more professional than before."
Taylor Momsen (TV's "Gossip Girl") and Jacob Zachar (TV's "Greek") are in talks for the feature film version of "Cavegirl" for The U.K. Film Council and Carnaby International says The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on the 1980s BBC series, the $6 million action comedy is billed as being a film about teenage problems in a stone age world. Thora Birch also stars.
Danny Peacock, who wrote and directed two seasons of the original show, will make his big-screen directorial debut on the project. The filmmakers are in negotiations with "Bee Gees" Robin and Barry Gibb to write the music.
Filming kicks off in South Africa in April. Andy Bell and Tim Woolford will produce.
Gemma Arterton ("Quantum of Solace"), Eddie Marsan ("Happy-Go-Lucky") and Martin Compston ("Doomsday") are toplinig the contemporary kidnap thriller "The Disappearance of Alice Creed" for CinemaNX says The Hollywood Reporter.
"Creed" tells the tale of two kidnappers (Marsan and Compston) who carry out an immaculately planned kidnap after targeting rich girl Arterton.
But things quickly unravel as the scheme plays out, with all three characters revealing an agenda that ends in a tense power play of greed, love, sex and violence.
"The Descent 2" co-scribe J. Blakeson makes his directorial debut on the film which kicks off production tomorrow on the Isle of Man. Adrian Sturges is producing.
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Eva Green has signed to star in the futuristic drama "Womb," Hungarian helmer Benedek Fliegauf's first English-language film.
Produced by Roman Paul and Gerhard Meixner of Berlin-based Razor Film ("Waltz With Bashir") and Andras Muhi of Inforg Studio Budapest, pic tells the story of a grieving widow, played by Green, who decides to clone her late husband. Matt Smith (who has been tapped to replace David Tennant in the BBC's "Dr. Who") co-stars.
Cedomir Kolar and Marc Baschet of Paris-based ASAP Films, ZDF/ Arte and Arte Cinema are co-producing the film.
Fliegauf, who won a Golden Leopard in Locarno in 2007 for his experimental pic "Milky Way," will begin production on the film in March on the North Sea coast.
"'Womb' is one of the most touching and impressive love stories we have read in recent times," said Michael Weber, managing director of the Match Factory, which is handling international sales on the pic.
Bluebeard
Barbe bleue (France)
By LESLIE FELPERIN
'Bluebeard'
A Flach Film, CB Films, Arte France presentation. (International sales: Pyramide Intl., Paris.) Produced by Jean-Francois Lepetit, Sylvette Frydman. Directed, written by Catherine Breillat.
With: Dominique Thomas, Lola Creton, Daphne Baiwir, Marilou Lopes-Benites, Lola Giovannetti, Farida Khelfa, Isabelle Lapouge.
Having built a career on provocative, sexually explicit yet cerebral fare ("Romance," "Sex Is Comedy"), Catherine Breillat shocked auds with her 2007 period piece, "The Last Mistress," because it was not all that shocking. Now the Gallic helmer's latest, "Bluebeard," features considerable blood but no sex. This offbeat but compelling take on the tale, arguably the first serial-killer yarn, emphasizes sisterly bonds but still gets to the original story's heart of mysterious darkness with impressive results. Low-budget production values will, however, keep pic locked up in arthouse ivory towers.
Once upon a time in the 1950s, somewhere in France, two young sisters, 7-or-so-year-old Catherine (Marilou Lopes-Benites) and Marie-Anne (Lola Giovannetti), who's a couple years older, go to play in the attic. Impish Catherine insists on reading "Bluebeard" to her frightened sister, and as she does, the story unfolds onscreen.
Set in an unspecific time that looks roughly like the early 18th century, pic introduces two other sisters, teenagers Anne (Daphne Baiwir) and the younger Marie-Catherine (Lola Creton), being thrown out of a nun-run boarding school when their father dies and their family is unable to afford the school fees. Back home, the girls watch as the furniture is taken away to pay bills.
With no dowry to offer, the chance to become a bride to the notorious local squire Bluebeard (Dominique Thomas), who'll take a wife with no cash down, starts to look attractive. The only hitch is that his previous wives had a habit of never being seen again.
Nevertheless, Marie-Catherine is literally and figuratively hungry for the good life and agrees to marry Bluebeard, finding him surprisingly gentle at home. He only asks that she obey a single rule: Don't open the one room he forbids her to enter while he's away. Everyone knows what happens next, although there's still a twist in store.
Although the script is roughly faithful to author Charles Perrault's original tale, there's no mistaking that this is a Catherine Breillat film. Characters talk in that slightly stiff, declamatory way they always do in her films, sisters love and hate each other in the same instant (invoking shades of "Fat Girl"), and relations between the sexes are fraught with mutual incomprehension and disappointment. And yet, despite the chamber of horror that reps the pic's climactic reveal, the tone is dreamy, almost breezy, with the childish banter between the two 1950s girls even offering light relief.
Having said that, prospective distribs are hardly likely to market this to family auds, although Breillat perfectly understands how kids, especially girls, crave stories that terrify them. In fact, in the film's press notes, she writes about the autobiographical inspiration for the story.
Shot on HD, pic clearly cut corners in various craft departments, such as costume and sets. Several times, Breillat even uses exactly the same shot of a character going up or down a set of stairs two or three times in a row to suggest the staircase is longer than it really is, although this might have been a deliberate device.
Camera (color, HD), Vilko Filac; editor, Pascale Chavance; set designer, Olivier Jacquet; costume designer, Rose-Marie Melka; sound (Dolby Digital), Yves Osmu. Reviewed at Berlin Film Festival (Panorama), Feb. 8, 2009. Running time: 78 MIN.
Berlin
The Yes Men Fix the World
(Documentary -- U.S.-France)
By LESLIE FELPERIN
'The Yes Men Fix the World'
A Common Decency, Article Z (U.S.)/Arte France (France) production, with the support of Renegade Pictures U.K., Charny-Bachrach Entertainment, the Channel 4 Britdoc Foundation. (International sales: Cinetic Media, New York City.) Produced by Andy Bichlbaum, Mike Bonnano, Doro Bachrach, Ruth Charny, Laura Nix. Executive producers, Patrice Barrat, Alan Hayling, Jess Search, Juliette Timsit. Directed, written by the Yes Men (Andy Bichlbaum, Mike Bonnano). Co-director, Kurt Engfehr.
A follow-up to "The Yes Men" -- the droll, low-budget antiglobalization docu from helmers Chris Smith, Dan Ollman and Sarah Price -- "The Yes Men Fix the World" finds its titular merry pranksters up to yet more capitalist-critiquing chicanery and fat-cat-fooling fun. Helmed this time by the Yes Men collective's most prominent frontmen, Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonnano, this deliberately cheap-looking but likable pic finds them again pretending to be representatives for greedy multinationals in order to make outrageous proposals, and thus shame said organizations. Converted auds will say "yes" to this in low numbers theatrically.
The Yes Men's m.o. owes much to Michael Moore's stunts for "The Awful Truth" and "TV Nation," a little bit to novelist/essayist Jonathan Swift, and even more to class-clown-style practical jokery. Their basic schtick is to set up fake websites and the like that supposedly rep large, nefarious corporations like Dow Chemical and Halliburton, then wait for invitations from gullible conference organizers and news organizations to roll in. Once they have an audience, frontmen Bichlbaum and Bonnano suit up and pretend to be executives keen to unveil bizarre new products or strategies (like making fuel out of dead people for Exxon) that take the corporation's ruthless underlying logic to an extreme level.
Here, the pic shows the Yes Men pulling off arguably their biggest coup by having Bichlbaum pose as a Dow Chemical spokesman, an almost plausibly named flack Jude Finisterra. On live television, he promises Dow will accept full responsibility for the deaths of thousands of Indians affected by the chemical leak at Union Carbide's (now a Dow subsidiary) factory in Bhopal 20 years ago, and pay appropriate compensation. The stunt prompts short-lived tears of joy in India and a reflexive storm in the media and financial communities.Staged-looking footage shot in India shows Bhopal residents laughing off the joke, as it allows them to keep their plight in the public eye.
Pic's biggest laughs are generated not from the Yes Men's gags themselves but from the cutaway shots of audience members looking on with barely disguised shock or, even more disturbingly, unruffled acceptance. Editing by April Merl adroitly maintains comic momentum, while use of old cartoons enhances merriment. Use of HD gear means the pic would probably look better on TV than the bigscreen, although this is sure to be a draw at further left-leaning festivals. (In Berlin, the pic's first public screening was mobbed.)
For the record, no d.p. credit appears onscreen. Instead, some 50 names are listed as camera people in the pic's end credits.
More than one option(Co) Renegade Pictures
(Co) Renegade Worldwide
More than one option(Co) Arte France Cinema
(Co) ARTE France
More than one option(Co) Channel Four
(Co) Channel 4
More than one option(Person) Chris Smith
Sound, Director, Director of Photography
(Person) Chris Smith
Catering, Transportation
(Person) Chris Smith
Song, Theme Lyrics, Song Performer
(Person) Chris Smith
Cinematographer, Director of Photography, Assistant Camera
(Person) Christopher Smith
Director, Assistant Director, Assistant Camera Operator
(Person) David Chris Smith
(Person) Christopher Smith
Production Assistant, Stand-In
(Person) Chris Smith
Props
(Person) Christopher Smith
(Person) Christopher Smith
Character Design, Dresser
(Person) Chris Smith
(Person) Chris Smith
Set Dresser
(Person) Christopher Smith
Camera
(Person) Chris Smith
DGA Trainee, Production Coordinator
(Person) Chris Smith
Director, Screenplay
(Person) D. Chris Smith
(Person) Chris Smith
(Person) Chris Smith
(Person) Chris Smith
Production Assistant
(Person) chris smith
(Person) Chris Smith
Key Grip
(Person) Chris Smith
(Person) Chris Smith
More than one option(Person) Michael Moore
Voice, Director, Actor
(Person) Michael Moore
(Person) Michael Moore
Visual Effects, Visual Effects Editor, Graphics
(Person) Michael Moore
Props
(Person) Michael Moore
Projectionist
(Person) Michael Moore
Music
(Person) Michael C Moore
(Person) Michael D Moore
(Person) Michael S Moore
(Person) Michael Moore
Line Producer, Special Thanks
(Person) Michael Moore
Assistant Director
(Person) Michael Moore
Actor
(Person) Michael Moore
Hairdresser, Hair, Hair Stylist
(Person) Michael Moore
Producer, Screenplay
(Person) Michael J Moore
(Person) Michael Moore
Security
(Person) Michael Moore
(Person) Michael Moore
Story By
(Person) Michael Moore
Actor
(Person) Michael Moore
Production Assistant
(Person) Michael Moore
Second Unit DirectorCamera (color, HD); editor, April Merl; music, Neel Murgai, animation, Patrick Lichty; Noisola; sound, John Bucher. Reviewed at Berlin Film Festival (Panorama), Feb. 6, 2009. (Also in Sundance Film Festival -- Spectrum.) Running time: 96 MIN.
With : Andy Bichlbaum, Mike Bonnano.
K-20: Legend of the Mask
K-20: kaijin nijumenso-den (Japan)
By RUSSELL EDWARDSRead other reviews about this film
Powered By A Robot Communications presentation of a Nippon Television Network, ROBOT, VAP, Toho, Dentsu, Shogakukan, YTV the Yomiuri Shimbun, Shirogumi Imagica production. (International sales: Nippon Television, Tokyo.) Produced by Chikahiro Ando, Takaya Kurata, Kazuyoshi Ishida. Executive producers, Shuji Abe, Seiji Okuda. Directed, written by Shimako Sato, based on the manga "Kaijin nijumensu-den" by Soh Kitamura.
With: Takeshi Kaneshiro, Takako Matsu, Toru Nakamura, Jun Kunimura, Reiko Takashima, Takeshi Kaga.
Superhero shenanigans are dished up with style in the rollicking adventure yarn "K-20: Legend of the Mask," based on longtime Japanese literary favorites reinvented for a popular '80s manga. Seasoned thesps go along for the ride in the lightweight but absorbing tale, helped by outstanding special effects and a bountiful budget. Pic opened pre-Christmas to respectable but still disappointing local biz, which could possibly kibosh its prospects as a franchise. But the current superhero fad, and the international profile of star Takeshi Kaneshiro, should rescue some profits from the fanboy ancillary market.
Japanese title is the abbreviated name of a Professor-Moriarty-cum-Irma-Vep-like thief known as the fiend with 20 faces. Story is set in an alternate post-WWII universe where imperialist Japan's regal families are far removed from the plight of a sprawling underclass that struggles in poverty.
In the capital, the government is plagued by a prankster villain known as K-20 (Kaijin Nijumenso-den). Pic opens with the masked man's theft of a prototype device owned by Hashiba Corp. that transmits electrical energy without wires.
Among the lower classes, Heikichi Endo (Kaneshiro) is an adroit circus acrobat with an amusing sideline in magic tricks. Backstage one night, a scar-faced rep from a gossip magazine (Takashi Kaga, from cult TV cooking show "Iron Chef") hires Heikichi to take photos of the celebrity wedding of K-20's longtime nemesis, Det. Kogoro Akechi (Toru Nakamura), and corporation heiress Yoko Hashiba (Takako Matsu). But the assignment is a setup, and fall guy Heikichi is erroneously arrested as the man behind K-20's mask.
Protesting his guilt, Heikichi escapes from police custody with the help of some circus buddies lead by aging, William Demarest-like technical whiz Genji (Jun Kunimura). Using his physical prowess, Genji's gadgets and a handy-dandy book of disguise techniques, Heikichi aims to clear his name by catching K-20 himself.
Narrative is a tad tardy as it works to its conclusion, though a jaw-dropping climactic battle between Heikichi and the real K-20 atop a skyscraper is a winning combo of two parkour doubles and impressive visual effects by Kiyoko Shibuya. (Effects guru Takashi Yamazaki, who recreated an authentic postwar Tokyo for the "Always" franchise, receives a separate credit for vfx supervision.)
Never taking itself too seriously, the script allows the cast plenty of latitude. Matsu, especially, shows off the comedy chops she previously demonstrated in the Billy Wilder-like "Suite Dreams" (2006).
In contrast, pan-Asian heartthrob Kaneshiro shows a handsome blandness that's more Michael Keaton's serious Bruce Wayne than Robert Downey Jr.'s charismatic Tony Stark. Supports, particularly the dry Kunimura, offer a solid base.
The division of duties between U.K. film school-trained helmer Shimako Sato (TV cop show "Unfair") and her team of action and special effects directors is not entirely clear, but the overall package is seamless. Lensing by Kozo Shibasaki uses the widescreen frame to full advantage, and the rousing score by Naoki Sato is nobly rambunctious in the movie superhero tradition.
K-20 and Det. Akechi characters are revamps of 1920s creations by Japanese crime writer Edogawa Rampo, but the script sets up the possibility of sequels that could go in a completely new direction.
More than one option(Person) Naoki Sato
Associate Producer, Producer
(Person) Naoki Sato
Original MusicCamera (color, widescreen), Kozo Shibasaki; editor, Ryuji Miyajima; music, Naoki Sato; production designer, Anri Jojo; sound (Dolby Digital), Hitoshi Tsurumaki; visual effects supervisor, Takashi Yamazaki; action directors, Makoto Yokoyama, Tatsuro Koike. Reviewed on DVD, Ichikawa City, Japan, Jan. 3, 2009. (In Santa Barbara Film Festival.) Running time: 137 MIN.
Special Correspondents
Envoyes tres speciaux (France)
By JORDAN MINTZERRead other reviews about this film
Powered By A EuropaCorp Distribution release of a Les Films Manuel Munz, Malec Prods., EuropaCorp, MG Films production, in association with Sofica EuropaCorp, with participation of Canal Plus, TPS Star, M6. (International sales: EuropaCorp, Paris.) Produced by Manuel Munz. Directed by Frederic Auburtin. Screenplay, Simon Michael, Jacques Labib.
With: Gerard Lanvin, Gerard Jugnot, Omar Sy, Valerie Kaprisky, Anne Marvin, Serge Hazanavicius, Bertrand Lacy, Guillaume Durand.
A hilarious wartime satire that mocks the media's obsession with all things jihad, "Special Correspondents" reps a welcome alternative to typical mainstream Gallic comedies. With a more pertinent message and smarter scripting than expected of a film that, like most French farces, kicks off with an act of adultery, the pic dishes out a witty and inventive tale of two radio reporters who pretend they've been kidnapped in Iraq, although they never actually leave Paris. Hefty late-January release should reach a fair number of local listeners; overseas, these "Correspondents" deserve to be heard, even if only through remake.
While Hollywood -- from "Three Kings" to the latest "Harold and Kumar" -- has produced several Middle East- and terrorism-themed comedies over the years, the French film industry (like its government) has been more prudent when it comes to handling such issues. But scribes Simon Michael ("The Very Very Big Company") and Jacques Labib go straight for the jugular here, clearly taking inspiration from the much-publicized kidnappings of several French journalists that took place in Iraq in 2004-05.
The premise is quickly set up in an understated comic tone that delivers laughs within the absurd (but almost believable) situations. Radio news star Franck (Gerard Lanvin), whose talents lie more in storytelling than in factual reporting, is sent with sound man Poussin (Gerard Jugnot) to cover the war in Iraq. When Poussin accidentally throws away their travel money, the two decide to lie low in a friend's Parisian apartment, broadcasting "live" from Basrah and Baghdad via a satellite phone and lots of cleverly inserted sound effects.
The routine gets out of hand when Franck's so-called war stories begin affecting the actual conflict. Things also get complicated by Franck inadvertently sleeping with Poussin's wife (Valerie Kaprisky) before their mission. As the team's antics come dangerously close to being uncovered, Poussin's marital crisis places an immovable wedge between the two "correspondents."
Pic's funniest moments reveal, to a troubling degree, how easy it is to bluff a listening public that's all too ready to be plunged into the treacherous conflict. As Franck's smooth voice and poetic rhetoric cleverly bring Iraq's streets to life, Poussin mixes in a soundtrack of plucking chickens, rattling Kalashnikovs and general explosions. Another knockout sequence has the two producing a faux terrorist ransom video, which winds up making them national heroes.
Lanvin acts his scenes absolutely straight-faced, and Jugnot is the quintessential working-class lump. Thesps are a terrific comic duo, underplaying the gags and revealing their characters' mutual admiration as the action advances.
Smooth camerawork by Pierre Aim ("Welcome to the Sticks") thankfully resorts to little trickery, allowing the situations to speak for themselves.
More than one option(Co) Canal Plus
Filmography, Year, Role
(Co) Canal Plus
Filmography, Year, RoleMore than one option(Film) Three Kings
(Tv) Three Kings
Camera (color), Pierre Aim; editor, Beatrice Herminie; music, Jean-Yves d'Angelo; production designer, Jean-Luc Raoul; costume designer, Karen Muller-Sereau; sound (Dolby Digital/DTS Digital), Dominique Lacour, Herve Guyader, Eric Tisserand; assistant director, Nathalie Engelstein, casting, Gerard Moulevrier. Reviewed at UGC Cine Cite Les Halles 4, Paris, Jan. 24, 2009. Running time: 92 MIN.
Prvi kadrovi iz BASTERDSA!
http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2009/02/prvi-kadrovi-basterdsa.html
Uchitel to hunt Lions with Sokolovsky
Martin Blaney in Berlin
11 Feb 2009 06:00
Russian director Alexey Uchitel's company Rock Films has lined up local filmmaker Vadim Sokolovsky to direct thriller Hunting The Lions.
Written by the Ukrainian-born Anastasia Sarkisyan, the film is set among a group of Nazi-style nationalists planning an Oklahoma-style bombing in St. Petersburg.
An experienced TV drama director, Sokolovksy previously directed the children's adventure The Book Of Masters as Walt Disney's first locally produced film last year.
Russian director Alexey Uchitel's company Rock Films has lined up local filmmaker Vadim Sokolovsky to direct thriller Hunting The Lions.
Rock Films' Kira Saksaganskaya told ScreenDaily that she has approached a German company to become a co-producer on Hunting The Lions which is scheduled to begin shooting later this year.
Kevin James, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider and David Spade are in negotiations to star in an untitled comedy for Columbia Pictures.
Frequent Sandler collaborator Dennis Dugan ("You Don't Mess With the Zohan") will helm, with the studio gearing up for a summer start date.
Sandler's Sony-based Happy Madison shingle, which recently teamed with James and the studio on the box office hit "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," is producing.
Sandler penned the screenplay with "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star" scribe Fred Wolf. High-concept story is a comedy about five best friends from high school who reunite 30 years later on a Fourth of July weekend.
The five actors have worked together on a number of comedies, though never all on the same project. Sandler and James most recently starred as the title characters in "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry." Schneider co-starred in "Zohan," while Rock and James made cameo appearances in the film.
Rock and Sandler's relationship dates back to their days as cast members on "Saturday Night Live," where Schneider, Spade and Wolf also cut their comedic teeth. Sandler and Rock also toplined the 2005 remake of "The Longest Yard."
The Shock Doctrine
(Documentary -- U.K.)
By LESLIE FELPERIN
'The Shock Doctrine'
A Channel 4, More4 presentation of a Revolution Films, Renegade Pictures production. (International sales: E1 Films Int.l, Toronto.) Produced by Andrew Eaton, Alex Cooke, Avi Lewis. Executive producers, Alan Hayling, Hamish Mykura. Directed by Michael Winterbottom, Mat Whitecross. Screenplay, Winterbottom, based on a book by Naomi Klein.
With: Naomi Klein, Janine Huard.
Narrator: Kieran O'Brien.
A handy cinematic summary of radical-left pundit Naomi Klein's bestseller of the same name, polemical docu "The Shock Doctrine" attempts to connect the dots between shock therapy and torture, Milton Friedman's economic theories and catastrophic recent events. Judged against the many other recent docus that also critique the machinations of modern capitalism, Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross' "Doctrine" looks eminently sober, polished and persuasive. Stauncher critics, however, on both the left and right will have the same beefs with the film they did with the book. Limited release and airings on upscale TV are sure to follow.
Something of a poster girl for the antiglobalization movement, Canuck journalist Naomi Klein has built a formidable following for her lively, accessible, detail-rich books, particularly the antibrand tome "No Logo" (2000) and her latest, "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism," on which this film is closely based. Klein appears oncamera here (although not as frequentlyas some might expect), mostly giving lectures to packed halls of worshipful students, one group of which gives her a standing ovation at pic's end.
To summarize brutally, both book and film postulate a connection between psychological techniques such as shock therapy developed in the 1950s to "brainwash" subjects, more extreme forms of torture (used now by the American military), Friedman and the Chicago school of economics' free-market-boosting philosophy, and the way in which repressive regimes since the 1970s have sought to "shock" and coerce whole countries into perpetuating pro-privatization, anticommunitarian social orders with the backing of the CIA, the U.S. military and multinational corporations. This, in essence, is the Shock Doctrine.
Using a mix of well-researched archive footage and animation, co-helmers Winterbottom and Whitecross (who together co-directed Berlinale Silver Bear winner "The Road to Guantanamo") work through case studies of how this doctrine was put into practice over the past 40 years, starting with Pinochet's Chile. Pic traces explicit lines between Friedman's neoliberal disciples in that country, the denationalization of its industries, the Nixon administration's support of Pinochet and the murder of thousands of Chilean citizens. Parallels are drawn with Iraq and Afghanistan today, as well as what happened in Blighty after the Falklands War and in Russia under Yeltsin.
Niftily integrated blend of voiceover narration (spoken by Brit thesp Kieran O'Brien) and visuals is fluent and mesmerizing enough to sound persuasive, as well as offering a freshman-level refresher course on recent history, albeit with an unabashedly left-wing slant.
However, there's a certain wooliness about Klein and Co.'s argument here, which rests more than it ought on a rhetorical sleight-of-hand. Listen really closely and the link between the shock tactics (let alone "shock and awe" tactics) exercised by governments and armies, and actual shock therapy as practiced on victims like Janine Huard (interviewed here by Klein) by psychological experimenter Ewan Cameron in the 1950s, seems based on nothing much more than metaphor. Similarly, the use of Friedman as the whipping boy for so many of the world's ills necessitates a vast oversimplification of what happened in, for instance, Russia in 1996. Still, compared with the usual comicbook level of discourse in so many antiglobalization docus, "The Shock Doctrine" looks as rigorous as John Kenneth Galbraith's prose.
Pic was presented in Berlin as a work in progress, and the version shown lacked end credits.
Camera (color/B&W, HD), Ronald Plante, Rich Ball; editors, Winterbottom, Whitecross; sound designer, Joakim Sundstrom. Reviewed at Berlin Film Festival (Panorama), Feb. 9, 2009. Running time: 85 MIN.
The Countess
(Germany-France)
By BOYD VAN HOEIJ
An X Verleih release (in Germany) of an X Filme Intl. presentation of an X Filme Intl. (Germany)/Celluloid Dreams Prods. (France) production, in association with X Filme Creative Pool, Fanes Film, with the participation of Social Capital Films. (International sales: Celluloid Dreams, Paris.) Produced by Andro Steinborn. Executive producers, Skady Lis, Christian Baute, Chris Coen, Martin Shore, Gordon Steel. Co-producers, Hengameh Panahi, Matthew Chausse, Christopher Tuffin. Directed, written by Julie Delpy
With: Julie Delpy, Daniel Bruehl, William Hurt, Anamaria Marinca, Sebastian Blomberg, Charly Huebner, Anna Maria Muehe, Frederick Lau, Adriana Altaras, Andre Hennicke. (English, French dialogue.)
A 16th-century noblewoman turns to an unusual moisturizer for comfort after she's been abandoned by her much younger lover in "The Countess," multitasker Julie Delpy's stab at a biopic of Erzebet Bathory. Marred by unnatural English dialogue and a plethora of different accents, this wacky tale of a woman who killed virgins for their blood to keep her skin wrinkle-free in a pre-Botox age might get some traction in a dubbed version in Central Europe, where it is set, but won't make it past the Europudding label elsewhere. Pic's best chances are as a cult item.
Bathory is sometimes dubbed "the Blood Countess" on account of her fame (or infamy) for bathing in virgins' blood to retain her youth. Like the recent "Bathory" by Slovak helmer Juraj Jakubisko, the pic tries to have it both ways, reveling in the gothic horror aspects of the story but also suggesting the countess might have been the victim of a conspiracy. And as in that film, the psychology of the title character is the pic's biggest victim.
After an opening heavy on exposition, the plot finally springs into motion when the husband of Countess Bathory (Delpy) dies. Attending a dance as a widow, she meets the young Istvan Thurzo (Daniel Bruehl), and a love affair develops. But the scheming Count Thurzo (William Hurt) sends his son abroad to get married there, and Bathory remains behind, heartbroken, not knowing why Istvan abandoned her.
Already revealed to have a cruel streak and convinced that the age difference might have something to do with Istvan's departure, Bathory starts applying the blood of young virgins to her face in the belief it will keep her from aging.
Though some individual moments work, Delpy's screenplay lacks psychological connective tissue. It never becomes clear why a powerful and intelligent woman was brought to her knees by a cute kid, only to turn murderous and possibly insane when deprived of her object of affection.
But the pic's biggest hurdle for English speakers is the dialogue, which oscillates between faux-Shakespearean grandeur and contempo street talk, and is delivered by an international cast in a hodgepodge of accents.
In "Before Sunset," which Delpy co-wrote, and her previous directorial effort, "2 Days in Paris," the small cast of contempo characters was close to her own experience, and the off-the-cuff philosophizing and banter felt true. But a historical drama with a large cast and a plot-driven story -- especially one as outlandish as this one -- requires a strong, coherent vision and sense of purpose that "The Countess" sorely lacks.
As a thesp, Delpy fares only slightly better, while the unlikely father-son pairing of Hurt and Bruehl is just odd. Anamaria Marinca (Berlin competition entry "Storm"), in the small role of a potionmaker and Bathory's spurned lesbian lover, is the cast's only bright spot.
Shot on various locations in Germany, the pic looks handsome in an austere way, with only Pierre-Yves Gayraud's costumes adding some extravagant touches. Lensing by d.p. Martin Ruhe ("Control"), in very composed shots and muted colors, is aces and confirms him as a name to watch. Delpy's work on the classical but effective score might be her finest contribution to the project.
More than one option(Person) Gordon Steel
Executive Producer
(Person) Gordon Steel
ActorCamera (color), Martin Ruhe; editors, Andrew Bird, Julie Delord; music, Delpy, Mark Streitenfeld; production designer, Hubert Pouille; costume designer, Pierre-Yves Gayraud; sound (Dolby SRD), Dirk Bombey; associate producers, Stefan Arndt, Manuela Stehr; casting, Anja Dihrberg, Jacqeline Rietz. Reviewed at Berlin Film Festival (Panorama), Feb. 9, 2009. Running time: 99 MINS.
Sam Raimi's remaking horror
Ghost House to redo pair of European films
By TATIANA SIEGEL
'Room 205'
Raimi
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Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures is remaking a pair of European horror films.
First up is "Anguish," a remake of the 1987 Spanish pic that was written and directed by Bigas Luna. The company behind such horror hits as "The Grudge" films has also acquired the remake rights to the Danish movie "Room 205."
"Anguish" follows two girls who, while watching a scary movie, find themselves in a horror film of their own when their life starts to mirror the pic's plot.
Jake Wade Wall ("When a Stranger Calls") penned the screenplay.
Ghost House's Raimi and Rob Tapert are producing "Anguish" alongside Vertigo Entertainment's Roy Lee and Doug Davison ("The Strangers"). Ghost House and Vertigo previously worked together on "The Grudge" and "The Grudge 2." Mandate Pictures' Nathan Kahane and Vertigo's Sonny Mallhi will exec produce, and George Ayoub will co-produce.
Ghost House has tapped "Room 205" director Martin Barnewitz to helm the English-language remake, which is being redubbed "The Dorm."
Story centers on a college freshman who moves into a dorm only to find that her room is haunted by sinister forces. Stephen Susco, who wrote "The Grudge" and "The Grudge 2," is adapting.
Raimi and Rob Tapert will produce "The Dorm," and Kahane will exec produce.
Wall, whose credits include "The Hitcher," recently penned "Amusement" for Picturehouse.
Ghost House's upcoming slate includes the Raimi-helmed supernatural thriller "Drag Me to Hell" for Universal.
Indie mumblecore darling Greta Gerwig ("Baghead," "Hannah Takes the Stairs") has landed the female lead opposite Ben Stiller in the relationship drama "Greenberg" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Noah Baumbach ("The Squid and the Whale") penned and directs the Los Angeles-set story which centers on relationship intimacies. No further specific plot details have been revealed.
Scott Rudin will produce for Focus Features. Shooting is expected to begin in March.
Baumbach remains tapped to write and direct the 9/11 tale "The Emperor's Children," based on Claire Messud's acclaimed novel, at Universal.
Carnaby also has sealed a deal with Sony for the U.K. rights to Jake West's comedy horror "Doghouse," starring Danny Dyer, Stephen Graham and Noel Clarke. Currently in postproduction, the movie centers on a group of men who head to a remote village to help one of their friends get over his divorce. When they get there, they discover that all the women have been infected with a virus that makes them man-hating cannibals.
And Carnaby is in final negotiations with German star Franka Potente to take the lead in its action thriller "The Long Weekend," from writer-director Julian Gilbey. Currently budgeted at about $4 million, Gilbey's script details the story of a group of average joe rock climbers who stumble on a kidnap victim being held hostage underground. They help her escape and are then chased by the kidnappers as well as killers hired by her father to kill the kidnap perps.
We just finished chatting with director Tom Tykwer earlier today at the press day in Los Angeles for his latest film, The International. At the end, we asked him what he had coming up next and while he said he wasn't ready to talk much about it, Tykwer did reveal that he's adapting a novel called Cloud Atlas. Here is what he said: "I'm trying to adapt a novel called Cloud Atlas, which is a novel by David Mitchell that I'm really completely excited about. And I'm sitting down with the Wachowski Brothers and trying to adapt that for a screenplay. It's very interesting." How's that for one hell of an exciting team up?
Cloud Atlas, published in 2004, is a novel comprised of six separate but loosely related narratives that weave together history, science, suspense, humor and pathos. Tykwer didn't reveal which of the six he would be focusing on, which is the next big question to be answered, because the book spans a variety of genres: "from Melvillean high-seas drama to California noir and dystopian fantasy." I'm already very curious to hear a lot more about this, especially with the Wachowskis involved as well. Before The International, Tykwer wrote all of his own scripts for his films, although we're not sure if he'll be directing this.
Given this is the very first we've heard of this, we're not sure if Tyker will be directing, or if the Wachowskis will be directing, or if they're only just collaborating on the screenplay, for someone else to direct. Whatever the case, we'll see if we can dig up some additional details and we'll keep our eyes open. Thoughts?
Tom Cruise is in talks to star opposite Denzel Washington in "The Matarese Circle" for MGM Films reports the trades.
David Cronenberg directs this adaptation of the thriller by author Robert Ludlum ("The Bourne Identity"), while Michael Brandt and Derek Haas ("Wanted") adapted the script which contemporizes the original Cold War premise.
The pair will play two bitter enemy spies who, after spending two decades trying to kill one another, find themselves in the crosshairs of the Matarese, a powerful group at the root of a conspiracy.
Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Nick Wechsler will produce. A 2010 release is expected.
Between "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight", director Christopher Nolan made "The Prestige" for Warner Bros. Pictures.
Now in what looks likely to be between "The Dark Knight" and his third Batman film, he'll be doing it again with plans to shoot the sci-fi action film "Inception" this Summer for release mid-2010 says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story, an original idea from Nolan which he is scripting, is described only as a "contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind"
Nolan will produce with Emma Thomas. The move pushes back potential filming on a third Batman film, but it seems likely that it will follow the pattern of the franchise so far with the next entry likely to film in 2010 for release Summer 2011.
"Saw 2-4" and "Repo! The Genetic Opera" helmer Darren Lynn Bousman will next direct the heist thriller "Akula" for Constantine reports Variety.
Mark Distefano will pen the project set on a submarine. Jeremy Bolt and Paul W.S. Anderson are producing while Alex Litvak is doing a rewrite.
"The tone is dark, but very different from the films I've directed recently" says Bousman.
full teaser BASTERDSa
http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2009/02/full-teaser-basterdsa.html
Shozo brte, sta bi sa onim prevodom za MESRINEA 2 ? Nije valjda da su se tolko izbrezobrazili ti francuzi da nece to da prevedu ladno ? :shock:
An Englishman In New York
Lee Marshall in Rome
11 Feb 2009 18:36
Dir: Richard Laxton. UK-US. 2009. 74mins.
The sole calling card of this pedestrian made-for-TV biopic is John Hurt's screen-hogging central performance as historic British gay icon Quentin Crisp over thirty years on from his previous, career-making Crisp incarnation in The Naked Civil Servant. Charting Crisp's later life in New York, the film suffers dramatically by comparison with its groundbreaking predecessor. There is nothing in late-period Crisp to match the sheer bravura of his flamboyant defiance of English society in his youth, the downbeat 'years of decline' mood will be a turn-off to many, and even some of the witty aphorisms that were Crisp's stock-in-trade fall a little flat.
Commissioned, like The Naked Civil Servant, by British broadcaster ITV, the film has the conventional look and leisurely pacing of a television drama, and although the 'festival version' which premiered in the Panorama section of the Berlinale runs four minutes longer than the TV cut, it is difficult to see theatrical distributors taking the bait. Though further festival action looks likely, especially in the LGBT niche, An Englishman In New York belongs on the small screen.
Briefly sketching in the late fame that came to Crisp after The Naked Civil Servant was broadcast in 1975, the film soon cuts to his move to New York in 1981 at the age of 72. Here in Manhattan, surrounded by roller-blading men in pink shorts and girls with early-Madonna haircuts, the extravagant Crisp feels at home. His one-man show, a mix of autobiographical monologue and arch Q&A, is a hit (cue cheesy rent-an-audience ovations) and Crisp gets himself a feisty agent (Kurtz) and begins writing film reviews for gay magazine editor Phillip Steel (O'Hare).
The first real hint of tension on the rather flat dramatic monitor comes when Crisp is ostracised by the gay community (and briefly ditched by Steel) for quipping that Aids is a 'fad'. The message is that Crisp was once persecuted by straight society and is now a victim of an increasingly conventional and rule-bound gay community. But the script never quite gets its teeth into the conflict, or Crisp's internal contradictions, as it glides episodically through the facts and friendships – like his platonic relationship with Aids-afflicted painter Patrick Angus (Tucker) or his association with avant-garde performance artist Penny Arcade with whom Crisp did some of his last shows.
Hurt inhabits his subject just as convincingly as he did in The Naked Civil Servant; the idea that in some ways his Crisp is as real as the persona invented by Denis Pratt (Crisp's birth name) is dallied with in a scene where we see Crisp played by Hurt playing Queen Elizabeth in Sally Potter's Orlando. But the material Hurt is given to work with lacks the brilliance that the persona deserves. By the time the Crisp-inspired title song by Sting unspools predictably over the end credits, we don't really feel we've learned a lot more about this remarkable one-off than we did first time round.
Production companies
Leopardrama
International sales
Leopard International
(44) 207 704 5334
Producer
Amanda Jenks
Executive producers
James Burstall
Joey Attawia
Susie Field
Screenplay
Brian Fillis
Cinematography
Yaron Orbach
Production design
Elizabeth Mickle
Music
Paul Englishby
Editor
Peter H Oliver
Main cast
John Hurt
Denis O'Hare
Jonathan Tucker
Swoozie Kurtz
Cynthia Nixon
Anyways, here in Berlin i had the good fortune of watching a year in review on RTL1. The show was about upcoming movies in 2009. There was a segment on Ninja Assassin a film being directed by James McTeigue and being produced by Hollywood heavy weight Joel Silver. McTeigue spoke about filming in Germany and the many highlights of shooting in a huge city like Berlin. The interviewer spoke about future plans and James spilled the following tidbets!
- Ninja Assassin is locked and complete. Awaiting a suitable marketing strategy and release from WB. Looking likely to be a late summer release.
- Action scenes are absolutely brutal, unbelievable vision from the Wachowski's in blocking the fights with the Hong Kong stunt team.
- Spoke about the benefits of tax breaks received from the German and British Governments in making the film.
BRACE YOURSELVES FOR THIS....
- McTeigue confirmed that Plastic Man was the next project in the pipeline for the Wachowski's and he had been signed on to provide Second Unit support. Says the movie has been delayed indefinitely due to a major shake up of projects at WB.
- Bryan Singer has refused to undertake a re-boot of the Superman franchise and has left the Executives at WB with no choice but to take a fresh creative direction.
This is it....
- He stated the Wachowski Brothers had been approached to re-boot the franchise as a trilogy and they are currently reviewing their options as its like being asked to take the final play in a superbowl final. Says if they do agree, he will likely either succumb to providing second unit support on the movie or will champion the directorship of Plastic Man - He started to giggle as he stated its like a young child for the Brothers and they wont give that up easily.
- Says, the very thought of the brothers making a superman movie is unbelievable as they have grown up in the world of comic books and they would be ideal for the project.
- Stated that Bryan Singer is looking to move on to Logan's Run a movie to be produced by Joel Silver.
Polanski Unauthorized
By TODD MCCARTHYRead other reviews about this film
'Polanski Unauthorized' takes a lurid look at the filmmaker's tale.
An Amadeus Pictures presentation. Produced by Damian Chapa, Edmund Druilhet, Silvia Suvadora. Executive producers, Sara Sanchez, Michael Chapa, Octavio Armando Ortega. Co-producer, Melissa Mullins. Directed by Damian Chapa. Screenplay, Chapa, Carlton Holder.
With: Damian Chapa, Tom Druilhet, Leah Grimsson, Brienne De Beau, Silvia Suvadora, Paul Saunders, Elena Talan, Jeff McCreedie, Charles Berg, Gilbert Azzafrani, Kevin De Ridder, Monica Ramon, Christian Serritiello, Charles Power, Kerry Winchester.
Roman Polanski won't lose any sleep over "Polanski Unauthorized," a basement tape-quality slum through the most famously traumatic episodes in a sensation-riddled life. Straight-to-DVD auteur Damian Chapa invested little money, and less talent, in depicting the subject's escape from the Nazis, flirtation with devil worship on "Rosemary's Baby," relationship with Sharon Tate and arrest for raping a 13-year-old girl, moments from all of which are shuffled together almost at random. With production values no better than homemade porn -- most scenes are played in front of drapes -- and dialogue that makes you feel sorry for the actors, this Friday the 13th Los Angeles vanity release isn't even fun in a bad-movie way. Paying customers will feel gypped.
Too tall and too thick through the middle to play Polanski, Chapa does have something of the horny ferret about him that convinces on that level. Sight of Polanski coming on to the underaged model while plying her with drugs and drink is particularly gross, while representations of Frank Sinatra (mulling breaking Polanski's legs) and early producers Gene Gutowski and Martin Ransohoff are ultra-ludicrous.
Camera (color, video), Pierre Chemaly; editor, Keita Ideno; music, Mark B. Buys, Vladimir Martinka; production designers, Madla Hruza, Lode Geens; costume designer, Hruza. Reviewed on DVD, Los Angeles, Feb. 7, 2009. English, French, German dialogue. MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 89 MIN.
Curtis Hanson's sign: 'Gemini'
Director in negotiations to helm Touchstone's action thriller
By Jay A. Fernandez and Borys Kit
Feb 12, 2009, 09:15 PM ET
The stars may finally be aligning for "Gemini Man."
"L.A. Confidential" director Curtis Hanson is in negotiations to helm the long-gestating action thriller taking shape at Touchstone Pictures.
David Benioff ("The Kite Runner") wrote the script, about a brilliant, aging assassin trying to leave the game whose employers dispatch a clone of his younger self to take him out. The concept allows for some techno-wizardry whereby an older actor with a long career would be cast, and his younger likeness would be digitally grafted onto a stuntman's body. A similar trick was employed with Jet Li in "The One," though not with the generational twist.
Jerry Bruckheimer is producing. Bruckheimer execs Mike Stenson and Chad Oman will executive produce along with Angry Films' Don Murphy, who set the project up originally in 1997 off an original pitch from Darren Lemke.
Several writers worked on the script over the years, including Jonathan Hensleigh, who collaborated with Bruckheimer on "Con Air," "Armageddon" and "Gone in Sixty Seconds."
The UTA-repped Hanson most recently directed and co-wrote "Lucky You." He also is the director of "In Her Shoes," "8 Mile" and "Wonder Boys" and won an Oscar for co-writing "L.A. Confidential" with Brian Helgeland.
Universal Pictures has acquired "Superbad" actor Jonah Hill's comedy script "The Adventurer's Handbook" reports Entertainment Weekly.
Taking inspiration from the book by Mick Conefrey, the story follows a quartet of pals go on a global adventure, inspired by the hardcore stories of explorers whose tales are chronicled in Conefrey's book.
Hill co-wrote the script with Matt Spicer and Max Winkler while Akiva Schaffer ("Hot Rod") is in negotiations to direct. Hill and Jason Schwartzman will star.
Production kicks off later this year.
Universal Adapts Luldum's "Parsifal Mosaic"
By Garth Franklin Thursday February 12th 2009 11:47PM
Move over Michael Crichton, Stephen King and John Grisham - there's no hotter author right now than espionage thriller bestseller Robert Ludlum.
The late author of "The Bourne Identity" series already has four of his books in development at various studios, a list that has grown today with the addition of a fifth.
Universal Pictures is eyeing Ludlum's 1982 Cold War novel "The Parsifal Mosaic" as its next project with Imagine Entertainment onboard as a potential producer reports the trades.
The project marks the first one announced since Captivate Entertainment, who owns screen rights to Ludlum's works, made a first look deal with Universal late last year.
'Mosaic' focuses on US Intelligence agent Michael Havelock who believes he's just witnessed the execution of his partner and lover Jenna Karas off the Spanish coast for being a KGB double agent.
Retiring from the service, he soon sees her alive at a train station before she quickly flees. As he sets out to track her down, his superiors believe he's become too much of a liability and order his termination.
Meanwhile the much loved US Secretary of State, who has become the real driving power in the US administration, has gone insane. Before that, he secretly negotiated a 'first strike' treaty with both Russians and Chinese representatives who turned out to be employed by a mysterious figure named 'Parsifal' who threatens to leak the documents.
A flashback to a Nazi attack during World War II serves as a linchpin of the story which moves from Italy to Greece and the former Czechoslovakia. Ludlum's work often focused on the rise of Neo-Nazi's in the post-WW2 era but 'Mosaic' is an entirely Cold War-centric work.
The various other Ludlum books in the works are all planning contemporary spins on the material and notable departures from the source, no word if this one will keep the original setting. The "Bourne" film series similarly bore little relation to Ludlum's original work aside from the first hour of 'Identity' which stuck relatively close to the material.
Other Ludlum film adaptations in the works include "The Sigma Protocol" at Universal, "The Matarese Circle" at MGM, "The Chancellor Manuscript" at Paramount and "The Osterman Weekend" at Summit Entertainment.
Universal is also planning a fourth "Bourne" movie which producer Frank Marshall at one time said was considering using the storyline of 'The Parsifal Mosaic' for its plotline.
Scribe Ed Solomon ("Men in Black") has been hired to pen the comedy based on the classic young-adult mystery novels "The Hardy Men" for Fox 2000 says The Hollywood Reporter.
The Hardy Boys adventures revolved around the mystery-solving efforts of teenagers Frank and Joe Hardy, amateur detectives who often helped their father, a private investigator.
The film adaptation would explore the reunion of the estranged, grown-up brothers, who work together to solve a new mystery.
Ben Stiller and Tom Cruise remain lined up to star in the project with "Night at the Museum" helmer Shawn Levy attached to direct. Stiller and Stuart Cornfield are producing.
Match Factory floats with Vinterberg's Submarino
Martin Blaney in Berlin
12 Feb 2009 06:00
The Match Factory has taken on sales for Thomas Vinterberg's low budget feature Submarino which is based on the novel of the same name by Jonas T Bengston.
The deal continues Match's collaboration with Danish production house Nimbus Film after handling international sales on their previous productions of Ole Christian Madsen's Flame & Citron and Soren Kragh-Jacobsen's What No One Knows.
Starring Jacob Cedergren and Peter Plaugborg, the film, which is described by Vinterberg as "a very dark film" delving into the dark heart of Scandinavia, started shooting in Denmark in mid-January.
Liev Schreiber is in talks to join Angelina Jolie in the action-thriller "Salt" reports Moviehole.
Jolie plays the title character, a CIA officer who's accused by a defector of being a Russian sleeper spy and must elude capture long enough to establish her innocence.
Phil Noyce directs the thriller and shooting kicks off next month in New York City.
Ellen Barkin, Famke Janssen and French-Canadian actor Marc-Andre Grondin ("Che") have joined the cast of the psychological thriller "The Chameleon" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Jean Paul Salome directs and co-wrote the story which revolves around the reunion of a young man (Grondin) and his family after being positively identified in an unsolved missing-persons case.
The reunion turns bittersweet when suspicions arise about whether he really is their son.
Barkin will play the mom, and Janssen is an FBI agent. Nick Stahl and Emilie de Ravin also star.
The story is inspired by a New Yorker article about a man named Frederic Bourdin who assumed at least 39 identities, three of them missing teens.
Bill Perkins, Cooper Richey, Ram Bergman and Marie-Castille Schaar are producing.
Enzo G. Castellari, the director of the original 1978 "Inglorious Bastards" (aka. "Deadly Mission"), talked with magazine Il Venerdì di Repubblica (via Screen Week) about his role in Quentin Tarantino's upcoming "Inglourious Basterds" which takes an entirely new spin on his classic WW2 exploitation film.
"I play a Nazi General in the movie. In one scene we are in Paris, during the War, and I have to take a lady into a movie theater. Inside the theather there are all the big Nazis like Joseph Goebbles.
They are there to see a new propaganda movie Stolz der Nation ("The Pride of a Country") that actually is a movie inside our movie, directed by Eli Roth and played by Bo Svenson - my actor in the first "Inglorious Bastards".
At the screening, you also meet the famous German actress Bridget Von Hammermark (Diane Kruger) and a small group of people who introduce themselves as Italian filmmakers. Brad Pitt says his name is Enzo Girolami and that is my real name! Right in that moment, I am in the same shot, behind Brad."
Castellari went on about his scene and revealed what sounds like a big moment in the ending and the fate of at least once character.
Ashton Kutcher is taking on the football comedy "Traded" for Paramount Pictures says Variety.
The story centers on a superstar NFL quarterback and a 12-year-old middle school geek who magically trade bodies, then quickly learn valuable lessons about humility and courage.
David Stem and David Weiss ("They Came From Upstairs") penned the most recent draft. Dreamworks originally developed the project which was handed over to Paramount in the Fall.
Brian Robbins, Jason Hoffs and Mike Tollin are producing.
Finally Diablo Cody and Mason Novick are producing a big screen adaptation of S. G Browne's upcoming darkly comedic novel "Breathers: A Zombie's Lament". Geoff LaTulippe ("Going the Distance") will adapt the story of a recently deceased everyman, shunned by his friends and family due to his new zombie status, who finds himself in love with a sexy recent suicide and friends with a car crash victim.
Will Smith may star in the family film "Monster Hunter" about a child psychiatrist who can actually see and does battle with the monsters in children's closets. Smith was previously attached as producer and Kevin James ("Hitch") was set to star.
Robert Rodriguez ("Sin City," "Spy Kids") will reteam with Dimension on the futuristic thriller "Nerverackers" says Variety.
Set in 2085, the story centers on a character named Joe Tezca who is part of an elite unit dispatched to quell a crime wave in a theoretically perfect future society.
Rodriguez will write and direct the feature which is aiming for a release on April 16th 2010.
Who do you get to play an adventurous 12-year-old? Why 21-year-old "High School Musical" star Zac Efron of course.
The IESB reports that Efron is being linked to the titular character in Warner Bros. Pictures upcoming adaptation of "The Adventures of Johnny Quest".
The site also reports that Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is up for the role Johnny's bodyguard Race Bannon and asked him about the project. Johnson says "There's no one else who can be Race Bannon than me. There's no one else... don't know if you've read the latest one but it's awesome and it's badass"
Johnson's "Race to Witch Mountain" director Andy Fickman is also linked to be helming the project. Announcements on the project are expected sometime next month.
Evan Jones ("Jarhead," "October Road") is set to star in Warner Bros.' futuristic western "The Book of Eli" says The Hollywood Reporter
In "Eli," Jones will play the leader of a quartet of bikers who tussle with Eli (Denzel Washington).
Gary Oldman, Jennifer Beals and Mila Kunis also star in the Joel Silver-produced film which Albert and Allen Hughes ("From Hell") are directing.
Jones will also join Maya Entertainment's independent drama "Tragic" as an old friend of James (Ryan O'Nan) who works in a slaughterhouse. June Raphael, Melissa Leo and America Ferrera also star.
Pierce Brosnan 's Irish DreamTime is developing a story about famed Hungarian photojournalist Robert Capa says The Hollywood Reporter.
The colorful journo captured memorable images from many conflicts including the Spanish Civil War and World War II. He was one of the few photographers to land on the beach in Normandy during the D-Day invasion.
He was also a high society player being friends with John Steinbeck and had an affair with Ingrid Bergman. Hewas killed in 1954 when he stepped on a land mine during the Indochina War.
Paul McGuigan ("Push," "Lucky Number Slevin") is attached to direct
"Inside" producers Franck Ribiere and Verane Frediani, Annette Wullems ("King Kong") and actor Elijah Wood are set to produce the creature feature "The Home" for Overlook Entertainment.
Eric Vespe and Matt Ward have penned the script which unfolds after a young man is nearly killed during a horrible accident that leaves him physically and emotionally scarred. To recuperate, he is taken to a secluded nursing home where the elderly residents appear to be suffering from delusions.
But after witnessing a violent attack, he soon realizes that the screams behind the walls are caused by more than hallucinations, and the residents are being preyed upon by twisted, monstrous nightmares that lurk within the home itself.
Weta Workshop will do the creature effects for the film with pre-production getting underway next month in New Zealand with filming to kick off in May.
Kristoffer Aaron Morgan helms the project which is currently casting out of the UK and New Zealand.
David Koepp ("Ghost Town") has signed on to two projects for Sony Pictures - "Billionaire's Vinegar" and "Shelley's Heart" reports Variety.
'Vinegar' is loosely based on the Benjamin Wallace book about a scandal that erupted when an auctioned cache of wine purported to have been culled from the stocks of Thomas Jefferson were deemed fakes by some.
Koepp will write the script with John Kamps and direct. James Lassiter, Will Smith, Ken Stovitz, Todd Black, Steve Tisch and Jason Blumenthal will produce.
Koepp will then adapt the Charles McCarry novel "Shelley's Heart" into a political drama called "Article II" that he'll direct for the studio.
The story follows two friends who become bitter rivals for the presidential election, which is won by computer fraud. Gavin Polone is producing.
Katherine Heigl will team with Ashton Kutcher in the Lionsgate thriller "Five Killers" says Variety.
The story kicks off when a woman meets the man of her dreams while on vacation. Married bliss is turned upside down when they discover that their neighbors may be assassins hired to kill them.
Robert Luketic ("The Ugly Truth," "Legally Blonde," "Monster-in-Law") directs the film which begins shooting next month in Atlanta and the south of France. Scott Aversano and Jason Goldberg will produce.
British tabloid reports that Guy Ritchie's upcoming "Sherlock Holmes" film was undergoing an extensive five-week series of reshoots have been shot down by the studio.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. Pictures has officially refuted reports, saying in a statement that "It is not true that Warner Bros. has asked for any reshoots on 'Sherlock Holmes'" about The Sun-originated report which claimed Ritchie had to recall cast members for reshoots.
There is some more filming about to take place however - "The inserts and pickup shots being completed next week, which have long been part of the schedule, do not involve any cast, and are a standard part of filmmaking."
In the project Robert Downey Jr. stars as the British sleuth while Jude Law is his trusted sidekick Dr. Watson. Filming on the project wrapped up recently in the UK.
The statement added that "It is still early in the production process, and the studio has not yet seen the movie. Both Warner Bros. and Guy Ritchie are very pleased with the footage they have seen thus far."
Aaron Rapke and Stewart Kaye ("The Money Shot") are set to pen the action comedy "School for Scumbags" reports Variety.
Based on Danny King's novel, the story centers on a teen who, after being expelled from a long list of schools, lands at a campus for "misdirected" teens where the teachers are actually professional thieves who teach them to execute the heist of the century.
David Matalon and Andy Vajna will produce.
Tokyo!
(France)
By JUSTIN CHANG
Michel Gondry, Leos Carax and Bong Joon-ho contribute to omnibus 'Tokyo!'
A Liberation Entertainment (in North America) release of a Comme des Cinemas production, in co-production with Kansai Television Corp., Bitters End, Sponge Entertainment, Arte France Cinema, Coin Film, WDR/Arte, in association with Backup Films, Wild Bunch, Champion Top Investment, Vap, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Wowow, Asahi Broadcasting Corp., Picnic. (International sales: Wild Bunch, Paris.) Produced by Masa Sawada, Michiko Yoshitake.
Interior Design
Executive producers, Yuji Sadai, Hiroyuki Negishi. Directed by Michel Gondry. Screenplay, Gabrielle Bell, Gondry, adapted from the comic "Cecil and Jordan in New York" by Bell, from an idea by Sadie Hales. Camera (color), Masami Inomoto; editor, Jeff Buchanan; music, Etienne Charry; production designer, Yuji Hayashida; sound, Takeshi Ogawa.
With: Ayako Fujitani, Ryo Kase, Ayumi Ito.
Merde
Executive producer, Kenzo Horikoshi. Directed, written by Leos Carax. Camera (color), Caroline Champetier; editor, Nelly Quettier; production designer, Toshihiro Isomi; costume designer, Celine Guignard; sound, Fusao Yuwaki.
With: Denis Lavant, Jean-Francois Balmer, Renji Ishibashi.
Shaking Tokyo
Executive producer, Yuji Sadai. Directed, written by Bong Joon-ho. Camera (color), Jun Fukumoto; music, Lee Byung Woo; production designer, Mitsuo Harada; sound, Hironiro Ito.
With: Teruyuki Kagawa, Yu Aoi, Naoto Takenaka.
INTERIOR DESIGN
With: Ayako Fujitani, Ryo Kase, Ayumi Ito.
MERDE
With: Denis Lavant, Jean-Francois Balmer, Renji Ishibashi.
SHAKING TOKYO
With: Teruyuki Kagawa, Yu Aoi, Naoto Takenaka.
(Japanese, French dialogue)
Two Frenchmen and a South Korean make a great deal of mischief in "Tokyo!," an uneven but enjoyable trio of films that take affectionate (and sometimes literal) aim at the Japanese capital. Fittingly enough, horror and sci-fi rep the primary building blocks of these Tokyo stories, though the ingredients aren't always doled out in the proportions one would expect from filmmakers Michel Gondry, Leos Carax and Bong Joon-ho. Their names should secure the witty omnibus a place on the shelves of cinephiles and genre buffs after a solid fest life and limited theatrical release through Liberation Entertainment.
Like a nastier Eastern sibling to "Paris, je t'aime," "Tokyo!" reps a playfully ragged attempt to capture (and skewer) the multiple shifting identities of its eponymous city.
First and arguably best of the bunch is Gondry's deviously titled "Interior Design," which opens on a dark and stormy night as young, self-deluded aspiring filmmaker Akira (Ryo Kase) and his supportive but directionless g.f. Hiroko (Ayako Fujitani) arrive in Tokyo. Hiroko's attempts to find them an apartment (experiencing firsthand the surreal horrors of low-end Tokyo real estate) leads only to frustration, as does her search for a job.
Akira says early on that people define themselves by what they do, a maxim that takes on startling new meaning when Hiroko undergoes a bizarre but not entirely unwelcome transformation. Gondry handles the light intrusion of Cronenbergian body-horror with minimal f/x and old-fashioned visual sleight-of-hand, keeping his camera focused on Fujitani's engaging performance. The Gallic helmer may have a reputation for dazzling directorial whimsy, but his restraint pays off here in a work at once poignant and slyly Kafka-esque.
Less subtle in moniker and execution, monster-movie parody "Merde" may prove the most intriguing offering to viewers, as it's Carax's first film since 1999's "Pola X." Taking a page from "Godzilla" and its countless cine-spawn (and perhaps paying tribute to fellow helmer Bong's "The Host"), Carax unleashes a hideous, Gollum-like humanoid (a freakishly made-up Denis Lavant) from the sewers onto the cosmopolitan streets of Tokyo.
After wreaking some mild havoc (followed by some explosive references to Nanking that crystallize the pic's return-of-the-repressed subtext), the creature is captured and interrogated by the authorities, his guttural ravings decipherable only by an eccentric French attorney (Jean-Francois Balmer, having a ball). Merde, as this terrorist calls himself, baldly indicts the people of Japan as "disgusting" (a bit rich, given the source), though the ending suggests future cities are ripe for harassment.
Engaging any number of satirical targets, from the amusing politesse of Japanese news anchors to the culture's willingness to turn anything and everything into a mass-marketed phenomenon, "Merde" is the collection's roughest-looking and most thematically barbed effort -- which makes the beguiling simplicity of Bong's "Shaking Tokyo" all the more welcome.
Teruyuki Kagawa (also appearing in Un Certain Regard selection "Tokyo Sonata") plays a self-described hikikomori, or shut-in, who hasn't left his apartment in more than a decade. It takes a visit by a beautiful pizza delivery girl (Yu Aoi) and a random earthquake to lure the hermit out of his cave, whereupon he finds he's not the only agoraphobe in town.
Deploying smooth, supple camera movements that capture the flat's warmly lit and impeccably maintained interiors, as well as wider establishing shots of the city, Bong and d.p. Jun Fukumoto effortlessly pinpoint the sense of isolation that so often permeates even the world's most densely populated metropolitan centers. Mild sci-fi inflections aside, "Shaking Tokyo" finds one of South Korea's most creative talents working in a delicate minor key. Some viewers may want more Bong for their buck, but it's a lovely sorbet with which to end a piquant three-course meal.
This review was updated on May 21, 2008.
More than one option(Co) Liberty International Entertainment Inc.
(Co) Liberation Entertainment
More than one option(Person) Jeff Buchanan
(Person) Jeff D Buchanan
More than one option(Person) Takeshi Ogawa
Sound
(Person) Takeshi Ogawa
CameraMore than one option(Film) Godzilla
1998 - Matthew Broderick, Josef Rusnak
(Film) Gojira
(Film) Godzilla
1956 - Raymond Burr, Inoshiro Honda
(Tv) Godzilla
More than one option(Film) The Kiss
(Film) The Host
Reviewed at Cannes Film Festival (Un Certain Regard), May 15, 2008. Running time: 112 MIN.
Berlin
Short Cut to Hollywood
(Germany)
By ALISSA SIMONA Schiwago Film, Bavaria Pictures, Bavaria Film, Muxfilm production in co-production with Artdeluxe in association with Capture Film. (International sales: Bavaria Film Intl., Munich). Produced by Marcos Kantis, Philipp Kreuzer. Executive producers, Matthias Esche, Jan S. Kaiser, Martin Lehwald, Michal Pokorny, Marcus Mittermeier, Jan Henrik Stahlberg. Co-producers, Robert Hofferer, Andrea Balen, Corina Danckwerts. Directed by Marcus Mittermeier, Jan Henrik Stahlberg. Screenplay, Stahlberg.
With: Jan Henrik Stahlberg, Marcus Mittermeier, Christoph Kottenkamp, Marta McGonagle, Allison Findlater-Galinsky, Asli Bayram
(German, English dialogue)
Three best friends from Berlin take extreme measures to become famous in the absurdly horrific media satire "Short Cut to Hollywood." Co-helmers Marcus Mittermeier and Jan Henrik Stahlberg ("Quiet as a Mouse") gleefully (albeit sophomorically) send up the voyeuristic world of live TV and its ability to turn ordinary, no-talent folks into superstars, gloriously subverting conventions of the road movie and musicvideo while they're at it. Both endearing and repulsive, the pic could fill midnight slots offshore. But as the type of thing that's improved by a couple of beers, best bets are for ancillary.
Tired of their life in Germany, thirtysomething losers Johannes/aka John D. Salinger (scribe Stahlberg), Mattias (Mittermeier) and Christian (Christoph Kottenkamp) try for fame and fortune in America through a high-concept TV show in which John will die on air. Lead up involves several limb amputations. In between, the boys sing (badly), get it on with hot chicks, and generally ham it up in locations including New York, Miami, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Surprisingly beautiful cinematography leads a strong tech package with pacey editing providing plenty of momentum.
More than one option(Person) Michal Pokorny
Set Dresser, Props
(Person) Michal Pokorny
ProducerCamera (color, HDV-to-35mm), David Hofmann; editors, Sarah Clara Weber, Christian Lonk; music, Rainer Oleak; set designers, Peter Naguib, Peter Dang; costume designer, Juliane Maier. Reviewed at Berlin Film Festival (Panorama), Feb. 12, 2009. Running time: 95 MIN.
Though its been rumored for a while now, actress Linda Hamilton has confirmed she's in talks to reprise her legendary Sarah Connor role for "Terminator Salvation".
"We are talking. I haven't read it yet. I don't know what direction they will go in" Hamilton told MTV News, though confirms that whatever the case she won't appear on screen.
"My contribution would be voiceover. I would probably be very happy to loan my voice depending on what the material is. Wait and see. They're already writing it. We've been negotiating it" she says.
Zack Snyder's proposed "Alice in Wonderland with machine guns" project, entitled "Sucker Punch", aims to kick off filming in the Fall of 2009 in Vancouver.
Talking with Collider, Snyder says the film takes place in the late 60's and "it's about a girl that's been committed to an insane asylum and she fantasizes that she can escape and she has these crazy adventures in her mind where she goes into the past and into the future."
He adds that it's a hardcore action film that's "definitely rated R". Snyder and Steve Shibuya penned the script based off a short story.
Snyder's adaptation of Alan Moore's acclaimed graphic novel "Watchmen" hits theaters in two weeks and he's been in and out of Sydney for the past few months working on his animated project "Guardians of Ga'Hoole".
"Traffic" scribe Stephen Gaghan will pen the adaptation of Jon Stock's espionage novel "Dead Spy Running" for Warner Bros. Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story is the first in a trilogy and aims to reinvent the spy genre by telling the origin story of a newly trained spy which mixes Robert Ludlum's grittiness with John Le Carre's wit.
McG is attached to direct the project which kicks off with the protagonist running the London Marathon, where a fellow racer is strapped with explosives. The scenario leads to a globe-trotting adventure to clear the name of the man's father.
McG, who would direct at least the first installment, is producing with Jeanne Allgood.
Hey folks, Harry here and GREEN HORNET officially just jumped the rails and is in territory where I can't conceive of what this movie is going to be now. But I'm excited, terrified, intrigued, filled with trepidation and curiosity. Brilliant & sometime erratic director Michel Gondry is directing Seth Rogen and Stephen Chow in THE GREEN HORNET according to Variety. I have no earthly idea what the resulting film is going to be. Not a single moment. What is this film now? I really haven't a clue.
Hey folks, Harry here and GREEN HORNET officially just jumped the rails and is in territory where I can't conceive of what this movie is going to be now. But I'm excited, terrified, intrigued, filled with trepidation and curiosity. Brilliant & sometime erratic director Michel Gondry is directing Seth Rogen and Stephen Chow in THE GREEN HORNET according to Variety. I have no earthly idea what the resulting film is going to be. Not a single moment. What is this film now? I really haven't a clue.
Fox Searchlight has acquired rights to the upcoming novel "Breathers: A Zombie's Lament" by S.G. Browne.
Diablo Cody will produce the zombie romantic comedy, marking her third collaboration with the specialty label following "Juno" and the upcoming Megan Fox starrer "Jennifer's Body," which Cody exec produced.
"Breathers" centers on a recently deceased Everyman and newly minted zombie who is having trouble adjusting to his new existence. All that changes when he goes to an Undead Anonymous meeting and finds kindred souls.
Broadway will publish the book March 3.
Mason Novick is also producing, and Geoff Latulippe will adapt.
Latulippe penned the romantic comedy spec "Going the Distance," which is being developed by New Line and Offspring Entertainment as a helming vehicle for documentary filmmaker Nanette Burstein.
Brendan and the Secret of Kells
(France-Belgium-Ireland)
By LESLIE FELPERINRead other reviews about this film
Powered By A Les Armateurs, France 2 Cinema (France)/Vivi Film (Belgium)/Cartoon Saloon (Ireland) production, with the support of Le Fonds Eurimages du Conseil de l'Europe, Media Plus Programme i2i Audiovisuel, with the participation of Canal Plus, Cine Cinema, Gebeka Films, Conseil General de la Charente, Conseil Regional de Poitou Charentes, Piste Rouge, in association with Sofica Soficinema 2, with the help of the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland, in association with RTE, with the support of Flanders Audiovisual Fund, Centre du Cinema et de l'Audiovisuel de la Communaute française de Belgique et des Teledistributeurs Wallons, La Region Wallonne -- Promimage, La Region Wallonne -- Wallimage, with the participation of Tax Shelter ING Invest of Tax Shelter Prods., Belgacom, Kinepolis Multi. (International sales: Celluloid Dreams, Paris.) Produced by Didier Bruner, Viviane Vanfleteren, Paul Young. Executive producer, Ivan Rouveure. Directed by Tomm Moore. Co-director, Nora Twomey. Screenplay, Fabrice Ziolkowski.
Voices: Evan McGuire, Mick Lally, Christen Mooney, Brendan Gleeson, Liam Hourrican, Paul Tylac, Michael McGrath, Paul Young.
(English dialogue)
Refreshingly different precisely because its look is so profoundly retro, "Brendan and the Secret of Kells" harks back not just to older animation styles but to pre-medieval illuminated manuscript tradition. With its jewel-bright colors and intricate use of lines, the result is absolutely luscious to behold. Evoking the simplified drawings of children's books, the pic will most please the underserved 3- to 10-year-old demographic (even though bits are quite scary) and parents, but older kids may be sniffier, especially given the earnest, joke-light screenplay. Theatrical prospects, even in Europe, look tricky, but "Brendan" could reap lots of ancillary coin.
Set sometime during the ninth century, the story revolves around young Brendan (voiced by Evan McGuire), a roughly 10-year-old novice who lives in the abbey in Kells, Ireland. Brendan loves helping the monks (a multicultural gang that includes an African and an Asian in a slightly too-PC touch) in the abbey's scriptorium as they illustrate the gospels.
But Brendan's uncle, Abbot Cellach (Brendan Gleeson), wants him to devote more energy to help build up the abbey's walls to protect the community from Viking invasions. Given the Nordic threat and the fact the surrounding woods are said to be enchanted, Brendan's going outside the wall is strictly forbidden -- and, of course, a plot inevitability.
Seeking refuge from the Vikings, renowned Scottish illustrator Brother Aidan (Mick Lally), with his fluffy feline friend Pangur Ban, arrives in Kells bearing his masterpiece, the lavishly wrought but still unfinished Book of Iona. Inspired by the master, Brendan becomes even keener to help complete the book, but that would require gathering special berries for ink in the forest, thus risking confrontation with the demons rumored to dwell there.
Debutant feature helmer Tomm Moore and the pic's hordes of animators drew most of the characters by hand (although it's easy to spot where CGI has been used as a supplementary tool). Their approach produces a pleasingly ye-olde-world-y look that plays off the simplified, UPA-studio-meets-the-Dark-Ages characters with intricate, Celtic design-inspired detailing, especially when the book literally comes to life.
Space is distorted so that everything looks deliberately flattened, yet there's a very high level of craft deployed throughout to build up patterns within patterns. This may be the perfect film for children whose parents are art historians specializing in pre-Renaissance periods.
That's not to say others won't enjoy it, but finding an aud is going to be a challenge for marketing departments. Despite the many participants from across Europe listed in the credits, the pic's most fruitful territory is likely to be Ireland, and even there, competition with Hollywood fare will still be tough.
More than one option(Co) Canal Plus
Filmography, Year, Role
(Co) Canal Plus
Filmography, Year, RoleMore than one option(Person) Paul Young
Co-Executive Producer, Executive Producer, Story By
(Person) Paul Young
Actor
(Person) Paul Young
From Story, Screenplay
(Person) Paul Young
Song Performer
(Person) Paul Young
Cinematographer
(Person) Paul Young
Assistant, Production Assistant, Set Production Assistant
(Person) Paul Young
Character Design
(Person) Paul Young
DirectorMore than one option(Person) Michael McGrath
Technical Advisor
(Person) Michael McGrath
Actor
(Person) Michael McGrath
Medic, Production Assistant
(Person) Michael McGrath
(Color); editor, Fabienne Alvarez-Giro; music, Bruno Coulais; art director, Ross Stewart; animation supervisor, Fabian Erlinghauser; creative supervisor, Anton Roebben; storyboard, Remi Chaye; character designers, Moore, Barry Reynolds; Viking designs, Jean Baptiste Vendamme; background designers, Aurelie Bernard, Adrien Merigeau; sound (Dolby Digital), Kairen Waloch. Reviewed at Berlin Film Festival (Generation Kplus), Feb. 13, 2009. Running time: 78 MIN.
Warner Bros. Pictures, Kennedy/Marshall Co. and Leonard DiCaprio's Appian Way are all in discussions about reviving the 1980's kid fantasy classic "The NeverEnding Story" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on Michael Ende's German-language novel, the original Wolfgang Petersen-directed film centered on a boy named Bastian Balthazar Bux (Barret Oliver) who discovers a parallel world in a book titled "The NeverEnding Story."
As the boy, a loner, delves deeper into the book, he increasingly finds his life intertwined with the plot of the novel, in which a hero (Noah Hathaway) in the land of Fantasia must save the universe on behalf of an empress.
This new version will examine the more nuanced details of the book that were glossed over in the first film. Dieter Geissler will produce, though no writers re yet attached.
George Miller directed a sequel which came out in 1990, while a third movie in 1996 went direct-to-video.
Producer Gilbert Adler ("Superman Returns," "Ghost Ship") is set to produce the $20 million indie horror film "Dead of Night" for Hyde Park Group and Platinum Studios which kicks off filming today in New Orleans says The Hollywood Reporter.
Adapted from the top-selling 1986 Italian comic book series "Dylan Dog," created by Tiziano Sclavi, "Dead" stars Brandon Routh as a private investigator who stumbles onto the world of the undead.
Kevin Munroe ("TMNT") is directing a screenplay by Joshua Oppenheimer and Thomas Dean Donnelly ("Sahara," "Conan the Barbarian") which moved the action from the U.K. to the deep bayou of Louisiana.
DRAC Studios ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") will handle makeup effects. Scott Mitchell Rosenberg and Ashok Amritraj are producing
Michael Cera ("Juno," "Superbad") has finally agreed to do the feature film version of Fox's cancelled but highly acclaimed sitcom "Arrested Development" says E! Online.
Cera had been the lone holdout among the show's stars for several weeks. The rest of the show's cast including Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett, Tony Hale, Jessica Walter, Jeffrey Tambor and David Cross, are already up for it according to sources and the movie may go into production as early as the end of the year.
Ron Howard told Ryan Seacrest at the Oscars on Sunday that "It's looking very much like we're going to make [the movie], but we've now been asked to stop offering any details. It's cloaked in a little mystery, but it's looking good."
Vinnie Jones has signed for the comedy "Wedlocked" and Universal's Joe Carnahan-produced prequel "Smokin' Aces: Blowback" says The Hollywood Reporter
In "Wedlocked," Jones plays a Croatian mobster who attempts to kidnap his crush, who is on her honeymoon with the American man she married to get U.S. citizenship.
Dave Annable and Katharine McPhee previously were cast in writer-director Rob Hedden's film.
In "Blowback," Jones plays an assassin gunning for a mob snitch who is hiding in Las Vegas. Tom Berenger, Clayne Crawford, Tommy Flanagan and Maury Sterling also star.
P.J. Pesce is set to helm the direct-to-DVD release, which Mike Elliott is producing.
Eric Brevig ("Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D") will helm Warner Bros.' 3D CG-animated feature take on the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon "Yogi Bear" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Combining live action and CG ala "Garfield" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks," "Yogi" will offer a new take on the half-century-old title character and his sidekick Boo Boo, who get into a series of misadventures in Jellystone Park.
Ash Brannon ("Surf's Up") was attached to helm "Yogi" when it was a 2-D film. Joshua Sternin and Jeffrey Ventimilia ("That '70s Show") are penning the screenplay while Donald De Line and Karen Rosenfelt are producing.
Peter Baynham ("Borat," "Bruno") will pen the remake of Dudley Moore 1981 comedy "Arthur" for Warner Bros. Pictures reports Variety.
The project is being crafted as a vehicle for Russell Brand ("Forgetting Sarah Marshall") as the boozy playboy whose plan to marry into a moneyed family goes awry when he falls in love with a working class gal.
Larry Brezner will produce.
Matt Damon and "The Bourne Ultimatum" scribe George Nolfi are attached to the contemporary science fiction love story "The Adjustment Bureau" which is being shopped around to studios by Media Rights Capital reports Variety.
Nolfi, who also penned "Ocean's Twelve" and the upcoming fourth "Bourne" film, wrote a script that is loosely based on a Philip K. Dick short story, and he will make his directing debut on the film, which will begin production by late summer.
Media Rights Capital is also shopping aroundthe action comedy "B Team". "Anchorman" helmer Adam McKay will direct the project which casts Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg as cops. Chris Henchy ("Land of the Lost," "Entourage") penned the script.
Vinnie Jones has signed for the comedy "Wedlocked" and Universal's Joe Carnahan-produced prequel "Smokin' Aces: Blowback" says The Hollywood Reporter
In "Wedlocked," Jones plays a Croatian mobster who attempts to kidnap his crush, who is on her honeymoon with the American man she married to get U.S. citizenship.
Dave Annable and Katharine McPhee previously were cast in writer-director Rob Hedden's film.
In "Blowback," Jones plays an assassin gunning for a mob snitch who is hiding in Las Vegas. Tom Berenger, Clayne Crawford, Tommy Flanagan and Maury Sterling also star.
P.J. Pesce is set to helm the direct-to-DVD release, which Mike Elliott is producing.
Zentropa gives birth to new animation outfit
Jacob Wendt Jensen in Copenhagen
26 Feb 2009 14:30
Denmark's Zentropa has launched a new animation company, Rambuk, to be headed by director Stefan Fjeldmark.
Most recently Fjeldmark has been working with Denmark's Fine and Mellow Productions in a non-animation role.
Commenting on the appointment, Zentropa CEO, Peter Aalbaek Jensen described Fjeldmark as having "a rare ability to combine his borderless creativity and leftfield imagination into films often made with a mix of exciting new techniques. He has an offbeat way of thinking and this fits right into the Zentropa family."
Local feature animation films have fared well with Danish audiences of late with Terkel In Trouble, Journey To Saturn and Sunshine Barry & The Disco Worms among the successes.
International animation features have also been well received. The last two Shrek films alone saw a combined total of more than one million admissions.
Zentropa's relaunch of its animation focus follows other initiatives since it joined forces with Nordisk Film in April 2008, including the recent opening of an office in Norway and a new arm, Zentropa Games, focusing on the development and production of computer and video games
Carrey, Gyllenhaal do 'Yankees'
New Line taps actors for adaptation of musical
By MICHAEL FLEMING
New Line Cinema is playing ball with Jim Carrey and Jake Gyllenhaal on "Damn Yankees," attaching both actors to star in a contemporized film transfer of the classic musical.
Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel are set to write the script.
The musical is being produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the duo behind New Line's musical "Hairspray"; a sequel to that film is in the works.
"Damn Yankees," which bowed on Broadway in 1955 and won seven Tony Awards, focuses on Joe Boyd, a happily married middle-aged man whose devotion to a hapless pro baseball team prompts him to make a Faustian bargain with the devil to help the team. He's transformed into slugger Joe Hardy, in exchange for Boyd's soul. Boyd can break the deal, but the deadline occurs during the World Series. For good measure, the devil engages Lola, a gorgeous lost soul, to seduce the slugger and seal his fate.
The plan is for Carrey to play the devil, and Gyllenhaal to play Boyd. It's the first musical for each.
The producers tried but struck out on a version of "Damn Yankees" five years ago at Miramax, where they made "Chicago." The rights lapsed after Harvey Weinstein exited that studio. After two years of rights negotiations, "Damn Yankees" is moving forward with Toby Emmerich's New Line.
The trick is finding a balance that retains the show's classic tunes like "(You Gotta Have) Heart" and "Whatever Lola Wants," while injecting a contemporary feel on a musical that is firmly rooted in the 1950s. The intention is to get a script from Ganz and Mandel before meeting directors, and actresses who'll want to play Lola.
The original was directed by George Abbott and choreographed by Bob Fosse, with music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, and book by Abbott and Douglass Wallop. "Damn Yankees" was turned into a 1958 Warner Bros. film that was directed by Abbott and Stanley Donen, with Ray Walston and Gwen Verdon re-creating their stage performances, and Tab Hunter playing the slugger.
Carrey is coming off "Yes Man" and "I Love You Phillip Morris," the latter of which premiered at Sundance and is in distribution discussions. Carrey also plays Ebenezer Scrooge and several other roles in "A Christmas Carol," which Robert Zemeckis directed for Disney in performance capture digital 3-D animation. Carrey also plans to star for director Jason Reitman in "Pierre Pierre" for Fox Searchlight.
Gyllenhaal recently completed the David O. Russell-directed "Nailed," the Jim Sheridan-directed "Brothers," and he plays the title role in the Mike Newell-directed "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" for Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer.
Seth Green will star in Walt Disney Pictures and ImageMovers' performance-capture feature "Mars Needs Moms!" says The Hollywood Reporter.
An adaptation of the Berkeley Breathed children's novel, the story follows a boy named Milo (Green) who stows away aboard a spaceship to rescue his mom (Joan Cusack) after she was kidnapped by aliens.
Mindy Sterling ("Austin Powers") will play the alien leader of Mars, inspiring terror in all who meet her. Dan Fogler (Fanboys) is playing Gribble, a friend of Milo. Elisabeth Harnois has also joined the cast.
Simon and Wendy Wells adapted the screenplay with the former directing. Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey are producing.
Keira Knightley will star in the sci-fi thriller "Never Let Me Go" for Fox Searchlight and DNA Films says Variety.
Mark Romanek ("One Hour Photo") will direct the cloning-themed film that also stars Andrew Garfield and Carey Mulligan.
Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich and Alex Garland are producing. The film is set to shoot in April in London and Norfolk, England.
O ovom projektu sam cuo od svojih izvora, da je vrlo zanimljiv shaneblackovski, otud uznemirava angazman Kevina Smitha...
Kevin Smith has signed on to direct the blatantly titled "Couple of Dicks" for Warner Bros. Pictures says ERC Box-Office.
Bruce Willis and Tracey Morgan star in the comedy though story details are being kept under wraps. Robb and Marc Cullen penned the script, marking the first project Smith will direct but not write (though he may perform a re-write).
This will also be Smith's first film for Warners. The studio has set a January 29th 2010 release.
Leonardo DiCaprio is in final negotiations to topline Christopher Nolan's upcoming sci-fi drama "Inception" for Warner Bros. Pictures says Production Weekly.
The story is described only as "a contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind". The project is seen as a 'between Batman films' project for Nolan, much like 2006's "The Prestige" was between "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight".
Filming kicks off this year for release in summer 2010. Nolan and Emma Thomas are producing.
Ginnifer Goodwin, John Corbett and Bridget Moynahan have joined the cast of "Ramona and Beezus" for Fox 2000 says The Hollywood Reporter,
Based on the classic children's book series written by Beverly Cleary, Goodwin will play 10-year-old Ramona's favorite person, Aunt Bea, and Moynahan and Corbett will play the two girls' parents, Dorothy and Bob Quimby.
Elizabeth Allen ("Aquamarine") is directing while Denise Di Novi and Alison Greenspan are producing. Shooting is scheduled to start in Vancouver in April.
Barry Sonnenfeld ("RV," "Men in Black") will direct and produce an English-language remake of the Korean box office hit "Scandal Makers" reports Variety.
The story centers on a philandering pop singer whose life is turned upside-down when he discovers that he has a daughter and a grandson.
Sonnenfeld is currently seeking a major studio and producer to develop and release the project. Kang Hyung-chul directed the original which opened last year and took in $36 million at the South Korean box-office.
Logan Lerman ("3:10 to Yuma," "Jack & Bobby") and Brandon T. Jackson ("Tropic Thunder") will co-star in "Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief" for Fox 2000 says the trades.
An adaptation of Rick Riordan's children's novel, the story follows Greek god Poseidon's 12-year-old half-human son, Percy (Lerman), on a fantastic quest across modern America to save his mother, return Zeus' stolen lightning bolt and prevent a deadly war among the gods.
Jackson will play Percy's best friend, Grover Underwood, a satyr (half-goat, half-human) with whom he shares a psychic link. The character is in his early 30s but is about 16 mentally because satyrs mature half as quickly as humans in Riordan's novel.
Christopher Columbus directs the fantasy-adventure which the studio is eyeing as a potential franchise as Riordan is penning five books in the series. Columbus and Craig Titley wrote the screenplay.
Filming kicks off in April in Vancouver.
Zack Snyder ("300," "Watchmen") has gathered together an impressive assembly of young actresses for his upcoming action fantasy "Sucker Punch" reports Entertainment Weekly.
Amanda Seyfried ("Mamma Mia!"), Vanessa Hudgens ("High School Musical"), Abbie Cornish ("Elizabeth: The Golden Age"), Evan Rachel Wood ("The Wrestler") and Emma Stone ("The House Bunny") are in talks to star in the action fantasy.
Set in the 1950s, "Punch" follows a girl named Babydoll (Seyfried) who is confined to a mental institution by her stepfather, who intends to have her lobotomized in five days.
While there, she imagines an alternative reality to hide her from the pain, and in that world, she begins planning her escape, needing to steal five objects to help get her out before she is deflowered by a vile man.
The other four actresses would play Seyfried's fellow inmates who also travel into the alternate reality.
Snyder and Steve Shibuya co-wrote the script which fuses such elements as dragons, B-52 bombers and brothels.
Max Thieriot ("Kit Kittridge," "Driving Lessons") has been cast in Atom Egoyan's "Chloe" for Montecito and Studio Canal says The Hollywood Reporter.
A remake of the French thriller "Nathalie ...". the story centers on a married woman (Julianne Moore) who hires a prostitute (Amanda Seyfried) to find out whether her husband (Liam Neeson) is cheating on her.
The prostitute, however, cons her about the nature of her husband's fidelity, a move that puts the family in jeopardy. Thieriot plays Neeson and Moore's son.
Ivan Reitman and Tom Pollock are producing.
Braga, Rourke, Cassel join 'Minutes'
Actors to star in adaptation of Coehlo novel
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Rourke
Braga
Cassel
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'Lymelife' to open Gen Art festival
Alice Braga, Mickey Rourke and Vincent Cassel are set to star in "11 Minutes," an adaptation of the steamy Paulo Coehlo novel that will be directed by Hany Abu-Assad.
Hollywood Gang's Gianni Nunnari is producing, with Craig J. Flores and George Waud as exec producers. Shooting begins June 1 in Brazil and Geneva.
Braga plays a naive girl who is betrayed by her first lover and swears off romance. She becomes a high-priced call girl who works at an upscale gentlemen's club in Geneva. Cassel plays a music exec who gets her hooked on S&M. Rourke plays the club owner.
Italian heartthrob Riccardo Scamarcio is in talks to round out the cast.
The book was a global bestseller translated into 40 languages. Abu-Assad, who made his film breakthrough with "Paradise Now," has rewritten a script by Marcos Bernstein.
Hollywood Gang will fully finance.
Braga just completed the Universal sci-fi thriller "Repossession Mambo." Rourke is coming off "The Wrestler" and is negotiating to play the villain in "Iron Man 2." Cassel was seen in "Eastern Promises" and just won the acting Cesar for French pic "Public Enemy Number One." Scamarcio is coming off the Costa-Gavras-directed "Eden a l'ouest."
For Hollywood Gang, "11 Minutes" becomes one of four 2009 production starts. It produced, with GK Films, the Martin Scorsese-directed "Shutter Island," set for release in the fall. It's in pre-production on WB sci-fi film "The Days Before," with Timur Bekmambetov directing, and on the Tarsem-directed "War of Gods" with Relativity. Also, Hollywood Gang and GK are plotting an April production start for the Scorsese-directed "Silence."
Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan will star in Warner Bros.' detective comedy "A Couple of Cops," with Kevin Smith directing his first major studio pic.
Marc Platt's producing the project, formerly titled "A Couple of Dicks." The scripting team of Robb and Marc Cullen penned the screenplay, centered on a pair of cops who track down a stolen baseball card, rescue a Mexican beauty and must deal with gangsters and laundered drug money.
Warner picked up the project in turnaround last year from Gold Circle, where it had been in development with Robin Williams and James Gandolfini in the lead roles.
Willis will next be seen in Disney sci-fi thriller "The Surrogates," directed by Jonathan Mostow. "Saturday Night Live" and "30 Rock" star Morgan has been set for a remake of "Death at a Funeral" for Screen Gems and Sidney Kimmel.
Smith directed "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" last year for the Weinstein Co.
Michael Brandt and Derek Haas have signed on to adapt upcoming Richard Doetsch novel "The Thirteenth Hour" for New Line Cinema and producer Michael De Luca.
New Line acquired the book last fall. Story follows a man accused of murdering his wife who gets to go back in time -- in one-hour increments over 12 hours -- with the chance to stop his wife's killer.
Haas said the book "is a fast-paced thriller with a supernatural twist and characters who really pop."
The novel will be published by Atria.
Alissa Phillips will be executive producer.
The writing team of Brandt and Haas ("Wanted," "3:10 to Yuma") most recently adapted Robert Ludlum thriller "The Matarese Circle." The MGM film, to be directed by David Cronenberg, is shaping up as a potential pairing of Denzel Washington and Tom Cruise. The scribes are also scripting a new installment of "Beverly Hills Cop" for Eddie Murphy and director Brett Ratner at Paramount.
With producer Rachael Horovitz, De Luca is prepping "Moneyball," the Steve Zaillian-scripted adaptation of the Michael Lewis book for Columbia Pictures that will team Brad Pitt and director Steven Soderbergh.
DeLorean
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'Lymelife' to open Gen Art festival
David Permut is getting into gear for a biopic of maverick auto exec John Z. DeLorean, with Steve Lee Jones also producing through his Bee Holder Prods.
Jones has secured life rights from the late DeLorean's longtime attorney, Mayer Morganroth.
The film will chronicle DeLorean's rise and fall, starting with his work as a young exec VP at General Motors, where he developed the Pontiac GTO and Firebird, and the creation of his own company and the DeLorean DMC-12 car -- later featured in the "Back to the Future" films. DeLorean's downfall came when was arrested in 1982 on charges of drug trafficking to help his faltering auto company. He was freed two years later after a court ruled he was a victim of government entrapment.
Permut Presentations VP Steve Longi will co-produce.
Permut is in post-production on "Youth in Revolt" for Dimension. He also produced documentary "The Boys," which Disney is releasing this year.
Jones is in post-production with Foundation Films on director Matthew Galkin's doc "Kevorkian," about Dr. Jack Kevorkian's bid for a congressional seat.
The idea of turning the board game "Monopoly" has always sounded ridiculous, yet according to producer and Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner, the timing couldn't be better
"The whole world is about the financial markets. You can't turn on the news today without understanding the financial markets and what's going on out there...Combine that with Pamela Pettler who's writing this great script about real people kind of playing a real-life game of 'Monopoly,' not the board game, although they're icons of the game. And then you really get the idea why this story could make sense right now" he told MTV News this week.
Acclaimed director Ridley Scott ("Gladiator," "Alien") was less enthusiastic but seems to believe in the project: "I have to direct it. We're in progress right now. We're having it written. We have identified a pretty good story and it is fundamentally a movie, not a game, probably describing in a way the characters in the film, the passion of the game, and how the game came about."
"Transformers" babe Megan Fox is in final negotiations to star in two comic book adaptations - the action western "Jonah Hex" for Warner Bros. Pictures and the underwater adventure "Fathom" for Fox Atomic reports the trades.
'Hex' will have Fox playing Leila, a gun-wielding beauty and love interest of Hex (Josh Brolin), a scarred bounty hunter tracking a voodoo practitioner (John Malkovich) who wants to raise an army of undead to liberate the South.
Directed by Jimmy Hayward, shooting kicks off next month with Andrew Lazar and Akiva Goldsman producing.
"Fathom" follows a young woman named Aspen who learns she is a member of a race of aquatic humanoids who possess the ability to control water.
"Prince of Persia" game creator Jordan Mechner is adapting recently deceased artist Michael Turner's comic. Peter Safran is producing with Steve Bessen and Brian Austin Green.
MGM and the WWE are teaming to develop a direct-to-DVD remake of the Chuck Norris 1984 Vietnam pic "Missing in Action" says The Hollywood Reporter.
The original centered on Col. James Braddock (Norris), a POW of the Viet Cong who escapes Southeast Asia and heads back to liberate other U.S. captives. A prequel and a sequel were released in the following four years.
Jeremy Passmore, who also is penning MGM's "Red Dawn" theatrical remake, is on board to write the script with partner Andre Fabrizio.
The new film will be updated to reflect modern military realities and will be set during the current Iraq War. Andrew Stevens ("Heist") will produce.
Danny Boyle has denied reports that he will direct a remake of Chan-wook Park's "Lady Vengeance" reports MTV News.
"No I was never going to do that. I don't know where that story came from" says Boyle.
A rep later told the site that Boyle being linked to helm the next JAmes Bond film is also untrue - "While Danny says he always has and always will enjoy the Bond movies he has no plans to direct one. Danny is naturally flattered to be thought of""
The denials come as the rumor emerged today that Boyle has been asked by Sony Pictures to helm the remake of "My Fair Lady".
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck ("The Lives of Others") is in talks to direct Tom Cruise-led drama "The 28th Amendment" for Warner Bros. Pictures reports the trades.
The drama revolves around a U.S. president who discovers the existence of a secret cabal that runs the government and wants him dead.
Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci ("Eagle Eye," "Transformers") penned the script. Basil Iwanyk and Richard Donner are producers.
Universal is picking up George Nolfi's sci-fi thriller "The Adjustment Bureau" which has Matt Damon attached says The Hollywood Reporter.
Nolfi, who co-wrote "Ocean's Twelve" and "The Bourne Ultimatum", will also make his directorial debut on the $60-$65 million picture,
Loosely based on a Philip K. Dick short story, Damon plays a politician who falls for a ballerina only to find mysterious forces keeping the two apart.
Nolfi, Chris Moore, Bill Carraro and Michael Hackett will produce. Filming kicks off in September.
Jay Roach's comedy "Dinner for Schmucks" is finally getting into production says Variety.
A remake of Francis Veber's 1998 French comedy "Le Diner des cons", the project suffered a number of setbacks when original star Sacha Baron Cohen had to pull out.
Steve Carell and Paul Rudd have now cleared their schedules for the project when it kicks off shooting in October.
Spyglass Entertainment and Paramount Pictures are set to release the project.
Mark Wahlberg will star in the dark kidnap thriller "Prisoners" for Madhouse Entertainment reports the trades,
Aaron Guzikowski penned the script which centers on a Boston man who turns vigilante after his six-year-old daughter and her best friend are kidnapped. He takes matters into his own hands by in turn kidnapping the man he suspects responsible.
The project is now out to directors, though studios are apparently very keen to land the property so expect it to be in production shortly.
Big Rich Films has optioned Owen Sheers' WW2 novel "Resistance" says Variety.
Amit Gupta will write and direct the pic, which is set in an alternative 1944 where Russia has fallen to Nazi Germany and the D-Day landings have failed.
With Britain now half-occupied by German forces, the women in an isolated Welsh border valley awake one morning to discover all their husbands have mysteriously disappeared.
Richard Holmes ("Eden Lake") will produce and co-write the script with Gupta. Filming kicks off on location in Wales next year
You'd think we Americans would have a leg up on Moviehole's Clint Morris, given that we're in America where all the movie stars are, and he's in Australia, which movie stars move away from as soon as they start being famous. But damn him if he isn't buying groceries at the same place as Damian Walshe-Howling, who apparently has landed the key role of the main villain in Point Break Indo.
We've been talking for a while about Jan de Bont's plans to make a sequel to Kathryn Bigelow's 1991 action movie, and with Walshe-Howling added to the cast, production seems just about ready to roll. He'll play a sea pirate named Dali whose team wears masks to disguise them as members of the Bush Administration. Yes, this is a movie in which we get to see Colin Powell rob ships. Prepare yourselves.
Walshe-Howling isn't very well known to American audiences, having had minor roles in Australian movies like Ned Kelly and Macbeth in addition to appearances on Australian TV. I don't particularly think a villain role in Point Break 2, a sequel no one really asked for, will be Walshe-Howling's ticket to fame. But hey, it's a start. We'll see where he takes it from here
While fans who are aware of "Tintin" have been enthusiastic about the project, the single most common complaint from fanboys unfamiliar with Herge's brilliant stories of the roving reporter has been that their 'god' Steven Spielberg shouldn't be wasting his time with such nonsense.
This is despite the fact almost all of them are completely unfamiliar with the material, even though the twenty-four graphic novels have been in publication for over eight decades. Decades before the likes of "Watchmen" hit the shelves it was weaving stories of Middle Eastern tension, South American and Eastern European coup d'etats, opium smuggling, human trafficking, arms dealing and espionage.
The endless bickering has angered and upset me, a guy for whom Tintin was one of the few comic books I read and adored growing up, far more than I expected. For those moaners though I've got good news, you can have him back - it looks like he's done.
An article in Variety this weekend reports that the surprisingly short 32-day principal photography shoot on the 3D motion capture project "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn" has come to a close.
More interesting is that despite reports that this was to be a Steven Spielberg/Peter Jackson collaboration, much of the work on this first film is going to be handled by the latter. Spielberg has now essentially handed over the project to Jackson who will focus on the film's special effects for the next eighteen months.
Jackson also traveled to Los Angeles for rehearsals and for the first week of shooting, begging the question - who really is directing this film?. Producer Kathleen Kennedy claims that "They are amazingly collaborative, even more so than Steven and George (Lucas were on the 'Raiders' films)."
Jackson is currently sketching out ideas for the second film and its script, though actual writing duties may be handled by some or all of the trio of scribes who worked on the first one - Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish. No green light has yet been given on the property.
One thing is for sure, the technology being used to create the adventure feature is being kept top secret. "You have to see it to understand (the technology). It really can't be described" says Spielberg's longtime spokesman Marvin Levy, while Kennedy says "It's extremely difficult to explain to someone unless they are standing here next to me, and usually then their reaction is, 'Oh my god.'"
Sony will be handling distribution in Europe and other countries where the character has had a long and well-established reputation. Paramount on the other hand will be handling territories such as the US and parts of Asia where many aren't familiar with the character
Producer Neal Moritz and "Austin Powers" director Jay Roach are teaming on a narrative feature based on the documentary "The Complete History of My Sexual Failures" for Universal Pictures reports Variety.
Jay Reiss has been tapped to write the screenplay which centers on a man who sets out to interview every girl he has dated and ask the all-important question, "What's wrong with me?"
Chris Waitt's original film premiered at last year's Sundance Film Festival. Moritz and Roach will produce this remake with the later potential directing.
New Regency has picked up the futuristic action film "Last Man" reports Variety.
The story follows a hardened captain assigned to protect an outpost on a distant planet must lead a group of young, inexperienced American soldiers in battle against an alien race.
David Ayer ("Harsh Times," "Street Kings") will write and direct. Erwin Stoff, Scott Stuber and Pam Abdy will produce.
Nick Nolte, Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Morrison are set to star in the mixed martial arts fighting drama "Warrior" for Lionsgate reports Variety.
Nolte plays an ex-Vietnam vet boxer-turned-steel mill worker whose family was torn apart by his alcoholism; the now-sober and remorseful dad welcomes back his youngest son (Hardy) and trains him to compete in a mixed martial arts tournament. He and his older brother (Edgerton) are on a collision course in the ring.
Gavin O'Connor and Anthony Tambakis co-wrote the script which O'Connor ("Pride and Glory") will direct and produce along with his brother Greg. Shooting begins in April in Pittsburgh.
Elisabeth Moss ("Mad Men," "The Missing") has been cast opposite Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant in romantic comedy "Did You Hear About the Morgans?" for Sony Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
Parker and Grant are starring as an estranged high-powered New York couple who witness a murder and are placed in a witness-protection program in a small Wyoming town.
Moss will play Parker's executive assistant with a controlling and almost obsessive-compulsive personality.
Marc Lawrence will direct from his own script. Liz Glotzer and Martin Shafer are producing and shooting begins in May in New York.
"X-Men" and "Ugly Betty" regular Rebecca Romijn will play the lead in "Eastwick", ABC's small-screen adaptation of the film and book "The Witches of Eastwick" says TV.com.
As Roxie Torcoletti, Romijn is one of a trio of women who discover they have witch-like powers when a mysterious man comes to town.
Lindsay Price ("Lipstick Jungle") and Jaime Ray Newman ("Veronica Mars") will play the other witches, while Paul Gross is the mysterious stranger.
Marcel Langenegger ("Deception") is set to direct Phoenix Pictures' thriller "Mile Zero" and will develop it as a potential Milla Jovovich vehicle reports the trades.
Penned by Holly Brix, the story centers on a young woman attempting to clear her father's name in a string of gruesome murders at an Alaskan oil refinery.
Mike Medavoy, Arnie Messer, Brad Fischer and James Vanderbilt will produce.
Gold Circle's yet to be released "The Fourth Kind" is also a Jovovich-led, Alaska-set, fact-based thriller which has the "Resident Evil" star playing a government investigator probing 40 years of unexplained disappearances in a small town.
Chris Hemsworth ("Star Trek," "Home and Away"), Kristen Connolly ("Revolutionary Road"), Anna Hutchison ("Underbelly"), Fran Kranz ("The Village") and Jesse Williams ("The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2") are set to join the horror film "The Cabin in the Woods" for United Artists says The Hollywood Reporter.
Joss Whedon penned the genre-tweaking screenplay, though plot and character descriptions have been withheld by the filmmakers and the studio. Richard Jenkins ("The Visitor") and Bradley Whitford ("Bottle Shock") have already been cast.
Whedon is producing, and his old "Angel" co-hort Drew Goddard is directing. Filming is already underway, though the release has been pushed back from this Halloween to February 5th next year.
Sean Penn is in talks to star in the action drama "Cartel" for Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment reports Variety.
Scripted by Peter Craig, the mission movie will follow Ed Marker as he journeys to protect his son after his wife is brutally murdered in the gritty world of Mexican cartels.
The project began as a remake of the 1993 Italian film "La scorta" before evolving into an action vehicle for Penn.
Asger Leth ("Ghosts of Cite Soleil") will direct and Brian Grazer is producing. Production is currently aiming for a Summer start if Penn's deal can be locked.
Penn is still in discussions to star with Naomi Watts in the Doug Liman-directed Valerie Plame scandal drama "Fair Game".
Worthington Not Replacing Batman's Bale
By Garth Franklin Tuesday March 10th 2009 06:34AM
A Herald Sun story published yesterday says that Australian thesp Sam Worthington ("Avatar," "Somersault") is set to replace his "Terminator Salvation" co-star Christian Bale as the Caped Crusader in the upcoming third Chris Nolan-directed "Batman" film.
The reasons being cited are that the well-publicised on-set spat between Bale and the Salvation D.O.P. that got a lot of airplay has damaged the British actor's reputation so much that the studio wants to replace him.
This is despite the fact that Bale is under contract for at least one more Batman film, his long-standing relationship with Nolan, and the fact that a third film is a LONG way off from being scripted let alone cast.
If anything the spat has enhanced Bale's reputation as someone almost too serious, dedicated and moody - playing a kid-friendly character it may be an issue, but in a darkly serious film series like this? C'mon, be serious.
Citing no inside sources or confirmation, chuck this rumor back in the bin where it came from.
Worthington, who legitimately was a contender for another high profile role a few years ago - James Bond - is about to get to work on the "Clash of the Titans" remake for Warner Bros. Pictures.
OVO ZVUČI VRLO ZANIMLJIVO - iako aža napušta horor (nadajmo se privremeno), ovo deluje kao potencijalno mudovit projekat!
I wasn't a big fan of MIRRORS (save for a few key moments, either involving Amy Smart's gory and very naked death or Jack Bauer yelling at his reflection like it was a terrorist that knows where the suitcase nuke is), but I really love what Aja did with THE HILLS HAVE EYES and still think HAUTE TENSION was an almost masterpiece of horror.
Looks like he's going to follow up his PIRANHA 3-D (can't wait, by the way) with a drama, taking him out of the horror realm. The flick will be called THE CONTRACTOR and be about a sort of alternate or near-future world where the US can't afford going to war anymore and instead hires out private contractors, elite soldiers, to fight on its behalf. Ian Jeffers (last to polish up CASTLEVANIA) is scripting, per Variety.
Other than that info, I don't have much knowledge of the property. I'll keep my ear to the ground, though. Anything Aja's involved in of interest to me. I'm especially curious as to what the tone of this is going to be. Is it a political message movie, a talking head drama, or do we follow the soldiers as they fight? Could go in a lot of different ways. Let's see what develops.
Joe Stillman ("Shrek 1 & 2," "Planet 51") is set to pen the high-concept family comedy "Alien Zoo" for Warner Bros. and Unique Features reports Variety.
Based on an original idea by Dylan Sellers, the concept is Jurassic Park with aliens. The film will be live-action with CGI.
Bob Shaye, Michael Lynne and Sellers will produce.
"Atonement" and "The Soloist" director Joe Wright will next helm "Indian Summer" for Working Title and Universal reports Variety.
Based on the book of the same name by Alex von Tunzelmann, the story follows the lead-p and aftermath of the famed 'Freedom at Midnight' events which saw the creation of modern day India and Pakistan, the resulting First Kashmir War, and the end of Britain's colonial rule in India.
Lord Mountbatten, the last appointed viceroy of British India, and his glamorous wife Edwina oversaw the handover of power in the summer of 1947 to Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister.
William Nicholson ("Gladiator") is penning the screenplay. Eric Fellner, Hilary Bevan Jones and Tim Bevan will produce. Shooting begins early next year on location in India.
Adam Marcus ("Jason Goes to Hell") is set to direct the remake of the Val Lewton RKO 1943 classic "I Walked With a Zombie" for Roseblood Movie Co. and Twisted Pictures reports Variety.
Marcus and Debra Sullivan ("Conspiracy") co-wrote the script which focuses on a private tutor who discovers a terrifying family secret while working at the ancient estate of a New Orleans businessman.
The original was a forerunner of the genre and is considered one of the most valuable films in the RKO library.
Ted Hartley, Mark Burg, Oren Koules, and Carl Mazzocone will produce. RKO is looking into remakes of 1939's "Five Came Back", 1945's "The Body Snatcher" and 1946's "Bedlam".
French music vid/commercial director Laurent Briet is in the running to direct a sequel to last year's sleeper hit "The Strangers" reports Bloody Disgusting.
Original film writer/director Bryan Bertino penned the script which apparently will take place in a trailer park.
Shooting begins this summer. Briet worked on special effects for "The Ring" remake and the short film "Little Minx Exquisite Corpse: Rope a Dope".
New Line is developing a feature film version of 80's TV series "MacGyver" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Richard Dean Anderson ("Stargate: SG-1") starred in the original as an incredibly resourceful secret agent for the Phoenix Foundation who frequently would escape from dangerous situations with ingenious and lightning-quick engineering trickery using everyday objects.
No writer is presently attached but one is being sought who can combine both a serious and fun adventure movie with the acknowledgment of the character's place in pop culture.
Raffaella and Martha De Laurentiis are producing along with series creator Lee Zlotoff.
Thomas Dekker ("Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles") will star and Ray Stevenson ("Rome") is in talks to join the werewolf thriller "Slaughter's Road" for Crystal Sky Productions reports Variety.
"Watchmen" co-scribe David Hayter will make his directorial debut on the project. Production begins in the summer.
Hayter and producer Benedict Carver just formed Dark Hero Studios, a company that will generate film, TV, Internet and video game projects in the action, sci-fi and horror genres.
Once he wraps work on 'Road', Hayter will pen and direct "Demonology" for Dark Hero about the bad experiences of an American kid who goes to high school in Belgium.
McGregor gay film too risque for cinema
I Love You Phillip Morris, which features a graphic homosexual romp, has failed to find a US distributor
Toby McDonald
A prison comedy starring Ewan McGregor and Jim Carrey as gay lovers may not be shown in American cinemas because it is considered too risqué.
I Love You Phillip Morris, in which the stars play inmates who find love behind bars, has failed to find a US distributor and is expected to go straight to DVD.
Film industry insiders said the movie, which features a graphic sex scene and frequent references to gay sex, had fallen foul of anti-gay prejudice in America.
Carrey plays Steven Russell, a married policeman from Texas, who comes out of the closet and then becomes a conman to fund his flamboyant gay lifestyle.
He is sent to prison, where he meets and falls in love with Morris, played by McGregor. Following Morris' release, Russell escapes from prison four times to be reunited with him.
The $13m (£9.3m) film is based on the true story of Russell, who was sentenced to more than 100 years behind bars because of his repeated escape attempts.
The independent movie, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, has attracted mixed reviews, with one critic for Variety, the movie bible, remarking that the "clingy physicality of Steven and Phillip" and "spectacular, ride 'em-cowboy sex scene" would give some fans of Carrey's mainstream movies a heart attack.
Lewis Tice, director of publicity and marketing, at distributors TLA Releasing, said he believed the graphic homosexual sex depicted in the film had turned off distributors.
"The depiction of the sexual activity was far more than I've ever seen in a mainstream film with a mainstream celebrity," he said. "There's a graphic sex scene in the first 10 minutes that I was surprised to see."
Tice added: "Lesbian gay bisexual and transvestite cinema is still seen as an underground, specific genre. When it comes to Hollywood mainstream, they want the widest audience possible for the amount of money they spend."
Scott Stiffler, author of Why Hollywood Avoids Gay Movies, added: "Mostly straight, multiplex-going audiences don't want to see a romantic comedy in which two dudes get it on; unless it is meant as a joke.
"Even Brokeback Mountain, which grossed $83m domestically, couldn't come close to the $120m gross that I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry [about two heterosexual men who enter into a civil partnership as part of a pension scam] made in the US."
Britain is one of only a handful of European countries where a deal has been secured to show the movie, which is due for cinema release this summer. The film is currently being re-edited in a last ditch attempt to find an American distributor. If it fails to do so, it will go straight to DVD.
The failure of the movie to secure a cinema deal in the US will be a blow for both Carrey and McGregor.
Carrey, who was paid more than £10m per film following the success of The Mask, has had a string of recent flops.
Meanwhile, McGregor's political thriller, Incendiary, in which he starred alongside with Michelle Williams, failed to set box offices alight.
Yesterday Andrew Lazar, the producer of I Love You Phillip Morris, insisted a deal will eventually be found.
Tony Gilroy on Duplicity's important complications
Mike Goodridge in Los Angeles
13 Mar 2009 00:00
Tony Gilroy has been working in Hollywood since 1986 when he sold his first script as a vehicle for Chuck Norris. Although that film was never made, he fast became one of the biggest names in screenwriting, clocking up credits such as Dolores Claiborne, Armageddon and the three Bourne movies.
He directed his first film, Michael Clayton, in 2007 and scored Oscar nominations for script and direction, but even then he was nervous that another writer would catch on to the subject of corporate espionage before his pet project, Duplicity, could reach the screen.
"For the last three years I've been worried there'd be another corporate espionage picture out there," he says. "It seemed such a rich topic. I was sure we were going to miss it and once that happened, it would kill my script."
Duplicity was originally set up with Section Eight six years ago as a directing gig for Gilroy's friend Steven Soderbergh but eventually, after Michael Clayton, he opted to direct it himself.
He was introduced to Clive Owen by George Clooney at a party held by Clayton producer Jennifer Fox, midway through the shoot of that film. "Clive was in the neighbourhood and George introduced us. Out of the blue, George said Clive should do Duplicity. He'd been in the first Bourne film but I'd never met him, so we talked, and I fell in love with him immediately. He became my co-conspirator for the two years we were trying to get the movie made."
Having tweaked the script to make the male character British, Gilroy went straight to Owen's pal and Closer co-star Julia Roberts to take the female lead but she had just become pregnant. "I was so into doing the movie with Clive that we basically both went off and did other things and pledged to reconvene when we could put this back together."
When Gilroy and Owen did finally reconvene, they went back to Roberts and she was ready to commit. The movie was an easy greenlight for Universal, home of the Bourne franchise.
Gilroy says his fascination with dark corporate deeds arose on films such as The Devil's Advocate and Proof Of Life as well as Enemy Of The State on which he did a rewrite.
"When we did Proof Of Life, we got deeply involved with control risks out of London and got to know a lot of people in British intelligence. We watched these people go into the private sector and later I would call people who were my sources for the Bourne pictures and they were all going private.
"I can't imagine there's a major multi-national corporation that doesn't have some sort of competitive intelligence office, if nothing else to defend themselves against the other companies who may be attacking them. Everything in this movie is true. It's a pretty simple Google."
Meanwhile, with Duplicity, Gilroy once again challenges the audience with complicated plotting and time structure. "If you don't walk out in the first 45 minutes, everything is explained in this movie," he says. "Everything ties up and makes sense and hopefully there's some fun in not knowing exactly what's going to happen. I get so tired of going to movies where not only I know what's going to happen but my 12-year-old daughter knows what's going to happen."
Paramount Pictures and Brad Pitt's Plan B have acquired film rights to John Le Carre's 1993 espionage thriller "The Night Manager" reports Variety.
The story centers on the night manager of a European hotel who is recruited by intelligence agents to infiltrate the network of a dangerous international arms dealer.
The project is one of the longer and more critically lauded works of Le Carre ("The Constant Gardener," "The Tailor of Panama")
Robert Edwards ("Land of the Blind") will adapt the script.
The Weinstein Company have acquired U.S., Latin American and German rights to "Nowhere Boy," the story of John Lennon's tumultuous childhood reports the trades.
Aaron Johnson (pictured) plays the Beatle as a young man, with Kristin Scott Thomas playing his polarizing Aunt Mimi, who begins raising Lennon until his mother re-enters the picture. The pair soon fight for custody and affections of the young musician.
Sam Taylor-Wood is directing and Matt Greenhalgh ("Control") wrote the script, production got underway in Liverpool last week.
"The Sopranos" creator/exec producer David Chase and series exec producer Brad Grey are planning "A Ribbon of Dreams", a sprawling HBO miniseries about the evolution of the Hollywood film industry during the past century says The Hollywood Reporter.
The mini starts off in 1913 and will follow two men - a college-educated mechanical engineer and a cowboy with a violent past - who form an unlikely producing partnership.
The duo begin as employees of D.W. Griffith, then cross career paths with such Hollywood greats as John Ford, John Wayne, Raoul Walsh, Bette Davis and Billy Wilder.
Through the eyes of the two main characters, as well as their children and successors, the mini will chronicle the growth of the film industry from the age of rough-hewn silent Westerns to the golden era of talkies and the studio system to the auteur movement to television and finally to the present day.
Chase is writing the project and will executive produce with Paramount CEO Grey. Its length is not yet determined, though it'll likely be between seven and ten parts ala "John Adams" or "Band of Brothers".
Update: Moviehole.net adds that Jamison Newlander has also been cast! We've learned exclusively that veteran TV writer Evan Charnov (Fearless) has been tapped to pen the screenplay for The Lost Boys 3, Warner Premiere's next direct-to-disc sequel to the classic teen-vamp film from 1987. In addition, Corey Feldman has come on to executive produce and will also return once again as Edgar Frog. We're told this film will actually focus on Feldman's popular character (thank God). Corey Haim's return as Sam Emerson is highly, highly unlikely at this point in time.
"The Wire" actors Tristan Wilds and Rick Otto have joined the cast of the World War II drama "Red Tails" says The Hollywood Reporter.
John Ridley penned the film which follows the true story of the 332nd Fighter Group, an elite all-black unit of escort pilots known as the Red Tails.
Wilds will play Ray "Ray Gun" Knight, a flyboy nearly blinded over Nazi-occupied Italy who becomes the wingman of his friend and cohort, Marty.
The two face the prejudice of the U.S. military as much as the overseas enemy but end up establishing an unprecedented record.
Otto will play a white World War II piot who is sympathetic to the African-American squadron.
Anthony Hemingway will direct while George Lucas serves as executive producer. Regular "Star Wars" producer Rick McCallum is also onboard.
Otto has also been cast as a black ops Navy SEAL in "Point Break Indo", the Jan De Bont-directed sequel to 1991's "Point Break" which will shoot in Bali and Australia.
Universal Pictures has picked up Jonathan Herman's "Taken"-esque spec thriller "Rites of Men" reports the trades.
The story centers on a working-class single father whose world is shattered by the unsolved murder of his only son. He embarks on a quest to discover the truth and deliver justice.
No producer is attached yet. Former Canal Plus exec, Herman sold the bank heist thriller "Conviction" last month to Warner Bros. and Silver Pictures.
That film centers on a former bank robber who is forced to go to undercover to nab his former protege.
Jaume Collet-Serra ("Orphan," "House of Wax") will direct the thriller "Unknown White Male" for Dark Castle reports Variety.
Based on Didier Van Cauwelaert's novel "Out of My Head", the story follows a doctor and his wife who go to Berlin for a medical conference.
After a car accident, he awakes from a coma to discover that another man has assumed his identity.
Oliver Butcher and Stephen Cornwell adapted the script. Joel Silver and Leonard Goldberg are producing.
Bomback adapting 'Agent Zigzag'
Tom Hanks co-producing WWII spy drama
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Bomback
Hanks
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"Race to Witch Mountain" co-writer Mark Bomback has been set by New Line and Playtone to adapt "Agent Zigzag," a WWII spy drama.
Playtone's Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman are producing.
Pic is based on a Ben Macintyre book that tells the story of Edward Arnold Chapman, a career criminal who was trained by the Nazis to be a spy during WWII. On a mission to sabotage an airplane factory in England, he contacted the Brits and began a life as a double agent.
Playtone just completed the WWII miniseries "The Pacific" for HBO. Hanks and Goetzman exec produced the 10-part mini with Steven Spielberg.
Aside from sharing screen credit with Matt Lopez on "Race to Witch Mountain," Bomback's recent scripting efforts include "Live Free or Die Hard," "Deception" and the upcoming Fox drama "Unstoppable."
Sam Fell ("The Tale of Despereaux," "Flushed Away") is attached to direct the live-action adaptation of Royce Buckingham's novel "Demonkeeper" for Fox 2000 reports Variety.
Laeta Kalogridis ("Alexander," "Shutter Island") is adapting the story which follows a Seattle teen who inherits responsibility for a house filled with demons.
When the youth finally breaks free of his charges to go on a date, he returns to discover that kids have broken into the house, unleashing its most vicious demon, the Beast, Killer of Lost Children.
Ken Atchity and Chi-Li Wong are producing.
Catherine Hardwicke and distributor Summit Entertainment seem to have buried the hatchet with the "Twilight" director signing on to helm Summit's fantasy-drama "If I Stay" reports Variety.
Based on Gayle Forman's novel of the same name, the story centers on a gifted classical musician and her indie rockstar boyfriend who's forced to choose between life and death when she's in a car accident with her family.
Earlier this week Hardwicke was in talks to develop and direct a film adaptation of James Patterson's young-adult fantasy series "Maximum Ride" for Sony Pictures
The Damned United
Fionnuala Halligan in London
23 Mar 2009 07:00
Dir. Tom Hooper. UK. 2009. 97mins.
Offering just enough football to satisfy the fans in the stands, The Damned United is also a pleasingly high-quality British drama with some terrific performances which should easily entertain those who come to the game without knowing what a 50/50 challenge is. While it's set for healthy returns in the UK where it should fall between the Peter Morgan/Michael Sheen teaming on The Queen (2006; UK gross $18.3m of a $122.8m cume) and Frost/Nixon (2008; UK gross $2.6m from $26m), The Damned United may struggle to make an impact in overseas markets. Sony's marketing nous will be needed in all territories – including the UK – to keep footballers onside while persuading all other demographics that it's about more than men with accents in polyester tracksuits and sheepskin jackets. Good notices will help.
A deft re-telling of David Peace's fictionalised account of mercurial British football coach Brian Clough's brief, 44-day tenure as coach of Leeds United in 1974, The Damned United may appear to fall inside a tight brief but works best outside the field of play as a character study and portrait of male friendship and rivalry. There's no denying its period appeal, either. Highlights include an impressive turn from Sheen as Clough with Timothy Spall trustily solid as his lieutenant, Peter Taylor; Morgan's nimble reframing of the book; and evocative production design which deftly replicates 1968-74 Northern England (where ashtrays were handed out in the players' dressing rooms) without itself becoming the star of the show.
Morgan and Sheen's work together on The Deal, The Queen and Frost/Nixon is practically a brand at this point: the audience knows what to expect, and that's strong storytelling. In The Damned United Sheen in particular moves a step past impersonation to inhabit the unpredictable Clough. The film's episodic structure – Hooper starts out in 1974 and moves perhaps a little too often backwards and forwards to 1968, 89, etc – makes for a jerky beginning but once it settles down, The Damned United commands attention.
The two main thrusts of the drama are Clough's intense rivalry with former Leeds manager Don Revie (Meaney) and his friendship with right-hand-man Taylor (Spall), all playing into the drama of the beautiful game and Clough's bombastic, paranoid, insecure nature. It's a dream of a role for Sheen, portraying a man, who, on his first day as manager tells the League Champions to throw away their medals because they "won them all by cheating".
The Damned United could possibly have benefited from more scenes with the Leeds players to visually open it out more – Stephen Graham as the team's thuggish captain Billy Bremner gets some amusing play, but Peter McDonald as Johnny Giles barely registers (legal issues possibly came into play here; all the other principals are dead). A decision to stage a key match in the managers' office behind the stands works a treat dramatically, though, and it's a nice showcase for cinematographer Ben Smithard's visual flourishes, which register throughout.
Clough's hubris leads him to part ways with Taylor – the film doesn't get into the nub of why until late in the game. It's rare to see a film without any female presence and it would seem counter-intuitive for a female audience, but Morgan's clever emphasis on the nature of male relationships makes for a warm and human drama. Meaney and Jim Broadbent, as the chairman of Derby County where Clough, as the UK's youngest manager, first made his mark, work well in support.
Tech credits are impressive. It's hard to make a good footballing drama – the sidelines are littered with the fallen. But The Damned United should be a benchmark in the UK: the indisputable visual evidence says so.
Production companies
Left Bank Pictures
BBC Films
Screen Yorkshire
International distribution
Columbia Pictures/SPRI
Producer
Andy Harries
Screenplay
Peter Morgan, based on the novel by David Peace
Cinematography
Ben Smithard
Costumes
Mike O'Neill
Production designer
Eve Stewart
Main cast
Michael Sheen
Timothy Spall
Colm Meaney
Jim Broadbent
Stephen Graham
Peter McDonald
Giovanni Ribisi has joined the cast of Bruce Robinson's "The Rum Diary" for Warner Independent Pictures reports Empire Online.
Based on the classic novel by Hunter S. Thompson, the story follows the life and events of Paul Kemp, a freelance journalist who finds himself at a critical turning point in his life while writing for a run-down newspaper in the Caribbean.
Paul is challenged on many levels as he tries to carve out a more secure niche for himself amidst a group of lost souls all bent on self-destruction.
Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, Aaron Eckhart and Richard Jenkins star. Depp, Christi Dembrowski and Graham King are producing.
Filming kicks off March 30th in Puerto Rico.
Pogresan topik.
Brain Dead
By DENNIS HARVEYRead other reviews about this film
Powered By A Monogram release of a Prodigy Entertainment presentation, in association with Motor Pictures. Produced by Kevin S. Tenney, Daniel Duncan, Dennis Michael Tenney. Executive producer, Greg McKay. Directed by Kevin S. Tenney. Screenplay, Dale Gelineau.
With: Joshua Benton, Sarah Grant Brendecke, Michelle Tomlinson, David Crane, Andy Forrest, Cristina Tiberia, Tess McVicker, Chad Martin Guerrero, Jim Wynorski, Locky Lambert, Greg Lewolt.
"Brain Dead" is an amiable zombie gore comedy from vet B-pic helmer Kevin S. Tenney, still best known for his initial late-'80s features "Witchboard" and "Night of the Demons." Rather than ratcheting up the outrageousness as it goes along like the classic "Evil Dead" franchise or recent Sundance-preemed Norwegian exercise "Dead Snow," however, Dale Gelineau's screenplay simply settles into more middling wisecracks and routine cabin-under-siege action. Launched on a dozen Midwest and Southern screens March 13, it will doubtless reach more genre loyalists via home formats.
Reduced to baseball size by the time it hits terra firma, an asteroid lands right on the noggin of a fisherman who promptly turns undead and chomps his buddy's brain. We're then introduced to various victims/survivors-to-be led by escaped jailbirds Clarence (Joshua Benton) and Bob (David Crane). They hole up at the requisite isolated cabin, as do others, including sorority sisters and born-agains. All are held hostage by trigger-happy Bob, until matters worsen considerably as non-human perils arrive. Competently packaged pic never takes itself seriously, but lack of sharper wit and any novel twists keep it watchably forgettable.
More than one option(Person) Andrew Forrest
(Person) Andy Forrest
More than one option(Person) David Crane
Teleplay, Creator, Executive Producer
(Person) David Crane
ActorMore than one option(Person) Chad Martin
Production
(Person) Chad Martin
More than one option(Film) Dead Alive
(Film) Brain Dead
Camera (color, HD-to-DV), Patrick MacGowan, Alex Simon; editor, William Daniels; music, Dennis Michael Tenney; production designer, Javiera Varas. Reviewed on DVD, San Francisco, March 23, 2009. Running time: 92 MIN.
Monsters From the Id
(Documentary)
By JOE LEYDONRead other reviews about this film
Powered By A Blue Room Prods. presentation of a Slings & Arrows Films production, in association with Core Fresh Reality. Produced by Chris Gargani. Directed, written, edited by David Gargani.
With: Homer Hickam, Dr. Patrick Lucanio, Dr. Leroy Dubeck, Gary Coville, Richard Scheib.
Neatly mixing movie-buff nostalgia and food for thought, David Gargani's "Monsters From the Id" provides entertainment and insight with an enjoyable collage of clips from classic and campy sci-fi thrillers of the 1950s. Doc examines what those pics reveal about the '50s zeitgeist, and persuasively argues that the U.S. was able to win the space race -- and, perhaps, the Cold War -- because thousands of this country's students were inspired by Hollywood's heroic depiction of scientists as visionary outer-space explorers and/or monster-zapping good guys. After orbiting the fest circuit, this provocative pic should live long and prosper on cable and homevid.
Excerpting an impressive range of sci-fiers about mutated monsters and intergalactic journeys -- everything from "Forbidden Planet" (referenced in the doc's title) and "Rocketship X-M" to "Them!" and "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms" -- "Monsters From the Id" invites talking-heads experts to recall an era when, as film historian Gary Coville pointedly notes, faith in institutions such as the military was at an all-time high, but even military leaders needed help from scientists to end assaults by irradiated insects or boldly go where no man had gone before.
Homer Hickam -- who became a NASA engineer partly because of his exposure to lab-coated role models on the bigscreen -- marvels that, in pics such as "When Worlds Collide" and "Conquest of Space," scientists weren't nerdy geeks, but rather "heroes who knew more stuff than the next guys." (Hickman's bestselling autobiography, "Rocket Boys," was itself turned into an inspirational movie, 1999's "October Sky.")
Better still, the science in much of the science fiction was surprisingly accurate -- so much so that Temple U. professor Leroy Dubeck says he has used the films to teach entry-level physics courses.
Gargani celebrates the exciting sense of infinite possibilities that suffuses key '50s sci-fiers, and cheekily suggests some of that same spirit may be influencing contemporary figures such as Virgin Airlines tycoon Richard Branson, whose program for commercial space flights is wittily juxtaposed with similar proposals by scientists in "Destination Moon" (1950).
Even so, "Monsters From the Id" ends on a slightly downbeat note, bemoaning the fact that, when it comes to measuring the percentage of college students earning degrees in science, the U.S. currently ranks low (No. 25) when compared to other industrialized nations. The answer to this pressing problem? According to Gargani and his interviewees, maybe what this country needs right now is another cycle of sci-fi pics featuring heroic scientists bent on repelling monsters and conquering space.
More than one option(Person) Richard Branson
(Person) Richard Neil
Camera (B&W/color), Peter Konczal; music, Brian Aumueller; sound, Marcel Schaal, John Sawa. Reviewed on DVD, Houston, March 11, 2009. (At SXSW Film Festival -- Spotlight Premieres.) Running time: 71 MIN.
The Damned United
(U.K.)
By LESLIE FELPERINRead other reviews about this film
Powered By
Michael Sheen stars in the '70s era sports drama, 'The Damned United.'
A Sony Pictures Entertainment release of a Columbia Pictures, BBC Films presentation, in association with Screen Yorkshire, of a Left Bank Pictures production. Produced by Andy Harries. Executive producers, Christine Langan, Hugo Heppell, Peter Morgan. Co-producers, Grainne Marmion, Lee Morris.
Directed by Tom Hooper. Screenplay, Peter Morgan, based on the 2006 novel "The Damned Utd" by David Peace.
Brian Clough - Michael Sheen
Peter Taylor - Timothy Spall
Don Revie - Colm Meaney
Manny Cussins - Henry Goodman
Jimmy Gordon - Maurice Roeves
Sam Longson - Jim Broadbent
Billy Bremner - Stephen Graham
Dave Mackay - Brian McCardie
Johnny Giles - Peter McDonald
Colin Todd - Giles Alderson
John O'Hare - Martin Compston
Duncan McKenzie - Joe Dempsie
Barbara Clough - Elizabeth Carling
Lillian Taylor - Gillian Waugh
Telling with a light, surefooted touch a legendary tale from British soccer history, "The Damned United" reps the latest collaboration in factual fiction between chameleon thesp Michael Sheen, screenwriter Peter Morgan and producer Andy Harries ("Frost/Nixon," "The Queen"). This time, the subject isn't politics but "the beautiful game," with a bromance twist as the pic recounts the career highlights of '70s-era team manager Brian Clough. Stylish feature debut by Tom Hooper should do well in Blighty, especially among males and upscale auds, but faces a harder B.O. fight in territories where Clough's not known and Sheen's not a draw.
Based on a somewhat bleaker novel by David Peace, the pic deploys complex but never confusing flashbacks to unfold a story that essentially spans eight years, from 1968-74. During this time, working-class-boy-made-good Clough (Sheen) goes from overseeing a miraculous rise up the league table for English soccer team Derby County to managing Derby's archrival, Leeds United. At the time Clough takes over, Leeds is at the top of the tables, due to the stewardship of patriarchal manager Don Revie (Colm Meaney), who has left to take over England's World Cup squad.
However, Clough has long harbored resentment toward Revie, and he alienates the Leeds players before he even starts, publically dissing his predecessor and criticizing them personally for their dirty tactics on the pitch. What's more, Clough's longtime collaborator, assistant manager Peter Taylor (Timothy Spall), doesn't come with him to Leeds.
Without Taylor's wisdom and football savvy, Leeds quickly begins losing games. After just 44 days on the job, Clough is sacked.
Despite the ignominy, Clough's memory (he died in 2004) is still cherished by sport fans for his flamboyance, honesty and flair, both as a talkshow personality and as a manager. In the U.K., even those barely interested in the game know he's reckoned to be, as the pic's closing subtitles proclaim, "the greatest manager England (the World Cup team) never had."
There's hardly more than five minutes of actual ball-kicking onscreen, and what's there is mostly seamlessly stitched-in archival footage. Diehard fans may actually feel shortchanged by the strategy. But it makes for more accessible drama that emphasizes themes of friendship, rivalry, honor and loyalty by focusing on Clough's relationship with Taylor and, to a lesser extent, Revie.
Like all Morgan's work, the effect is slightly too didactic and redolent of legit-land's theater of ethics, but done with brio.
Sheen's typically scrupulous channeling of Clough gets the tics and mannerisms right, but also carves a moving portrait of a braggart suddenly out of his depth -- not unlike his David Frost in "Frost/Nixon" and Tony Blair in "The Queen," but on a more tragic trajectory. As Taylor, Spall matches him in skill, playing a quiet, principled man content to stand in Clough's shadow until a cross word too far tears them apart.
At base, the pic is a chaste love story between these two men, who are often seen hugging, kissing and even, at one point, dancing with each other to the strains of "Love and Marriage." Their relationship is sufficiently compelling that distaff auds shouldn't feel bored by all the sports talk. (There's not a single female character here who has more than 10 lines of dialogue.) Meaney, as Revie, and Jim Broadbent, as Derby County's gruff chairman Sam Longson, lend fine support.
Pic was originally developed as a Stephen Frears-helmed project in the wake of "The Queen," but helmer Hooper (who previously collaborated with producer Harries on the acclaimed TV drama "Longford") brings a distinctive style of his own. It's not just the flair he already displayed with docudrama in the magnificent HBO series "John Adams," but also his striking penchant for off-kilter camera setups, which place characters, especially in moments of anxiety, in odd corners of the frame or hunkered down on the edge. Kudos are also due lenser Ben Smithard, whose visuals replicate the grainy, sun-deprived look of British film of the era.
Period styling throughout is on the money, from Eve Stewart's understated but uncannily accurate production design to Mike O'Neill's costumes. Only the somewhat unconvincing wigs hit a jarring note.
(color, Panavision widescreen), Ben Smithard; editor, Melanie Oliver; music, Rob Lane; music supervisor, Liz Gallacher; production designer, Eve Stewart; supervising art director, Andrew Holden-Stokes; art director, Leon McCarthy; costume designer, Mike O'Neill; sound (Dolby Digital), Martin Beresford, Paul Hamblin; visual effects supervisor, David Bowman; visual effects, the Mill; special effects supervisor, Paul Kelly; assistant director, Martin Curry; casting, Dan Hubbard. Reviewed at Odeon Norwich, Norwich, U.K., Mar. 27, 2009. Running time: 97 MIN.
The Boat That Rocked
(U.K.-U.S.)
By DEREK ELLEYRead other reviews about this film
Powered By
'The Boat That Rocked'
A Universal release, presented in association with StudioCanal, of a Working Title (U.K.) production, in association with Medienproduktion Prometheus Filmgesellschaft. Produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Hilary Bevan Jones. Executive producers, Richard Curtis, Debra Hayward, Liza Chasin. Directed, written by Richard Curtis.
The Count - Philip Seymour Hoffman
Quentin - Bill Nighy
Gavin - Rhys Ifans
Dave - Nick Frost
Minister Dormandy - Kenneth Branagh
Carl - Tom Sturridge
Simon - Chris O'Dowd
Thick Kevin - Tom Brooke
Angus - Rhys Darby
John - Will Adamsdale
Felicity - Katherine Parkinson
Charlotte - Emma Thompson
Marianne - Talulah Riley
Twatt - Jack Davenport
Desiree - Gemma Arterton
Eleonore - January Jones
Bob - Ralph Brown
Mark - Tom Wisdom
Sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, plus a heavy dose of Swinging '60s nostalgia, fuel "The Boat That Rocked," Richard Curtis' hymn to the wild days of U.K. pirate radio. More reminiscent of his eccentric TV comedies ("The Vicar of Dibley," "Mr. Bean") than his bigscreen romancers "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Notting Hill," Curtis' second outing as writer-director throws together a large cast of wackos on a boat off the east coast of Blighty. Pic generally stays afloat on the strength of its characters but sometimes threatens to sink under its overlong running time and vignettish structure.
Heavily promoted retro laffer, which launches April 1 in the U.K., and thereafter Down Under and across Europe, should do OK based on Curtis' name, though it lacks the universal appeal of his first helming outing, "Love Actually." Very Brit-specific item is likely to do more modest biz when it sails Stateside Aug. 28.
Though it had been around for a while, British pirate radio -- a direct result of pubcaster BBC's government-sanctioned monopoly on broadcasting -- mushroomed during the mid-'60s following the explosion of Britpop/rock, which the conservative BBC Radio hardly played. Operating from boats outside British territorial waters, pirates beamed a 24/7 diet of popular music to as many as 25 million listeners (half the U.K. population) before the government effectively crushed the pirates with legislation in August 1967. Many DJs migrated to BBC Radio, which gradually bowed to popular pressure, but only six years later was its broadcasting monopoly officially ended.
It's 1966 as the film opens, and the Beeb is still airing less than 45 minutes of pop each day. But on Radio Rock (based on the famous Radio Caroline), which operates from a rusty old fishing trawler in the North Sea, the party is in swing around the clock. On board, upper-class twit Quentin (Bill Nighy) rules a raggedy bunch of dope-smoking, sex-starved DJs who are national idols, in defiance of government minister Dormandy (Kenneth Branagh), who's bent on shutting down the "sewer of dirty commercialism and no morals."
Among the vinyl-spinners are the Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a grizzled Yank who wants to be the first person to broadcast the F-word on British radio; tubby Dave (Nick Frost, "Hot Fuzz"), who fancies himself a ladies' man; seriously spacey Thick Kevin (Tom Brooke); melancholy Irishman Simon (Chris O'Dowd); unloved Kiwi Angus (Rhys Darby, "The Flight of the Conchords"); silent lothario Mark (Tom Wisdom); and the boat's sole distaffer, Felicity (Katherine Parkinson), "a lesbian who cooks."
Standing in for the audience is Quentin's young, fresh-faced godson, Carl (Tom Sturridge), who arrives on Radio Rock one stormy night. Awed by the laddish atmosphere on board, Carl is gradually accepted by the team.
Pic shifts back and forth between the boat, where Dave is doing his best to relieve Carl of his virginity, and London, where the fanatical Dormandy bullies his assistant (Jack Davenport) into finding loopholes to sink the pirates. Curtis also cuts in dozens of tiny snapshots of '60s Britain -- teens, secretaries and the like listening to the outlawed radio -- expertly designed and garbed by production designer Mark Tildesley, costume designer Joanna Johnston and makeup/hair designer Christine Blundell.
Curtis' background as a sketch writer has never been clearer than here: The nearest thing to a throughline is Carl's sentimental education and the growing suspicion that one of the men on the boat may be the father he never knew. This strand is resolved near the end by a classy cameo from Emma Thompson as his airy mom, though by then, it's almost lost amid a number of smaller narratives, including the rivalry between the Count and star DJ Gavin (Rhys Ifans, in the pic's wackiest perf).
After a lively opening hour, the pic starts to lose its sparkle as Curtis tries to develop the subplots at the expense of the script's comic buoyancy; the film could easily lose a half-an-hour, to its benefit. Though the tempo picks up again in the final 40 minutes, the movie's fragile sketch structure almost breaks under the mini-"Titanic" setpiece of the final reels.
For a script that relies more on character-driven than situational comedy, it's the perfs that count, and these are thankfully strong. As the devil-may-care Count, Hoffman melds well with the Brit cast, though it's Nighy who predictably steals the show with his uniquely dry delivery. Branagh, every inch an old-style, stiff-upper-lip Brit, starts as a caricature ("We have their testicles in our hands, and it feels good!") but later adds a touch of genuinely menacing ballast. Amid a colorful cast, young Sturridge is excellent as Carl.
The soundtrack overdoes the Little England parody at times, but more successfully deploys a host of '60s pop/rock classics, laid over musical montages in which Emma E. Hickox's antsy editing cleverly makes the cast almost seem to dance. TV d.p. Danny Cohen's mobile widescreen lensing of the tiny, claustrophobic boat is far from the warm vistas of "Love Actually" but fits the edgier subject matter.
Though it positively reeks of the '60s, "The Boat That Rocked" lacks the sheer grit and darker underbelly of Michael Winterbottom's '70s equivalent, "24 Hour Party People." It also isn't quite the timely, anti-establishment comedy it promises to be at the start, but it's as close as any comedy by a middle-class entertainer like Curtis is likely to come.
Sonnenfeld takes 'Spellman Files'
Director boards Paramount's private eye movie
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Sonnenfeld
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Barry Sonnenfeld has become attached to direct "The Spellman Files," the Paramount Pictures adaptation of Lisa Lutz's novel.
Laura Ziskin is producing.
Story revolves around a single private eye who has to juggle the demands of running her family's business with her dating life.Simon and Schuster published the book. Bobby Florsheim and Josh Stolberg wrote the script.
Since signing recently with WMA, Sonnenfeld has landed on several potential directing assignments. They include "How to Guide" at MGM, "Bronwyn and Clyde" at Essential, "Dan Mintner: Badass for Hire" for New Line and "Gil's All Fright Diner," which Sonnenfeld may direct for DreamWorks Animation. Sonnenfeld's last feature was "RV."
Sonnenfeld also has an overall deal at Sony Television, where he's directing the Lauren Graham pilot for Sony and ABC and developing the Chelsea Handler book "Are You There Vodka, It's Me Chelsea" for a potential series.
WB gets tipsy with 'Hangover' sequel
Studio sets Todd Phillips to pen pic
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Warner Bros. laffer 'Hangover' doesn't hit theaters til Jun 5, but the studio has already committed to a sequel.
In a multimillion-dollar commitment, Warner Bros. has set "The Hangover" director Todd Phillips to write a sequel with Scot Armstrong.
The dealmaking comes two months before the first "Hangover" goes out through WB on June 5.
In the comedy, groomsmen take the betrothed for a last fling in Las Vegas, then become so caught up in the revelry that they lose the groom.
While studios often wait to see box office results before committing to a sequel, "The Hangover" has tested strongly, and a trailer brought down the house at ShoWest.
Sequel is the second in the past week to be put in motion before opening day of the first film. Though "Star Trek" doesn't open until May 8, Paramount Pictures already has started the countdown on a second installment, with Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof writing the script and helmer J.J. Abrams committing to at least produce with Bad Robot partner Bryan Burk.
Phillips will be back to direct and produce "The Hangover" sequel through his Green Hat Films banner. WB also has made deals to reunite Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms, who star in the original.
The studio hopes to begin production late this year.
"The Hangover" was written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, with an uncredited rewrite by Phillips and Jeremy Garelick.
Phillips remains attached to direct the WB comedy "Man-Witch," producing with Neal Moritz.
CAA repped the filmmaker, writer and the returning cast.
New U.S. Release
Pig Hunt
By DENNIS HARVEYRead other reviews about this film
Powered By An Up Cal Entertainment, Epic Pictures presentation. Produced by Robert Mailer Anderson, Jim Isaac. Executive producers, Anderson, Nicola Miner, Chris James, Doug Stewart, Diana Stewart, Daniel Lurie, Rebecca Prowda.
Directed by Jim Isaac. Screenplay, Robert Mailer Anderson, Zach Anderson.
With: Travis Aaron Wade, Tina Huang, Howard Johnson Jr., Trevor Bullock, Rajiv Shah, Jason Foster, Nick Tagas, Bryonn Bain, Christina McKay, Charlie Musselwhite, Les Claypool, Marissa Igrasci, Lainie Grainger, Luis Saguar.
A mashup of elements from "Razorback," "Deliverance" and other rural-peril faves, "Pig Hunt" proves an enjoyably offbeat hybrid horror exercise. Helmer Jim Isaac's first indie production, following several compromised studio efforts including sci-fi slasher "Jason X," amplifies the quirkiness of Robert and Zach Anderson's screenplay by unpredictably mixing disparate pacing, tones, humor and brute action. Sum isn't entirely satisfying, and the current marketplace preference for formulaic scare pics won't help B.O. But fans tired of rote remakes and ripoffs will appreciate the pic's idiosyncrasy. It's currently playing limited theatrical gigs while in search of a wider distribution deal.
Four twentysomething buds, led by John (Travis Aaron Wade), leave San Francisco for a weekend of game hunting in rural Mendocino County, though the guys-only plan goes south when John's g.f. Brooks (Tina Huang) -- who turns out to be the group's sharpest shooter -- insists on coming along.
After being warned about an improbable 3,000-lb. "Pigfoot" (aka "the Ripper") roaming wild, they acquire uninvited company in the form of two local yokels who have an apparent score to settle with John.
City-slicks-vs.-hicks tension soon gets ugly, resulting in full-on war waged by the large, inbred Tibbs clan against the panicked visitors. Meanwhile, carnivorous Hogzilla turns out to be no mythical beastie.
A local "hippie commune" consisting of one charismatic male (Bryonn Bain) and his sizable harem of Amazonian babes further adds to the eventual mayhem, which doesn't explode until halfway through the pic's runtime.
Slow start has its own rewards in atmosphere and slyly offbeat rhythms; when the porcine stool finally hits the fan, the action (especially that taking place chez Tibbs) is no-holds-barred muscular. Given the welcome sense that the story might lunge in any direction at any time, however, the final payoff (which involves some not-very-convincing creature effects) is a little less kicky than one might have hoped.
Perfs are enthusiastic, tech and design contribs above-average.
Score by Les Claypool of Primus adds to hipster cachet; he and blues mouth harpist Charlie Musselwhite contribute cameo roles.
More than one option(Person) Doug Stewart
Costumes, Costumer, Painter
(Person) Doug Stewart
Actor
(Person) Doug Stewart
Camera, Sound
(Person) Doug Stewart
Digital Effects Artist, Visual Effects
(Person) Doug Stewart
Driver
(Person) doug stewart
(Person) Doug Stewart
More than one option(Person) Chris James
Electrician
(Person) Chris James
Actor
(Person) Chris James
Property Master, Props
(Person) Chris James
Foley Artist, Foley Recordist, Rerecording Mixer
(Person) Chris James
GraphicsMore than one option(Co) Howard Johnson
(Person) Howard Johnson
More than one option(Person) Jason Foster
Actor, Assistant Camera, Assistant Director
(Person) Jason Foster
Actor
(Person) jason foster
More than one option(Film) Deliverance
(Film) Sadgati
Camera (Super 16-to-35mm), Adam Kane; editors, Graham Wilcox, Sean Barton; music, Les Claypool; production designer, Geoffrey Kirkland; art director, Garrett Lowe; set decorator, Kris Boxell; costume designer, Aggie Rodgers; sound, Fred Runner, Todd Beckett; sound designer, Andy Newell; special makeup/creature effects, Kerner Optical; assistant director, Greg Simmons; second unit director, Justin Sundquist; casting, Nancy Hayes. Reviewed on DVD, San Francisco, March 30, 2009. Running time: 100 MIN.
http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2009/04/wright-stuff-1.html
Svaki put kad neko pomene film Skot Pilgrim, meni je prosto neprijatno.
A i peta knjiga nije dobra koliko je, recimo, četvrta.
Director Fights a Case by Making a New Movie
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LinkedinDiggFacebookMixxMy SpaceYahoo! BuzzPermalinkBy MICHAEL CIEPLY
Published: April 13, 2009
LOS ANGELES — John McTiernan, facing an expected new indictment for his role in the Anthony Pellicano Hollywood wiretapping case, is striking back — with a movie.
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Phil McCarten/Reuters
John McTiernan's documentary is due out soon on the Web.
Related
Times Topics: Anthony Pellicano
Filmography: John McTiernan
In an extraordinary and somewhat startling challenge to officials who have threatened him with jail time for lying to an F.B.I. agent, Mr. McTiernan, perhaps best known as the director of "Die Hard" and "The Hunt for Red October," has completed a documentary that accuses the Bush administration of having pursued the Pellicano case as part of a far-ranging conspiracy under the direction of Karl Rove to prosecute Democrats.
Mr. Pellicano, a former private investigator who served the rich and famous in Hollywood, was sentenced to 15 years in prison in December. Mr. McTiernan, who employed Mr. Pellicano in connection with a divorce, was earlier sentenced to four months in prison after pleading guilty to lying to a federal agent. But he withdrew his plea with a judge's permission in February and is awaiting what federal prosecutors at the time said would be a new indictment.
Meanwhile, Mr. McTiernan finished work last month on "The Political Prosecutions of Karl Rove," a documentary that describes what it argues is a relentless legal pursuit of Democratic political operatives under the Bush administration, with the Pellicano case in a central role.
Mr. McTiernan, 58, narrated and directed the film. In a concluding sequence he speaks directly to the camera about what he calls the "poison" of political prosecution.
In a telephone interview on Monday Mr. McTiernan said he began working on the documentary last year after learning about a study in which a pair of communications professors, Donald Shields of the University of Missouri, St. Louis, and John Cragan of Illinois State University, showed that a disproportionate number of Democratic officials were prosecuted under the Bush administration.
Mr. McTiernan said he mostly financed the documentary himself, and talked with hundreds of people in making it. He said that he did not expect to sell it commercially, but that he believed it would be posted shortly on a Web site, www.politicalprosecutions.org, that is soon to go live and that will be maintained by the group Victims of Karl Rove Prosecutions.
Mr. McTiernan said he expected to be reindicted within the next month. Asked whether he worried that the documentary's defiant stance might provoke a harsh response from prosecutors, he said, "Yes, it is a worry and concern."
In the documentary Mr. McTiernan describes the Pellicano prosecution as having stemmed from a pre-emptive strike against a Hillary Rodham Clinton presidential candidacy.
The film notes that the prosecution allowed federal officials to compel two of Mrs. Clinton's biggest contributors — the entrepreneurs Ron Burkle and Stephen Bing — to testify before a grand jury. Mrs. Clinton, the film says, was widely reported to have had help from Mr. Pellicano when her husband was accused in 1992 of having had an affair with Gennifer Flowers.
According to an elaborate turn of events asserted in the documentary, the Pellicano prosecution was intended to churn up dirt that was then folded into an anti-Clinton campaign video that was planned for use if she were nominated as the Democratic presidential candidate.
Sheena Tahilramani, a representative for Mr. Rove, said that he had not seen the documentary — but that he was not without an opinion about its claims.
"Accepting Mr. McTiernan's wild theory requires not only the suspension of willing disbelief, but of all mental activity," Ms. Tahilramani wrote in an e-mail message. "I suspect Secretary Clinton and Mr. Rove are in agreement that Mr. McTiernan is off his rocker."
Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the United States attorney in Los Angeles, said prosecutors remained committed to their plan, disclosed earlier in court, to re-indict Mr. McTiernan.
"Any claim that this is part of some grand conspiracy is utterly ludicrous," Mr. Mrozek said. "There was no influence, no momentum coming from Washington or any political consideration."
Mr. McTiernan said he had been unable to direct a film since becoming embroiled in the Pellicano case, largely because uncertainty about his future made it difficult to insure him.
In the documentary Mr. McTiernan — one of several people who say they have been abused by Rove-driven prosecutions — makes a dramatic plea for an airing of its claims.
"Americans afraid of their government — say that to yourself a couple of times," Mr. McTiernan said. "We could strip every tree off the Sierra, we could burn coal till the sky was black, and we would not so poison the world," he added, as much as if we left our children with that "ugly little phrase."
Eli Roth najavljuje THANKSGIVING (citiram: "The sickest, bloodiest, most violent slasher movie. I want to make the highest body count slasher film I can.") i neimenovani visokobudžetni destruktivni spektakl nalik na Transformerse i Kloverfild (?!)
http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/04/15/eli-roth-to-shoot-transformerscloverfield-scale-movie-this-fall/#more-25070
Quote from: "Harvester"Eli Roth najavljuje
da se duboko kaje zbog gluposti koje je do sada 'režirao' i pisao, obećava da neće nikad više, uz to najavljuje predstojeću operaciju promene pola (zvaće se elena)...
TEK NAKON SVEGA TOGA vest o bilo čemu što rotten najavljuje može da stvarno bude - vest.
Šta to pričaš??? Pa Eli Roth je ODLIČAN!!!!
Čak sam i njegov fan na Facebooku, što mi je omogućilo da dođem do ove vijesti prije ostalih. Zapravo, slučajno sam nabasao na nju jer sam tek danas prvi put iz čiste radoznalosti kliknuo na "new updates" i pri vrhu je bila ta vijest. Prst sudbine, šta li. U svakom slučaju, u ne tako dalekoj budućnosti čekaju nas tri nova Ilajeva remek-djela! :!:
HBO sets 2008 election film
'Game Change' to be published early next year
By MICHAEL FLEMING
HBO pic on the 2008 campaign will be adapted by Charles Leavitt from a book now being written by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann.
More than one option(Person) Charles Leavitt
Story By, Screenplay
(Person) Charles Leavitt
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HBO Films has optioned "Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime," an in-the-works Harper Collins book by political writers Mark Halperin and John Heilemann.
The pay network has hired "Blood Diamond" scribe Charles Leavitt to adapt the behind-the-scenes look at the 2008 presidential election from the perspective of the candidates and their respective camps.
Halperin is editor-at-large at Time magazine, and Heilemann is national political correspondent for New York magazine. They will be consultants for the film.
The book will be published early next year.
Heilemann and Halperin have covered other presidential campaigns, but while returning from a John McCain event, they began musing that the larger-than-life characters in the 2008 election would lend themselves to a movie more than past candidates such as John Kerry, Al Gore or Bob Dole.
They decided to do a book that focused more on the characters than the pollsters and campaign teams. Heilemann knew Barack Obama from their Harvard days, Halperin had become acquainted with Sarah Palin, and they both knew Joe Biden, McCain and the Clintons.
"Focusing on those characters went to the essence of why this was the campaign of a lifetime, not just for the candidates, but for the country," Halperin said.
Leavitt most recently adapted the Nathaniel Philbrick book "In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex," which Edward Zwick rewrote with Marshall Herskovitz and will direct for New Regency. Leavitt also adapted the Doug Stumpf novel "Confessions of a Wall Street Shoeshine Boy" for Warner Bros.
"It's funny to call Obama and Hillary characters, but that's how I have to look at them," Leavitt said. "To me, the primary was one of the greatest title fights of the century, and John and Mark have a treasure chest of anecdotes and inside stories. I think it will present itself almost like a stage play, like 'Frost/Nixon' or 'The Queen.' "
After the Jay Roach-directed "Recount," HBO has become increasingly focused on topical and political subject matter.
HBO made a deal for Peter Morgan to direct his script "The Special Relationship," setting Dennis Quaid to play Bill Clinton, Julianne Moore to play Hillary Clinton, Michael Sheen to play British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Helen McCrory to play Cherie Blair in a drama about the sometimes-turbulent relationship between the leaders of the two superpowers when they first took office.
Oscilloscope takes North American rights to Irish box office hit Kisses
Jeremy Kay
16 Apr 2009 19:38
New York-based Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired North American rights to Lance Daly's Irish box office hit Kisses.
Newcomers Kelly O'Neill and Shane Curry star as two children who flee abusive homes and head for Dublin in search of a better life.
Kisses premiered at Telluride Film Festival last autumn and screened at the Toronto Film Festival, among many others. It won the audience prize at this year's Miami Film Festival and was named best film at the Galway Film Festival.
Daly wrote the screenplay and produced with Macdara Kelleher of Dublin-based Fastnet films. Backing for the $2.3m production came from the Irish Film Board, Sweden's Film i Vast, the Broadcasting Commission Of Ireland, TV3 and Lasr Von Trier's Zentropa in Denmark. Focus Features International is handling overseas sales.
Oscilloscope Laboratories' slate includes So Yong Kim's Treeless Mountain, Scott Hamilton Kennedy's The Garden, Kelly Reichardt's Wendy And Lucy and Anders Ostergaard's Burma VJ.
OSS 117: Lost in Rio
OSS 117: Rio ne repond plus (France)
By JORDAN MINTZERRead other reviews about this film
Powered By A Gaumont release of a Mandarin Cinema, Gaumont, M6 Films production, with participation of M6, Canal Plus, Cinecinema. (International sales: Gaumont, Paris.) Produced by Eric Altmayer, Nicolas Altmayer. Directed by Michel Hazanavicius. Screenplay, Hazanavicius, Jean-Francois Halin, inspired by the "OSS 117" novels by Jean Bruce.
With: Jean Dujardin, Louise Monot, Alex Lutz, Rudiger Vogler, Ken Samuels, Reem Kherici, Pierre Bellemare, Serge Hazanavicius, Laurent Capelluto, Moon Dailly, Walter Shnorkell, Philippe Herrison.
Serving up another cocktail of cheeseball pickup lines, hammy play-acting and self-ridiculing Frenchiness, "OSS 117: Lost in Rio" is a satisfying sequel to 2006's cultish sendup hit. Stuck in a time-warped Brazil that resembles a yellowing '60s postcard, Jean Dujardin pulls off a charming, Peter Sellers-esque performance as he bumbles his way through retro cloak-and-dagger intrigue, displaying his character's uncanny ability to insult anyone -- and, especially in this episode, women and Jews -- who's not 100% Gallic, male and a diehard Charles de Gaulle fanatic. Local B.O. should echo the previous film's 2.2 million admissions, with guaranteed homevid viewings.
Like "OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies," the pic is a full-blown parody of a series of widely popular postwar novels and films featuring secret agent OSS 117 (whose outlandish real name, Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, has become a running joke in the new installments.) Similar to James Bond but 200 times cornier, OSS was the quintessential fictional hero of de Gaulle's decade-long reign, defending his patrie against its greatest threat: foreigners.
Returning team of scribe Jean-Francois Halin and writer-director Michel Hazanavicius once again turns the original character and timeframe upside down, presenting a hilariously straight-faced mockery of the Cold War era and its nationalist mindset.
Kicking off with a multi-screen credits sequence that has OSS (Dujardin) surrounded by a clan of dancing girls as he ever-so-casually twists to a Dean Martin song, the film constantly and adeptly mimics the themes and techniques of B-grade thrillers of the epoch. Sent to Brazil to retrieve a microfilm containing the names of Frenchmen who assisted the Nazi regime (although he's astounded that any such collaborators existed, he swears to protect their secrecy), he finds himself in a Bossa Nova dreamland of bikini-clad women, perma-tanned foreign agents and pesky, gun-wielding "Chinamen" (as he calls them).
Pic's greatest gags arrive when OSS joins forces with Dolores (Louise Monot), a sexy Mossad lieutenant tracking down an underground group of escaped Nazis. Troubled by the fact that she's both a woman and a Jew, he tries to turn on the charm but can't help his misogyny and anti-Semitism from screwing things up. "I just don't understand a religion that doesn't let you eat sausages," he says, before ordering her to set the table for dinner as they wander, lost, through the Amazon jungle.
The jokes become more physically lampoonish in the later reels, but Dujardin does wonders in a scene that has him half-paralyzed and chasing his nemesis down a hospital corridor. Between his hearty cornball laugh, his stoic delivery of shameful dialogue and the way he carries himself around in endless self-admiration, the actor invents a persona that, like Sellers' Inspector Clouseau, is a continual joy to watch.
Tech credits are superbly and purposely old-school, with Guillaume Schiffman's flattened-out widescreen lensing capturing the action in a muted blue-brown-maroon color palette. Location shooting in Rio and Brasilia features several examples of '40s and '50s modernist architecture, which look all the more ancient in the film's stylized passe universe.
More than one option(Co) Canal Plus
Filmography, Year, Role
(Co) Canal Plus
Filmography, Year, RoleMore than one option(Person) Peter Sellers
Actor, Director, Producer
(Person) Peter Sellers
ModelmakerMore than one option(Person) James Bond
(Person) james bond
More than one option(Person) Dean Martin
Actor, Music, Song
(Person) Dean Martin
Driver, Key Grip, ProductionCamera (color, widescreen), Guillaume Schiffman; editor, Reynald Bertrand; music, Ludovic Bource; production designer, Maamar Ech-Cheikh; sound (Dolby Digital), Didier Sain, Nadine Muse, Gerard Lamps; stunt coordinator, Philippe Guegan; assistant director, James Canal casting, Stephane Touitou. Reviewed at Gaumont Champs Elysees Marignan 3, Paris, April 15, 2009. (In City of Lights, City of Angels Film Festival, Los Angeles.) Running time: 101 MIN.
Horsemen
By JORDAN MINTZERRead other reviews about this film
Powered By
'Horsemen'
A Lionsgate (in U.S.)/Metropolitan Filmexport (in France) release of a Mandate Films, Michael Bay presentation of a Platinum Dunes, Radar Pictures production. Produced by Bay, Brad Fuller, Andrew Form. Executive producers, Ted Field, Joe Drake, Nathan Kahane, Joe Rosenberg. Co-producers, Nicole Brown, Kelly Konop, Jeremiah Samuels, Michael Weber. Directed by Jonas Akerlund. Screenplay, David Callaham.
Aidan Breslin - Dennis Quaid
Kristen - Ziyi Zhang
Alex Breslin - Lou Taylor Pucci
Riding in on the four ponies currently plaguing the Hollywood horror-thriller -- overstylized torture, whiplash editing, compulsive script reversals and crude neon lighting -- "Horsemen" brings its herd home to pasture in strictly predictable fashion. Not nearly as gripping as "Seven" nor as gore-crazy as the "Saw" or "Hostel" series, musicvid vet Jonas Akerlund's sophomore effort will be remembered neither as a highlight of the waning genre, nor for Dennis Quaid's most memorable screen performance. Lionsgate quarantined the pic's U.S. release to just 75 theaters in early March, hoping, perhaps, that the apocalypse will come in ancillary.
A fairly harmless shock sequence, whereby a woodsman stumbles on a silver platter displaying a pile of torn-out teeth, sets the tone for the film's other "revelations." By the time forensic dentistry expert Aidan Breslin (Quaid) concludes that a series of corpses mutilated by artsy trapeze devices may have something to do with the famous Bible passage about the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse," the audience is already several steps ahead of him.
Much of the initial action, as it shifts from blood-splattered crime scene to detailed autopsy and back, plays out in territory well trod by the latest and not-too-latest works of the torture-porn/Splat Pack school. A scene in which Breslin investigates a tattoo/S&M parlor connected to the murders typifies the approach of screenwriter David Callaham ("Doom"), as the script tries to immerse us in a faux-seedy world torn from a dozen other movies.
Thankfully, Breslin's shattered home life, where he remains estranged from his two young sons (Lou Taylor Pucci, Liam James) following the death of his wife from cancer, adds something vaguely human and original to the story. Quaid is best in these domestic sequences, in which he makes the tiresome pull between work and family seem believable -- much moreso than when he's on the beat and merely going through the motions.
When the adopted daughter (Ziyi Zhang, physically fierce yet unconvincing) of an early victim turns out to be linked to the killers, the diabolical prophecy heads so quickly for home that viewers may be shocked most by the film's slapdash ending.
Despite the abundance of red-green-white gels used for the biblical motifs, Akerlund's direction remains fairly restrained, and he actually seems to want to tell the father-son story in a straightforward way. Too bad about all those fish hooks suspending people in the air as they choke on their own blood.
Like the plot, the score by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek's ("The Visitor") leads us in mostly foreseeable directions.
More than one option(Person) Joseph Rosenberg
(Person) Joe Rosenberg
More than one option(Person) Brad Fuller
Executive Producer, Producer, Associate Producer
(Person) Brad Fuller
ADR Editor, Apprentice, Assistant Editor
(Person) Brad Fuller
Assistant DirectorMore than one option(Person) Joe Drake
Executive in Charge of Production, Executive Producer, Producer
(Person) Joe Drake
EditorMore than one option(Person) Nicole Brown
Actor, Associate Producer
(Person) Nicole Brown
Costumes
(Person) Nicole Brown
Assistant Editor
(Person) Nicole Brown
Post-Production Supervisor
(Person) Nicole Brown
Craft Service
(Person) nicole brown
Makeup
(Person) nicole brown
Production AssistantMore than one option(Person) Michael Weber
Producer, Co-Producer
(Person) Michael Weber
Sound, Executive Producer, Actor
(Person) Michael Weber
(Person) Michael Weber
Consultant, Technical Advisor, Visual EffectsMore than one option(Film) Seven
1995 - Morgan Freeman, David Fincher
(Film) Seven
William Smith, Andy SidarisMore than one option(Film) Planet of the Apes
(Film) Visitors
(Film) The Visitor
Mel Ferrer, Michael J Paradise
(Film) The Visitor
Pia Shandel, John Wright
(Film) Besokarna
(Film) Gost
(Film) The Visitor
(Film) The Visitor
(Film) The Visitor
Camera (color), Eric Broms; editors, Jim May, Todd E. Miller; music, Jan A.P. Kaczmarek; production designer, Sandy Cochrane; art director, Peter Emmink; set decorators, Stephen Amdt, Tanja Deshida; costume designer, B.; sound (Dolby Digital/SDDS/DTS), Leon Johnson; supervising sound editor, Paul N.J. Ottosson; visual effects supervisor, Des Carey; stunt coordinator, Kurt Bryant; associate producer, Vitaliy Versace; assistant director, Phil Hardage; casting, Lindsey Hayes Kroeger, David Rappaport. Reviewed at UGC Orient Express 1, Paris, April 14, 2009. MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 88 MIN.
20th Century Boys: Chapter 2
20-seiki shonen: dai 2 sho saigo no kibo (Japan)
By RUSSELL EDWARDSRead other reviews about this film
Powered By A 20th Century Boys Film Partners, Cine Bazaar, Office Crescendo production. (International sales: Nippon Television Network Corp., Tokyo.) Produced by Nobuyuki Iinuma, Morio Amagi, Ryuji Ichiyama. Directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi. Screenplay, Takashi Nagasaki, Yusuke Watanabe, based on the manga by Urasawa.
With: Etsushi Toyokawa, Takako Tokiwa, Airi Taira, Teruyuki Kagawa, Naohito Fujiki, Hidehiko Ishizuka, Fumiyo Kohinata, Kuranosuke Sasake, Koichi Yamadera, Yusuke Santamaria, Renji Ishibashi, Katsuo Nakamura, Hitomi Kuroki, Toshiaki Karasawa, Somat Sangsangium, Haruka Kinami.
(Japanese, Thai, Mandarin, English dialogue)
A Japanese cultural equivalent of the "Matrix" and "Lord of the Rings" trilogies, and eagerly awaited by a loyal "Watchmen"-like fanbase, "20th Century Boys: Chapter 2" sees helmer Yukihiko Tsutsumi treading water as he continues his adaptation of the sci-fi manga about a religious cult dominating Japan. Having generated around $30 million since its January local release -- slightly less than the first episode's take -- the film has been slower to get offshore release but should eventually approach its forerunner's steady pan-Asian biz. Western cult ancillary beckons; the first film is skedded for DVD release in the U.K. in May.
While still juggling multiple time zones and story strands, the sequel concentrates on the activities of grown-up high schooler Kanna (Airi Taira), the niece of part one's central protag, Kenji (Toshiaki Karasawa, little seen here). Auds arriving only now in the cycle will quickly understand the gist of the film, if not the frequent digressions.
It is now 2015, and Japan is ruled by an iron-fisted, heavily censorious government that was originally a religious cult ruled by a masked leader called Friend. Said cult was inspired by a childhood manga ("The Book of Prophecies") drawn by Kanna's maligned and missing uncle back in 1969.
Kanna is a solemnly angry girl with ESP, martial-arts skills and enough street smarts to broker a deal between Tokyo's Thai and Chinese gangs (and in their own languages, no less). Along with wide-eyed classmate Kyoko (Haruka Kinami, overacting in an unsuccessful bid at comic relief), Kanna is selected to study the cult's advanced teachings.
At the cult's training ground, Kanna links up with a rebellious underground movement spearheaded by one of her uncle's childhood friends, Yoshitsune (Teruyuki Kagawa, "Tokyo Sonata"). Meanwhile, another of Kenji's friends, the bedraggled Otcho (Etsushi Toyokawa, "Hula Girls"), has escaped from jail and is singlehandedly leading his own assault on the cult.
The story's primary event is signaled early on by "The Book of Prophecies," which foretells an assassination by a savior. The expectation of "Who's gonna do it?" drags down the action, while the film swamps the viewer with subplots and background exposition. Final reel features a couple of extra twists, mostly to ramp up expectations for the trilogy's concluding seg.
Tsutsumi's direction is solid, admirably juggling the myriad strands even as it tries to compensate for a pace that's less frenetic than that of its predecessor, as well as the sense that the series is biding its time before the final installment. But in the helmer's steady hand, the pic still manages to entertain and intrigue.
Of the huge ensemble cast, Taira and Toyokawa are most successful in creating genuine personalities. All other thesps hit their marks and remain dutifully subservient to the script.
Project is a hugely ambitious undertaking, sometimes employing prominent Japanese thesps in subsidiary roles, and occasionally using international (particularly Thai) locations. Frustratingly, the VFX budget looks even thinner this time around, with some explosions recycled from the first film. Although some CGI establishing shots reveal "Blade Runner"-like sky-level highways, at ground level, Osaka and Tokyo don't look much different from how they do in the present day.
As in the first movie, the long end credits are punctuated by a teaser for the next episode, set to be released in Japan on Aug. 28.
Camera (color/B&W, widescreen), Satoru Karasawa; editor, Nobuyuki Ito; music, Ryomei Shirai; production designer, Naoki Soma; sound (Dolby Digital), Mitsuo Tokita. Reviewed on DVD, Sydney, April 11, 2009. Running time: 140 MIN.
Buenos Aires
Double Take
(Belgium)
By ROBERT KOEHLERRead other reviews about this film
Powered By A Zap-O-Matik presentation, in co-production with Nikovantastic Film, Volya Films. Produced by Emmy Oost. Co-producers, Hanneke van der Tas, Nicole Gerhards, Denis Vaslin. Directed, written by Johan Grimonprez. Story, Tom McCarthy, inspired by Jorge Luis Borges' story "25 August 1983."
With: Ron Burrage, Mark Perry.
(English dialogue)
Belgian filmmaker and media artist Johan Grimonprez provocatively uses Alfred Hitchcock as a filter through which to examine the Cold War -- and its attendant media-generated paranoia -- in his galvanizing, elegant and wildly entertaining "Double Take." Part fiction, part nonfiction and thoroughly inventive in its experimentation with the line between myth and history, the pic is as gripping a suspense movie as one of Hitchcock's own, and shows remarkable breadth of vision. It could cross over from art-oriented fest sidebars to somewhat wider auds with proper handling, with tube sales being the best bet.
Indeed, watching "Double Take" on TV would be doubly amusing, since it delivers a caustic attack on the medium (frequently intoned by Hitchcock himself) while exploring its facets as delivery box of entertainment, news, advertising, fear and comfort. Connections to the current era's "war on terror" are not coincidental.
Three parallel story tracks, none of them kept in strictly chronological order, form the dazzling core of this suspenseful and witty presentation: author Tom McCarthy's fiction (voiced by actor Mark Perry, doing a spot-on Hitch impersonation) about the director encountering his double in the Universal Studios office building during lensing of "The Birds"; the rising Cold War tension between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. from Sputnik in 1957 to Soviet premiere Nikita Khrushchev's 1964 dethroning by Leonid Brezhnev; and Hitchcock's playful ways with TV during his first skein, "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," whose seasons roughly parallel the selected Cold War period.
CBS eminence grise Walter Cronkite appears at first, reporting on the notorious "kitchen debate" between a feisty Khrushchev and an obviously outsmarted Richard Nixon, whose best retort to the Soviet leader's critiques of U.S. capitalism is to point to the latest in TV sets. It's the perfect link to Hitch's own show, whose ironic intros are delightfully archived and edited here for brilliant impact. A bonus is a series of ads by the show's sponsor, Folgers Coffee, which reflect American social attitudes from the '50s and early 60s.
The story track about doubles meeting each other, inspired by a Jorge Luis Borges tale and supported by Christian Halten's Bernard Herrmann-like score, develops a haunting, hall-of-mirrors psychological intensity. The section features original color lensing (shot in Belgium, with no camera credit given), much of it framed in suggestive closeups and standing in visual high relief in a film dominated by black-and-white archival footage.
Grimonprez views "The Birds" (a film that has recently emerged as one of Hitchcock's key works, yielding a wide range of interpretations) as a metaphor for nuclear terror and fear-mongering. But the helmer, with ace editors Dieter Diependaele and Tyler Hubby, takes special pleasure in including several funny clips from the elaborate promo campaign for that film, often involving star Tippi Hedren and several actual birds.
Also certain to stir a smile is thesp Ron Burrage's resemblance to Hitchcock; while it isn't absolute, it's close enough for folks to do a, yes, double take -- and further resonates with the film's notion of Hitchcock doubles. Grimonprez's 2005 installation "Looking for Alfred" also concerned itself with this idea. But the current film adds to it a disturbing, apocalyptic insight by Hitchcock: "If you meet your double, you should kill him."
Technically, "Double Take" is elegantly assembled, with Ranko Paukovic's powerful sound design a standout.
More than one option(Person) Jorge Luis Borges
From Story, Screenplay
(Person) Jorge Luis Borges
Source MaterialMore than one option(Person) Tom McCarthy
Director, Actor, Screenplay
(Person) Thomas J McCarthy
(Person) Tom McCarthy
Carpenter
(Person) Tom McCarthy
Actor
(Person) Tom McCarthy
Actor
(Person) Tom McCarthy
Sound, Sound Editor, Sound Effects
(Person) Tom McCarthy
Lighting Technician, Rigging Electrician
(Person) Tom McCarthy
ModelmakerMore than one option(Person) Mark Perry
(Person) Marc Perry
More than one option(Person) Alfred Hitchcock
Voice, Director, Story By
(Person) Alfred Hitchcock
ActorMore than one option(Film) Double Take
2001 - Orlando Jones, George Gallo
(Film) Double Take
1997 - Craig Sheffer, Mark L. LesterMore than one option(Tv) Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Series Information, Seasons, Credits, Awards
(Tv) Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Ned Beatty, Joel OlianskyMore than one option(Co) Universal Studios Sound Facilities
(Co) NBC Universal Studios
More than one option(Film) The Birds
1963 - Rodney Turt Taylor, Alfred Hitchcock
(Film) The Birds
Camera (color/B&W); editors, Dieter Diependaele, Tyler Hubby; music, Christian Halten; sound designer (Dolby Digital), Ranko Paukovic; supervising producer, Doris Hepp. Reviewed at Buenos Aires Film Festival, March 26, 2009. (Also in Berlin Film Festival -- Forum Expanded.) Running time: 80 MIN.
Morgan Freeman did it with James Patterson's Alex Cross novels, now Angelina Jolie is giving it a go as Patricia Cornwell's Dr. Kay Scarpetta.
Fox 2000 has acquired screen rights to author Cornwell's best-selling murder thriller novel series featuring medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta reports Variety.
The novels deal with a large amount of forensic science and were said to be a big influence on the development of recent television procedurals such as the "CSI" franchise.
The aim is to turn the property into a franchise with Jolie in the lead. The opera-loving workaholic coroner has appeared in sixteen novels starting with 1990's "Post Mortem".
This film won't be a direct adaptation of any of the books though such as "The Body Farm" and "From Potter's Field", yet like the books it will be decidedly grizzly in a "Se7en"/"Silence of the Lambs" style vein.
Mark Gordon and Geyer Kosinski will produce. The pair and Jolie are meeting with writers and will set one shortly.
Simon West ("Tomb Raider") is in talks to direct a reinvention of the 1972 Charles Bronson action classic "The Mechanic" reports Production Weekly.
Jason Statham will take on the lead role in the Shane Salerno-scripted film which reimagines the property as a spy thriller in a post 9/11 world.
In the original, Bronson played an aging hitman befriends a young man (Jan-Michael Vincent) who wants to be a professional killer. Eventually it becomes clear that someone has betrayed them.
Chris Evans ("Fantastic Four," "Push") is in talks to join the film adaptation of DC Comics/Vertigo comic "The Losers" reports Mania.com.
The story focuses on a elite group of special forces operatives who are betrayed by their handlers and left for dead.
Surviving the setup, they embark on a series of wildcat ops designed to clear their own names and bring down the government agency that sold them out.
Evans would play Jensen, the fast-talking tech whiz of the team. He joins Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Clay, Idris Elba as Roque and Zoe Saldana as Aisha.
Sylvain White is directing and shooting kicks off later this year.
Jamie Chung and Jena Malone will replace Emma Stone and Evan Rachel Wood in Zack Snyder's "Sucker Punch!" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Set in the 1950s, the film centers on a girl confined to a mental institution by her evil stepfather, who intends to have her lobotomized in five days.
While there, she imagines an alternate reality to hide from the pain and in that world begins planning her escape, needing to steal five objects to help get her out.
Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgens and Abbie Cornish also star. Chung plays Amber, a country girl with a big heart, while Malone plays Cornish's younger sister.
Snyder and his wife Deborah are producing.
Marlon Wayans will star in and produce "The Year of Living Biblically" for Paramount Pictures and Plan B says The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on A.J. Jacobs' 2005 nonfiction book, the author spent a year attempting to live by the rules of the Old and New Testaments, with comic and enlightening results.
Jay Reiss will adapt the book into a feature film narrative. Julian Farino (HBO's "Entourage") is attached to direct.
Jeviga, ja pomislio da je ovo film o Melu Gibsonu...
Script doctor's in for Tom Cruise
Studios custom-tailor projects for the star
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Cruise
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China likes 'Millionaire'
Tom Cruise is narrowing the prospects for his next film, but no matter which he chooses, he has single-handedly propped up the script doctoring biz: Studios have spent millions of dollars in rewrite fees to custom-tailor projects for the star.
The frontrunners for his next film appear to be the DreamWorks drama "Motorcade," to be directed by Len Wiseman, followed by Spyglass remake "The Tourist" (with Charlize Theron), to be helmed by Bharat Nalluri, and Fox action comedy "Wichita" (with Cameron Diaz), which James Mangold will direct. Also still in the mix is MGM's "The Matarese Circle," which potentially matches Cruise with Denzel Washington and helmer David Cronenberg.
No longer in the mix are Universal/Working Title romantic comedy "Lost for Words," to be directed by Susanne Bier, and "The 28th Amendment," the drama Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck will helm for Warner Bros.
While screenwriters all over town have been taking haircuts on every deal, the script doctors in the Cruise derby have been making as much as $250,000 a week, for two to six weeks, as they hone projects with notes from Cruise. Those writers include Scott Frank, who has been revising the action comedy "Wichita" for Cruise to play an action hero; Richard Curtis, who beefed up "Lost for Words"; and Paul Attanasio, who is now rewriting the rewrite that "Matarese Circle" director Cronenberg delivered.
Meanwhile, Billy Ray continues to hone "Motorcade" with notes from Cruise. Christopher McQuarrie is doing the same on "The Tourist," which the writer is also producing. (Ray and McQuarrie are not technically script doctors because they've been writing these projects for months.) And Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci also did some reworking of "28th Amendment," which they originally sold as a spec script in 1999.
New Int'l. Release
Hellsinki
Rooperi (Finland)
By ALISSA SIMONRead other reviews about this film
Powered By A Nordisk Film release of a Solar Films production, with the support of the Finnish Film Foundation, MTV3. (International sales: TrustNordisk, Hvidovre, Denmark.) Produced by Markus Selin, Jukka Helle. Directed by Aleksi Makela. Screenplay, Marko Leino, based on the book "Rooperi: The Years of Crime 1955-2005" by Harri Nykanen, Tom Sjoberg.
With: Samuli Edelmann, Peter Franzen, Pihla Viitala, Kari Hietalahti, Juha Veijonen, Jasper Paakkonen, Pekka Valkeejarvi, Hiski Gronstrand.
The seamy side of the Finnish capital takes centerstage in the strongly crafted and performed gangster tale "Hellsinki," the second collaboration of helmer Aleksi Makela and scribe Marko Leino ("Matti: Hell Is For Heroes"). Based on a volume of oral histories drawn from old-time criminals in the city's notorious Rooperi neighborhood, the pic plays like a Finnish "Goodfellas." Still in local cinemas, the January release has already sold more than 250,000 ducats. Best options for export are via national film weeks and ancillary.
During the mid-20th century, impoverished Rooperi (aka Punavuori) was a latter-day Wild West with criminal gangs dominating the streets. Illegal booze was the quarter's most lucrative business until drugs arrived, changing all the rules.
Unfolding from 1966-79, the story tracks the rise and fall of three small-time bootleggers with more brawn than brains. After 10 years working the streets, hefty Tom (Samuli Edelmann), cocky Krisu (Peter Franzen) and dimwit Kari (Kari Hietalahti) decide the time is ripe to control Rooperi's black-market liquor sales.
When brute force sends their competition packing, the pals transition into the "catering business," but even as they make more money, they yearn for bigger things. Eventually, circumstances lead to a parting of ways: Tom marries curvy blonde Monika (Pihla Viitala), who demands that he go straight; Krisu decides to try his luck in Sweden; and Kari is arrested for a botched bank robbery.
Amusingly, Tom's idea of a decent job is to open a sex shop, but between cop raids and the locals' shyness, he barely gets by. However, as soon as he launches a mail-order side, business booms.
As time passes, Tom and Monika's marriage falls apart, Krisu returns to Finland a junkie, Kari prefers jail, and a new breed of criminal, epitomized by the ruthless Cracker (Jasper Paakkonen), rules the streets. Even Koistinen (Juha Veijonen), the friendly neighborhood cop, decides it's time to retire.
Infused with a wistful nostalgia for a time when crooks lived by a predictable code, the smartly nuanced screenplay by Leino (author of Renny Harlin's new Finnish project, "Mannerheim") follows genre rules while making the main characters more than mere types. However, the pic would play even more powerfully without its unconvincing coda.
No stranger to blockbusters, vet director Makela found his biggest successes in fact-based tales such as "Matti" and "Bad Boys." Like those earlier titles, "Hellsinki" boasts a masculine point of view, fast-paced action, a boyish sense of humor and thesps Frantzen and Paakonen.
Shadowy widescreen lensing by Pini Hellstedt and spot-on period settings and costumes lead the classy tech package.
More than one option(Co) Nordisk Film
(Co) Nordisk Film Biografer (Denmark)
More than one option(Film) Bad Boys
1995 - Martin Lawrence, Michael Bay
(Film) Bad Boys
1983 - Sean Penn, Richard L RosenthalCamera (color, widescreen), Pini Hellstedt; editor, Kimmo Taavila; music, Kalle Chydenius; art director, Pirjo Rossi; costume designer, Tiina Kaukanen; sound (Dolby Digital), Jyrki Rahkonen. Reviewed on DVD, Chicago, April 19, 2009. Running time: 133 MIN.
Kevin Macdonald has made a deal with New Regency to develop and direct "The End of Eternity," the 1955 Isaac Asimov novel the financier-producer acquired late in the fall.
Vince Gerardis is producing.
Futuristic tale concerns a ruling class called Eternity whose members can manipulate time and alter history.
The director is following up the newspaper drama "State of Play" with "Eagle of the Ninth," a second-century Roman military drama for Focus Features.
Endeavor and U.K.-based United rep Macdonald.
Eli Kirschner is executive producing.
Newsmakers (Goryache Novoski)
Howard Feinstein in New York
23 Apr 2009 07:00
Dir. Anders Banke. Russia/Sweden. 2009. 110mins.
The politics of media manipulation in the age of reality TV is evidently a hot topic. Hong Kong director Johnnie To addressed it with cinematic flair in 2004's Breaking News and Joel Schumacher is set for a Hollywood remake, but the Russians, who have major issues with the media in the age of Putin and his acolytes, got in first with this Russian-Swedish coproduction directed by Banke, a Swede who studied film in Moscow.
Unfortunately, although the setting is a well-captured central Moscow, the plot points and characters that worked in To's film have been altered by screenwriters Klebanov and Lungin in ways that dilute Newsmakers' impact. It is competently, if conventionally, directed, but Banke does not have the visual skills of To, whose moving camera transformed what is essentially a shoot-'em-up into a stylistic masterwork. Chances for much theatrical play outside of ex-Soviet countries, except perhaps for co-funder Sweden, seem remote.
In both films, the starting point is a botched police action against a gang of criminals which is caught on camera by a TV crew and broadcast to an outraged public. The police chief responds to an ambitious, young, and beautiful female PR who suggests that the force's image can be improved by photographing more positive actions against the gang (via mini-video cameras set into helmets), making it into what she calls "a show".
In Breaking News, Kelly Chen played this character as a tough, cold, no-nonsense bitch - credible in a concocted script idea - but Katya (Mashkova), her incarnation in Newsmakers, has been turned into a campy slut. That Mashkova gives a terrible performance only undermines the character further. Even more ridiculous is the gratuitous appearance of a Swedish media mogul who speaks to Katya and her boss in English and insists on buying the franchise.
Once the criminals enter a huge apartment block, Katya, as the show's "director", loses the control necessary to produce her propagandistic narrative, which she plans to air in prime time. (She even makes deals for product placement.) The gang goes into an apartment and takes a single father and his two kids hostage. Katya knows that if anything should happen to the tenants, the TV viewers' outcry would surpass their initial rage. The savvy criminals, meanwhile, begin to broadcast via computer and cellphone while Katya has to contend with an old-fashioned, duty-bound cop, Smirnov (Merzlikin), the hero of the film, who refuses her orders to leave the building so that the Special Forces she commands can do her bidding.
In To's film, a recurring cell-phone-computer hookup between her and the handsome gang leader makes their mutual attraction believable. In Banke's Newsmakers, however, it happens only once, so that it requires a tremendous leap of faith to buy into the instant bond they form once they come face-to-face.
Production companies
Tandem Pictures
Illusion Film
Film i Vast
Maywin Media
International sales
Cinemavault
+1 416 363 6060
Producers
Sam Klebanov
Anna Katchko
Screenplay
Sam Klebanov
Aleksandr Lungin
Cinematography
Chris Maris
Editor
Frederik Mordheden
Production design
Grigori Pushkin
Music
Anthony Lledo
Main cast
Andrei Merzlikin
Evgeni Tsyganov
Mariya Mashkova
Jury Shlykov
Sergey Garmash
Maksim Konovalov
David Stepanyan
New Int'l. Release
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Man som hatar kvinnor (Sweden)
By BOYD VAN HOEIJ
Read other reviews about this film
Powered By A Nordisk Film release of a Yellow Bird presentation and production, in association with SVT, ZDF, Nordisk Film, with the participation of Filmpool Stockholm Malardalen, Film i Vast, Spiltan. (International sales: Zodiak Entertainment, Paris.) Produced by Soren Staermose. Executive producers, Anni Faurbye Fernandez, Peter Nadermann, Ole Sondberg, Mikael Wallen, Jon Mankell. Directed by Niels Arden Oplev. Screenplay, Nikolaj Arcel, Rasmus Heisterberg, based on the novel by Stieg Larsson.
With: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre, Sven-Bertil Taube, Peter Haber, Peter Andersson, Marika Lagercrantz, Ingvar Hirdwall, Bjorn Granath.
A tomboyish punk hacker teams up with a disgraced middle-aged journo to solve a decades-old crime in "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo." With more than 10 million copies sold worldwide since 2005, it's no wonder this first novel in the late Stieg Larsson's culty "Millennium" trilogy has made it to the bigscreen so fast, though the pic version is more of an action-light whodunit than a real thriller, and more of a CliffsNotes version than a deeply disturbing portrait of what's wrong with contempo Sweden. Offshore success where the book sold well is likely, though not at local levels.
Boffo B.O. in Scandinavia, where the pic bowed in February and March, is now nearing 2.3 million admissions. However, the lack of star power and real bigscreen wow will mean less stellar results elsewhere.
The "Millennium" novels are probably the biggest international phenom to emerge from Sweden since Abba. Pic goes out in mid-May in France, where "Girl" was the bestselling novel of 2008, with Italy following later that month, and has already sold to many other Euro territories. However, it has yet to find a distrib Stateside.
The opening 20 minutes of the 2½-hour film race through the early setup, covering about a fifth of the 500-page tome. Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), an investigative journalist and editor of Millennium magazine, is summoned to the home of Henrik Vanger (Sven-Bertil Taube), head of a family of industrialists. The aging patriarch asks Mikael to investigate the long-ago murder of his niece Harriet; Mikael, recently convicted of libel, is being forced to leave Millennium and thus accepts Vanger's offer.
A parallel thread follows Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), a 24-year-old pierced-and-tattooed wild child who answers to no one. She's also one of Sweden's best private investigators and hackers and, after decrypting one of the clues in the murder case, starts collaborating with Mikael.
Danish helmer Niels Arden Oplev and scripters Nikolaj Arcel and Rasmus Heisterberg find some elegant visual shortcuts for Larsson's exposition-heavy prose, but also shear off much of its atmospheric detail. The viewer gets a relatively faithful version of the novel's ingenious construction but only glimpses of its scathing portrait of Sweden as a corrupt, bankrupt and misogynistic society. (The Swedish title translates as "Men Who Hate Women.")
Given the two scripters' highly atmospheric conspiracy thriller "King's Game" and Oplev's ability to find fresh takes on genre material ("We Shall Overcome," "Worlds Apart"), "Girl" reps something of a disappointment. Still, at least until the rushed final reels, the clean widescreen lensing, fluid editing and Jacob Groth's coolly modern score do drive things along nicely.
Watching a whole Pandora's box of past fascist and religious atrocities slowly fall into place remains fascinating. And as a whodunit rather than a noir, "Girl" ranks as a more-than-workmanlike Nordic crimer.
As the girl of the book's English title, Salander is by far the more interesting of the two protags, a woman full of contradictions who operates solely according to her own logic. Rapace turns her into a mesmerizing, highly intelligent yet absolutely uncontrollable animal with her own sense of justice. It's a testament to the actress that the character feels coherent despite some largely glossed-over moments -- notably, those with her predatory guardian, Bjurman (Peter Andersson). As her partner, Nyqvist makes Mikael even more passive than in the book, and their pairing doesn't exactly combust onscreen. Bit players are solid.
The lengthy feature was assembled from material shot for two 90-minute TV movies. Four more movies based on the other two novels, helmed by "Girl" second unit director Daniel Alfredson, are already in the can. Originally meant for the tube and ancillary, these also will now be released in Scandinavia as shorter, two-hour-plus theatrical features.
More than one option(Co) Nordisk Film
(Co) Nordisk Film Biografer (Denmark)
More than one option(Film) Millennium
1989 - Kris Kristofferson, John M Eckert
(Film) Millennium
(Tv) Millennium
More than one option(Film) Girl
1998 - Dominique Swain, Jonathan Kahn
(Film) Girl
(Film) Girl
Charlotte Vanden Eynde, Dorothee Van Den BergheMore than one option(Film) Al Tish'ali Im Ani Ohev
(Film) The Seventh Coin
(Tv) Worlds Apart
(Film) Worlds Apart
Camera (color, widescreen), Eric Kress; editor, Anne Osterud; music, Jacob Groth; production designer, Niels Sejer, costume designer, Cilla Rorby; sound (Dolby Digital), Peter Schultz; second unit director, Daniel Alfredson; casting, Tusse Lande. Reviewed at CineBelval, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg, April 21, 2009. Running time: 148 MIN.
Mark Mylod ("Ali G Indahouse," TV's "Entourage") is set direct the Anna Faris-led romantic comedy "What's Your Number?" for Sony Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on Karyn Bosnak's book, "Number" centers on a woman who treks through her sexual past to find Mr. Right, exploring the idea of sexual quotas and whether such numbers matter.
Jennifer Crittenden and Gabrielle Allan adapted the script, Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson are producing.
Denzel Washington is negotiating to star in drama "Unstoppable," the Tony Scott-directed that 20th Century Fox has on track for a fall production start.
Washington would play an experienced engineer who jumps in a locomotive with a young conductor to chase down a runaway train carrying a cargo of toxic chemicals. Mark Bomback wrote the script, which is loosely inspired by a true event.
Julie Yorn is producing "Unstoppable" with Scott.
The drama would reunite Washington and Scott for their fifth film together. Aside from "Crimson Tide," "Man on Fire" and "Deja Vu," the duo just completed another train-based thriller, "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3," which Columbia Pictures releases June 12.
Washington has been filming "The Book of Eli" for Alcon Entertainment and Silver Pictures, with Allen and Albert Hughes directing the post-apocalyptic thriller that Warner Bros. releases in early 2010.
Washington is repped by WMA.
Robert Rodriguez wields 'Machete'
Director plans pair of pics
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Rodriguez
'Aliens vs. Predator' scored at the B.O. Robert Rodriguez will reinvent the franchise.
More than one option(Person) Robert Rodriguez
Sound, Original Music, Composer
(Person) Robert Rodriguez
Coordinator, Executive Producer, Production
(Person) Robert C Rodriguez
(Person) Robert Rodriguez
Actor
(Person) Robert Rodriguez
Catering
More Articles:
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'Rachel' tops Prism kudos
E1 nabs clutch of Senator films
Washington in talks for 'Unstoppable'
Stephen Dorff 'Born' into porn
'Soloist' team will put history on 'Trial'
More than one option(Film) Predator
(Film) Rovdyr
Robert Rodriguez is ready to cut a wide swathe, and his plans include re-launching the "Predator" franchise for Fox and co-directing "Machete."
For the later, the filmmaker will create a feature out of the blade- wielding antihero who appeared in a mock trailer that was part of "Grindhouse."
Rodriguez is eyeing a June start date in Austin for "Machete," a film that is financed and produced by Overnight Productions, with Danny Trejo starring as the title character.
Machete is a Mexican ex-Federale with a gift for wielding a blade, who hides out as a day laborer, who is double-crossed by a corrupt state senator.
Rodriguez wrote the script and will direct the film with Ethan Maniquis, his longtime editor. The film is being produced by Rodriguez, Rick Schwartz of Overnight Productions and Aaron Kaufman.
Not immediately clear is whether Rodriguez and Overnight will find a way to use the irresistible marketing slogan that appeared in the "Grindhouse" trailer: "This time, they fucked with the wrong Mexican." It is the first non-studio movie that Rodriguez has directed since "El Mariachi."
For Fox, Rodriguez has scripted "Predators," a film that will bring back the dreadlock-sporting alien hunter who originated in the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger hit "Predator." While a sequel didn't become a hit, Fox kept the alien sharp by launching the "Alien Vs. Predator," a wildly profitable series that has racked up strong grosses and DVD sales, wit little or no gross out the door.
While Rodriguez juggles these projects, he's also directing his script "Nerveracker" for Dimension Films, with Bob Weinstein setting a 2010 release for the futuristic action thriller.
Stephen Dorff has boarded the porn industry comedy "Born to Be a Star" for Sony Pictures.
Adam Sandler co-wrote the screenplay and is producing.
Story centers on a small-town Midwestern nerd (Nick Swardson) who discovers his parents were famous porn stars. Christina Ricci has already signed on to play Swardson's girlfriend. Dorff will play "Dick Shadow," a legendary porn star.
Allen Covert and Swardson also penned the script.
Sony acquired the Tom Brady-helmed film as a negative pickup. Sandler's partner Jack Giarraputo is also producing -- though not through the pair's Sony-based Happy Madison shingle -- alongside Covert and Barry Bernardi.
Lensing begins next week.
Dorff is repped by ICM and Management 360.
Tribeca
Outrage
((Docu))
By JOHN ANDERSONRead other reviews about this film
Powered By A Magnolia Pictures release of a Chain
An exploding bathroom stall of a movie, "Outrage" makes an excellent ipso facto case for itself: If closeted gay politicians vote against equal rights for gays to protect their own secrets, outing them is for the common good. The targets won't agree, but auds, regardless of their politics, will find Kirby Dick's filmentertaining, brisk, visually interesting and perhaps even thrilling: Who will be the next hypocritical homosexual to taste the wrath of Michael Rogers, gay blogger-outer extraordinaire? Whether Magnolia Pictures can spin all this closet-spelunking into something noble rather than seamy will determine whether "Outrage" is one of the more successful docs of the year.
Whom does Dick debunk? Larry Craig, of course, the embarrassingly unctuous Idaho senator whose flirtations in an airport restroom got him arrested (the police tape of Craig protesting his innocence plays over the opening credits). Far more controversial will be "Outrage's" dogged pursuit of Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, whose sexuality has long been the subject of speculation, but whose alleged homosexuality is far more circumstantial than Craig's (in the case of the latter, Dick has assembled several formerly intimate acquaintances, whose testimonies ring of long-buried truth).
With an aptly modulated score by Peter Golub and the engaging graphics of Bil White, "Outrage" levels withering assaults at the likes of former New York Mayor Ed Koch, whose record on AIDS and gay rights was virtually nonexistent, despite a well-established affair with a man he subsequently ran out of town (at least according to David Rothenberg, a Koch confidant and the first openly gay candidate for New York's City Council). David Dreier, the California congressman and archconservative, and his ideological brethren, such as Louisiana's Jim McCrery and GOP operative Ken Mehlman, all take their lumps. The fact that Mehlman helped orchestrate the GOP's 2004 virulent anti-gay strategy is the kind of connection in which "Outrage" specializes.
Pic attempts to establish an ongoing media conspiracy to help keep these men closeted, and it doesn't quite pull it off. Dick seems to think the mainstream media can speculate about a politician'sclandestine sex life while reporting how said politician voted on a gay adoption bill or AIDS funding measure, but this exhibits an obliviousness about libel laws, much less journalistic ethics. A sequence in which two CNN broadcasts are shown side by side -- one in which comedian Bill Maher outs Mehlman, and another in which the outing was subsequently deleted -- only shows the perils of live broadcast, and the prudence of CNN's editors. Or its lawyers.
The docu also commits various sins of editorial juxtaposition: From a scene in which Crist insists on his straightness, it cuts to former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey, who resigned in the wake of a gay sex scandal, talking about how important it is to be true to oneself. What can the viewer be meant to conclude but that Crist is being dishonest? From all the assembled evidence, he is, but manipulation is still manipulation.
At the same time, "Outrage" (which, one hopes, has its own legal team in place) is operating from a position of righteous indignation, and that indignation is infectious. In a near-poetic gesture, Dick brings in "Angels in America" playwright Tony Kushner and Ray Cohn's denials of his homosexuality, even while he was dying of AIDS co. Where Dick's film goes very right is in attacking self-denial, the essential vice practiced by those who've built careers on denying others their rights.
Production values are tops.
Camera Pictures/Magnolia Pictures presentation. (International sales: Magnolia Pictures, New York.) Produced by Amy Ziering. Executive producers, Tom Quinn, Jason Janego, Ted Sarandos, Chad Griffin, Kimball Stroud, Bruce Brothers, Tectonic Theater Project. Co-producer, Tanner Barklow.
Directed by Kirby Dick. Camera (color, HD), Thaddeus Wadleigh; editor, Doug Blush, Matt Clarke; music, Peter Golub; sound, Michael Boyle, Sean O'Neil, Ben Posnack, Len Schmitz, Bob Silverthorne; sound designer, Dane A. Davis; re-recording mixer, Alexander Gruzdev; associate producers, Ashley York, Tam Nguyen. Reviewed at Magno Review 1, Manhattan, April 22, 2009. (In Tribeca Film Festival -- competing; Hot Docs Film Festival, Toronto.) Running time: 90 MIN.
With Michael Rogers, Tammy Baldwin, Wayne Barrett, Jim McGreevey, Barney Frank, Andrew Sullivan, Tony Kushner, Larry Kramer, Larry Gross.
Partly Private
((Docu – Canada))
By ALISSA SIMONRead other reviews about this film
Powered By A 6291635 Canada production with the support of the Quebec Film and Television Tax Credit, Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit. (International sales: Filmoption Int'l, Montreal.) Produced by Paul Cadieux. Executive producers, Maryse Rouillard, Ina Fichman, Arik Bernsterin. Directed by Danae Elon.
With: Danae Elon, Philip Touitou, Howard Shaw, Buster Morango, Martin Bergmann, Amos Elon, Kamal Ozkan, James Williams, Dodi Ben Ami.
Should male infants be circumcised? As the expectant mother of a boy, Israel-born, New York-based helmer Danae Elon ("Another Road Home") uses "Partly Private" as part of her quest to make "a big choice about his little penis." Encompassing trips to Israel, the Palestinian territories, the U.K, Italy and Turkey, her humorous personal docu goes beyond the Jewish rite of the bris to provide interesting facts about the hows and whys of foreskin removal. Although less pithy than Oded Lotan's similarly themed "The Quest for the Missing Piece," this provocative pic should see extended fest play before segueing to broadcast.
In the 20th century, routine neonatal circumcision became standard medical practice in the U.S., and was considered more hygienic. Now, many physicians find no health advantages to the procedure. Indeed, some believe it has a detrimental effect on penile sensitivity, and therefore sexual enjoyment.
Elon's partner, Philip Touitou, a French-Algerian Jew, favors circumcision more out of traditional sentiment than as a covenant of Judaism. As a practical matter, he feels it's important that father and son have, er, equipment that looks the same. Ultimately persuaded to have a mohel perform a bris in their apartment, Elon draws the line at the Algerian custom of putting the discarded foreskin in the couscous.
Wondering what normally happens to circumcision "debris," Elon visits a laboratory that harvests neonatal foreskins for scientific research in treating burn victims, and a clinic that makes anti-aging cosmetics with foreskin cells. She also interviews a mohel who collects his cuttings as heavenly proof of his good deeds.
Muslims, like Jews, traditionally practice circumcision, since uncircumcised males can't make the pilgrimage to Mecca. Although most operations are performed shortly after birth, Elon gets some poignant footage from a visit to an Istanbul "circumcision palace" where, after a shot of Novocain, a group of preteens in fancy dress have their foreskins removed in front of their proud families via a "hot gun" technique.
Pic adds in Middle East politics when Elon goes in search of the site of the first biblical circumcision. The trip permits a look at how tools of the trade evolved from prehistoric flints to high-tech steel blades from an aptly named manufacturer, Dick.
Elon effectively presents both sides in the "to cut or not to cut" debate, including some graphic footage and descriptions. However, some viewers may wish she spent more screen time on interviewees such as Briton James Williams, the inventor of SenSlip, an artificial retractable foreskin developed to re-sensitize the glans, and less on her own family.
Pic was crisply shot on HD; fluid editing works in synch with Elon's voiceover narration and jaunty score to underline comic moments.
Camera (color, HD), Andrew Dunn; editor, Miki Wanatabe Milmore; music, David Buchbinder; art director, John Tate, sound, Michel Lambert. Reviewed on DVD, Chicago, April 20, 2009. (In Tribeca Film Festival -- competing.) Running time: 82 MIN.
Kobe Doin' Work
(Documentary)
By RONNIE SCHEIBRead other reviews about this film
Powered By An ESPN Films release of an ESPN/40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks production. Produced by Spike Lee. Executive producers, John Dahl, Joan Lynch, Connor Schell, John Skipper. Directed by Spike Lee.
Paradoxically, by focusing exclusively on an individual player in a single sporting event -- Kobe Bryant during a key regular-season game between his Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs -- Spike Lee has captured the essence of team sport. Normally, an athlete's analysis of his own game hardly constitutes high drama. But watching Bryant at work in a kinetic, think-on-your feet, moment-to-moment way, accompanied by his running commentary, fascinatingly fuses thought and action in a manner that found fictional expression in Hollywood genre films like "Objective Burma" or "Die Hard." ESPN pic airs May 16 prior to DVD rollout.
Inspired by Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno's 2006 "Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait," which followed a soccer match by focusing exclusively on French superstar Zinedine Zidane, Lee eschews the Gallic doc's solely video flourishes, training 30 cameras and affixing several mics on Bryant, and covering the game -- an end-of-the-season contest with playoff implications, between the Lakers and defending NBA champion Spurs -- in real time.
Bryant's voiceover narration not only makes the proceedings comprehensible to basketball greenhorns, it lets the star define for fans the fast-changing nature of team strategy: Now that he is blessed with highly talented cohorts, he no longer feels the need to score all the Lakers' points. Rather, his job is to help others maximize their potential and form a flexible, intelligent force on the court.
To watch Bryant is to see someone constantly observing everyone else, coordinating their movements on the bench and on the fly ("I never realized I talked so much"), using his knowledge of teammates and opponents to plot out plays before they happen.
Kobe's passion for basketball is infectious, his appreciation of teammates' moves equaled only by his admiration for an opponent's perfectly executed play. The sometimes controversial Bryant, who has never been exalted a la Michael Jordan, here portrays himself in a convincingly selfless light as an ambassador of the sport, advising, encouraging or simply joking around with his United Nations of a team in fluent Serbian, Spanish or Italian.
Lee and longtime editor Barry Alexander Brown (aided by Bruce Hornsby's score) have pieced together a flawlessly paced work that, unlike a TV broadcast of a normal game, contains no dead time, thanks to fly-on-the-wall exchanges on the bench -- as passionately fast-flying as passes on the court -- and even a half-time devoted to the complex locker room interplay between Bryant and coach Phil Jackson.
Lee's relatively wide scope of action is largely due to what Bryant calls his "roaming" game; Kobe's penchant for going wherever needed let's Lee's camera intersect many plays that Bryant isn't primarily involved in.
But Lee also employs special effects to distinguish between Kobe the choreographer and Kobe the dancer: via snapshot black-and-white freeze frames and multi-angled replays of isolated action, Lee breaks down those moments when Kobe himself takes center-stage, halting the forward momentum to ratchet up suspense as to whether the ball will drop through the hoop or miss by a mile.
Camera (color, HD), Matthew Libatique; editor, Barry Alexander Brown; music, Bruce Hornsby; supervising sound editor, Philip Stockton. Reviewed at Tribeca Film Festival (Gala), April 25, 2009. Running time: 84 MIN.
With Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson, members of the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs.
Narrator: Bryant.
LONDON -- "Snakes on a Plane" helmer David R. Ellis has been tapped by former New Line exec Mark Ordesky to direct "Humpy Dumpty."
The 3-D sci-fi horror pic is about a half-human, half-alien creature who embarks on a murderous rampage after his alien mother is abused by two rednecks in the Deep South.
Ordesky is producing through his recently launched shingle Amber Entertainment along with Suzanne de Passe and Madison Jones of the iDream Company and Darry Welch from Instinctive Film.
Fabienne Villette is co-producing. Billy Majestic is writing the script.
U.K. sales and finance entity Intandem Films is exec producing and handling worldwide sales on the pic, which is slated to go into production this September.
Stop-motion animation studio Aardman has begun production on its next two features, Arthur Christmas and Pirates! to be distributed by Sony.
Sarah Smith and Barry Cook are co-directing the computer animated Arthur Christmas, which takes place on Christmas night and offers a glimpse behind the scenes at Father Christmas' high-tech gift distribution enterprise.
Aardman is working closely with Sony Pictures Imageworks on the animation and Smith co-write the screenplay with Peter Baynham. Cheryl Abood is producing and Carla Shelley, Peter Lord and David Sproxton serve as executive producers.
Pirates! is co-directed by Aardman founding partner and Chicken Run co-director Lord along with Jeff Newitt based on a screenplay that Gideon Defoe adapted from his books. The story follows a hapless band of pirates in search of adventure
Julie Lockhart is producing and the executive producers are Carla Shelley, Sproxton and Lord.
Aardman and Sony signed a three-year first-look deal in 2007.
Roger Donaldson ("The Bank Job") is set to direct a screen adaptation of Seymour Reit's novel "The Day They Stole the Mona Lisa" for Phoenix Pictures says Variety.
The book centers on the theft of the world's most famous painting from the Louvre in 1911. It was missing for more than two years before an Italian carpenter named Vincent Perugia showed up with the painting in Florence.
The film will center on the conman who masterminded the theft. Robert Chartoff, Lynn Hendee, Arnie Messner, Brad Fischer, David Thwaites and Mike Medavoy will produce.
Danny Huston has joined the cast of Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures remake of "Clash of the Titans" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Huston will play the sea god Poseidon and will interact with the other deities of Greek myth such as Zeus (Liam Neeson) and Hades (Ralph Fiennes).
Sam Worthington, Mads Mikkelsen, Gemma Arterton, Jason Flemyng and Alexa Davalos also are in the cast in this re-telling of the Perseus myth.
Louis Leterrier ("The Incredible Hulk") helms the remake and filming kicked off on Monday outside London.
Basil Iwanyk and Kevin de la Noy are producing.
Paramount Pictures has acquired an untitled Tokyo-set thriller says Variety.
The story follows a CIA operative, stationed in Japan but on the verge of retirement, who is ordered to carry out a final mission. He finds himself caught in the middle of an international conspiracy.
Pierre Morel ("Taken") is set to direct from a script by Frank Baldwin. Alli Shearmur will produce.
Dva potpuno neuračunljiva trejlera...
http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2009/05/toysrus.html
Ben Stiller to 'Spread Goodness'
Filmmaker to direct Participant pic
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Stiller
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Ben Stiller has been set by Participant Media to direct "Help Me Spread Goodness," a drama with comic overtones.
Script, about a Chicago banker who gets swindled in a Nigerian Internet scam, was written by Mark Friedman and developed by Participant Media exec veep Jonathan King and prexy Ricky Strauss before they took it to Stiller.
Stiller will produce with Red Hour partner Stuart Kornfeld and Jeremy Kramer.
While the project is meant to be entertaining, it sheds light on current issues in Nigeria and other African countries, fitting the Participant Media mandate to make films that compel social change.
Timing of when Stiller helms the film depends on the progress of "The Trial of the Chicago 7," the Aaron Sorkin-scripted drama that Stiller took over after Steven Spielberg exited as director.
Stiller last directed "Tropic Thunder," and is next expected to reprise his role in the Paul Weitz-directed "Little Fockers" for Universal. He next stars in the Shawn Levy-directed "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," which Fox releases May 22.
Participant Media's next release will be the Steven Soderbergh-directed Matt Damon starrer "The Informant," which Warner Bros opens Oct. 9.
Buried in a THR column yesterday, it was revealed Fred Durst (frontman of Limp Bizkit) is going to cut his teeth on the horror genre. He'll sit in the director's chair for a film entitled Psycho Killer written by Andrew Kevin Walker.
"It's not a throwaway slasher genre film," he says. "It's a very smart, really compelling story about a serial killer on a mission for Satan. It's really interesting and the way it's written - it's so unique. Andy is an incredible writer. It looks like we're going to go into pre-production around August."
Durst is currently out promoting the release of The Education of Charlie Banks, a drama starring Jesse Eisenberg, Jason Ritter and Chris Marquette. It opens in limited release via Anchor Bay Entertainment this Friday. Andrew Kevin Walker penned Se7e, Sleepy Hollow and this November's The Wolfman.
David Slade ("30 Days of Night," "Hard Candy") is attached to direct the horror/psychological thriller "Cold Skin" for Kanzaman says Variety.
Based on Albert Sanchez Pinol's bestselling Spanish novel of the same title, the story follows a European hired to spend a year logging wind conditions on a tiny Antarctic island.
The bookish young man soon discovers that he has a brutish neighbor named Gruner and the pair soon team to slaughter the humanoid killer amphibians that overrun the island each night.
Gruner keeps a humanoid female looking one as a pet and after fornicating with it repeatedly, the young man tries to befriend the creatures. Things soon turn into a dark orgy of murder and beastiality that when his replacement arrives, the young man has become as feral as Gruner was before him.
Jesus Olmo ("28 Weeks Later") penned the script while Denise O'Dell and Mark Albela will produce. The $25 million project begins shooting in March.
Slade has just been tapped to direct "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" which begins filming later this year.
Bruce Willis is being sought for three new projects - "Red," "Scarpa" and "Inventory" says Risky Biz Blog.
Based on the WildStorm/DC Comic, Summit Entertainment's "Red" would have Willis as an ex-black-ops agent who comes back into action when a high-tech assassin comes after him and the woman he loves.
Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian are producing, Erich and Jon Hoeber penned the script and Richard Donner could potentially direct.
Morgan Creek's "Scarpa" looks at the life of Greg Scarpa, an FBI informant who went undercover in New York's Columbo crime family. Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day") directs.
NuImage/Millennium's "Inventory" has Willis' character as a detective going after a killer.
Warner Bros. has acquired "Crazy for the Storm: A Memoir of Survival," a book by Norman Ollestad that Ecco will publish in June.
Ollestad's memoir recounts how his father infused his love for extreme sports in him as a boy, pressing him to become a competitive surfer and skier, experience that allowed him to survive when a plane crash stranded him on an icy mountaintop at age 11.
The film will be produced by Storyopolis co-founder Fonda Snyder, literary manager Rob Weisbach and Gerber Pictures' Bill Gerber. Weisbach sold world rights to the Harper Collins imprint Ecco. Ollestad will be executive producer.
Ollestad, who is now 41 and the father of a 9-year old son, tells the story of his love/hate relationship with his charismatic father, who thrust him into extreme sports pursuits at age 3, and pressed him to excel in the world of surfing and competitive skiing that immersed them in the Southern California surf culture of the 1970s. Ollestad became his father's greatest creation, a fearless surfer and ski champion, and that fearlessness prompted him to not give up even after he saw his idol killed in the crash that left him alone in a blizzard in the San Gabriel Mountains.
"Nothing prepared me for how deeply Norm's story would affect me," Snyder said. "His gripping story forces you to question, given the protective culture of parenting today, how a father shapes a boy's definition of what it means to be a man."
CAA brokered the film deal.
Fox's "Used Guys" has a new lease on life.
Three years after the studio pulled the plug on the futuristic comedy that had Jim Carrey and Ben Stiller onboard to star and Jay Roach directing, Fox is aiming to rebirth "Guys," originally centered on a pair of obsolete pleasure clones, as more of a romantic comedy.
Stiller is now in talks to star and the "Little Miss Sunshine" team of Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton is in talks to direct. Reese Witherspoon's been approached to take the lead female role.
Stiller's also expected to produce through his Red Hour Films shingle.
Fox halted the film in May 2006, a month prior to the start of lensing, saying "Used Guys" wouldn't be ready for its scheduled start date because of its futuristic sets. And due to the delays, the studio said, "Guys" wouldn't wrap before Carrey and Stiller had other acting commitments.
But it turned out that Fox pulled the plug when the pic's budget sailed past $110 million, even though the stars and Roach had agreed to work at reduced rates. "All the parties remain committed to making the picture when time permits," the studio said at the time.
Stiller just signed on with Participant Media to direct "Help Me Spread Goodness," which he'll produce with Red Hour partner Stuart Cornfeld and Jeremy Kramer. He's expected to reprise his role in the Paul Weitz-directed "Little Fockers" for Universal and next stars in "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," which Fox bows May 22.
British sketch comedy "Little Britain" is being turned into a US feature film via Ben Stiller's Red Hour Films says The Sun.
Creators & stars Matt Lucas and David Walliams have just finished penning a script for the film that sets the action in Las Vegas. "We're really happy with it, but the whole film project is still kind of dependent on how much we can raise our profiles in America" says Walliams.
First launched on radio and then on TV channel BBC Three in the UK in 2003, the series went on to become an international cult phenomenon with its regular group of characters and their signature catchphrases. Using extensive make-up, the pair played men and women of all different types throughout the series run.
In 2007 the spin-off "Little Britain USA" was launched featuring several of the old characters from the UK series along with some new ones. The show pulled in big numbers in the UK but only did so-so on HBO and US critics were harsh, especially towards two new bodybuilder characters satirizing repressed homosexuality manifesting itself through macho posturing.
The big question is which of their famous creations will be included whether it be 'the only gay in the village' Daffyd Thomas, Emily 'I'm a lady' Howard, obese socialite Bubbles DeVere, militant diet PR woman Marjorie Dawes, or the brattish Vicky Pollard.
Walliams says "We do have some new ideas for characters — a mum feeding her son to make him the fattest boy in America, a psycho American girlfriend, but without the bunnies, a woman who has everything Disney themed, and some annoying Scottish air hostesses."
A second season of "Little Britain USA" is in the works this Fall but the format of their airing has yet to be decided. Lucas is currently starring as the villainous Chancellor Dongalor in Comedy Central's sword & sandal fantasy satire "Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire".
The pair recently recorded new episodes of their musical interview satire "Rock Profile" which originally aired back in 1999 & 2000. Those eps will begin showing on funnyordie.co.uk from May 11th.
Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group has picked up the North American rights to the live-action version of Japanese anime feature "Blood: The Last Vampire" says Screen Daily.
Gianna (My Sassy Girl, Daisy) stars in the film as a 400-year-old demon-hunter working for a secret Japanese organisation during the Vietnam War era.
Koyuki, Michael Byrne, Colin Salmon and Allison Miller also star. Samuel Goldwyn Films is set to release the movie this Summer.
Ken Watanabe and Tom Hardy have joined Christopher Nolan's "Inception" for Warner Bros. Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
The contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind and stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a CEO-type character.
Watanabe will play the film's villain, a man who is blackmailing DiCaprio. Hardy is a member of DiCaprio's team.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy, Ellen Page and Marion Cotillard also star. Filming kicks off this Summer.
Watanabe previously played the villainous Ra's Al-Ghul in Nolan's 2005 effort "Batman Begins". British actor Hardy is best known for his role as the villain Shinzon in 2002's "Star Trek: Nemesis".
This afternoon our regular tipster just banged on my door and unloaded a bunch of casting for Dimension Films' Piranha 3D, which begins lensing next month in Arizona under the direction of Alex Aja. Read on to see who will be joining the previously announced Elisabeth Shue, Adam Scott, Ving Rhames and Richard Dreyfuss in the forthcoming reboot that takes place in Lake Havasu, Arizona, where a tremor causes the lake's floor to open, setting free scores of prehistoric piranhas...
Bloody-Disgusting learned exclusively this afternoon of the following casting for Piranha 3D.
First, Dina Meyer, who you might remember as "Kerry" in Saw II-IV, will be playing "Paula".
The young Brooklynn Proulx will play "Laura".
Quinn Lord, who you'll see as "Sam" in Trick 'r Treat later this year and in Joe Dante's The Hole, stars as "Zane".
Lastly, Riley Steele rounds out the cast as "Crystal".
Elizabeth Shue will play Sheriff Julie Forester, Ving Rhames will play "Fallon" and Adam Scott takes on the character "Novak." The legendary Richard Dreyfuss cameos.
Here's the synopsis being used at this time: They're back! Every year the population of sleepy Lake Havasu explodes from 5,000 to 50,000 for a single, wild weekend - the 4th of July, a riot of sun, drunken fun and sex-crazed mayhem. But this year, there's something more to worry about than hangovers and complaints from local old timers. Havasu sits in the crater formed by a prehistoric volcanic eruption, and when earth tremors tear open a crack in the lake floor, all hell breaks through. Piranhas - a million ravenous, razor-toothed monsters, unchanged since the dawn of time. Unstoppable killing machines acting blindly under one primeval impulse: to hunt down anything that moves and strip it to the raw, bleeding bone. In seconds.
Piranha hits theaters March 19, 2010.
Source: Bloody-Disgusting
Rachel Weisz has signed on to star in indie political drama "The Whistleblower" in a part recalling the thesp's role as a crusading truth-seeker in "The Constant Gardener."
Larysa Kondracki will make her feature directorial debut.
Based on a true story, "Whistleblower" chronicles the trials of a female cop from Nebraska who serves as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia and exposes a United Nations cover-up of a sex trafficking scandal. Kondracki and Ellis Kirwin wrote the film, which will shoot in Budapest. The pair based the screenplay on the story of Kathryn Bolkovac, who traveled to Bosnia in 1999 as a U.N. peacekeeper.
Primary Prods.' Amy Kaufman ("Sin nombre") is producing alongside First Generation's Christina Piovesan ("Amreeka") and Plum Pictures' Celine Rattray ("The Winning Season").
Project had originally been set up at Focus Features, where Kaufman had been an exec on the project. Then HBO Films scooped up the real-life tale in turnaround.
Nicolas Chartier of Voltage Pictures will handle international sales at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, while UTA is repping the U.S. sale.
Weisz will next be seen in Peter Jackson's "The Lovely Bones" and Alejandro Amenabar's "Agora," which will unspool at Cannes.
Mark Lindsay's New York-based sales company Kimmel International has bulked up its Cannes slate with international rights to the espionage thriller Trust starring Kiefer Sunderland, Billy Crudup and Guy Pearce.
Robert Edwards is scheduled to start shooting in Los Angeles this autumn. The story follows two FBI counter-intelligence agents in 1969 Los Angeles who are stunned when a fellow American walks in and confesses he has been spying for the Soviets and volunteers to turn double agent.
Greg Shapiro who produced Kathryn Bigelow's Iraq war thriller The Hurt Locker and is in production on Bruce Robinson's The Rum Diary is serving as producer. CAA is handling North American rights.
"The world of Trust is one in which no-one – not the characters themselves, and certainly not the audience – is ever quite sure who is on the level and who isn't, or who is being double-crossed and who is doing the double-crossing," Edwards said.
The director is currently adapting John LeCarre's novel The Night Manager for Paramount and Brad Pitt's production company Plan B.
Kimmel International will also introduce the drama Hesher starring Natalie Portman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rainn Wilson, Piper Laurie, John Carroll Lynch and Devin Brochu. Spenser Susser was due to begin shooting this week in Los Angeles from a screenplay he co-wrote with David Michod.
The story centers on a 13-year-old boy and a twenty-something anarchist who walks into the youngster's life and helps him deal with loss, love, bullies and the difficulties of growing up. Portman is producing the film with Lucy Cooper, Matt Weaver and Scott Prisand.
Kimmel International's slate includes Mark Ruffalo's drama and feature directorial debut Sympathy For Delicious starring Christopher Thornton, Ruffalo, Orlando Bloom, Juliette Lewis and Laura Linney, as well as the inspirational drama An Invisible Sign starring Jessica Alba, and the comedy Paper Man with Jeff Daniels, Emma Stone, Lisa Kudrow and Ryan Reynolds.
The roster continues with the comedy All's Faire In Love starring Christina Ricci, Owen Benjamin, Matthew Lillard, Ann-Margret and Cedric the Entertainer, supernatural horror Don't Look Up from Fruit Chan, and Gregor Jordan's thriller Unthinkable with Samuel L Jackson, Carrie-Anne Moss and Michael Sheen.
Fortapasc
(Italy)
By JAY WEISSBERG
Powered By
'Fortapasc'
A 01 Distribution release of a BiBi Film, Rai Cinema, Minerva Pictures Group production. Produced by Angelo Barbagallo, Gianluca Curti. Executive producer, Gianfranco De Rosa. Directed by Marco Risi. Screenplay, Jim Carrington, Andrea Purgatori, Risi.
With: Libero De Rienzo, Valentina Lodovini, Michele Riondino, Massimiliano Gallo, Ernesto Mahieux, Salvatore Cantalupo, Gigio Morra, Gianfranco Gallo, Antonio Buonomo, Ennio Fantastichini, Duccio Camerini, Renato Carpentieri, Gianfelice Imparato, Marcello Mazzarella, Daniele Pecci.
Marco Risi's long-in-gestation "Fortapasc" strikingly re-creates the last four months in the life of Giancarlo Siani, a young journalist whacked by the Neapolitan mob in 1985 for digging too deeply into their alliances. Though any Camorra movie will now inevitably be compared with Matteo Garrone's very different "Gomorrah," Risi has crafted his personal best with this hard-hitting take on the murder of idealism. Title (pronounced "Fort-apash" in dialect) references John Ford's classic western, "Fort Apache," and the lawlessness of Mafia-ruled Naples, here brought to Scorsese-like life. Critical reception has outpaced public interest, though Euro arthouses and ancillary should respond.
Siani (Libero De Rienzo, perfectly cast) is an idealistic adjunct reporter attached to the Neapolitan suburb of Torre Annunziata. His dream is to become a fully accredited journalist, but editor Sasa (Ernesto Mahieux) isn't interested in investigative stories.
When Siani stumbles on a pow-wow between local kingpin Valentino Gionta (Massimiliano Gallo) and big boss Carmine Alfieri (Gigio Morra), he seizes the chance to write a real expose. With the enthusiasm and courage of youth, Siani tries to trace Gionta's connections, from fellow Camorristas up to corrupt politicians and magistrates.
In the course of his investigation, Siani chronicles the open warfare between rival factions. He gains recognition from the "real" journalists he so longs to join, but also arouses the deadly anger of the mob.
Risi and fellow scripters Jim Carrington and Andrea Purgatori avoid creating a simple issues-based film, fleshing out Siani's professional and ethical drive with scenes of a more personal nature, especially involving his g.f., Daniela (Valentina Lodovini). While these side elements project Siani as a sympathetic regular Joe, rather than merely an anti-mob crusader, they occasionally feel unnecessary, as in Daniela's clumsy jealousy over a flirtatious cellist's glances.
The reference to "Fort Apache" first comes from Torre Annunziata's corrupt Mayor Cassano (Ennio Fantastichini), as he denies the lawlessness that's patently obvious. Risi doesn't over-emphasize the parallels -- there's no sense of the blind, rule-bound hubris at the core of Ford's classic -- but when Gionta and his cronies ride into town on their motorcycles like something out of the Wild West, the film's cinematic genealogy is clear.
While not featuring any bravura camerawork a la Scorsese, "Fortapasc" has plenty of cheap Camorra bling and swagger, which elicit knowing chuckles that are eventually silenced by sadistic rub-outs. At times, however, the pic feels overly scripted: When Siani talks to high school students, it's too obvious he's really trying to educate the viewer.
The film captures the run-down spaces around Naples, with their cheap glitz and heat-baked rubble. Risi's use of a cavern-like car park is perfect: Though not uncommon in the area, the space acts as a kind of Hades, a dangerous, primitive world lying just under the heart of the city.
Lenser Marco Onorato, also d.p. on "Gomorrah," here uses a richer palette, reflecting a more intimate story. Several cast members here also appeared in Garrone's film. Several cast members, apparently straight out of central casting, are also shared with the same film.
PainterCamera (color), Marco Onorato; editor, Clelio Benevento; music, Franco Piersanti; production designer, Sonia Peng; costume designer, Ortensia De Francesco; sound (Dolby Digital), Massimo Simonetti; assistant director, Dino Giarrusso. Reviewed at Nuovo Sacher, Rome, April 19, 2009. Running time: 108 MIN.
Racing Dreams
(Documentary)
By RONNIE SCHEIBRead other reviews about this film
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'Racing Dreams'
A Good/White Buffalo Entertainment/Fire Tower Films presentation of a Good/White Buffalo production. Produced by Bristol Baughan, Marshall Curry. Executive producers, Jack Turner, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Ben Goldhirsh. Directed by Marshall Curry.
With: Annabeth Barnes, Josh Hobson, Brandon Warren.
Half lean, mean racing saga and half in-depth character study, "Racing Dreams" is a dynamite docu about three kids vying for the National Championship of the World Karting Assn. -- the unofficial "Little League" of NASCAR racing. Directed by Marshall Curry (whose "Street Fight," about a corrupt Newark mayoral race, nabbed an Academy Award nomination), the perceptively balanced "Dreams" transitions seamlessly from domestic drama to 70-mph heats. Winner of Tribeca's docu award, the pic promises a potentially wide audience base among fans of racing, fans of kids and fans of documentaries.
Curry has chosen three tweens who differ wildly in class, attitude and personality to represent the drivers of these extreme WKA karts, with winners often graduating to full-size racing cars well before they can legally steer the family sedan. Josh, at 12, already a four-time champ, is quiet and well behaved, performing well in school and brilliantly on the track. A pint-sized politician, he studies NASCAR pros as much for their interview style as for their driving smarts, well aware that his future in the sport depends on attracting sponsors.
Eleven-year-old Annabeth is new to the Nationals but not to the sport, having made karting headlines as a champion in a sport dominated by boys. The daughter of a retired racer dad and a self-confessed "NASCAR-addicted" mom, she grew up around the track, and is resolved to become the first woman to win the Daytona 500. Meanwhile 13-year-old Brandon arrives at the Nationals after having his victory the year before disqualified for rough driving. Brandon has issues with anger management, on and off the track -- the legacy of a troubled childhood.
Tracking this trio around the country to the five meets that determine the final standings, director Curry utilizes various graphic and post-production video effects to make the proceedings instantly understandable, including animated scoreboards and rendering his protagonists' vehicles in bright colors against their black-and-white competition.
But in Curry's edit, ultimate success or failure is tied to the resolution of dramatic changes the kids are undergoing at home. Annabeth bows to the pressures and joys of being a teenage girl, no longer content to forego parties and friends for long weekends of practice laps -- much to the consternation of her NASCAR-centric folks. Finally, she is drawn back to competing as much by her budding romance with Brandon as by love of the sport. Only Josh appears impervious to the onrush of puberty -- though not to the huge debts accrued by his middle-class parents in their support of his costly vocation.
Tech credits are superlative, with the docu almost too polished for the sense of immediacy it largely conveys. Curry frames the backwoods house Brandon shares with his auto-mechanic grandfather almost like a fiction film as their peaceful existence is disrupted by Brandon's father's release from prison.
Camera (color, HD), Alan Jacobsen, Wolfgang Held, Peter Gordon, Marshall Curry, editors, Matthew Hamachek, Marshall Curry, Mary Manhardt; music, Joel Goodman; sound, Al Nelson. Reviewed at Tribeca Film Festival (competing), April 29, 2009. Running time: 97 MIN.
Robert De Niro and Edward Norton are attached to star in the indie psychological thriller "Stone," to be helmed by John Curran.
Story centers on a correctional officer (De Niro) who is seduced by the wife of a convicted arsonist (Norton) up for parole.
Angus MacLachlan ("Junebug") penned the screenplay.
"Stone" marks the debut film of Mimran Schur Pictures, a company formed earlier this year by private investor David Mimran and longtime music biz executive and former Geffen Records prexy Jordan Schur.
Holly Wiersma ("Bobby") is producing alongside Mimran and Schur. Avi Lerner, Rene Besson, Trevor Short and Danny Dimbort are exec producing.
Curran is prepping the Keira Knightley starrer "The Beautiful and the Damned."
De Niro is on board for the latest chapter in the "Meet the Parents" franchise, "Little Fockers."
Norton will next be seen in the indie "Leaves of Grass."
James McAvoy, Elizabeth Banks, Laura Linney and Anna Friel are set to star in "The Details," a black comedy scripted and directed by Jacob Estes.
Story concerns a couple, to be played by McAvoy and Banks, who discover an infestation of raccoons in their back yard. Disagreements over how to deal with the animals lead to an escalating series of events.
Lensing is set to begin this summer in Seattle.
Mark Gordon is producing alongside Bryan Zuriff and Hagai Shaham.
The film is the first for Estes since his 2004 thriller "Mean Creek."
Estes was hired to rewrite another script for Gordon, who read "The Details" and boarded the project.
Gordon's producing the upcoming Roland Emmerich-directed "2012" for Sony and a Fox 2000 drama based on Patricia Cornwell's series of Dr. Kay Scarpetta novels.
Gotham-based shingle Ergo Films is financing the project. ContentFilm is handling worldwide sales.
Warner Bros. has set Alex Holmes to rewrite and direct "The Interpretation of Murder," an adaptation of the Jed Rubenfeld novel.
Paula Weinstein is producing.
Story follows a Sigmund Freud protege who discovers a trail of sadistic murders in turn-of-the-century New York.
Chris Kyle wrote the first draft of the screenplay. The novel was published in 2007 by Picador.
Deal marks the first studio project for Holmes, who co-wroe, helmed and was exec producer of "House of Saddam," a dissection of the ruthless reign of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. The mini aired on HBO in the U.S.
Holmes is repped by ICM.
Jerry O'Connell has joined the cast of "Piranha 3-D" for The Weinstein Company says Entertainment Weekly.
Alexandre Aja helms the action-thriller which co-stars the likes of Elisabeth Shue, Adam Scott, Ving Rhames, Richard Dreyfuss and Jessica Szohr.
The story is set around Lake Victoria in the mid-West when a sudden underwater tremor sets free scores of the prehistoric man-eating fish.
Soon, unlikely group of strangers must band together to stop themselves from becoming fish food, but our heroine (Shue) has just one chance to save the lake and her family from totally being devoured.
Filming kicks off next Monday at Lake Havasu, Arizona.
Ray Stevenson, Christopher Walken and Val Kilmer have joined the mob drama "The Irishman" for Code Entertainment reports the trades.
The story is based on the life of mobster Danny Greene (Stevenson), a violent Irish-American gangster who competed with the Italian mob in 1970s Cleveland and ended up provoking a countrywide turf war that crippled the entire criminal underworld.
Walken will play infamous loan-sharking nightclub owner Shondor Birns, and Kilmer will portray a Cleveland cop who befriends Greene.
Jonathan Hensleigh ("The Punisher") will direct from a screenplay he wrote. Filming is set to begin on May 19th in Detroit.
Al Corley, Bart Rosenblatt and Eugene Musso are producing.
Rosario Dawson and Steve Coogan have joined the Greek mythology-infused adventure "Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief" for Fox 2000 says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story is adaptation of Rick Riordan's best-selling fantasy-adventure book series that includes the world-saving quest of Poseidon's half-human son, Percy, in modern America.
Catherine Keener, Pierce Brosnan, Uma Thurman, Sean Bean, Kevin McKidd, Melina Kanakaredes, Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario and Brandon T. Jackson already have been cast.
Coogan will play the nefarious Hades, and Dawson will play his imprisoned wife, Persephone, who has a flirtation with Jackson's character, Grover, Percy's best friend. Only the role of Ares, God of War, is yet to be cast.
Chris Columbus is directing.
Jeffrey Nachmanoff ("Traitor") is set to direct "Billy Smoke" for Warner Bros. Pictures and Thunder Road says The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on B. Clay Moore's comic book series, "Lost" star Matthew Fox is attached to star as an elite hit man who is nearly killed during a botched job.
He realizes that his only way to find redemption is to rid the world of all assassins. Eric Gitter is set to produce.
"Gossip Girl" star Jessica Szohr has joined Dimension Films horror film remake "Piranha 3-D" says E! Online.
Szohr plays a hot young townie caught up in the excitement of co-eds who have descended upon lakeside town for spring break. Unfortunately they haven't realised it has been overrun by man-eating razor-toothed fish,
Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes) directs the remake which also star Elisabeth Shue, Ving Rhames, Adam Scott, Richard Dreyfuss, Dina Meyer, Brooklynn Proulx, Quinn Lord and Riley Steele also star.
Shooting kicks off in Arizona later this month.
Guillermo del Toro is in negotiations to produce the horror feature "Mama" for Universal Pictures says Risky Biz Blog.
Andy and Barbara Muschietti are writing the English-language script based on their acclaimed Spanish-language short with Andy directing and Barbara producing. The Muschiettis are currently working on the script.
The plotline for the full feature is being kept under wraps, but the short centers on two girls, Victoria and Lily, who are on the run from a ghostly woman who appears to be their mother in a Gothic home.
If Del Toro signs on, the arrangement would be similar to his involvement in Juan Antonio Bayona's well-received 2007 supernatural thriller "The Orphanage".
Due to Del Toro's commitment to "The Hobbit", it's quite possible "Mama" will also shoot in New Zealand to allow more involvement by the "Pan's Labyrinth" filmmaker.
"Quantum of Solace" helmer Marc Forster and producer William Horberg are reteaming on the tech thriller "Disconnect" for Nala Films.
Penned by Andrew Stern, script explores the mystery of how people live in today's wired world, where the technology meant to bring them together only forces them further apart.
Nala's Darlene Caamano Loquet and Emilio Diez Barroso optioned the script and will finance and produce the film. Brad Simpson and Forster are also producing via their Apparatus shingle alongside Wonderful Films' Horberg.
Nala, whose recent credits include "Dan in Real Life" and "In the Valley of Elah," is in post-production on the supernatural thriller "Shelter," starring Julianne Moore and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
Forster, who is not expected to return for another James Bond installment, is developing "World War Z" for Paramount Pictures. His credits include "Stranger Than Fiction" and "Finding Neverland."
Simon West will direct Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff's update of "The Mechanic."
Winkler and Chartoff produced the 1972 original, in which Charles Bronson played a highly skilled -- and massively detached -- hitman who finds himself training the son of one of his victims. Jason Statham is taking the Bronson role in the remake.
Pre-rights to the project were being sold at the Berlin Film Festival in February.
West, who last directed a remake of "When a Stranger Calls," will begin lensing this summer in Shreveport, La., where Nu Image/Millennium is building a studio.
William Chartoff and David Winkler are exec producing along with Nu Image/Millennium's Danny Dimbort, Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson and Avi Lerner. Karl Gajdusek penned the script.
Marisa Tomei and Liv Tyler will topline indie psychological thriller "10A/10B," produced and financed through Christopher Mallick's Oxymoron Entertainment.
South Korean director Chul-soo Park will helm the adapted script of his original 1995 film "301/302."
Film will explore the relationship and consequences that result when a culinary perfectionist, portrayed by Tyler, and an actress with a failing career, played by Tomei, become neighbors in a loft apartment building.
Mallick and Intl. Production Co.'s Dan Frisch and Philip Waley will produce along with Floyd Byars and Unjoo Byars.
Filming will begin in Los Angeles on June 1.
Oxymoron will show its comedy "Middle Man" at Cannes.
Objectified
(Documentary)
By RONNIE SCHEIBRead other reviews about this film
Powered By
'Objectified'
A Swiss Dots production. Produced, directed by Gary Hustwit.
With: Paola Antonelli, Marc Newson, Dieter Rams, Alice Rawsthorn, Jonathan Ives, David Kelley, Karim Rashid, Andrew Blauvelt, Naoto Fukasawa, Chris Bangle, Dan Formosa.
(English, German, French, Japanese, Dutch dialogue)
In a decidedly secular spin on the theory of intelligent design, Gary Hustwit's "Objectified" riffs on the premise that everything in our man-made environment has been deliberately preconfigured. In contrast to his 2007 "Helvetica," which expanded the notion of a simple typeface to encompass the universe, the helmer starts with a totality of objects to arrive at basic precepts. Interviewing influential designers of everything from potato peelers to iPods, Hustwit poses fascinating questions about what George Carlin irreverently dubbed "stuff." This witty, engaging and exquisitely crafted docu, which opened May 8 at Gotham's IFC Center, could achieve wide ancillary appeal.
While designers from around the globe articulately espouse their philosophies and approaches, Hustwit's camera frames chairs, coffee pots and spoons like objects found on an alien, quasifuturistic landscape, where even huge factory machines appear sleek and spotless. The camera roves through consumer displays in huge department stores in Tokyo, Stockholm and Berlin.
Some designers seek to improve existing products to make them more user-friendly, while others are inspired to fabricate something that has never before existed. Some, backed by commercial interests, want to create the ultimate "now" model of infinitely disposable techno-gear, while still others value sustainability. As one preserves tradition by sewing buttons on a boxy divan, another questions why we stubbornly cling to outmoded ways in a microchip world that renders those concepts obsolete. In one designer's view, we simply cannot keep producing more stuff for 10% of the planet when 90% lack even basic services.
Consultants' free-form brainstorming leads from a bristle-replaceable toothbrush to every conceivable variation on dental care. A computer designer waxes poetic on the multifunctionality of a plastic keyboard grid. A car engineer likens automobile models to classical sculptures while, to another, they symbolize drivers' visions of themselves.
But the biggest sea change in the nature of design comes from ecology and accompanying problems of recycling and disposal. As the camera roves the streets of Hoboken, N.J., past rows of discarded appliances half-covered in snow, Hustwit's film shows how artistic, sentimental, environmental and commercial priorities struggle for pre-eminence amid concerns for planetary survival.
More than one option(Person) David Kelley
Assistant Director, Assistant Camera Operator, Production Assistant
(Person) David Kelley
ActorCamera (color, HD), Luke Geissbuhler; editor, Joe Beshenkovsky; music, Kristian Dunn; sound, Lou Teti; sound designer, Brian Bracken. Reviewed at Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, New York, April 4, 2009. Running time: 75 MIN.
James McTeigue ("V for Vendetta," "Ninja Assassin") is tipped to be helming the upcoming "Conan the Barbarian" reboot film for Nu-Image/Millenium says
The news comes a few days after it was revealed that "Rush Hour" helmer Brett Ratner has left the project. The concern now is that $120 million dollar budget for the film may be slashed as McTeigue's resume doesn't guarantee a hit as much as Ratner.
...od jutros netom cirkulišu dva primamljiva naslova - bugarski neo-noir ZIFT (1 CD, DVD Screener, hardcoded engeski titlovi) i THE HORSEMEN Jonasa Akerlunda (1 CD, dvd rip)...
Akerlund obećava! :!:
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi234.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fee305%2Fshozohirono%2F1619.jpg&hash=5f450d10ccf113565ac416fc931582e77033222c)
opa! ko bi očekivo omaž ruskom ratnom klasiku u američkom horor filmu?! :shock:
Up
12 May, 2009 | By Mike Goodridge
Dir: Pete Docter, US, 2009. 104mins
The tenth feature film from Pixar Animation Studios – and the first in which flesh-and-blood (non-superhero) humans are the key protagonists – Pete Docter's Up is a marvel of a movie which will enchant cinemagoers around the world and remain a family favourite for decades to come. A highpoint of ingenuity and storytelling in the Pixar canon and indeed the animated form, this is a fitting opening to this year's Cannes Film Festival; indeed it will be hard for any other film there to match the storytelling genius and gorgeous 3D imagery which Docter and his team have achieved.
Box office greatness is assured for all Pixar films these days, thanks to the strength of the brand combined with that of its partners at Disney. But, although all have been blockbusters, there's a wide Pixar range: last year's Wall-E, widely, for example, took $222.8m in the domestic market and $311m in international, but even that $535m total was $330m less than Finding Nemo in 2003. Quite where Up will fall in the range is anybody's guess, although its strong emotional connection to audiences will likely drive it up into the higher end of the studio's grossing scale.
Although there are plenty of animated films still to come this year — Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr Fox and Walt Disney title The Princess And The Frog among them — Up should be the strongest contender for the animated feature Oscar next March, and could even pitch for consideration in the best picture category as well.
Up has humour and action aplenty to enthrall children, but it should engage adults in equal quantities who will respond to its rich emotional content.
The prologue is a heartrending 10 minutes set in the 1930s, when we meet a young child named Carl Fredricksen who longs for the adventures played out by his hero, real-life explorer Charles Muntz, in exotic locations such as Paradise Falls in South America.
The young Carl makes friends with a feisty girl called Ellie who has a similar longing for adventure. The two form a bond which will see them getting married, trying (and failing) to have a baby and growing old together, until Ellie gets sick and dies. The film essentially begins with the 78-year-old Carl struggling with loneliness after her funeral.
Carl's grief is exacerbated by the fact that developers are trying to get their hands on his city-centre house and ship him off to a retirement home. When he loses his temper with one of the construction crew, he is served with a court order to pack up and leave.
But on the night before Carl is due to move out of his home, he hatches a plot to pursue the adventure he never had. By inflating thousands of balloons, he lifts the house off its foundations and flies away.
Unbeknown to Carl, also on board is a persistent eight-year-old Wilderness Explorer called Russell who is desperate to do a service for Carl and win his assisting-the-elderly badge. The two of them head off to South America, land in Paradise Falls and begin an adventure which changes their lives and their outlooks.
Superbly voiced by Edward Asner, Carl is a new kind of hero for any animated film: a grumpy old man with rigidly square features — even square ears and square liver spots — and a bad back. His relationship with the neglected but hardy Russell (endearingly voiced by newcomer Nagai) grows slowly and authentically as they encounter various rare birds, packs of talking dogs and an ageing Charles Muntz (voiced by Plummer).
The colours of the film are ravishing and some of the compositions are painterly, while the 3D enhances the images without playing any in-your-face tricks on the audience. Michael Giacchino's memorable music themes will be rattling around your head for hours after the film is over.
The Pixar canon is so impressive because of its insistence on story. Avoiding distracting star names in the voice cast or contemporary pop culture references, the films are timeless and eminently valuable assets in the Disney library, and they represent a golden era for animation which will go down in film history alongside the early Disney greats such as Snow White and Fantasia. With Toy Story 3 set for release next year and two Pixar films for 2011, one can only expect the consistency of quality to be sustained.
Hanway Films will handle international sales on Takashi Miike's samurai pic "Thirteen Assassins" reports Variety.
Based on Eiichi Kudo's 1963 film and set in the shogun era, the story follows thirteen assassins who come together for a suicide mission to kill an evil lord, is b
Jeremy Thomas and Toshiaki Nakazawa ("Departures," "Sukiyaki Western Django") will produce.
Shooting kicks off this July in Japan's Yamagature Prefecture.
Dark Castle is revisiting the haunted house genre, pairing with Todd Lincoln, who will write and direct "The Apparition" for Joel Silver's genre label.
Details of the project, an original idea developed by Lincoln, Dark Castle exec Alex Heineman and producer Daniel Alter, is being kept under wraps, but the plot is said to be based on true events.
"Apparition" marks the second project Lincoln and Alter have conjured up at Warner Bros.-based Dark Castle over the past month, after setting up sci-fi thriller "The Nye Incidents" there. That pic will be based on Whitley Strieber and Craig Spector's graphic novel.
It's also one of the first projects Dark Castle has picked up since former Rogue Pictures prexy Andrew Rona was tapped prexy of Silver Pictures and co-prexy of the genre label late last year.
Dark Castle has previously ventured into haunted house territory with "Thirteen Ghosts" and "House on Haunted Hill."
Silver, Rona and Heineman will produce through Dark Castle with Alter. Final producing credits are still being worked out.
Alter also has an adaptation of "Johnny Quest" set up at WB with producer Adrian Askarieh. Duo collaborated on "Hitman" at Fox. Alter and Askarieh also have adaptations of the Devil's Due books "Hack/Slash" and "Lost Squad" set up at Relativity-owned Rogue.
Lincoln, who established himself as a musicvideo and commercials helmer, had previously been attached to a remake of "The Fly" at Fox.
Joel Silver's Dark Castle is developing the remake "I Saw What You Did" for Warner Bros. Pictures to release says Variety.
Based on the 1965 William Castle-directed "I Saw What You Did and I Know Who You Are!", the story revolved around two girls who innocently pass the time making prank phone calls to unsuspecting people until they call the wrong guy.
Joan Crawford star in the original which was based on Ursula Curtis' novel "Out of the Dark". Silver, Andrew Rona and Steve Richards will produce.
"My Bloody Valentine 3D" duo Patrick Lussier and Todd Farmer will write and Lussier will direct.
Michael Madsen, Rachel Hunter and Jennifer Tisdale are starring in "Nictophobia," a horror thriller being directed by Doug Elford-Argent and produced by David Frank Fletcher Jr.
The story follows a murderer (Madsen) who terrorizes a trio of people who, in real estate parlance, flip properties.
Luckster Productions in associations with 30 Something Productions and Libra-Con Productions are behind the movie.
Michael Madsen has 'Nictophobia'
Actor playing murderer in horror film
Staff report
May 11, 2009, 01:44 PM ET
Michael Madsen, Rachel Hunter and Jennifer Tisdale are starring in "Nictophobia," a horror thriller being directed by Doug Elford-Argent and produced by David Frank Fletcher Jr.
The story follows a murderer (Madsen) who terrorizes a trio of people who, in real estate parlance, flip properties.
Luckster Productions in associations with 30 Something Productions and Libra-Con Productions are behind the movie.
Jean Claude Van Damme and Vinnie Jones will play rival assassins in the action thriller "Weapon" for Flagship Films reports the trades.
Jones will play a master sharpshooter while Van Damme's character is skilled with a knife. The two join forces to take down the head of a drug cartel who is backed by the DEA.
Russell Mulcahy will direct while Alison Semenza and Todd Moyer will produce. Filming kicks off this August in and around Vancouver.
Spanish helmer Jaume Balagueró ("REC," "Darkness") is set to direct the English-language horror thriller "Flatmate" for Filmax says Aullidos.
Plot details on the $16 million project are being kept under wraps but the story is set in New York City and will kick off filming later this year with an international cast.
Balagueró and Alberto Marini will work on the script as Balagueró finishes up post-production on "REC 2".
Warner Bros. Pictures has landed John Hlavin's revenge thriller spec script "The Gunslinger" says The Hollywood Reporter.
"Gunslinger" follows an ex-Texas Ranger who will stop at nothing to find and punish the men who killed his brother and rescue his nephew.
Andrew Lazar is producing.
The Halcyon Company, who're behind the upcoming "Terminator Salvation", picked up first-look rights to sci-fi author Philip K. Dick's estate in 2007.
Now they've selected Dick's "Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said" as the first of his works they intend to turn into a feature film says The Hollywood Reporter.
Set in a futuristic, dystopian world, "Tears" is the tale of a celebrity who wakes up after an assassination attempt to find no one has ever heard of him.
Previous Dick stories have been turned into films with mixed success. For every solid work such as "Blade Runner", "Total Recall" and "Minority Report" there have been some less impressive fare like "A Scanner Darkly," "Impostor," "Paycheck," "Screamers" and "Next".
Halycon co-founders Victor Kubicek and Derek Anderson will produce alongside Dale Rosenbloom and John Alan Simon. Isa Dick Hackett and Laura Leslie will also be involved.
Newcomer Evan Daugherty is set to pen the latest draft of "Grayskull" for Warner Bros. and Silver Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
John Stevenson ("Kung Fu Panda") is attached to direct the adaptation of "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" cartoon series and toy line, which followed a blond warrior named Prince Adam who turns into the heroic He-Man.
He and his allies -- Battle Cat, Man-at-Arms and Orko -- defended their planet Eternia from the evil forces of Skeletor, who tries to conquer the fortress Castle Grayskull, which imbued He-Man with his powers.
Justin Marks penned the previous draft which reimagines Adam as a soldier who sets off to find his destiny, happening upon the magical world of Eternia. There, Skeletor has raised a technological army and is bent on eradicating magic.
While Nu-Image/Millenium wants "V for Vendetta" helmer James McTeigue to takeover directorial duties on the upcoming "Conan the Barbarian" remake, Lionsgate favors three other potential suitors according to CHUD.
The names that have made the mini-majors shortlist include French helmer Christopher Gans ("Brotherhood of the Wolf," "Silent Hill"), acclaimed British genre helmer Neil Marshall ("The Descent," "Doomsday"), and German helmer Marcus Nispel (the remakes of "Friday the 13th" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre").
Production kicks off on August 24th in Bulgaria and a star is still being sought for the titular warrior.
Korean production outfit Sidus FNH is set to co-produce a $10m Korean-language remake of 1967 Shaw Brothers classic One Armed Swordsman with Hong Kong's Celestia
Scheduled for release in 2010, the project will be directed by Kim Sung-su whose credits including Musa The Warrior and Running Wild. Celestial owns rights to the 760-title Shaw Brothers library and has been developing a raft of remakes with different companies.
Sidus, which has credits such as box office hits Tazza: The High Rollers and My Scary Girl, has also announced that Choi Pyung-ho has been appointed as CEO of the company, replacing Tcha Seung-jai and Kim Mee-hee who stepped down last week. Choi joined Sidus last October as executive vice president of investment and distribution and before that served as executive vice president of CJ Entertainment.
Under Choi, Sidus plans to produce two to four big-budget films a year, such as the One Armed Swordsman remake, along with US remakes of its own movies.
The company, which is owned by Korean telco KT Group, has also established an international sales arm headed by former Prime Entertainment executive Juyoung Park. It is launching four new titles at Cannes including Kwon Hyeong-jin's drama Wedding Dress, starring Song Yun-ah, and Chu Chang-min's I Love You So, a love story revolving around an elderly couple.
The sales arm will also acquire foreign titles, including theatrical and library product for distribution by KT Group. Sidus previously had an output deal for international sales with Hong Kong-based Golden Network Asia which will continue to work with the company on select titles.
Since merging with KT Group in 2005, Sidus has become a content provider for its parent company's various distribution platforms which span satellite TV, IPTV and mobile.
The production and investment outfit has also put together several entertainment-related funds worth more than $100m. In 2009, it is planning to release around 25 pictures including 20 foreign films – such as Blood: The Last Vampire,Splice, Spread and Pope Joan – along with five Korean films.
A feature film adaptation of the best-selling French detective novel series "Fantomas" is underway at La Petite Reine reports Variety.
Christophe Gans ("Silent Hill," "Brotherhood of the Wolf") is co-writing the screenplay and will direct the story which follows the ingenious but amoral master of disguise who's also a sadistic killer,
In this $60-70 million film, using both French and English dialogue, Fantomas will face off with a villain of equal or even more dastardly dimensions. David Martinez co-wrote the script,
There are forty three novels in the series published over the past century and the property has been adapted numerous times before for both film and television.
Shooting kicks off later this year or early 2010, pushing back Gans' "The Swedish Cavalier" with Vincent Cassel.
Paul Walker is in talks to play the male lead and Simon West ("Con Air") is in talks to direct the thriller "Protection" says Risky Biz Blog.
The story is about a twenty-one-year-old daughter of a Mexican judge who's targeted by mob types after she sees them kill her father and other family members.
The pair must stay on the run through dodgy places on both sides of the border, while an agent tries to protect her and the bad guy is hot on her trail.
West's involvement depends on his commitment to the remake of the Charles Bronson thriller "The Mechanic". The project is currently being sold at Cannes.
With the Memorial Day weekend opening of "Terminator Salvation" looming, the future of the franchise has become intriguing.
"Terminator" is the only franchise in which the distributors aren't locked in for future films.
MGM has a 30-day right of first refusal to finance and distribute the fifth "Terminator" film, a right earned through the settlement of a lawsuit between the studio and Halcyon partners Victor Kubicek and Derek Anderson. According to sources, MGM has every intention of making a serious play for the franchise, potentially trumping Warner Bros., which is distributing "Terminator Salvation" in domestic territories, and Sony, which is releasing the film overseas.
The distribution drama promises to be a real cliffhanger that will begin once Halcyon delivers its demands to MGM along with a first draft of the screenplay for the fifth "Terminator."
The studio's position was acquired in the bankruptcy of Orion, which distributed the first "Terminator" film, and the settlement of a lawsuit waged against MGM by Halcyon principals Kubicek and Anderson, who charged the studio with trying to block its "Terminator Salvation" deal with WB and Sony. MGM ultimately had a shot at "Terminator Salvation" but passed.
"Salvation" was a much riskier prospect then than the fifth "Terminator" is now. At the time, MGM made its decision knowing only that franchise linchpin Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn't returning, and the studio had only an early script by "Terminator 3" scribes John Brancato and Michael Ferris they developed with "T3" helmer Jonathan Mostow. That script has changed significantly, with uncredited work done by Jonah Nolan, Paul Haggis, Shawn Ryan and Anthony Zuiker. Though Halcyon hasn't yet set a writer for the fifth film, the prospects are strong because McG is returning as director, and Christian Bale will reprise as John Connor.
Halcyon is obligated to give MGM first crack at the fifth film. While some may question whether MGM can afford another big-ticket obligation, "Terminator" would be a strong fit alongside other franchise properties that include two Guillermo del Toro-helmed installments of "The Hobbit," a Darren Aronofsky-directed revamp of "Robocop," the next James Bond installment and "The Matarese Circle," an adaptation of the Robert Ludlum thriller that has David Cronenberg directing and Denzel Washington and Tom Cruise attached to star.
What pricetag would MGM be looking at to get in the game? The third and fourth films each required an investment of approximately $50 million from WB for domestic, with Sony paying in the vicinity of $75 million for overseas rights, which became more expensive on the new film because Sony acquired additional territories from Halcyon, including Japan. Those sums are the negative pickup price and do not include P&A, which they put up separately.
"If 'Terminator Salvation' makes good on its current momentum, it will be one of the most sought-after franchises in town, and every distributor will be studying ways to approach the rights holder," said David Molner, managing director of Screen Capital Intl. "Only time will tell whether pole position is enough for MGM to prevail in that contest."
It's unclear whether MGM will come away with the movie; it is uncertain whether MGM has the right to match a deal that Halcyon might make if MGM passes. MGM could be presented with an outlandish budget projection that it might reject, only to watch Halcyon make deals with another studio at a more reasonable rate. MGM has protections against "bad faith" bargaining that could put the studio and Halcyon back in court if another studio received a more favorable deal than MGM was offered.
There are split opinions on whether MGM would be required to take both domestic and offshore territories. Several sources said the studio would need to take both, but other insiders said MGM can take either piece and invite in partners.
The MGM-Halcyon drama may not play out until a year from now, when Kubicek and Anderson get an early script, but the stakes may well be supremacy for summer 2011 or 2012.
Halcyon declined comment, as did MGM.
Martin Scorsese is bringing Ol' Blue Eyes to the bigscreen.
Universal Pictures and Mandalay Pictures are teaming on "Sinatra" and have brought on Scorsese — who has long flirted with a biopic on singer-actor Frank Sinatra — to direct and produce.
Universal and Mandalay's Peter Guber and Cathy Schulman have been quietly developing the project for two years while they worked feverishly to secure the life and music rights from Frank Sinatra Enterprises — a joint venture of the Sinatra Estate and Warner Music Group.
Phil Alden Robinson is writing the screenplay.
Although no actor is attached to star in the film, Schulman said Leonardo DiCaprio is an obvious candidate because he has become Scorsese's go-to actor over the past decade, having starred in the director's past four features: "Gangs of New York," "The Aviator," "The Departed" and the upcoming "Shutter Island." Because any music in the film will come from Sinatra's recordings, it will not be necessary to cast an actor who is a proficient singer.
The process of acquiring the late entertainer's life and particularly music rights was "very complicated, as you can imagine," Schulman said, because of the multiple parties involved. "The responsibility we are taking on to tell his story — that would cause anyone to be very careful about who they grant these rights to," she added. "Everyone knows that Marty Scorsese is a final-cut director. So there had to be a lot of trust that he would tell this story in a way that didn't destroy (Sinatra's) memory."
Project marks the first bigscreen pic to be made about the Hoboken, N.J., native, whose life provided endless fodder for the gossip columnists because of his tumultuous love affairs, infamous friendships with the likes of President Kennedy and possible Mafia ties. Schulman described the story as an unconventional biopic that will touch on all phases of Sinatra's life.
"My father had great admiration for the talent of the people he chose to work with, and the talented people who worked with my father had great admiration for him," said Tina Sinatra. "It is personally pleasing to me that this paradigm continues with Marty Scorsese at the helm of the Sinatra film."
"We have dreamed of making a movie about Frank Sinatra, and Marty Scorsese is undeniably the perfect vision keeper for this project," said Guber, whose Mandalay shingle has a first-look deal at U.
Gary LeMel, the former president of worldwide music distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures, is exec producing alongside Tina Sinatra and Robinson.
Scorsese and Robinson are repped by Endeavor.
Abel Ferrara is taking another walk on the wild side with a re-imagining of Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," which will be contemporized and titled "Jekyll and Hyde."
Forest Whitaker and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson are attached to play the lead roles in the classic tale about a doctor who invents a potion that unleashes his violent alter ego.
Glasshouse Pictures' Brett Walsh and Cheetah Vision Films' Randall Emmett are producing; Luc Roeg, Michael Robinson and Andrew Orr are exec producing for U.K. production banner Independent.
Sean Walsh, Bonnie Timmermann and Chris Lighty also receive exec producer credits.
Independent is handling international sales on the project, which will begin lensing in late summer.
"The combination of such formidable talent in front of and behind the camera will turn this wonderful gothic story into a modern classic for a whole new generation," said Roeg.
William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet
(Documentary)
By JOE LEYDON
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Powered By MRQE Review
A Big Screen Entertainment Group production. Produced by David Zappone, Michael Manasseri, Kevin Layne. Executive producers, William Shatner, Kimberly Kates, Scott Woollery. Directed by Patrick Buckley. Co-directors, Bobby Ciraldo, Andrew Swant, Kevin Layne.
With: William Shatner, Ben Folds, Margo Sappington, Henry Rollins, Michael Pink, Elizabeth Shatner.
William Shatner has spent much of his career being a good sport about accepting -- and, in certain TV commercials, cannily exploiting -- the role of human punchline. But he supplements his trademark self-mockery with heartfelt sincerity, emotional openness and wisps of wistful melancholy in "William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet," a surprisingly revealing doc that suggests the full depths of his self-awareness and -- no kidding -- artistic aspirations. Although too short for consideration as a theatrical item, the docu likely will live long and prosper as homevid and cable fare after a trek through the global fest circuit.
Pic pivots on efforts by famed choreographer Margo Sappington to create a ballet based on spoken-word songs from the album "Has Been," an acclaimed collaboration by Shatner and musician-producer Ben Folds. Helmer Patrick Buckley adroitly intercuts between scenes of dance preparation and performance, interviews with Folds and others involved with the original album -- and, most important, earnestly expressed recollections and recitations by Shatner himself.
The ironically titled "Has Been," Shatner freely admits, was an attempt to demonstrate the seriousness of his musical ambitions years after an earlier album -- "The Transformed Man," featuring spoken-word renderings of "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" and "Mr. Tambourine Man" -- was jeeringly greeted as an instant camp classic. Obviously still slightly wounded by that reception, Shatner thanks Folds for encouraging him to take another chance at making music -- a gamble that, judging from the evidence here, paid off artistically if not financially.
There's a distinctively autobiographical flavor to the songs Shatner performs as the score for Sappington's lithe dancers. Most notably: "It Hasn't Happened Yet," which finds Shatner still hungry, and vaguely discontented, after all these years; and the album's title track, a seriocomic song of defiance that insists only those who actually achieve something can later be labeled a "has been."
While introing these and other songs, and during the pic's unexpectedly moving final scenes, Shatner comes across as at once playful and pensive, amused and unguarded. Even the actor's worst critics likely will find something to admire in the pic's intimate, affectionate portrait of Shatner as a game risk-taker who, for better or worse, is nowhere near ready to start playing it safe.
Tech values are sharp.
It's official, with the 80's already well plundered it seems the remake boat is moving into the 90's.
StudioCanal and Original Films are planning a remake of the Sylvester Stallone-led 1993 mountain climbing action thriller "Cliffhanger" reports Variety.
In the Renny Harlin-directed original, Stallone played a climbing expert who is forced to help a group of hijackers recover three suitcases containing $100 million lost in the Rocky Mountains.
The film went on to become a major hit, raking in $255 million worldwide and scored generally positive reviews for its impressive action including a mid-air hijack sequence and the famous opening suspense set piece involving a woman whose equipment fails during a perilous climb across a deep chasm.
The new version will center on a group of young climbers and will "feature multiple cliff-face locations". A screenwriter is being sought with production aiming to kick off next year.
Neal Moritz, who is also producing the upcoming "Escape from New York" remake for Warners, will produce.
Monica Bellucci, Guy Pearce and Miranda Otto are set to star in Bruce Beresford's upcoming romantic comedy "Get It At Goode's" reports Screen Daily.
Based on Madeleine St John's 1993 novel "The Women In Black", the story recounts the ups and downs of a group of sales ladies and their families at the high fashion salon of a department store in 1960.
Belucci will play an Italian vendeuse who pursues her goal of success in a new country and brings change and romance to the lives of those around her.
Sue Milliken is producing and the Little Film Company is commencing worldwide sales at Cannes this week.
Shooting is set to begin in October in Sydney.
CANNES -- Jason Statham will star in the $40 million action thriller "The Killer Elite."
Pic will be helmed by commercials director Gary McKendry. It's based on Ranulph Fiennes' bestseller "The Feathermen."
Based on real events, story follows a group of former British special forces members who are being hunted by assassins. Statham will play a former Navy Seal who is forced out of retirement to save his closest friend.
Producers include Joni Sighvatsson, Steve Chasman and Inferno's Bill Johnson and Jim Seibel.
Plan is to begin lensing in fall in London, Paris and Australia.
Deal closed in Cannes on Wednesday night, with Inferno fully financing and handling sales. Pic is packaged by CAA, which reps domestic rights.
French helmer Jan Kounen is teaming up with Anne Paris to helm docu "The Secret History of the Dalai Lamas."
Pic will highlight the Tibetan culture and the history and tradition of the Dalai Lamas from the 14th century to today. It will feature an interview of the current Dalai Lama and various re-enactements.
Penned by Jean-Claude Carriere ("Cyrano de Bergerac"), film is a French-German co-production between Alfred Hurmer's Berlin-based Integral Film and Manuel de la Roche's Paris-based Movie Sphere.
Sharon Stone, who is a Tibetan Buddhist, has come onboard to do the narration.
Kounen will also partner with producer Manuel de la Roche, a former Tibetan monk who also penned and produced "Darshan, L'Etreinte," a doc about Indian spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi. "Darshan" opened in Cannes in 2005.
Budgeted at $4 million, "The Secret History" will shoot in September and October and is scheduled for a spring 2010 delivery.
Kounen said the idea for the documentary, as well as "Darshan," sparked from a TV documentary series project he had with De La Roche called "Another Reality," which was supposed to showcase diverse cultures around the world.
"This documentary is a natural following to 'Darshan' " said Kounen, adding, "Cinema allows us to do longer takes and express our subjects' timelessness and philosophy more in depth than what we shot for television. We want this documentary to be a sensorial experience for viewers."
Kounen's "Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky," which was just picked up by Sony Pictures Classics for U.S. ditsribution, will close the Cannes Film Festival.
Bellucci
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Monica Bellucci has joined the cast of Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice."
She will play Veronica, a sorceress and the long-lost love of Nicolas Cage's character, Balthazar Blake.
Pic, which revolves around a sorcerer who recruits and trains a young protege to help him fight the forces of darkness in modern-day Manhattan, is shooting in New York City with Jon Turteltaub at the helm.
Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer and Toby Kebbell round out the cast.
Exec producing "Apprentice" are Cage and his Saturn Films partner Norm Golightly as well as Todd Garner, Barry Waldman and Jerry Bruckheimer Films' Mike Stenson and Chad Oman.
Pic is skedded for release on July 16, 2010.
Italian thesp Bellucci, who appeared in "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions," will next be seen here in Rebecca Miller's "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee."
Bellucci stars alongside Sophie Marceau in the French film "Ne te retourne pas" ("Don't Look Back"), which preems Saturday at the Cannes Film Festival.
Focus Features has set Anton Corbijn to direct "A Very Private Gentleman," a Rowan Joffe-scripted adaptation of the Martin Booth novel.
This Is That's Anne Carrey is producing. Production is set to begin in the fall.
Plot involves an assassin who hides out in an idyllic Italian town where he will carry out one final assignment. Going against his usual aversion to human connections, he engages in friendship and romance in the town, a decision that complicates his work.
Corbijn, renowned for work in still photography and videos for rock bands like U2 and Metallica, made his feature directorial debut on 2007's "Control," which chronicled the life of Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis, who committed suicide at 23. Corbijn received a Golden Camera Special Mention at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.
CAA reps Corbijn.
A Prophet (Un Prophète)
16 May, 2009 | By Jonathan Romney
Dir. Jacques Audiard. France/Italy. 2009. 150 mins.
When it comes to hard-bitten crime cinema, Jacques Audiard has few equals in Europe, and his violent, gripping prison drama A Prophet shows him extending his range with unimpeachable command. The story of a gauche young inmate who rises through the criminal ranks to become a formidable player, A Prophet works both as hard-edged, painstaking detailed social realism and as a compelling genre entertainment.
The only thing that might hamper commercial prospects is a labyrinthine, sometimes perplexing narrative, but otherwise the film – to be released in France in August - should have the same international appeal as last year's Cannes crime hit Gomorrah. Its unapologetically testosterone-laden tenor will give the film a resonance way beyond the international art-house constituency that embraced Audiard's last film, The Beat That My Heart Skipped. Expect this stimulating film also to be much discussed in the French media in terms of its topical backgrounds, the national prison system and France's Islamic population.
Set largely within prison walls and featuring an almost exclusively male and non-professional cast, the film details the prison career of Malik el Djebena (newcomer Rahim), a 19-year-old man of North African origin but estranged from the Muslim community. Sentenced to six years on an unspecified charge, Malik is chosen by Cesar Luciani (Arestrup), feared kingpin of the prison's reigning Corsican gang, to kill a prisoner named Reyeb (Yacoubi) who initially offers Malik drugs in exchange for sex. Malik commits the bloody murder, and – thanks to Luciani's near-total control of the prison's internal workings - gets off scot-free. This makes him a lieutenant in the prison's Corsican gang, initially entrusted only with menial duties and disparaged as an Arab outsider.
Haunted by visions of a ghostly Reyeb, and determined to get on, the illiterate Malik not only learns to read, but teaches himself Corsican, surreptitiously learning the ins and outs of Luciani's business. Another inmate, Ryad (Bencherif), becomes Malik's friend, later his ally on the outside. When Luciani arranges periods of leave for Malik, entrusting him with various criminal missions, Malik takes the opportunity to do some business of his own, setting up a drugs trade with Ryad's aid. Life gets increasingly dangerous for Malik, both inside and outside prison walls, but he seems – partly through Reyeb's benign, unearthly influence - to lead a charmed life. Powers of prophecy are attributed to him after surviving a bizarre car crash – an incident presaged in an enigmatic fantasy sequence.
Immensely detailed both in its accounts of prison life and of the politics of organized crime, A Prophet comes across as both a realistic film and a deeply cynical one: it is extremely matter-of-fact in depicting a dog-eat-dog world.
Audiard fans may miss the subtler psychological shadings of his earlier films, as well as some of his more fabulist story-telling tendencies and stylistic flourishes. Shot by Stéphane Fontaine with a brutally restricted iron-and-cement palette, this is a business-like film, with a cinematic language as punchy and stripped-down as they come: only a few stylistic frills (the aforementioned fantasy sequence, a blurry iris-style effect evocative of Malik's claustrophobic existence) break the general tenor, and even the occasional visitations of the dead Reyeb are assimilated perfectly, barely compromising the overall realism. Chapter titles and captions identifying key characters help us keep a tab on the film's complexities.
Newcomer Tahar Rahim carries an extraordinary weight, on screen practically in every shot, and proves a mesmerising centre to the film, limning Malik as an unformed, seemingly weightless figure at the start, who gradually acquires considerable depth, forging his personality and mind through hard conscious struggle. Rahim's quiet, seemingly artless charisma makes Malik immensely sympathetic, even though this ruthlessly lucid film makes no bones about the amoral lengths he goes to in the name of survival. A largely unfamiliar cast – very few of them the central-casting plug-uglies usually seem in prison dramas – give the film a flesh-and-blood plausibility, while the weather-beaten Niels Arestrup (who also appeared in Audiard's The Beat...) is formidable and menacing, eventually even vulnerable as the old-guard don.
SALVATION je dobio Variety kritiku:
Terminator Salvation
By JOHN ANDERSON
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'Terminator Salvation'
Christian Bale stars as John Connor in 'Terminator Salvation.'
More than one option
* (Person) John T Connor
* (Person) John Connor
Casting, Casting Director
* (Person) John Connor
A Warners Bros. release of a Halcyon Co. presentation of a Moritz Borman production, in association with Wonderland Sound and Vision. Produced by Borman, Jeffrey Silver, Victor Kubicek, Derek Anderson. Executive producers, Mario F. Kassar, Andrew G. Vajna, Peter D. Graves, Dan Lin, Jeanne Allgood, Joel B. Michaels. Co-producer, Chantal Feghali. Directed by McG. Screenplay, John Brancato, Michael Ferris.
John Connor - Christian Bale
Marcus Wright - Sam Worthington
Blair Williams - Moon Bloodgood
Dr. Serena
Kogan - Helena Bonham Carter
Kyle Reese - Anton Yelchin
Star - Jadagrace
Darker, grimmer and more stylistically single-minded than its two relatively giddy predecessors, "Terminator Salvation" boasts the kind of singular vision that distinguished the James Cameron original, the full-throttle kinetics of "Speed" and an old-fashioned regard for human (and humanoid) heroics. Only pic's relentlessly doomsday tone -- accessorized by helmer McG's grimy, gun-metal palette -- might keep auds from flocking like lemmings to the apocalypse. The fourth in the celebrated sci-fi series, "Salvation" opens and closes with humanity at war with the machines. In other words, this thing isn't going to end soon. Nor should it, if it keeps on like this.
McG, whose segue from music vids to movies resulted in two "Charlie's Angels" extravaganzas and the woeful "We Are Marshall," exhibits an unexpected flair for the dreadful, abrupt and awesome. What we get here -- which was perhaps missing on the relatively sunny mental landscapes of "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" -- is a sense of real horror: When humans are snatched up like Cheez-Doodles by skyscraper-sized Go-bots, there's no slo-mo relief or stalling. Stuff happens as it might were the world actually overtaken by demonic appliances.
Christian Bale, playing the "prophesized leader of the Resistance" John Connor, may have traded in the Batman body armor for "Road Warrior"-style outerwear, but one thing hasn't changed: He is, once again, a movie star playing second fiddle. Heath Ledger stole "The Dark Knight" away from him and Sam Worthington (who will appear in Cameron's "Avatar" this Christmas) heists "Terminator Salvation" from Bale, for the most ironical of reasons: In a movie that poses man against machine, Worthington's cyborg is the far more human character.
As a steel-beaded logo of Warner Bros. fades away, Marcus (Worthington), on death row for an unexplained crime, gets an 11th-hour visit from Dr. Serena Kogan (Helena Bonham Carter), who wears the headscarf and pallor of a terminal cancer patient. She wants Marcus' body -- literally. She wants to turn him into a cyborg.
Wracked with guilt, resigned to his execution, Marcus agrees to sign the release in exchange for a kiss. "So that's what death tastes like," he says, as she leaves him to his lethal injection.
This is not your governator's "Terminator."
Bale, meanwhile, playing the adult version of the hero-to-be portrayed by Edward Furlong ("Terminator 2) and Nick Stahl ("Terminator 3"), is as purposeful and furious as anyone played by Arnold Schwarzenegger or Robert Patrick. One suspects he's been studying Linda Hamilton in "Terminator 2," although -- let's face it -- this is serious business. It's 2018. Skynet -- the "aware" machine -- has all but accomplished its self-appointed mission of destroying the threat of people.
But pockets of rebellion continue to operate even if, as in the case of a charred and rubble-strewn Los Angeles, the local contingent consists of just two kids: Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin) and the mute/cute Star (Jadagrace).
Kyle -- given a slightly geeky and perfectly plausible portrayal by Yelchin ("Star Trek") -- will grow up to father John Connor after being sent into the future to meet Sarah Connor (if you haven't followed the "Terminator" time line, this is no time to be catching up).
Thus, he has to be preserved. So does John, given that it's been predicted since 1984 that he'll be the one to save the world. There's a lot at stake.
McG's direction is always intelligent. (He does seem to have a thing for "The Great Escape," which is referenced several times.) The script by John Brancato and Michael Ferris occasionally goes off the rails. Certainly, their insertion of an existential dilemma for Marcus -- "I need to find out who did this to me," he says, his chrome-plated plumbing having been exposed to the open air -- feels very late-inning.
And the obligatory borrowing from the previous movies ("Come with me if you want to live," "I'll be back ...") tend to upset the mood created within McG's bleached-out world, which is very deliberate and doesn't need the comic relief.
There are great bits though: The thrashing, centipede-like, killer-snake thingie, which has the personality of a wolverine, is a neat invention. So are the biker Terminators, which molt like malignant pinecones off their towering mother 'bot. A Schwarzenegger lookalike -- it isn't clear whether it's the ex-actor CGI'd or a complete fabrication -- is funny, but in this case apt.
Production values are enormous, especially d.p. Shane Hurlbut's work and the visual effects by Industrial Light & Magic, Asylum, Pacific Title and Art Studio, and Matte World Digital.
Camera (color, widescreen), Shane Hurlbut; editor, Conrad Buff; music, Danny Elfman; production designer, Martin Laing; art director, Troy Sizemore; set decorator, Victor Zolfo; costume designer, Michael Wilkinson; Terminator makeup/animatronic effects, John Rosengrant; sound (Dolby Digital/DTS/SDDS), Mark Ulano; sound designer/supervisor, Cameron Frankley; visual effects supervisor, Charles Gibson; visual effects coordinator, Bill Sturgeon; visual effects, Industrial Light & Magic, Asylum, Pacific Title and Art Studio, Matte World Digital; stunt coordinator, Tom Struthers; associate producers, Bruce Franklin, Steve Gaub, April Janow, Anjalika Mathur Nigam, Don Zepfel; casting, Justine Baddeley, Kim Davis Wagner. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Reviewed at Warners Bros. screening room, New York, May 14, 2009. Running time: 116 MIN.
Agora
(Spain)
By TODD MCCARTHY
'Agora'
'Agora'
An Mod Producciones, Himenoptero and Telecinco Cinema production with the participation of Canal+Espana. (International sales: Focus Features International, London.). Produced by Fernando Bovaira, Alvaro Augustin. Executive producers, Simon de Santiago, Jaime Ortiz de Artinano. Directed by Alejandro Amenabar. Screenplay, Amenabar, Mateo Gil.
Hypatia - Rachel Weisz
Davus - Max Minghella
Oreste - Oscar Isaac
Ammonius - Ashraf Barhom
Synesius - Rupert Evans
Theon - Michael Lonsdale
Aspasius - Homayoun Ershadi
Cyril - Sammy Samir
Olympius - Richard Durden
Isidorus - Omar Mostafa
Medorus - Oshri Cohen
Pierre - Yousef Sweid
The mother of all secular humanists fights a losing battle against freshly minted religious zealots in "Agora," a visually imposing, high-minded epic that ambitiously puts one of the pivotal moments in Western history onscreen for the first time. Alejandro Amenabar's first feature since "The Sea Inside" five years ago foreshadows the transformation of the Roman-dominated ancient world into Christian medieval times through the story of the much-celebrated astronomer and mathematician Hypatia in 4th-century Alexandria. This elaborately produced English-language Spanish production is consistently spectacular and features enough conflict and action to make it marketable, but a certain heaviness of style and lack of an emotional pulse could pose problems for mass audience acceptance, at least in the U.S.
"Agora" has more on its mind than most costume pictures, and most other films, for that matter -- mankind's place in the universe, the human need to understand the cosmos and the debate over the existence of a single deity. The central dramatic event is the sacking of Alexandria's fabled library, the repository of "all the knowledge of the world" up to that time, and the parallel drawn between early-day Christian fundamentalists, who have just been legalized by the Roman Empire at the story's start, and a certain other religion's present-day fanatics is entirely clear. These issues and more echo throughout the story, which unfolds in a physical rendering of Alexandria that is vivid and extensive in its display of fabulous architecture, divide between the haves and have-nots and polyglot nature of one of the ancient world's great melting pots.
The rational eye of this intellectual and religious hurricane is Hypatia (Rachel Weisz), who, as the daughter of the library's head Theon (Michael Lonsdale), is permitted to teach an elite class of students. Devoting herself entirely to brainy pursuits, the serious beauty has sworn off men, although there are two young fellows who crave her, student Oreste (Oscar Isaac) and her personal slave Davus (Max Minghella), a closet Christian with a bright mind. Hypatia stiff-arms her admirers' advances in no uncertain terms, which pushes Davus definitively into the arms of the believers.
At tale's launch in 391 A.D., the most conspicuous Christians are the firebrand Parabolani cult, who rant in the public squares and even burn a prominent Roman. Led by the articulate, charismatic Ammonius (Ashraf Barhom), they in time become the faith's enforcers, intimidating regular citizens and converting the disenfranchised until they greatly outnumber their Roman rulers. Costumers have done a good job distinguishing this mob from everyone else by dressing them in gray-blue robes, and their group-think m.o. is at one point even made to resemble the behavior of ants.
Hypatia prefers to spend her time in the library, where scrolls of parchment are stuffed onto racks in a magnificent chamber, and pondering such matters as the movement of the Earth and the planetsand whether or not the Earth is flat or round .
Throughout the film, Amenabar pulls back from worldly pursuits to gaze upon the cosmos, and Alexandria's and the world's meager place within it. Still, two or three such visualizations would probably be enough, as the repetition weighs things down .
Strife between the Parabolani and the Jews is used as an excuse by rising cleric Cyril (Sammy Samir) to slaughter and drive out the Jews, and pic's midway climax sees the Christian hordes overcoming Roman resistance to take the library and destroy its contents. This profoundly depressing development is tough to get over, but Hypatia, having made off with a few documents, persists in her research in more cloistered circumstances.
While the dramatic sweep of events gives "Agora" a natural momentum -- under the increasingly dictatorial hand of Cyril, the Christians won't give up until all the Romans are converted and opposition is erased -- the personal dramas never really connect with the desired force. Partly, it's because the two younger men proposed as potential matches for Hypatia aren't remotely in her league; moreso, however, it's because Hypatia is pretty remote herself, with her head in the intellectual clouds and oblivious to the political realities thrashing beneath her feet. Weisz goes a long way to drawing the viewer to her, but Amenabar and co-scenarist Mateo Gil haven't entirely cracked her dramatization.
Minghella, whose character retreats far into the shadows during most of the second half, and Isaac, whose Oreste eventually becomes Roman prelate of Alexandria, have trouble emerging as strong figures. The actors playing heavies enjoy far greater opportunities, so the male cast standouts are Barhom as rabble-rouser Ammonius and Samir as the dictatorial head of the Alexandrian church.
Dramaturgical shortcomings aside, there is much in the picture to sustain sympathetic interest, including its dedicated historical perspective, intellectual seriousness and credible presentation of epic film elements that have often tripped up filmmakers in the past. Then there is the physical side of the production, which is genuinely impressive. Lensing entirely in Malta, Amenabar has fleshed out real locations with extensive sets and helpful (and largely undetectable) CGI extensions to provide a striking impression of a legendary ancient city. Production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas has mixed traditional Greco-Roman style buildings with Egyptian motifs and various interior decorative influences to palpably evoke a Mediterranean port city where many cultures convened. Gabriella Pescucci's costumes colorfully support this approach, and Xavi Gimenez's widescreen lensing captures it all with colorful mobility. Dario Marianelli's score is rich, with occasional swells into the bombastic.
Camera (Deluxe color, Arri widescreen), Xavi Gimenez; editor, Nacho Ruiz Capillas; music, Dario Marianelli; production designer, Guy Hendrix Dyas; supervising art director, Frank Walsh; costume designer, Gabriella Pescucci; sound (Dolby Digital/SDDS/DTS), Peter Glossop; sound designer, Glenn Freemantle; visual effects supervisor, Felix Berges; visual effects, El Ranchito Visual Effects; special effects supervisor, Chris Reynolds; stunt coordinator, Jordi Casares; line producer, Jose Luis Escolar; assistant director, Javier Chinchilla; second unit director, Gil; second unit camera, Oscar Faura; casting, Jina Jay. Reviewed at Cannes Film Festival (noncompeting), May 17, 2009. Running time: 141 MIN.
(English dialogue)
Cannes
Tsar
(Russia)
By DEREK ELLEY
A Profit Cinema, SPL Film Production production, in association with Bank of Moscow. (International sales: Rezo, Paris.) Produced by Pavel Lungin. Executive producers, Vasili Bernhardt, Olga Vasilyeva. Directed by Pavel Lungin. Screenplay, Alexey Ivanov, Lungin.
With: Pyotr Mamonov, Oleg Yankovsky, Aleksandr Domogarov, Alexey Makarov, Ivan Okhlobystin, Ramilya Iskander, Anastassia Dontsova, Aleksandr Ilyin, Oleg Sokolov.
Less lugubrious than his previous movie, "The Island," but still laden with Russian brooding and violence, Pavel Lungin's "Tsar" is a brief peep into Ivan the Terrible's heart of darkness via a conflict between the regent and the head of the church. Terrific lead perfs by Pyotr Mamonov and Oleg Yankovsky keep the movie rolling along after a slow start, interspersed with gripping, bloody action. But despite handsome production values and rich, atmospheric lensing by Clint Eastwood regular Tom Stern, this is a heavy meal to digest outside the fest arena.
Story opens in the 1560s, when Ivan IV (Mamonov, all beaky nose and glowering eyes) is already falling deeper and deeper into religious mysticism; haunted by how he will be called to account at the Last Judgment, he has become paranoid about enemies all around him. In "The Tsar's Prayer" -- the first and least involving of the pic's four chapters -- he is already an all-powerful tyrant with a feared secret police, nicknamed "The Tsar's Dogs," which includes the flashing-eyed tsarina, Maria Temryukovna (Ramilya Iskander).
When the current metropolitan, or head of the Russian Church, resigns in protest, Ivan calls on his childhood friend, Filipp (Yankovsky, dignified), to take over the job. This is one of immense power in Orthodox Russia, and especially under Ivan, who has bloodily promoted the cause of Christianity against Islam threatening his borders. Warning Filipp that he must always serve the tsar and Russia first, Ivan persuades him to accept the post.
Conflict between the two soon arrives in the second section, "The Tsar's War." While inaugurating a church he calls "the New Jerusalem" with an elaborate cleansing ceremony performed by virgins, Ivan hears the city of Polotsk (in modern-day Belorussia) has been lost to the advancing Poles. Flying into a rage, he orders the commanders to be impaled and their horses hacked to pieces.
Filipp gives shelter to them but is forced to give them up to Ivan's torturers, who extract "confessions" of cowardice. Filipp himself is spared, but when he refuses to endorse their death sentence,, Ivan simply has them torn apart in public by wild bears.
Though the religious background is different from that of either "A Man for All Seasons" or "Becket," and the setting is much darker and more violent, the conflict between Ivan and Filipp spins on the same issues of duty vs. friendship and loyalty to the regent vs. loyalty to God. The extra wrinkle in "Tsar" is that Ivan has replaced religious conviction with fanaticism, megalomania and mental instability, bolstered by unlimited power wielded with a Russian ruthlessness.
Pic can also be read as a comment on more contempo Russia, though Lungin is on record as saying he had Stalinist Russia more in mind.
In the briefest seg, "The Tsar's Sacrifice," Filipp refuses to recognize Ivan's authority, and the latter arrests him for treachery and impiety. In the concluding "The Tsar's Fairground," Ivan enters the final stages of madness and sadism.
With its telescoping of events, pic is more impressionistic than strictly historical, and features few literary-style debates between the two protags. But the medieval flavor is viscerally captured by the movie's look and design, bolstered by a heavy, Mussorgsky-like score by Yuri Krasavin of repeated, shifting chords.
More than one option
Camera (color, widescreen), Tom Stern; editor, Albina Antipenko; music, Yuri Krasavin; art director, Sergey Ivanov; costume designers, Natalia Dzubenko, Yekaterina Dyminskaya; sound (Dolby Digital), Stephane Albinet, Dmitri Nazarov. Reviewed at Cannes Film Festival (Un Certain Regard), May 17, 2009. Running time: 123 MIN.
Najzad da se nešto anticipated snima kod nas...
http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2009/05/stranci-opet-u-raju.html
sjajno, znači, lungin ga je opet napravio – JEDVA ČEKAM!
ali ovim bolidima iz varajetija trebalo bi zabraniti da sami prikazuju filmove nastale iza gvozdene zavese (srbija included) jer im hronično prilaze sa pogrešnim očekivanjima i/ili nerazumevanjem te neizbežnim predrasudama prema slovenima; pazi samo ovog: ---" unlimited power wielded with a Russian ruthlessness".
WOW!
znači ima neka surovost koja je baš 'nako tipićno ruska?
tipićno amerićki!
baš kao i bolećivost&kukavičluk kad treba prozvati islam, odnosno "a certain other religion's present-day fanatics".
IZVESNA – WINK-WINK, NUDGE-NUDGE- RELIGIJA, koju nećemo imenovati...
Cannes
Antichrist
(Denmark-Germany-France-Sweden-Italy-Poland)
By TODD MCCARTHY
'Antichrist'
'Antichrist'
A Zentropa Entertainments23 ApS presentation of a Zentropa Intl. Koln GmbH, Slot Machine, Memfis Film Intl. AB, Trollhattan Film AB, Lucky Red, Zentropa Intl. Poland co-production, co-produced by DR, Arte France Cinema, ZDF-Arte Group Grand Accord: ARTE G.E.I. E, Film i Vast, SVT. (International sales: Trustnordisk, Copenhagen.) Produced by Meta Louise Foldager. Executive producers, Peter Aalbaek Jensen, Peter Garde. Co-producers, Lars Jonsson, Madeleine Ekman, Andrea Occhipinti, Malgorzata Szumowska, Ole Ostergaard. Executive co-producers, Bettina Brokemper, Marianne Slot. Directed, written by Lars von Trier.
(English dialogue)
Lars von Trier cuts a big fat art-film fart with "Antichrist." As if deliberately courting critical abuse, the Danish bad boy densely packs this theological-psychological horror opus with grotesque, self-consciously provocative images that might have impressed even Hieronymus Bosch, as the director pursues personal demons of sexual, religious and esoteric bodily harm, as well as feelings about women that must be a comfort to those closest to him. Traveling deep into NC-17 territory, this may prove a great date movie for pain-is-pleasure couples. Otherwise, most of the director's usual fans will find this outing risible, off-putting or both -- derisive hoots were much in evidence during and after the Cannes press screening -- while the artiness quotient is far too high for mainstream-gore groupies.
Admittedly made in the wake of a severe depression two years ago that left the director wondering if he'd ever be able to shoot another film, "Antichrist" starts with a stunning rendition of a tragic domestic occurrence. To the accompaniment of a Handel vocal piece on the soundtrack, gorgeous slow-motion black-and-white widescreen images record how a toddler falls to his death from a high apartment window on a snowy day while his oblivious parents make love nearby. Mindful to warn viewers that they can never know what they're going to see in a von Trier film, the helmer obliges by sticking one hardcore insert shot in this sequence.
Dividing the narrative into four chapters bracketed by the prologue and an epilogue, the helmer switches to color as the mother (Charlotte Gainsbourg)leaves more than a month's hospitalization and enters into the care of her husband (Willem Dafoe), a professional therapist. In one of her quieter moments in this chapter, entitled "Grief," the woman triggers a calm argument, accusing her mate of indifference over their son's death, even as she assumes responsibility for it. So capably does the man seem to guide his wife through her trauma that the line becomes blurred as to whether he's functioning more as husband or therapist, as he semi-jokes, "Never screw your therapist," when she gets frisky.
After the woman is pushed to confess that she's most afraid of their property deep in the forest -- where the she spent part of the previous summer alone with her son -- that's where hubby take her. This chapter on "Pain" actually charts the woman's self-proclaimed recovery, but ends unpromisingly with a disemboweled fox rising out of the ferns to announce, "Chaos Reigns."
The ante is upped, and a climax of sorts is achieved, in "Despair," reassuringly subtitled "Gynocide," and if one is uncertain as to what the latter means, rest certain von Trier will graphically illustrate it. Suffice to say the woman's mental health takes a turn for the worse, she vividly pleasures her man in a conspicuously unwelcome manner and then, apparently inspired by images of medieval torture inflicted upon women, finds a way to impale him that Hollywood's leading torture-porn experts will kick themselves over not having dreamed up first.
But the woman generously saves the most gruesome, preferably unwatched act for herself in the final chapter, the title of which, "The Three Beggars," provides no revelations worth waiting for.
Offering the opposite of hope for anyone aspiring to recover from grief through therapy, analytical or experiential, and perhaps distantly inspired by the marital battles in Strindberg, "Antichrist" does not even raise the possibility of healing through religion, leaving the title to seem rather arbitrary and more than a little pretentious. Moreover, the blood-smeared sensationalism smothers what serious thoughts the script serves up in passing, just as the sexual interludes detract from the film by playing peek-a-boo and making you try to figure out what's real and/or how it was faked.
Looking very good, Dafoe maintains his dignity most of the way with a performance of seriousness and tact, while Gainsbourg veers between sullenness and extreme histrionics. Only people to appear in the film aside from the lead actors are the little boy and some extras near the beginning and at the end.
Pic's strong physical values include ace lensing by Anthony Dod Mantle in two styles, the shimmering monochrome of the bookends and the more rugged, often hand-held work in the cabin and on the densely green mountain locations; although the film was shot in Germany, the nominal Seattle-area setting is suggested by internal evidence.
End credits dedication to the late Andrei Tarkovsky was greeted by laughs and catcalls in Cannes.
More than one option
Camera (color, widescreen), Anthony Dod Mantle; editor, Anders Refn; production designer, Karl "Kalli" Juliusson; art director, Tim Pannen; costume designer, Frauke Firl; sound (Dolby Digital), Andre Rigaut; sound designer, Kristian Eidnes Andersen; visual effects supervisor, Peter Hjorth; visual effects, Plastige Image; line producers, Sanne Glaesel, Johannes Rexin; assistant directors, Mike Elliott, Richard Styles; second unit camera, Stefan Koupec; casting, Leo Davis, Victoria Beattie, Antoinette Boulat. Reviewed at Cannes Film Festival (competing), May 17, 2009. Running time: 105 MIN.
Van Nuys, Calif. (Vocus/PRWEB ) May 15, 2009 -- Riley Steele™, an exclusive contract star for adult film studio Digital Playground, is cast in "Piranha 3-D", a 3-D remake of the 1978 cult, horror classic. Scheduled for a March 2010 release, "Piranha 3-D" is produced by the Weinstein Company owned Dimension Films and directed by one of the new kings of horror, Alexandre Aja ("Mirrors" and "The Hills Have Eyes" remake). The current estimated budget for "Piranha 3-D" is listed at $24 million. Riley Steele landed the role of Crystal, one of the leading parts with substantial scenes, and will act alongside an all-star cast featuring Oscar nominated actress Elisabeth Shue ("Leaving Las Vegas", "Hollow Man"), Oscar winner Richard Dreyfuss ("Jaws", "The Goodbye Girl"), Jerry O'Connell ("Jerry Maguire"), Ving Rhames ("Mission: Impossible I-III", Dina Meyer ("Saw II-IV"), and Kelly Brook ("The Italian Job"). "It's crystal clear that Riley Steele adds yet another dimension to 'Piranha 3-D'," says producer Mark Canton. "Her natural beauty will light up the screen as she frolics with the hordes of spring break partygoers in our very contemporary, scary 3-D movie."
Bradley Cooper ("The Hangover") is in talks to play Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck in the upcoming film version of "The A-Team" reports IESB.net.
Asked over the weekend about the rumors, Cooper said "That's out already!? Wow. Yeah...its Joe Carnahan's. It's very interesting. It'll be cool. It will be cool [to] see what...He'll make a great movie out of it."
Dirk Benedict played the character in the original. Carnahan helms this new take on the classic 80's series which hits theaters next June.
Peter Berg ("The Rundown," "Hancock") is in talks to direct a big-screen version of classic Hasbro board game "Battleship" for Universal Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
Jon and Erich Hoeber ("Whiteout," "Red") will pen the script for "an epic naval action adventure" though plot details are being kept underwraps.
Brian Goldner and Bennett Schneir are producing. The film joins the likes of "Monopoly," "Candy Land" and "Ouija Board" as other classic board games becoming films.
Matthew Sand ("Ninja Assassin," "The Red Star") is set to rewrite the WW2 drama "Brothers in Arms" for Alcon Entertainment says The Hollywood Reporter.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anthony Walton penned the non-fiction book about the only black U.S. tank unit to fight in Europe during the Second World War.
The unit overcame prejudice and sought to prove themselves on the battlefield by spearheading the Allied Forces' drive eastward toward Germany during the Battle of the Bulge and liberating nearly three dozen towns along the way
Denzel Washington is attached to direct as well as produce alongside Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove. David Chisholm and John Sayles wrote previous drafts.
Director George Miller is gearing up to shoot the fourth film in the ground-breaking Aussie road warrior franchise, industry sources say.
Scouting for locations is under way for the movie, which many thought would never get off the ground.
It could go into production later this year.
But it's highly unlikely Gibson will be asked to take his leathers out of mothballs to revisit the role that made him an international star.
Two years ago, Miller said he considered the Hollywood heavyweight too old to play the avenging road warrior.
"It won't be Mel. He was 21 when he made the first one, now he's a lot older and his passion is for film-making and directing," Miller said.
"I don't think he is into acting and I don't think he would be interested in being involved at all."
Miller suggested he was considering a new, young star.
Cannes
Round Da Way
Lascars (Animated – France-Germany)
By LESLIE FELPERIN
A Millimages France, Studio 37, France 2 Cinema (France)/Toon's and Tales (Germany) production, with the participation of Canal Plus, with the support of Eurimages, CNC in association with Cinemage 2. (International sales: BAC Films Intl., Paris.) Produced by Roch Lener, Philippe Gompel. Executive producer, Emmanuel Franck. Directed by Albert Pereira-Lazaro, Emmanuel Klotz. Screenplay, Alexis Dolivet, Eldiablo, IZM, based on the series by Eldiablo, Dolivet, Numero 6, Cap1.
It's summer in the city, the jokes are dirty and the milieu mildly gritty in the urban, adult-skewed French animation "Round Da Way." Based on a popular TV series that started in 2000 on Canal Plus and morphed into a comicbook, pic follows the adventures of various ghetto-dwellers on the make in the sexual as well as criminal sense. A fun, polished crowdpleaser that depends a lot on its target aud's knowledge of street slang, "Round" should assemble a good-sized posse of supporters locally when it opens in mid-June this year, but may not achieve much more than cult status offshore.
Story is set in a rough banlieue (poor suburb, the French equivalent of a ghetto) on the edge of an unnamed big city that sounds, judging by the accents, like Paris. Key characters Tony Pepperoni (voiced by Vincent Cassel) and Joe Hustleton (rapper-comedian and co-writer IZM) hatch plans to earn enough dough for a vacation on the tropical island of Santo Rico.
Tony's scheme involves retailing five kilos of cannabis lent on credit by ruthless dealer Zoran (Gilles Lellouche), but if he doesn't come up with the cash in exactly a week, he's dead meat. Meanwhile, Joe gets a gig building a sauna in the house of wealthy judge Nomercy (Francois Levantal), which also entails minding his employer's palatial mansion while he's on vacation -- an attractive option, given that Joe has major hots for Nomercy's daughter Clemence (Diane Kruger).
Pic spins a complex skein of subplots around the core duo, involving, among others, Tony's love-crazy, controlling g.f. Manuella (Frederique Bel), two sex-starved hood rats (Omar Sy, Fred Testot, aka Omar et Fred) who hide out in a tropic-themed swimming pool for a week when they fail to make it to Santo Rico, the makers of a porn film, and a toy poodle called Tekewinkee.
Although the film has a lot of swearing and gags that often hinge on sex or bodily fluids, there's little here that would earn the pic anything harder than an R rating. Nor is the humor anywhere near as satirical and scathing as, say, "South Park" at its best (or worse, depending on your point of view). Think instead "Beavis and Butt-head" meets "La Haine." Collaborating helmers Albert Pereira-Lazaro and Emmanuel Klotz (the latter's credits include the animated feature "Duck Ugly") notably demonstrate both visual flair and storytelling skill.
Combining simplified, exaggeratedly stylized 2-D characters with richly textured 3-D backgrounds and effects, the animation is aces throughout. Effective soundtrack contributions from such old-school hip-hop crews as A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and House of Pain add appeal.
For the record, the French title is "Lascars," denoting a slang word that means something like "niggers," but with less derogatory connotations. Also, the names in the original version are different from those cited here (which are culled from the pic's subtitles and press notes): "Tony Pepperoni" is "Tony Merguez" in the pic's spoken French, while "Joe Hustleton" is "Jose Frelate," and so on. Theoretically, pic could be redubbed fairly easily for offshore territories, but that wouldn't necessarily make it much more commercial.
Camera (color); editor, Thibaud Caquot; music, Lucien Papalu, Nicholas Varley; production designer, Patrice Suau; animation director, Thomas Digard; layout and design, Max Braslavsky, Philippe Dentz, Julien Le Rolland; sound (Dolby Digital/DTS), Bruno Mercere, sound editors, Bruno Gueracague, Sylviane Bouget. Reviewed at Cannes Film Festival (Critics' Week), May 17, 20009. Running time: 91 MIN.
Voices: Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger, Omar et Fred, Gilles Lellouche, Diam's, Frederique Bel, IZM, Hafid F. Benamar, Franck Sinius, Vincent Desagnat, Francois Levantal, Eric Judo.
(French dialogue)
Hugh Hudson will direct the bigscreen adaptation of George Orwell's "Catalonia," with Colin Firth and Kevin Spacey attached to star. Arclight Films is repping the film at the Cannes market.
Hudson ("I Dreamed of Africa," "Chariots of Fire") will direct from a script by Bob Ellis.
Orwell's book revolves around the real-life story of how he and his wife Eileen traveled to Barcelona to fight Stalinism. There, Orwell joined the Anarchist brigade and fought in the Spanish Civil War. Film will highlight the relationship between Orwell and Georges Kopp, the charismatic commander of the brigade.
Al Clark is producing with veteran French producer Alian Sarde and Fernando Meirelles through his Brazilian company O2 Films.
Clark was co-producer on the last film adaptation of an Orwell book, "1984," toplining John Hurt and Richard Burton.
Sarde's credits include Roman Polanski's "The Pianist" and Mike Leigh's "Vera Drake."
Hudson is scheduled to begin lensing in the first half of 2010 in England, Spain and then Buenos Aires, Montevideo and Uruguay.
Tapping into the growing trend toward biopic and gangster fare in Gaul, French paybox Canal Plus is co-producing and co-financing "Ilich -- Story of Carlos," a $18 million three-part series about the Venezuelan terrorist Ilich Ramirez Sanchez.
Penned and helmed by high-profile Gallic director Olivier Assayas ("Clean"), series started shooting in January with Venezuelan thesp Edgar Ramirez ("Che: Part One") in the lead role.
Assayas, whose films "Clean," "Demonlover" and "Les Destinees Sentimentales" have competed for a Palme d'Or, has never worked in TV before.
Daniel Leconte, topper at Paris-based docu and film shingle Film en Stock, developed the idea for a TV series. Assayas then conceived making a separate feature film based on the series.
For the first time, StudioCanal had teamed up with Canal Plus from the project's initial stage to package "Carlos" into a movie as well.
"It is a risky bet," explained Leconte, who said he had the idea of making "Carlos" after watching George Clooney starrer "Syriana." "But there's no reason why we couldn't make an ambitious film dealing with complex characters or contemporary issues that touch on politics."
Per Assayas, it's the success of "Public Enemy Number One" that has helped lift French directors' inhibitions about making films dealing with recent history and real people.
"Not long ago, the idea of making a film about Carlos would have scared French producers," Assayas said. "But nowadays I sense that we're being encouraged to make films that have a contemporary dimension."
The helmer, however, explained that the film is more intricately dramatic than political.
Skedded to air on Canal Plus in early 2010, the three-parter is shooting in French, German and Arabic and in various countries including Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Lebanon and Morocco.
While filming the series, Assayas is writing an original script for the "Carlos" film and will deliver it to StudioCanal in September.
"We sold 'Red Riding,' a British TV trilogy but this is even more ambitious: We're selling two products from the same inspiration," said Harold Van Lier, Studio Canal's international sales topper.
Van Lier said the idea of packaging the project as a TV series and film together helped StudioCanal find co-producers and raise the budget.
Backed by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and German Federal Film Fund (DFFF), the miniseries and pic are co-produced by German shingle Egoli Tossell Film and Madrid-based shingle Morena Films.
Gallic shingle will start pre-selling the miniseries and film at the AFM and is shooting for theatrical release in late April, in time for the Cannes Film Festival.
"Assayas has a well-established cinema circuit that makes the production very ambitious and will likely propel the film under an international spotlight," said Van Lier.
Fox will make its first foray into China production when Fox Intl. Prods. (called Fox Star in India and Asia) teams with John Woo and Terence Chang to produce "King's Ransom," with Woo protege Patrick Leung in talks to direct.
The script was generated under a previous first-look deal with Woo and Chang's Lion Rock Productions banner. The "King's Ransom" pact includes a new first-look deal for Woo and Chang to make Chinese-language films in China.
A caper film involving two circus acrobats and a love triangle, the script has been at 20th Century Fox since 1997, when it was expected to be directed by Woo. The film never made it out of development, until Fox Intl. Prods. president Sanford Panitch identified it as one whose concept would travel.
Leung was second unit director on "Red Cliff" and "Hard Boiled," and first assistant director on "The Killer." He doesn't yet have a deal, but Chang said he and Woo feel Leung is the ideal choice, since he has directed numerous films in Hong Kong and China, including Mandarin-language pictures.
"The last draft of the film by Peter Iliff was in Atlantic City and Brooklyn, but that can be replaced by Macau in the Southern part of China without much difficulty," said Chang. "Once a film is successful, everybody starts doing the genre, like the way they are making historical period films like 'Red Cliff.' I don't think there has ever been a big-scale caper movie (in China). This would be the very first, and with three young leads, this will appeal to a young audience."
Fox Star will require a co-production partner, because studios cannot themselves distribute their films in China. The Woo-directed "Red Cliff" was made with China Film Group, and Chang said they will find a partner and a writer to re-imagine the script for its new locale. Fox Star is entering the arena at a fortuitous time, Chang said, though shooting in China can be a challenge.
"It's certainly cheaper, and while there are good DPs and the art departments are strong, there are some weaker departments and we have to train those younger people," Chang said. "Bringing in people isn't cost effective; that didn't work out because of the language barrier."
The move comes as FIP targets China as a potentially important emerging marketplace for films. By year's end, there will likely be only 4,000 screens to service a population of 1.2 billion, but Chang said theatrical expansion is happening so quickly that there could be twice as many theaters by the time "King's Ransom" is complete.
Cannes
Vincere
(Italy-France)
By JAY WEISSBERG
An 01 Distribution release (in Italy)/Ad Vitam release (in France) of an Offside, 01 Distribution presentation of a Rai Cinema, Offside (Italy)/Celluloid Dreams (France) production, in collaboration with Istituto Luce. (International sales: Celluloid Dreams, Paris.) Produced by Mario Gianani. Executive producer, Olivia Sleiter. Co-producers, Hengameh Panahi, Christian Baute. Directed by Marco Bellocchio. Screenplay, Bellocchio, Daniela Ceselli, based on the book "The Secret Son of Il Duce: The Story of Albino Mussolini and His Mother Ida Dalser" by Alfredo Pieroni.
With: Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Filippo Timi, Fausto Russo Alesi, Michela Cescon, Piergiorgio Bellocchio, Corrado Invernizzi, Paolo Pierobon, Bruno Cariello, Francesca Picozza, Simona Nobili, Vanessa Scalera, Giovanna Mori, Patrizia Bettini, Silvia Ferretti, Corinne Castelli, Fabrizio Costella.
Momentous events require suitably powerful storytelling, which vet helmer Marco Bellocchio delivers in "Vincere," the little-known story of Benito Mussolini's ill-fated first wife and son. Conceived as grand opera set inside delineated space, it's a thrilling, at times brilliant piece of staging that never forgets the emotional pull of either the tragic personal tale or the ramifications of history. Structurally and tonally, the pic opens like "Gotterdammerung" and moves to the more ruminative "Siegfried," which means auds might feel the last quarter loses steam, but the arthouse crowd will still flock, at home and abroad.
That's partly due to an unquestionably great story, which only recently come to light. Opening shifts between Milan, 1914, and Trent, 1907, the years when Mussolini (Filippo Timi) was a Socialist union organizer loudly asserting God's nonexistence. Following a fleeting meeting in Trent, the beautiful Ida Dalser (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) rekindles her fascination with the bold rabble-rouser on the eve of World War I, when Mussolini switches sides and goes from pacifist to hawk.
Ida's attraction to the demagogue is palpable -- where she's hungry for his larger-than-life personality, he's positively voracious for power. During their forceful sex scenes, Mussolini keeps his eyes fixed forward, as if he's pounding the future itself to break through his fears of mediocrity.
When Ida sells all her possessions to fund her lover's new newspaper, the rise of Fascism is set into play. Bellocchio stages one of his most stunning scenes as Mussolini incites a riot in a cinema between pro- and antiwar partisans, accompanied visually by newsreels from the battlefield and by the piano accompanist's bellicose scoring.
By 1915, Ida had a son, Benito Albino Mussolini, and a still-missing marriage certificate, but soon she learns her husband has married Rachele Guidi (Michela Cescon). From then on, Mussolini distances himself from Ida, and ensures she and her son are kept away. At first subjected to near house arrest at her sister's home, Ida is then thrown into an insane asylum, where she furiously writes to Mussolini, the Pope and others demanding her marriage be recognized.
Bellocchio convincingly imagines Ida as a woman obsessed nearly to the point of lunacy, but she's also completely aware of what she's doing. Her madness becomes both foolhardy and tragic; without minimizing Mussolini's pomposity or headlong grasp for power at all costs, Bellocchio refuses to demonize the root of Ida's obsession.
In political terms, the script is keen to present Il Duce as a man strikingly devoid of a moral compass. Bellocchio makes Mussolini's alliance with the Vatican particularly clear, and shows how his move from vocal atheist to papal supporter ensured both his jettisoning of Ida and his grip on the reins of government. Pic's title, the imperative form of "Victory," comes from Il Duce's rousing speeches, geared to mobilize the public to war.
The direction he'll be taking the country is presciently illustrated by a column of blind classmates, conceived as a choral interlude, which references the famed parable of the blind leading the blind as well as John Singer Sargent's haunting war masterpiece "Gassed." Rarely has actuality footage been used so superbly, not merely for period flavor but as integral to the storyline: Once Mussolini renounces Ida, he's only seen as she sees him, through newsreels.
While the history is fascinating, it's the film's style that takes the breath away. Bellocchio sets up his scenes like acts from an opera, alternately theatrical, spectacular, intimate and resounding. Blasts of oratorio, insistent texts overlaid on images, even thunder and lightning become tools containing all the "unnatural" excesses of opera: The full import is conveyed as rightfully larger-than-life.
Both Mezzogiorno and Timi are perfectly cast. He's got Il Duce's grandstanding down pat, yet Timi's Mussolini is also frighteningly human. Mezzogiorno, moving and pathetic, pairs him beautifully: Her Ida is cultivated (as opposed to Rachele's coarse peasant accent) and intelligent, a woman battered by her brush with unfettered power.
Carlo Crivelli's music is a tour-de-force -- it's been a long time since this kind of orchestration has been so well used. Sweeping and bold, it harks back to some of the grand compositions of Hollywood's golden age, yet there isn't a whiff of the old-fashioned in its power to thrill.
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Camera (color/B&W), Daniele Cipri; editor, Francesca Calvelli; music, Carlo Crivelli; production designer, Marco Dentici; costume designer, Sergio Ballo; sound (Dolby Digital), Gaetano Carito; assistant director, Francesca Romana Polic Greco; casting, Stefania De Santis. Reviewed at Cannes Film Festival (competing), May 18, 2009. Running time: 129 MIN.
The Army of Crime
L'Armee du Crime (France)
By JORDAN MINTZER
A StudioCanal release of an Agat Films & Cie, StudioCanal, France 3 Cinema production, with participation of Canal Plus, CineCinema, France 3, L'Agence Nationale pour la Cohesion Sociale et L'Egalite des Chances -- L'ACSE -- Fonds Images de la Diversite, CNC. (International sales: StudioCanal, Paris.) Produced by Dominique Barneaud, Marc Bordure, Robert Guediguian. Directed by Robert Guediguian. Screenplay, Guediguian, Serge Le Peron, Gilles Taurand, based on an original idea by Peron.
With: Simon Abkarian, Virginie Ledoyen, Robinson Stevenin, Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet, Lola Naymark, Yann Tregouet, Ariane Ascaride, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Ivan Franek, Adrien Jolivet.
Despite a title and subject similar to Jean-Pierre Melville's 1969 masterwork "The Army of Shadows," Gallic wartime fresco "The Army of Crime" is a less thrilling and more academic take on the doomed efforts of the French Resistance. Based on the actual plights of a WWII underground immigrant brigade, vet helmer Robert Guediguian's lengthy period yarn features a wide array of characters filmed with his habitual simpatico eye, but loses the dramatic thread in too many plots, too little action and not enough originality. Imposing "Army" should score local victories, but overseas campaigns will be limited to mere surgical strikes.
Widely popular in French WWII lore and previously tackled by the 1976 film "L'Affiche rouge," the FTP-MOI was a Parisian-based branch of the Resistance whose members were Communist immigrants hailing from all parts of Europe. When 10 of its top fighters were executed in early 1944, the Vichy regime plastered a now legendary red-colored poster around Paris that depicted the men as terrorists and bore the slogan "Liberators? The Liberation, by the Army of Crime."
Beginning with the group's final paddy wagon ride to the firing range and then cutting to two-plus hours of backstory, the script initially hops between the four protags until uniting them about halfway through. Although such a structure allows the filmmakers to painstakingly construct the trajectory of each character, it severely hinders the flow of the narrative and fails to make the ongoing threat of capture, torture and death seem either real or suspenseful.
The plot focuses primarily on the band's Armenian-born leader, Missak Manouchian (played by French-Armenian actor Simon Abkarian), who's first arrested and then released from prison while his fighting, charmer g.f. (Virginie Ledoyen) watches in disbelief: A seductive, soft-spoken poet with strong political convictions but little desire to draw blood, Missak soon takes up the reigns of a movement whose principal activities entail distributing pamphlets and slaying Nazis in the street.
He finds a pair of worthy acolytes in two young Jewish troublemakers, Marxist bomb-rigger Thomas (Gregory Leprince-Ringuet) and athletic sharpshooter Marcel (Robinson Stevenin). As their collected killings get increasingly gruesome, the SS-administered police begin to crack down on their network, using a local detective (played by Guediguian regular Jean-Pierre Darroussin) to snuff out those in charge.
Had the story concentrated merely on Missak and his two cohorts, it might have been engaging in the way of Melville's film, which limited the action to Lino Ventura's harrowing p.o.v. But its cumbersome attempt to follow 18 characters (including the three protags' different friends and family members) makes for too many minor plots, which are handled in quick succession with little cinematic intensity.
What Guediguian gets right is the eerie mood of Vichy-era France, where most of the population continued life as usual while their fellow countrymen were being shipped off to Auschwitz or burned alive at their local police station. Well-chosen exteriors, filmed in warm hues by Pierre Milon ("The Class"), make for an oddly tranquil atmosphere interrupted by sudden surges of violence, recalling moments from the director's Marseilles-set thrillers "The Town Is Quiet" and "Lady Jane."
Thesps are so many and so scattered that no performance is a standout, though Leprince-Ringuet ("Love Songs") gives his character some pizzazz.
Alexandre Desplat's intrusive score, plus a good deal of additional Bach and Mozart, winds up sucking the energy from certain pivotal scenes.
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Camera (color), Pierre Milon; editor, Bernard Sasia; music, Alexandre Desplat; production designer, Michel Vandestien; costume designer, Christel Birot; sound (Dolby Digital/DTS Digital), Laurent Lafran, Gerard Lamps; assistant director, Gerard David; casting, Jacqueline Vicaire, Gaelle Baud, Sophie Hansen. Reviewed at Cannes Film Festival (noncompeting), May 18, 2009. Running time: 138 MIN.
Tales From The Golden Age (Amintiri Din Epoca De Aur)
19 May, 2009 | By Mike Goodridge
Dirs: Cristian Mungiu, Ioana Maria Uricaru, Hanno Hofer, Razvan Marculescu, Constantin Popescu. Romania, 2009, 134 mins (varied)
A multi-episode portmanteau comically unseating the propagandist myth that Ceausescu's Romania was the "golden age" of communism, Tales From The Golden Age is another notch in the country's film-making renaissance which focuses on day-to-day life under the dictatorship to warm and often hilarious effect. Written by Palme d'Or winner Cristian Mungiu, who also directed one of the segments, it will be a crowd pleasing festival title around the world and could well stir up strong theatrical business in all the former Soviet nations.
International sales have already been plentiful – IFC prebought the US before Cannes – although its prospects in western arthouse markets may be hampered by the portmanteau form itself, an often unpopular style of cinema which rarely connects with audiences.
The version of the film which first screened in Cannes had only five episodes. A third and final screening on Wednesday 20 May will include Mungiu's second directorial episode, bringing the total running time to 155 minutes. In Romania, the film will be released in two parts – four episodes as Tales Of Authority and two as Tales Of Love. The press notes call it a "film with variable geometry" designed to reflect the fact that Romanian audiences under Ceausescu never knew what to expect when they went to the cinema. Likewise, it was made as a collaborative effort and the individual director of each episode is not identified.
As a portmanteau, it is more coherent than most (ParisI Love You, Eros, Tokyo!, Triangle, Three Extremes) which are often hit and miss. Not only are the five films here consistently strong but the cumulative effect is to offer a surreal portrait of life in Romania in the 1980s where undertones of fear, corruption and imprisonment are never far away from the laughter and spirit which kept the people afloat.
Mungiu's already significant name and the fact that the film actually generates plentiful laughs will strengthen Tales' profile in the marketplace. And naysayers who believe that it won't find an audience need only be reminded that Four Months took over $10m in worldwide grosses, extraordinary results for such a bleak movie.
The central concept here is to take the most well-known urban legends of the period and tell stories to illustrate them.
First film The Legend Of The Official Visit follows a town preparing for an official state visit as the townspeople faithfully obey every whimsical request of the organising committee. The shortest and probably the best of the five films, it's a wonderfully absurdist portrait of how normal rural folk were forced to behave when officials came to town. When the Party Inspector (Pirvu) gets a phone call saying that the visit has been cancelled, they all get drunk and mount a carousel at a nearby fair. Unfortunately nobody is left on the ground to switch it off and they spin around all through the night.
Second film The Legend Of The Party Photographer continues the light-hearted vein as the state photographer (Birau) is instructed to touch up some photographs taken on the official state visit of France's President Giscard d'Estang to Bucharest. The Frenchman appears taller than Ceausescu in the photographs, so he is instructed to put a hat on him to make their heights more level.
The ensuing debacle led to the only day in its history that the party paper Scienteia was not published.
The third episode The Legend Of The Chicken Driver is a more sombre affair, showing how hard it was to come by food in Romania in the "golden age". Four Months abortionist Ivanov plays the driver of a chicken transport truck who is forbidden to stop on the way to his drop-off point until the night his wheels are stolen and he is forced to go to an inn run by a beautiful woman.
The fourth segment The Legend Of The Greedy Policeman, which will probably become the film's most celebrated entry, illustrates how good food was used as currency among adults and children alike. When a country relative brings a live pig to a policeman and his family in the city, the family is faced with the dilemma of how to kill the pig. They opt to trap it in the kitchen and gas it, with catastrophic results.
The final segment The Legend Of The Air Sellers, which looks at attempts at private enterprise, also contains some laugh-out- loud moments as a young woman (Cavalioti) and man (Iacoban) plan an elaborate con on various apartment blocks to make money by selling empty bottles.
Bookended by Communist anthems and with its credits featuring footage of various party rallies, Tales film doesn't feel the need to criticise the lunacy of the regime, but it finds plenty of mileage in its affectionate look at the men, women and children who had to survive it.
Ghosts of the Heartland
By RONNIE SCHEIB
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An ABL Communications production. Produced, directed, written by Allen Blumberg.
With: Phil Moon, Michael Santoro, Rosanne Ma, David Midthunder, Marcus Ho, William Kozy, Michelle Peters, James Saito, Karen Tsen Lee, Jeff Jerome, Bill Cain, Kelly Aucoin.
In tyro helmer-scribe Allen Blumberg's dynamic black-and-white political thriller, "Ghosts of the Heartland," set at the height of McCarthyism, racism, corruption and paranoia run rampant through 1952 small-town America. Unlike the sleek, high-contrast B&W look of arty period reconstructions like "Good Night, and Good Luck," Blumberg opts for a sleazy, fleshy immediacy reminiscent of Sam Fuller. Although nervy and fluid during action scenes, the pic bogs down elsewhere, mainly due to its wooden lead thesp. Opening May 22 at Gotham's Quad, "Ghosts" will fade quickly, but nonetheless reps a kinetic take on a little-explored period with an intriguing ethnic twist.
Chinese-American reporter Roland Lu (Phil Moon) returns from the big city to his hometown in search of the story that will win him the Pulitzer Prize. Millville has changed in his absence. The town's corrupt mayor, Frank Dugan (Michael Santoro), who also runs the local newspaper, has used the Korean War to stir up hatred against the indigenous Chinese population and drive them out of their jobs.
Roland digs up dirt on a secret land-grabbing conspiracy that evicted local Indians 20 years previously. He exploits this past scandal to thwart an ingenious new plan to dispossess the Chinese, joining forces with a barmaid, a closeted gay and an Indian in full tribal regalia. Dugan, threatened with exposure, moves to wipe out the evidence in well-staged, violent action scenes.
Santoro's villainous Dugan commands the screen, a fascinating power-driven blend of populism, bigotry and self-interest. If the rest of the cast registered as compellingly as Santoro, what reads as a half-didactic study of racism would come alive as a shadowy ambivalent exploration of ethnic, professional and sexual identity in Blumberg's blunt but forceful script.
Scenes between Dugan and his secret Chinese squeeze (Karen Tsen Lee) come off as fully engaged, well acted noir setpieces, in marked contrast with the bland exchanges between the square-jawed hero and g.f. Liz (Rosanne Ma).
Still, as characters move stealthily through dark alleys, run each other down on deserted streets, strangle repentant cohorts or bleed from tomahawk wounds, the pic intermittently attests to the power of genre to embody matters of consequence.
More than one option
Camera (B&W), Antoine Vivas Denisov; editor, Emily Paine; music, Tom Hiel; production designer, Roshelle Bernliner; costume designer, Michael Bevins; sound, William Kozy, Christopher Gebert; supervising sound editor, Harry Beck Bolles. Reviewed at Quad Cinema, New York, May 15, 2009. Running time: 80 MIN.
Daniel & Ana
(Mexico)
By LESLIE FELPERIN
An Alameda Films presentation, in association with Fidecine, Labofilms, Labodigital, Pop Films, Strawberry Films, Blufilms, Morena Films. (International sales: Fortissimo Films, Amsterdam.) Produced by Daniel Birman Ripstein. Co-producers, Michel Franco, Enrique Aagon, Adolfo Alagon, Guillermo Alagon, Alvaro Longoria. Directed, written by Michel Franco.
With: Dario Yazbek Bernal, Marimar Vega, Chema Torre, Jose Maria Torre, Montserrat Ontiveros, Luis Miguel Lombana.
A horrible kidnapping shatters the lives of a brother and sister in austere, controlled Mexican drama "Daniel & Ana," the feature debut for Mexican shorts and commercials helmer Michel Franco. Adopting a show-don't-tell approach to narrative, the screenplay leaves it to the audience to map the psychological terrain, which will frustrate some but thrill others who prefer oblique storytelling. Nevertheless, without full critical support, the pic will struggle to expand beyond the fest circuit, though the presence in the title role of Dario Yazbek Bernal, brother of thesp Gael Garcia Bernal, could pique buyer and aud interest.
Attractive, outgoing college girl Ana Torres (Marimar Vega), the daughter of a wealthy, closeknit Mexico City family, is planning to get married to stolid Rafael (Jose Maria Torre) in three months. While Ana is out shopping with her shy but good-natured 16-year-old brother Daniel (Dario Yazbek Bernal), the two of them are kidnapped by a gang. The sequence proves striking: It unfolds quietly, with no shouting or fuss, creating maximal realism but dread all the same.
The kidnappers are not after money. Instead, they force Ana and Daniel to have sex on camera, threatening to kill them if they don't comply. If that seems farfetched, the opening subtitles assert the entire narrative is based on a true story. Meanwhile, concluding subtitles explain there's a known subculture of pornography made under such coercive conditions.
The kidnapping happens just 20 minutes into the film. Remainder of the pic's running time is concerned with the aftermath, as each sibling deals with the trauma in a very different way.
Telling no one about what happened, not even their parents, until Ana finally goes to see a shrink, both withdraw from human contact. Daniel, who's actually the more disturbed of the two, can seemingly hide behind people's assumptions that he's just being a surly teenager.
Last act introduces a real shocker, after which tension ratchets right up, based on expectations that anything could happen given the unpredictability of human nature. The suspense is all the greater since helmer Franco avoids any dramatic, nonsource music, and in collaboration with lenser Chuy Chavez ("Chuck and Buck," "Me and You and Everyone We Know"), keeps the camera at a cool distance from the thesps most of the time.
Leads Vega and Bernal hold up their end impressively, enhancing the pic's naturalism with muted, naturalistic perfs that hinge of the subtlest of changes of expression. Both ought to experience major career boosts.
Rest of the tech package is good, on par for the low-budget course.
Camera (color), Chuy Chavez; editor, Oscar Figueroa; production designer, Martha Papadimitriou; costume designer, Josefina Echeverria; sound (Dolby Digital), Santiago Nunez, Carlos Aguliar. Reviewed at Cannes Film Festival (Directors' Fortnight), May 18, 2009. Running time: 85 MIN.
Dogtooth
Kynodontas (Greece)
By BOYD VAN HOEIJ
A Boo Prods. production, in association with Greek Film Center, Yorgos Lanthimos, Horsefly. (International sales: MK2, Paris.) Produced by Yorgos Tsourgiannis. Executive producer, Iraklis Mavroidis. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. Screenplay, Lanthimos, Efthimis Filippou.
With: Christos Stergioglou, Michele Valley, Aggeliki Papoulia, Christos Passalis, Mary Tsoni, Anna Kalaitzidou.
Three indefinitely grounded siblings are stuck in an alternative universe dictated by their parents' cruel whimsies -- think an eternal "Big Brother" house as designed by Lars von Trier -- in Yorgos Lanthimos' "Dogtooth." Though at first nothing much happens and even less is explained, the Greek helmer's sophomore pic does exude a strange fascination throughout. A clearly present and utterly devious sense of humor might help it get some high-end commercial engagements in Euro burgs, though its natural place is at fests that embrace a take-it-or-leave-it approach to programming.
The nameless family's son (Christos Passalis) and his two younger sisters (Aggeliki Papoulia, Mary Tsoni) are -- not all that blissfully -- unaware of what happens in the outside world. Their father (Christos Stergioglou), who works at a factory, is the only one allowed to leave the isolated family abode, which is surrounded by a very high fence. Besides a hidden phone only the mother (Michele Valley) uses, there are no means of communication available.
The kids, who seem to be in their late teens or early 20s, spend their days learning useless things from cassette tapes ("a 'carbine' is a beautiful white bird") or devising their own weird little games ("I've got a new anesthetic, want to try?"). They are bullied into submission by the strict rules imposed on them by their parents, who often literally make them act like dogs.
The siblings' entire worldview is dictated by the often false or misleading information they receive, and some auds will no doubt spy a biting critique of parental irresponsibility and homeschooling, arguing for the importance of social interaction for the proper development of children. But helmer Lanthimos ("Kinetta") leaves the reasons behind the parents' dictatorial behavior up in the air.
Things really go haywire when the only allowed visitor from the outside world, Christina (Anna Kalaitzidou), is brought in again to have sex with the son. She exchanges some goods from the outside world with the sisters, which sets off a chain of events that quickly turns violent.
Ace editor Yorgos Mavropsaridis strings together the material in a way that suggests these snippets of the kids' lives are part of a cyclical, neverending story of boredom, half-truths and disturbing behavior. The ingeniously constructed screenplay also shows how wrong or irrational teachings can quickly spiral out of control, with increasingly disturbing humor used at first to leaven the proceedings before making auds laugh at the painfully logical conclusions to all the preceding lies.
Clear tension between the secluded home and the vast outside world strongly recalls Andrew Wyeth's painting "Christina's World," and pic's consistently troubling atmosphere is what keeps audiences hooked.
Visually, "Dogtooth" is more akin to David Hockney's brightly lit and unnaturally calm views of pools and villas. Like last year's Swedish Cannes title "Involuntary," lensing consists mostly of fixed camera shots that rarely show the characters in their entirety, mirroring their cut-off location and distorted worldview. Two brief erect-penis shots guarantee pic's arthouse cred.
More than one option
Camera (color, widescreen), Thimios Bakatakis; editor, Yorgos Mavropsaridis; art director, Elli Papageorgakopoulou; costume designer, Papageorgakopoulou; sound (Dolby Digital), Leandros Ntounis; associate producer Athina Tsangari. Reviewed at Cannes Film Festival (Un Certain Regard), May 18, 2009. Running time: 94 MIN.
Focus Features International has virtually sold out the world on Kevin Macdonald's upcoming Roman Britain epic Eagle Of The Ninth, which is set to begin shooting later this summer with Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell.
Rights have gone to: the UK (Entertainment); France (Metropolitan); Germany (Telemunchen); Italy (Bim); Scandinavia (Nordisk); Benelux (RCV); South Korea: (Ssamzie); Greece (Odeon); Israel (Shani); Portugal (Castello Lopes); and the Middle East (Italia).
Deals also closed in: India (PVR); Indonesia (Queen); Singapore (Shaw); Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania
(Prorom); the Czech Republic (Hollywood Classics); former Yugoslavia (Discovery); and Poland (Monolith).
President of sales and distribution Alison Thompson said she was also in the process of closing deals with SouthAfrica, Thailand, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Turkey. Focus holds North American rights.
Jeremy Brock adapted the screenplay from Rosemary Sutcliff's novel of the same name and previously collaborated with Macdonald on The Last King Of Scotland.
Duncan Kenworthy is producing and Focus' senior vice-president of European production Teresa Moneo, who brought the project to the company, is supervising production.
Drag Me to Hell
By PETER DEBRUGE
A Universal release of a Ghost House Pictures presentation. Produced by Rob Tapert, Grant Curtis. Executive producers, Joe Drake, Nathan Kahane. Co-producers, Cristen Carr Strubbe, Ivan Raimi. Directed by Sam Raimi. Screenplay, Raimi, Ivan Raimi.
Christine Brown - .. Alison Lohman
Clay Dalton - Justin Long
Mrs. Ganush - Lorna Raver
Rham Jas - Dileep Rao
Mr. Jacks - David Paymer
Shaun San Dena - Adriana Barraza
Leonard Dalton - Chelcie Ross
Stu Rubin - Reggie Lee
Sam Raimi returns to his roots in "Drag Me to Hell," a flagrantly schlocky horror yarn that will titillate the teens without alienating the director's far pickier fanboy contingent, who will find the "Evil Dead"-style action they've been clamoring for in a surprisingly potent PG-13 package. When the bank forecloses on an old gypsy's house, it's the unlucky young loan officer who risks having her soul repossessed in this throwback to both Raimi's early work and '50s B-movies. After booking the pic in coveted midnight slots at the SXSW and Cannes fests, Universal should see strong awareness yield heavenly returns.
As its no-nonsense title suggests, "Drag Me to Hell" offers a kicking-and-screaming riff on the classic curse movie -- and if the material scarcely warrants feature length, so be it. Scant of plot and barren of subtext, the pic is single-mindedly devoted to pushing the audience's buttons, and who better than Raimi to do the honors? Long before he went legit with "A Simple Plan," helmer was perfecting inventive shocks on shoestring budgets, and, as if to remind us of that legacy, he opens this modestly budgeted film (by "Spider-Man" standards, at least) with an early-'80s Universal logo.
First scene further cements the tone, as an innocent boy (though not so innocent as to avoid being cursed) attempts to outrun his imminent damnation, only to be thrown from a balcony and swallowed whole by a gaping, fiery chasm in the earth. It's hard to imagine such a fate awaiting Christine (Alison Lohman), a sweet young lady gunning for the assistant manager job at her local bank, until we see the almost comically unkempt old hag who comes begging for an extension on her mortgage.
With one bad eye, gnarled fingernails and inexplicably jagged dentures, Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) is clearly the reason Raimi and his brother Ivan decided to write this in the first place. She's as memorable a villain as Christine is forgettable a heroine, and the fact that Mrs. Ganush means bad business is so evident in her introductory scene that the mere appearance of her car (played by Raimi's own instantly recognizable 1973 Oldsmobile) in the parking garage is enough to make neck hairs stand on end.
On the losing end of a showdown that makes creative use of a stapler and several other everyday office supplies, Mrs. Ganush manages to grab one of Christine's buttons and utter a nasty incantation. "Soon it will be you who comes begging to me," she predicts. But the crusty old crone expires before Christine can ask her to lift the curse, leaving our hell-bent heroine with no one but her skeptical fiance (Justin Long) and an in-over-his-head street-corner psychic (Dileep Rao) to advise her on how to escape her fate.
In the increasingly desperate events that follow, Raimi clearly believes the mouth, not the eyes, are the window to the soul, with one grossout gag after another exploiting auds' fear of foreign substances (from ominous flies to Mrs. Ganush's phlegm) entering the mouth. Such off-putting visuals are considerably more effective than Raimi's next favorite trick, which is to ratchet up the already overloud soundtrack alongside a shock cut.
The scares are all delivered in Raimi's usual tongue-in-cheek style, down to the menacing goat-like "Lamia" (seen only in cartoonish silhouette, its shape is a direct homage to Jacques Tourneur's 1957 "Night of the Demon"). It's odd to find so many laugh-out-loud moments amid such genuine tension, but were it not for Raimi's comic touch, auds would likely be outraged by a good deal of the material -- the fate of Christine's kitten, for instance, or the movie's unapologetically backward characterization of gypsies.
Pic seems to have lucked into what little relevance the mortgage crisis lends its story, otherwise so slight as to seem better suited to an hourlong "Masters of Horror" episode. Still, there's no denying it delivers far more than competing PG-13 thrillers (including several from Raimi's own Ghost House shingle).
CG touches -- including the one that'll have auds cheering into the end credits -- look cheap, but practical effects and makeup are tops.
wow...
Jodorowsky. Lynch. Zsigmond. Nolte. Manson. Argento. Kier. Fuck. Yes.
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/41161 (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/41161)
lepo je to sve, al koja je to jebena VEST, kad svi podaci iz nje, uključujući vilmoša, figuriraju na imdb-u već neko vreme; baš sam pre par nedelja četovao na FB-u s janjetovim koji mi je skrenuo pažnju na neke momente vezane za film, i sve ovo što se ovde lupa u bubnjeve kao otkriće bilo je na imdb-u još tada.
po janjetovu, film bi trebalo da se snima u španiji ovog leta.
inače, ne sviđa mi se ova vest da je azija trudna i da neće da snima film zbog toga. nadajmo se da je to patka, ili da će da ga abortira kako bi igrala kod joda.
ipak, jodo snima 1 film u 15 godina, a ona dete može da rađa i dogodine ako joj je baš do žgepčeta!
Cantona to star in film 'Moves'
Film to be directed by Herve P. Gustave
By JOHN HOPEWELL
Soccer-star-turned actor Eric Cantona will be in HPG's next film, 'Les mouvements du bassin' (The Pelvis Moves).
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CANNES — Rolling off his success in Ken Loach's "Looking for Eric," soccer-star-turned thesp Eric Cantona will topline "Les mouvements du bassin" (The Pelvis Moves), the next film from Gallic helmer HPG, the screen name of director-thesp Herve P. Gustave.
The HPG directed and starrer "On ne devrait pas existir" (We Should Not Exist) played in Cannes 2006 Directors' Fortnight.
Described as a burlesque tragic actioner, "Moves" turns on the relationship between two outsiders, Thierry, a student of self-defense martial arts, and Marion, whose dream is to have a child.
Cantona plays Thierry. Rachida Brackni, his real-life wife who acted in "Exist," limns Marion.
Currently in pre-production, "Moves" is set up at France's Capricci Films, a boutique production-distribution-sales company and book publisher based out of Nantes. "Moves" is skedded to shoot this fall, said Capricci partner Thierry Lounas.
Capricci will also produce "Dracula," the next film by left-of-field Catalan director Albert Serra, whose "Honor of the Knights" and "Birdsong" played Directors' Fortnight in 2006 and 2008 respectively.
Like "Honor," a hyper-minimalist, painterly rendering of two episodes from the "Quixote," "Dracula" looks set to deliver a singular big-screen version of Bram Stoker's novel.
In development, and to shoot in Romania and France, pic will use non-professional actors and a provisional screenplay allowing for on-set innovation.
Capricci will co-produce with Serra's own Barcelona label, Andergraun Films, pic's lead producer. As on "Birdsong," Capricci will also take French distribution and international sales rights, Lounas said.
Angry Badger Pictures has signed "Trainspotting" author Irvine Welsh to direct its soccer comedy "The Magnificent Eleven."
Welsh will work with the father-son writing team Pete and John Adams on the next draft of the screenplay. He wrote "Trainspotting" as his first novel and recently co-wrote and directed "Good Arrows" through his Dust production banner.
"The Magnificent Eleven" is scheduled to shoot later this year. It's a modernization of the "The Magnificent Seven" centered on a local amateur soccer team, a Tandoori restaurant and a group of menacing thugs.
Angry Badger, led by John and Pete Adams, most recently completed action horror feature "S.N.U.B!"
Sto mu gromova! Sad vidjeh na IMDb-u, Džon Burman radi Čarobnjaka iz Oza! :!:
To će da bude sjajno, sigurno će strašilo da povali Doroti i ko zna šta će još da se izdešava!
New World Order
(Documentary)
By RONNIE SCHEIB
Read other reviews about this film
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An IFC presentation of a SeeThink production in association with Cactus Three Films. Produced by Tom Davis. Executive producers, Julie Goldman, Krysanne Katsoolis, Caroline Stevens, Debbie DeMontreaux, Christine Lubrano, Evan Shapiro.
Directed by Luke Meyer, Andrew Neel.
With: Alex Jones, Luke Rudowski, Jack McLamb, Jim Tucker, Timucin Leflef, Geraldo Rivera.
At a Ground Zero anniversary memorial, conspiracy theorists argue 9/11 was "an inside job," while at Chantilly, Va., they monitor arrivals of the super-rich members of the hush-hush Bilderberg group. Luke Meyer and Andrew Neel's "New World Order" is less about an international cabal seeking world enslavement than about those who fervently believe such conspiracies exist and who crusade to defeat them. As in their previous docu "Darkon," about medieval game-players, the filmmakers here neither validate nor ridicule their subjects. Opening May 22 at Gotham's Cinema Village prior to an IFC airing, the docu's very sanity may limit its appeal.
Austin radio host-cum-video pamphleteer Alex Jones is the group's most successfully self-promotional. Jones theatricalizes his paranoid fantasies for any camera or mic in sight, while retired cop-turned-militiaman Jack McLamb covertly dwells with like-minded Christians on an Idaho mountaintop, and twentysomething Brooklynite Luke Rudowski quietly dedicates each spare moment to awakening others to their imminent imperilment. Stressing extremist scenarios, proselytizers exclude partial meetings of the minds. Some minds, of course, are already shut down -- witness Geraldo Rivera's scathing contempt when the demonstrators interrupt his Times Square broadcast about underclad coeds.
Camera (color, HD), Meyer, Neel; editor, Nathan Caswell; music, Jonn Ollsin, Jonah Rapino. Reviewed on DVD, New York, May 16, 2009. (In SXSW Film Festival.) Running time: 86 MIN.
Quote from: One Track Lover on 25-05-2009, 02:44:05
Sto mu gromova! Sad vidjeh na IMDb-u, Džon Burman radi Čarobnjaka iz Oza! :!:
To će da bude sjajno, sigurno će strašilo da povali Doroti i ko zna šta će još da se izdešava!
Ti, čini mi se, nisi gledao tursku verziju. Tamo imaš jedan veoma eksplicitan pederski momenat koji je u inferiornoj američkoj verziji gurnut u dvadeseti plan, ako je uopšte primetan. Ne vidim ko i kako može unaprediti tu priču, Burman, ne-Burman režirao ili nerežirao.
harv, burman o kome govoriš je dead & buried.
what has he done LATELY?!
Pitaj me to za oko godinu dana.
Osim toga, nema ni deset godina kako je snimio odličnog PANAMSKOG KROJAČA.
Čak da je samo to snimio, imao bi jedan dobar film više nego Lars fon Trir i Gaspar Noe zajedno.
ješćeš ti one ključeve, ješćeš, samo da mi padne šaka ANTIHRIST što pre!
Poštovani,
Sa ponosom Vas obaveštavamo da je na upravo završenom Kanskom filmskom festivalu akvizicija MCF MegaCom Filma bila, kao i ranijih godina, jako uspešna, tako da je iz zvanične selekcije festivala MCF otkupio i obezbedio za kasnije bioskopsko prikazivanje skoro sve nagređene filmove od kojih posebno izdvajamo dobitnika Zlatne Palme, film
BELA TRAKA (White Ribbon) – REŽIJA: MIHAEL HANEKE / ZLATNA PALMA
koji će se od decembra naći u domaćim bioskopima
Mihael Haneke, austrijski reditelj, do sada je u Kanu osvojio Gran Pri festivala za film "Profesorka klavira" (2001.) i nagradu za najbolju režiju za film "Skriveno" (2005.).
Radnja filma "Bela traka" smeštena je pred sam početak Prvog svetskog rata u nemačkom protestantskom selu na severu zemlje. Film je snimljen u crno-beloj tehnici, i priča o deci i maldima koji pevaju u horu koji vodi seoski učitelj i njihovim porodicama... Dešava se čudna nesreća koja menja tok događaja...
Kao i sledeće nagrađene filmove:
· Nagrada za najbolji scenario: PROLEĆNA GROZNICA (Spring Fever), režija: Lu Je, scenario: Feng Mei, kontroverznog autora Lu Jea poznatog sa predhodnog Festivala autorskog filma sa filmom "Letnja palata".
· Nagrada za najbolju žensku ulogu : ANTIHRIST (Antichrist), režija: Lars Fon Trir.
· Nagrada žirija: AKVARIJUM (Fish Tank), režija: Andrea Arnold.
· Počasna Zlatna Palma za izuzetan doprinos istoriji filma: DIVLJE TRAVKE (Les herbes folies / Wilde grass), režija: Alen Rene.
Seth Rogen to voice 'Paul' for Pegg
Cast added to Universal, Working Title comedy
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Rogen
Bateman
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More than one option(Co) Working Title Films
(Co) Working Title Television
More than one option(Person) Bill Hader
Actor
(Person) Bill Hader
ActorUniversal and Working Title Films have added Seth Rogen, Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader and Jane Lynch to the cast of "Paul."
The road trip laffer stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and will be directed by Greg Mottola.
Pegg and Frost, who wrote the script, will play two science-fiction fanatics on a road trip whose conspiracy dreams come true when they trek to Area 51 and encounter the title character, an escaped alien.
Rogen will provide the voice of the alien.
Working Title partners Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan will produce with Nira Park of Big Talk Prods. Shooting begins in June.
Pegg and Frost starred together previously in the Working Title-produced "Hot Fuzz" and "Shaun of the Dead."
Rogen last worked with Mottola on "Superbad." Hader also starred in that film, and just worked with Mottola and Wiig on "Adventureland."
Working Title and U most recently completed the Paul Greengrass-directed "The Green Zone," and the Richard Curtis-directed "The Boat That Rocked."
Israeli actress Liraz Charhi has been cast in Doug Liman's "Fair Game" says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story follows former real life CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson (Naomi Watts). Plame's status as an operative was severely compromised when the Bush administration leaked her identity.
Apparently this happened because of an editorial that Plame's husband, ambassador Joseph Wilson (Sean Penn), wrote saying that the administration doctored intelligence on Iraq to make a case for war.
Charhi is set to play the role of Sawsan, an Iraqi doctor living in Cleveland who Plame sends to Baghdad to help gather intelligence on Saddam Hussein's nuclear program.
The catch is that Plame has to bring Sawsan's brother to the U.S.
The film is currently shooting in New York and the Middle East.
Roger Donaldson ("The Bank Job") is in negotiations to direct the paranoia thriller "Umbra" for Relativity Media says Variety.
Plot details on the project are being kept under wraps. Steven Karczynski wrote the original screenplay.
Hal Lieberman, Ryan Kavanaugh and Tucker Tooley are producing.
wow... ovo izgleda potpuno dementno, jedva čekam!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxB0yXfpQZ8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxB0yXfpQZ8)
Tom Cruise is zeroing in on the 20th Century Fox action comedy "Wichita" as his next star vehicle.
He'll pair with Cameron Diaz in the James Mangold-directed film. That ends a serious courtship that the star had since January with some of the highest-profile projects in Hollywood.
According to sources, Cruise and Diaz have approved the script, and their deals are in advanced negotiations. While Fox has not officially dated the picture, sources said the studio is eyeing a summer 2010 release.
The script has been through many machinations, but the most recent drafts were done by Scott Frank, with Mangold currently fine-tuning the script with Laeta Kalogridis ("Shutter Island"). Two-hander has several action scenes.
Cruise will play a secret agent who pops in and out of the life of a single woman.
Since the opening of "Valkyrie," Cruise has been courted for and has shown serious interest in the Len Wiseman-directed DreamWorks thriller "Motorcade"; the Bharat Nalluri-directed Spyglass remake "The Tourist"; the David Cronenberg-directed MGM drama "The Matarese Circle"; the Universal/Working Title romantic comedy "Lost for Words"; and "The 28th Amendment," the Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck-directed Warner Bros. thriller.
The competition for the slot came down to "Wichita" and "Motorcade." It is possible that Cruise might do one of the other projects down the line.
WB nabs 'Hench' for McBride
Studio acquires graphic novel
By MICHAEL FLEMING
McBride
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More than one option(Person) Danny McBride
Story By, Executive Producer, Actor
(Person) Danny McBride
Actor, Director, ScreenplayWarner Bros. has acquired "Hench" and will develop the AIT/Planet Lar graphic novel as the template for a comic screen vehicle for Danny McBride, who is set to write the script with Shawn Harwell.
McBride will play a football player who suffers a career-ending injury and needs a job. He signs on as henchman to a successful villain.
Original Films' Neal Moritz will produce with Jason Netter's Kickstart Prods. and McBride. Ken Levin and Ori Marmur will be exec producers.
The graphic novel was created by Adam Beechen and Mario Bello.
McBride and Harwell have collaborated as writers on episodes of the former's HBO series "Eastbound and Down."
McBride, who next stars opposite Will Ferrell in Universal's "Land of the Lost," is preparing to star for that studio in the David Gordon Green-directed "Your Highness." McBride wrote the script and joins Scott Stuber as producer. After that, McBride will return for a second season of his HBO series.
CAA brokered the deal.
Verhoeven on tap for 'Surrogate'
Fox thriller lures Dutch director back to Hollywood
By Borys Kit
May 28, 2009, 11:00 PM ET
Paul Verhoeven is coming back to America.
The Dutch director, who most recently helmed his native-tongued "Black Book," has come aboard to develop and direct "The Surrogate," a thriller for 20th Century Fox. Ralph Winter is producing via his Winter Road shingle along with Deborah Giarratana, Robin Guthrie and Susana Zepeda.
Based on the 2004 book by Kathryn Mackel, the story centers on a couple desperate to have a child who find themselves in an unbearable position when they find out the surrogate they hired to carry their baby is insane.
The project originally was set up at Fox Atomic but moved to Fox proper when Atomic was shuttered. Debbie Liebling, who ran Atomic, is overseeing "Surrogate."
Roderick Taylor and Bruce Taylor wrote the original draft.
Winter, a producer on Fox's "X-Men" movies, most recently was a producer on "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."
Verhoeven, repped by ICM and Marion Rosenberg, became one of Hollywood's most sought-after directors in the 1990s with such movies as "Total Recall" and "Basic Instinct." He became disenchanted with Tinseltown after his 2000 sci-fi thriller "Hollow Man" fizzled. He then returned to the Netherlands, where he made "Book." The World War II thriller won several awards and thrust him back in the limelight.
Verhoeven is developing several projects, including "The Winter Queen," with Milla Jovovich attached to star.
Matt Johnson's buddy action spec script "Trans Am" has been picked up by Warner Bros. Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
The Southern-fried buddy action script centers on a disgraced sheriff's deputy and a repentant getaway driver who must elude a federal manhunt when they join forces to bring an escaped bank robber to justice.
The action unfolds along the Mississippi River in the vein of a Deep South-set 48 Hours.
John Stockwell ("Blue Crush," "Turistas") has signed up to direct the action-comedy "Roadkill" for Lleju Productions says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story revolves around two amateur private detectives who take on more than they anticipated when they agree to protect a high-end escort being pursued by a female assassin.
While on the run, they discover what could be a government conspiracy. Nick Ball and John Niven penned the script while Bill Perkins is producing.
Jake Kasdan ("Walk Hard," "Zero Effect") has signed on to direct the comedy "Bad Teacher" for Sony Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story concerns a foul-mouthed seventh grade teacher who is dumped by her sugar daddy and starts to pursue a colleague, which provokes conflict with the school's model teacher.
Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg penned the script while Jimmy Miller is producing.
I just got off the phone with actor Dolph Lundgren, where we discussed his latest film on DVD, Direct Contact, which comes to DVD and Blu-ray on June 2, but we also talked about his role in the new Sylvester Stallone film, The Expendables. Here's what Lundgren had to say about the upcoming film.
Can you talk a little bit about The Expendables that you have coming out? Have you wrapped on that?
Dolph Lundgren: No, we're about halfway through. Most of my stuff is still left. I've done a couple of scenes and it's a pleasure working with Stallone again. He's a very experienced guy. You know, I direct myself, so I appreciate his advice because I can pass it on. Few people have more experience than him, a lead in a big action movie. I mean, how many big movies has he done in his career? Maybe 30? Big studio pictures? That was fun, so now that I get to suck up his advice and it's really fun for me. It's a pleasure. It's a really good character for me too. I'm the outcast-of-the-family sort of thing. I go back and forth between the good family and the bad guys, so there's a lot of great stuff and certainly a lot of action.
So, your character plays both sides then?
Dolph Lundgren: Yeah. I get to play both good and bad. It's a little crazy. He's a guy with a heart, and Stallone is no friend of his in the movie. He was my old buddy and we end up parting ways, it gets ugly and there's sort of a surprise. You'll see.
Lundgren also talked about another film he both starred in and directed, Command Performance, and Universal Soldiers: The Next Generation.
You talked a bit about Command Performance, and I have to say the trailer looked awesome, so I was curious if there was a release date planned for that as of yet?
Dolph Lundgren: We just finished the film now and, because it's a smaller movie - it looks big and whatnot - it needs to be screened to the distributors and we'll find out what's going to happen in the U.S. in the next couple of weeks. We'll know more in a month or two.
You also have Universal Soldiers: The Next Generation as well, so how has that work been going?
Dolph Lundgren: Well, I did a small cameo. John Hyams is the director and he's a pretty good writer. That's a really violent movie. It's a very hardcore violent movie. They have a lot of MMA guys in it, we break a few skulls. It was fun to work with (Jean-Cladue) Van Damme again and with John Hyams. I haven't seen much of the film, because I only worked on it for two weeks, but I'm sure it's going to turn out good.
Halle Berry is in talks to star in thriller "The Surrogate" for 20th Century Fox.
Helmer Paul Verhoeven is onboard to develop the project, which revolves around a couple who hire a surrogate to carry their child and find out mid-term that the surrogate is insane.
Project would mark Berry's return to the bigscreen after having a baby last year. She hasn't starred in a film since 2007's "Perfect Stranger" opposite Bruce Willis.
"The Surrogate," which had been in development at the now-shuttered Fox Atomic, would also reteam Berry with producer Ralph Winter, who produced Fox's "X-Men" trilogy, in which the actress starred.
Rod and Bruce Taylor ("The Brave One") penned the screenplay, which is based on a novel by Kathryn Mackel.
Winter is producing alongside Susana Zepeda, Robin Guthrie and Deborah Giarratana.
Berry is repped by ICM.
Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson is starring with Chris Klein, Adam Rodriguez and Richard T. Jones in "Caught in the Crossfire," a police corruption drama. Newcomer Brian Miller wrote the script and is directing.
Lensing is just getting underway in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Jackson's Cheetah Vision Films partner Randall Emmett is producing with R.D. Miller, who raised the equity to finance the film through his company Miller and Miller Films. Jackson is executive producer with Chris Lighty and Tim Roth.
The drama concerns two homicide detectives who find themselves caught in the crossfire of a gang-related homicide and a group of dirty cops. Jackson plays a gang-banger who becomes a reluctant informant.
Miller went to film school in Grand Rapids and is making his directing debut on "Crossfire."
Jackson and Emmett launched Cheetah Vision at Sundance. Aside from "Crossfire," they are producing "Jekyll and Hyde," the Abel Ferrara-directed retelling of the classic story that will star Jackson and Forest Whitaker. They are also planning another untitled drama they will self-finance as a star vehicle for Jackson, with Benny Boom ("Next Day Air") directing. Production will begin in October.
Former Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann is following in the footsteps of football star-turned-actor Eric Cantona with his first acting role in Stefanie Sycholt's Themba.
Lehman, who now plays for VfB Stuttgart, has been cast as football talent scout, John Jacobs. The film is currently shooting in South Africa.
Based on the novel of the same name by German-Dutch writer Lutz van Dijk, Sycholt's film follows eleven year-old Themba (whose name means hope) as he journeys from a poor background to playing for Bafana Bafana, the South African national football team.
The cast is made up of a mix of non-professionals, newcomers and well-known South African actors such as Patrick Mofokeng and Anelisa Phewa and rising singer Simphiwe Dana, with Junior Singo in the lead role as Themba.
The German-South African co-production between Zeitsprung Entertainment and Rheingold Films with DO Productions is shooting in English and the local Xhosa language.
The producers are planning to release Themba internationally next summer to coincide with the World Cup in South Africa.
Former Manchester United and France footballer Cantona has an extended cameo appearance in Ken Loach's upcoming Looking For Eric, which is due to be released across Europe this summer.
Quote from: John Reynolds on 25-05-2009, 22:54:32
Quote from: One Track Lover on 25-05-2009, 02:44:05
Sto mu gromova! Sad vidjeh na IMDb-u, Džon Burman radi Čarobnjaka iz Oza! :!:
To će da bude sjajno, sigurno će strašilo da povali Doroti i ko zna šta će još da se izdešava!
Ti, čini mi se, nisi gledao tursku verziju. Tamo imaš jedan veoma eksplicitan pederski momenat koji je u inferiornoj američkoj verziji gurnut u dvadeseti plan, ako je uopšte primetan. Ne vidim ko i kako može unaprediti tu priču, Burman, ne-Burman režirao ili nerežirao.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0801820/
:?
Jack Nicholson is in negotiations to reteam with James L. Brooks on the helmer's untitled romantic comedy at Columbia Pictures.
Nicholson is the last piece of casting to come together on the ensemble project, which stars Paul Rudd, Reese Witherspoon and Owen Wilson.
For months, Bill Murray had been in talks to portray the blueblood father of Rudd's character, but no deal closed. In recent weeks Murray's interest in the project waned and he fell out of touch.
With Murray unresponsive and production scheduled to start in less than two weeks, Brooks reached out to Nicholson.
Brooks, who also penned the screenplay, is producing alongside Paula Weinstein ("Blood Diamond"), Laurence Mark ("Dreamgirls") and Gracie Films prexy Julie Ansell.
Story involves a love triangle, with Rudd playing a white-collar executive vying for Witherspoon's affections, and Wilson portraying a professional baseball pitcher who is also a love interest.
Two of Nicholson's three Oscars have come via Brooks films: 1983's "Terms of Endearment" and 1997's "As Good as It Gets."
Overture Films is developing a modern-day adaptation of the William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" with Emile Hirsch starring, "Twilight" helmer Catherine Hardwicke directing and Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen producing.
Ron Nyswaner ("Philadelphia," "the Painted Veil") is adapting the story, in which a young man burdened with deciding whether to take revenge on his father's killer would take place in contemporary America.
"With its universal themes of death, revenge, love and even teen angst - the story of 'Hamlet' is perhaps as timely and influential today as it was when it was written over 400 years ago," said Overture CEO Chris McGurk and chief operating officer Danny Rosett.
Hirsch previously worked with Jinks and Cohen on "Milk" and with Hardwicke on "Lords of Dogtown."
Jinks and Cohen, in an announcement Tuesday, credited Hirsch with the modernized version and said there hasn't been a movie version with an appropriately-aged actor playing the role. Overture said it hopes to have a finished script in the coming months with principal photography commencing soon thereafter.
"Hamlet" has been adapted numerous times for th screen, including Laurence Olivier's 1948 version, which won the best picture Oscar.
Other notable "Hamlet" pics include a 1969 version directed by Tony Richardson and starring Nicol Williamson, Franco Zeffirelli's 1990 film starring Mel Gibson and Kenneth Branagh's 1996 version.
Javier Bardem has joined the cast of Oliver Stone's "Wall Street 2" says Deadline Hollywood Daily.
Michael Douglas returns as Gordon Gekko, and Shia LaBeouf plays a young trader engaged to marry Gekko's daughter in the follow-up to Stone's 1987 feature.
According to the site, the story is set 21 years later in the second half of 2008 when Gekko sees the financial crisis coming but is focused on his estranged daughter (still to be cast) and her upcoming nuptuals.
Bardem will play a hedge fund manager who's dealings have caused the suicide of the mentor of Gekko's new son-in-law (LaBeouf). Shooting kicks off August 10th for a February 2010 release.
Nisam znao gde drugde da pomenem ovaj zanimljiv intervju u kome predivna Olivia Thirlby, između ostalog, priča o filmu "What Goes Up", a koji zvuči zanimljivo na osnovu ovog opisa:
"Jonathan Glatzer's WHAT GOES UP (formerly SAFETY GLASS), an incredibly ambitious, set-in-1986 dark comedy about a burned-out New York City journalist, Campbell Babbitt (Steve Coogan), who gets sent to "Siberia" (i.e. New Hampshire) to cover the impending launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger - which counts among its crew a local hero by the name of Christa McAuliffe. Almost immediately upon arriving, Babbitt finds himself caught up in the lives of a group of high school-aged outcasts who've built up a cult around their favorite high school teacher - who's just committed suicide. Being that the teacher was an old college buddy of Babbitt's, the kids latch onto the reporter as a replacement guru of sorts. This threatens to go disastrously wrong when the very cute and deeply confused Lucy (Hilary Duff) falls for Babbitt."
a evo ga i kompletni intervju ovde: http://www.aintitcool.com/node/41292 (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/41292)
Assata aka Joanne Chesimard
By RONNIE SCHEIB
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An FBFVCO production. Produced by Fred Baker. Executive producers, Kat Roberts-Henry, Baker. Directed, written by Fred Baker.
With: Charles Everett, Erika Vaughn, Char Sydney, Jack P. Dempsey, Kathleen Cleaver, Rosemari Mealy, Assata Shakur.
Revolving around the controversial real-life case of Black Panther Assata Shakur, who famously escaped prison and took refuge in Cuba after being convicted of killing a New Jersey policeman in the '70s, Fred Baker's docudrama, "Assata aka Joanne Chesimard," voices a powerful rallying cry when dealing directly with the activist. Unfortunately, the writer-helmer-producer wraps his slice of history in the half-baked love story of a fictional couple researching the subject, trivializing events in the process. Indifferent writing, poor line readings and an awkward marriage of narrative and documentary elements make the pic unlikely to travel beyond fests.
Through present-day interviews with surviving movement figures, contemporaneous newsreels and black-and-white reconstructions, Baker places Shakur's case in the context of a roll call of slain Panthers, convincingly arguing her innocence and the guilty collusion of police and government agencies. That the FBI posted a million-dollar bounty on the "domestic terrorist" in 2005 only adds contemporary relevance. But atrocious acting -- Baker delivering the only decent performance as lefty defense attorney William Kunstler -- and shots of the bikini-clad researcher/heroine splashing on Havana beaches vitiate the pic's political impact.
Camera (color, DV), Jato Smith; editor, Tracy Utley; music, Roy Hargrove; art director, Shaun Fillion. Reviewed on DVD, New York, April 10, 2009. (In Harlem Film Festival.) Running time: 96 MIN.
Dachimawa Lee
Dajjimawa Rhee: Aginiyeo Jioghaeng Geubhaengyeolchareul Tara (South Korea)
By DEREK ELLEY
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A Showbox/Mediaplex release and presentation of a Filmmaker R&R production. (International sales: Showbox, Seoul.) Produced by Gang Hye-jeong. Executive producer, Yu Jeong-hun. Directed by Ryoo Seung-wan. Screenplay, Ryoo, Gweon Hyeok-jae.
With: Im Weon-heui, Gong Hyo-jin, Park Shi-yeon, Hwang Bo-ra, Kim Byeong-ok, Kim Su-hyeon, Ahn Gil-kang, Ryu Seung-beom, Jeong Seok-yong, Oh Ji-hye.
(Korean, Japanese, English dialogue)
France's hugely successful "OSS 117" retro spy parodies are joined by the rather less successful "Dachimawa Lee," a tribute to tacky South Korean '60s-'70s actioners that should be way more fun than it is. Slugfest specialist Ryoo Seung-wan ("No Blood No Tears," "Arahan") hits all the right buttons in the first half-hour but runs out of steam and ideas after an overextended midsection. Much-hyped pic performed disappointingly at home late last summer, but genre addicts can check out this curio on ancillary.
The film's extended title (which translates to "Devil! Take the Train to Hell") refers to a 1976 classic of the so-called hwalgeuk genre, directed by prolific action star of the period, Park No-shik. The plot, however, is completely different, and Ryoo's slick production values are vastly superior to those of any of the actual hwalgeuk actioners, most of which look extremely tacky today.
The hero's name, Dachimawa Lee, is Japanese-derived Korean slang for a fight in which one hoodlum takes on many. He's played here (as in Ryoo's larky, low-budget 2000 short of the same title) by Im Weon-heui, with a comically grandiose lack of humor that reps a Korean version of OSS 117's lack of irony. Im's hectoring delivery and didactic dialogue parody an age when South Korea was controlled by a moralizing military junta, and the thesp's performance is the movie's one consistent delight.
After a Bond-ish prologue in 1942 Moscow, involving deadly turncoat Madame Jang (Oh Ji-hye), and a jazzy main title involving lots of split screen and Lalo Schifrin-like music, pint-sized super-agent Lee (Im) improbably races around the globe to find a Golden Buddha statuette containing a list of Korean spies the Japanese also want.
As he flits from Tokyo to Shanghai, from the U.S. to Manchuria, and finally to Switzerland -- the whole movie was shot in South Korea -- Lee is partnered with glamorous femme agent Mari (Park Shi-yeon, good), pines for love-of-his-life agent Yeon-ja (Gong Hyo-jin) and is hunted by enemy agent Damanegi (Kim Su-hyeon).
Action scenes vary from excellent to just OK, and retro production and costume design (except in the Shanghai seg) are strong. But the wind goes out of the movie's sails during a long central section in Manchuria -- involving Lee losing his memory and meeting a kooky girl (Hwang Bo-ra) -- that pales in comparison with anything in "The Good the Bad the Weird." Thereafter, the pic never recovers its opening brio.
Camera (color), Jo Yong-gyu; editor, Nam Na-yeong; music, Choi Seung-hyeon; production designer, Yang Hong-sam; costume designers, Gweon Yu-jin, Kim Na-hyeong; sound (Dolby Digital), Jeong Gun; special effects supervisors, Jeong Do-an, Kim Tae-heui; visual effects supervisors, Lee Jeong-hyeong, Choi Jae-cheon; action choreographers, Jeong Du-hong, Heo Myeong-haeng; assistant director, Gweon Hyeok-jae. Reviewed on DVD, London, May 1, 2009. (In New York Asian Film Festival.) Running time: 98 MIN.
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
By TODD MCCARTHY
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'The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3'
Subway dispatcher Denzel Washington must deal with a hijacking in 'The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3.'
A Sony Pictures Entertainment release of a Columbia Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures presentation in association with Relativity Media of a Scott Free/Escape Artists production. Produced by Todd Black, Tony Scott, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch. Executive producers, Michael Costigan, Ryan Kavanaugh. Co-executive producers, Linda Favila, Anson Downes. Directed by Tony Scott. Screenplay, Brian Helgeland, based on the novel by John Godey.
Walter Garber - Denzel Washington
Ryder - John Travolta
Camonetti - John Turturro
Phil Ramos - Luis Guzman
John Johnson - Michael Rispoli
Mayor - James Gandolfini
Predictably ratcheted up a few notches from the original 1974 film and cloaked in contemporary sociological relevance, "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" is an efficiently reworked version of a tense, ticking-clock suspense story. More than anything a fascinating portrait of how much New York has changed in 35 years, the film delivers the goods in excitement and big-star charisma, with the contrasting low-key and cranked-up acting styles of Denzel Washington and John Travolta playing off one another nicely. Comparatively low-tech thriller looks to hijack solid-to-strong returns for Sony before the tentpoles take over most of the nation's screens.
First adaptation of John Godey's novel is a minor classic in the early-'70s school of gritty Gotham crime yarns. Directed by Joseph Sargent and written by Peter Stone, it pitted Walter Matthau's sardonic subway dispatcher against Robert Shaw's cold-blooded mercenary as the latter commandeered a subway train and promised to start killing one hostage per minute unless $1 million in cash was delivered within an hour.
The contrast between the old and new pictures is less interesting as a comparison of styles -- with Tony Scott, you know what you're going to get in terms of heavily worked images and blaring soundtrack -- than as one of society. In the early '70s, as reflected in "Pelham," the city looked grungy to the point of dilapidation, verging on political meltdown (the portrait of a sickly mayor who just wants to hide in bed is jaw-dropping) and dominated ethnically by Jews and Italians.
This time around, the transit system's central control HQ is as high-tech as a NASA command post, local authorities are tight knots of anxious professionalism and the population is a rainbow coalition come to fruition. Communication is also a whole lot better -- even if there's still no wireless service on the subway -- and the casual racism and sexism of some of the characters in the original are mostly gone.
Eschewing inessentials, Scott and screenwriter Brian Helgeland get right down to business. An armed gang of four, led by the thuggish-looking Ryder (Travolta), efficiently takes over the lead car of a downtown 6 train, shoots a plainclothes cop and, with 18 hostages cowering at gunpoint, gives the city 60 minutes to hand over -- inflation well taken into account -- $10 million.
Finding this crisis in his lap is dispatcher Walter Garber (Washington), who insists to Ryder that he's "just a guy," a cog in the city bureaucracy with no power to deal with a high-stakes hostage situation. But in between issuing blunt demands and threats, Ryder takes an apparent liking to the regular Joe, pressing him about his life and, in the process, revealing scraps of useful information about himself.
Helgeland's script thus pushes into directions Stone's did not, establishing personal links between the hijacker and his opposite number. But the film also is interested in a bigger picture; a dark episode in Garber's career is pushed front and center, forcing a facile but still provoking contrast concerning degrees, gravity and justifiability of different types of criminality, from high to low, white-collar to blue-collar, municipal to private. Pressed any further, the thematic implications would become pretentious but, as is, the elaboration grafts a little meat onto generic characters.
With the minutes quickly counting down, Garber is briefly replaced at the microphone by a professional hostage negotiator (John Turturro); the mayor (James Gandolfini, very good) moans and groans while dashing about town; hundreds of cops are deployed; and, with another killing, Ryder makes it deadly clear he's not kidding.
Compact story and high-pressure situation would seem to make this an all but fool-proof thriller concept, and Scott messes up only in his execution of a climactic stretch in which Ryder sends the subway car loose on a high-speed run toward Coney Island. By artificially jimmying the film speed, indulging in step-framing and his other visual tricks, the director in fact decreases the terrifying sense of speed that smart editing of real-time cinematography can provide.
Final act has been contrived to get Garber out of his antiseptic office and down into the subway tunnel, where he can morph into something resembling an action hero. Washington's notably increased bulk makes it unlikely he could run as fast and far as he must here, but the actor's time-tested skill at quietly setting the bait with masterful underplaying and making it all pay off down the line prevails once again.
As for Travolta, his over-the-top early scenes create some concern. But as Ryder settles into his verbal sparring with Garber, the characterization becomes more modulated, and the actor's obviously delight with his role becomes contagious. Shaw gave real, understated gravity to his version of the part and remains the strongest element of the original film, but Travolta takes the baddie in an entirely different direction and does just fine.
Ryder's three cohorts should have been given a few lines with which to individualize themselves, while a few of the hostage characters have their moments. Location work provides plenty of atmosphere, as do the extensive scenes below ground.
Camera (Deluxe color, Panavision widescreen), Tobias Schliessler; editor, Chris Lebenzon; music, Harry Gregson-Williams; production designer, Chris Seagers; art director, David Swayze; set decorator, Regina Graves; costume designer, Renee Ehrlich Kalfus; sound (Dolby Digital/SDDS/DTS), Tom Nelson; supervising sound editors, Kami Asgar, Sean McCormack; sound designer, Paul Pirola; supervising sound mixers, Paul Massey, David Giammarco; senior visual effects supervisor, Nathan McGuinness; visual effects supervisor, Marc Varisco; visual effects, Asylum; special effects supervisor, John Frazier; stunt coordinator, Chuck Picerni; associate producers, Don Ferrarone, John Wildermuth, Richard Baratta; assistant director, Wildermuth; second unit director-camera, Alexander Witt; casting, Denise Chamian. Reviewed at Sony Studios, Culver City, June 2, 2009. MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 106 MIN.
Newsmakers
Goryachie Novosti (Russia - Sweden)
By ALISSA SIMON
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A Cinema Without Frontiers (in Russia) release of a Tandem Pictures (Russia)/Illusion Film, Film i Vast (Sweden)/Maywin Media (Russia) production, co-financed by Swedish Film Institute, Peter "Piodor" Gustafsson, in association with Media Asia Films. (International sales: Cinema Vault, Toronto.) Produced by Sam Klebanov, Anna Katchko. Executive producers, Tomas Eskilsson, Johan Falemark, John Chong. Co-producers, Peter Hiltunen, Alexander Sizov. Directed by Anders Banke. Screenplay, Sam Klebanov, Aleksandr Lungin, based on the original film "Breaking News."
With: Andrei Merzlikin, Yevgeni Tsyganov, Mariya Mashkova, Sergey Garmash, Maksim Konovalov, Yuri Shlykov.
Hong Kong helmer Johnnie To's 2004 crimer/media critique, "Breaking News," spawned several remakes; the first to hit screens is Russian-Swedish co-production "Newsmakers," from Swedish director Anders Banke ("Frostbite). The Moscow-set actioner tracks a showdown between a gang of resourceful thieves and local police that escalates into a full-scale special-forces attack shown on live television. Although the transposition of the narrative works well, the result proves more cynical and self-conscious than To's pic and lacks its bravura moving camera. Still, Banke's near-cartoonish version provides some undemanding thrills that will entertain cineastes and genre fans. Pic opened wide locally in April.
The first-ever Russian remake of an Asian title, "Newsmakers" opens with old-school plainclothes officer Smirnov (Andrei Merzlikin) in a residential neighborhood near the center of the capital, tailing a group of heavily muscled, well-armed robbers, led by the ever-calm Herman (Yevgeni Tsyganov). When the police accidentally spook the bad guys into a show of firepower, a nearby TV cameraman captures the resulting battle.
The footage, which shows a number of dead bodies and a cowering, crying rookie cop, transfixes the nation and infuriates top staff at police HQ (who have heard a thing or two from the Kremlin). Callow PR director Katya (Mariya Mashkova) takes a crack at the image problem, suggesting they create a reality show that demonstrates the efficiency and humanity of the police as they capture the gang.
After Smirnov and his men track the robbers to a high-rise housing project, Katya, no believer in "that tired old secrecy," deploys special-forces teams equipped with tiny cameras on their helmets, and invites the media to follow the assault in real time. As Katya works on product placement, blithely assuring her distraught elders that each unfavorable turn of events can be corrected in editing, the criminals engage in some media spin of their own.
Gleefully mordant script, by producer-distrib Sam Klebanov (who has an amusing turn as a big-name advertising director) and Aleksandr Lungin, pokes fun at the locals' lack of esteem for the Russian police and the forces' reputation for corruption. Overall, however, the characterizations are broader and less developed than in "Breaking News."
Although he may lack To's cinematic flair, Russian-fluent helmer Banke here displays the understanding of genre, suspense and comedy that distinguished his debut, together with the ability to make a little look like a lot. Used iconically, the large cast of top Russian talent looks good, but the weak link is Mashkova, who is unable to translate her beauty into a more formidable screen presence.
Slick tech package does its best, but can't quite disguise the pic's relatively low budget.
More than one option
Camera (color), Chris Maris; editor, Fredrik Morheden; music, Anthony Lledo; production designer, Grigori Pushkin; costume designer, Tatiana Vodovina; sound (Dolby Digital), Niclas Merits, Niklab Skarp, Per Bostrom. Reviewed at Cannes Film Festival (market), May 19, 2009. (Also in Tribeca Film Festival -- Midnight.) Running time: 110 MIN.
Nisam znao di da turim pa ga evo :|:
Another Manson Film On the Way?
We've heard from a couple of reliable sources that last week's rumored collaboration between Oliver Stone and Vincent Bugliosi for a big-screen reboot of Helter Skelter was just that -- a rumor. But apparently Bugliosi's involvement with Charlie Manson is far from over as he IS attached to the upcoming Taming the Beast as an Executive Creative Consultant.
Manson followers are probably familiar with the novel Taming the Beast: Charles Manson's Life Behind Bars, which was co-written by Edward George, who was Charles Manson's prison counselor for eight years during the late 1970's/early 1980's, and Dary Matera, an author and newspaper columnist who specializes in real-life casebooks. Producer Thurane Aung Khin adapted the screenplay from the book and dropped us a line with a link to the Taming the Beast MySpace page, according to which Jeremy Davies of "Lost" was at one time approached to portray Manson.
http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/31864/another-manson-film-on-way
Dojaja, ali dojaja, pa realno Jeremy Davis je pokido ulogu u Helter Skelteru directors cutu, i ja mislim da samo on i treba da igra Mansona ubuduce jer cak i u Lostu on ima taj specifichan trip sa rukama i uopste sa govorom tela ko Charli :)
Time Inc. Studios and XYZ Films have joined the race to mount biopics of John DeLorean, the innovative car designer who lost everything when he was accused of drug trafficking in an attempt to save his failing car company.
The Time/XYZ project joins two other projects aspiring to bring the DeLorean saga to the bigscreen. "Rush Hour" director Brett Ratner is using his first-look deal with India's Reliance Big Entertainment to set up a DeLorean pic he plans to direct, with James Toback writing the script and Robert Evans producing.
And producer David Permut is working on a DeLorean pic with producer Steven Lee Jones that is using life rights from the late DeLorean's longtime attorney, Mayer Morganroth (Daily Variety, March 4).
Time Inc. Studios, which forged a deal with XYZ Films last year to hatch films fueled by underlying rights from articles culled from Time Inc. magazines, kicks off the untitled project with a rights package that includes articles from Fortune and Time; the Hillel Levin-penned DeLorean book "Grand Delusions"; and an unpublished memoir written by DeLorean himself. Just as important, Time Inc. Studios and XYZ say they have cooperation from the car designer's longtime friend and business partner Fred Dellis and from DeLorean son Zachary DeLorean, executor of the DeLorean estate.
The picture will be produced by Time Inc. Studios president Paul Speaker; XYZ partners Nate Bolotin, Nick Spicer and Aram Tertzakian; and Tamir Ardon, who is himself producing a docu on DeLorean.
Spicer said that the DeLorean tale has long tempted filmmakers, but while he was alive, the carmaker would never let a picture be made without steering it himself. DeLorean's son and friend, however, are ready for a truthful telling of the rise and fall of the entrepreneur, bolstered by 500 pages of the DeLorean-penned memoir.
After his arrest in 1982, DeLorean pressed a defense that he was entrapped by the FBI and was eventually acquitted. Still, his company went bankrupt after producing only 9,000 automobiles, including the DMC-12 model featured in the "Back to the Future" films.
"It is almost like an updated 'Citizen Kane' story of the great American entrepreneurial hero and how it all went wrong," said XYZ's Spicer.
Liam Neeson is in negotiations with 20th Century Fox to star in its long-gestating bigscreen adaptation of "The A-Team" as Col. John "Hannibal" Smith. Bradley Cooper is in early talks to play Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck in the Joe Carnahan-directed pic based on the 1980s TV series.
Production begins in late August for a June 11, 2010, release.
Ridley Scott is producing with Jules Daly and series creator Stephen J. Cannell, with Tony Scott exec producing through Scott Free. Carnahan and Brian Bloom polished a script by Skip Woods, whose recent script credits include "G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra" and "Wolverine."
Neeson is in talks to play Hannibal, the role originated by George Peppard, while Cooper would play "Faceman," the role played by Dirk Benedict.
Neeson and Fox are working out money issues. He is coming off the global hit "Taken" and most recently completed "Chloe" and "Clash of the Titans," playing Zeus in the latter.
Cooper has established himself as a commodity after his starring role in Todd Phillips-directed hit "The Hangover." He just completed playing the title role opposite Sandra Bullock in "All About Steve."
Carnahan, Fox and Scott Free have kept the series premise -- four war vets wrongly convicted of armed robbery escape from a military prison to become do-gooder mercenaries -- but they've replaced the campy nature of the series with a tone closer to those of "Mission: Impossible" and "Ocean's Eleven."
Still to be cast are the roles of Capt. "Howling Mad" Murdock, played by Dwight Schultz in the original, and Sgt. "B.A." Baracus, the role that made Mr. T an '80s icon.
DreamWorks has purchased the family adventure feature "The Defenders" from "Heroes" actor Masi Oka says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story centers on a group of mostly teenagers from around the world who are involved in a multiplayer video game, each unaware of who they really are behind the cover of their consoles and avatars.
They are forced to come together for a real adventure, becoming inadvertent heroes in the process.
"Star Trek" and "Transformers" scribes Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci will produce, Gary Whitta will write the script and D.J. Caruso ("Eagle Eye," "The Salton Sea") is in negotiations to direct.
Trejler za Shutter Island: http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/shutterisland/ (http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/shutterisland/)
Ovo na osnovu trejlera deluje kao B film sa all-star kastom i pomalo podseća na Cape Fear... Jedva čekam!
Zombie 'Deadworld' on the horizon
Dark Hero, Pandemonium team on feature franchise
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Hayter
Carver
Mechanic
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Dark Hero Studios partners David Hayter and Benedict Carver have joined with Pandemonium's Bill Mechanic to turn the comicbook "Deadworld" into a zombie feature franchise.
Hayter ("Watchmen") will write the screenplay, and he and Mechanic will produce with Framelight's Robert L. Robinson Jr. and Jeffrey D. Erb. Carver and Pandemonium's Suzanne Warren will be exec producers along with Gary Reed, who wrote and co-created the comic.
Pandemonium and Framelight will finance development.
"Deadworld" veers from the popular zombie mythology of depicting an apocalypse in which humans are overrun by flesh-eating corpses. "Deadworld" picks up four months after that event, where the Dead overtake the Earth, with humans few and far between. Protag is King Zombie, a Harley-riding corpse who holds a grudge against the survivors who made him an outcast.
The plan is to begin production next year.
Mechanic, who ran Fox when Hayter wrote the first "X-Men" film, saw the scribe as ideal to lay out what he hoped could be a multipic story arc. The offer fit in perfectly with Dark Hero, which Hayter and Carver formed as a way to put Hayter's creative stamp on numerous films, TV and Internet properties in the sci-fi and horror genres. Aside from writing the script, Hayter will conceive and design the look of the film.
"It's very much about the design of the Deadworld and creating cool, frightening but not necessarily gory creatures," Hayter said. "I am a huge fan of zombie mythology."
Mechanic said, "I've never done anything close to this subject, but I loved the whole world because it's so unique."
Mechanic, who most recently produced "Coraline," adds "Deadworld" to several plum projects that include "Ness," an Ehren Kruger-scripted graphic novel adaptation that has David Fincher and Matt Damon attached; "The C.O.," scripted by Robert Schenkkan; and "Love Undercover," which Brian Yorkey is penning.
Quote from: Milosh on 11-06-2009, 12:35:53
Trejler za Shutter Island: http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/shutterisland/ (http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/shutterisland/)
Ovo na osnovu trejlera deluje kao B film sa all-star kastom i pomalo podseća na Cape Fear... Jedva čekam!
odlično to izgleda, ali... leo.
jebeni LEO!
:(
kako njega ozbiljno shvatiti?
Filmmaker Danny Boyle has inked a three-year producing pact with Fox Searchlight and Pathe Pictures, both of which played a crucial role in propelling Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire" to worldwide success.
Under the terms of the deal, Searchlight and Pathe will co-finance and co-produce Boyle's projects.
The director has yet to announce his next film.
Searchlight will distribute in the U.S. and a number of foreign territories not handled by Pathe.
Pathe will distribute in territories including the U.K., France, Ireland and Switzerland.
Boyle has strong connections to both companies. Pathe boarded "Slumdog Millionaire" early on and handled international sales, as well as distributing in the U.K.
Searchlight stepped forward and took over domestic distribution of "Slumdog" from Warner Bros. at the 11th hour, after Warner Independent Pictures was shuttered. (Warners remained a financial partner.)
Boyle has produced three other movies for Searchlight, including "28 Days Later."
Only recently did Boyle step off the months-long publicity campaign for "Slumdog." Around the time of its Oscar wins, the pic began its foreign run in earnest. After that, there was the film's release on DVD to promote.
"Slumdog" is one of the most successful indie movies of all time at the worldwide box office. Film grossed $114.3 million worldwide and $211.5 million overseas for a worldwide total of $352.8 million.
Boyle's producing partner on "Slumdog" was Christian Colson.
The first-look pact comes at a fortuitous time for Searchlight, which has new toppers in Steve Gilula and Nancy Utley, both veterans of the specialty label. Duo took over the reins of leadership upon Peter Rice's departure earlier this year to become entertainment chairman at Fox Broadcasting Co.
Screen Gems prevailed in a spec auction for "Beautiful Girl," a scary genre thriller from a most unlikely source: Michael Cunningham, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Hours."
Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher are producing through their Red Wagon banner.
Story concerns a shy but brainy high school girl who returns for senior year after having slimmed down six dress sizes. She finds herself flirting with the handsome English lit teacher, but the mutual crush turns deadly when the teacher's obsession with the student compels him to exact maniacal revenge on everyone who was cruel to her.
Screen Gems president Clint Culpepper met Cunningham through Wick and was surprised to find a genre junkie, even if his love of blood-soaked movies didn't seep into his books, or scripts like "A Home at the End of the World."
Cunningham said he has always been a huge genre fan and, when sitting with Wick, would argue such basics as whether the second "Hostel" was as good as the first one.
"While I was writing about Virginia Wolff, my mind was never far removed from the idea of girls in bikinis being hacked up by guys wearing hockey masks, and I vowed that if I ever had a good idea, I would write one of these scary movies," Cunningham told Daily Variety.
"We've become such genre paisans, and when I showed the script to Doug, he showed it to Clint, and it was instant love," Cunningham said. "This summer, I will finish a novel where nobody gets anything gouged out of them, but my plan is to then write another idea I have for an actual monster movie. As it turns out, we sometimes find we can do more than one thing in our lives."
Cunningham is repped by CAA and lit agency Brandt & Hochman
MORGAN, PURVIS & WADE TO WORK ON BOND, JAMES BOND
LOS ANGELES, CA June 12, 2009 – Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli of EON Productions Ltd and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures have today announced that Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon, The Queen), Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (Quantum of Solace, Casino Royale) will be the screenwriters of the 23rd James Bond adventure.
Daniel Craig will reprise his role as Ian Fleming's James Bond 007 in the film, which will be a MGM release of an EON production. Bond 23 is the latest installment in the longest-running franchise in motion picture history and will be produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. A date for the start of production is yet to be confirmed.
"Peter, Neal and Robert are extraordinarily talented and we're looking forward to working with the three of them," commented Wilson and Broccoli.
Peter Morgan is the award-winning writer of such films as The Last King of Scotland, The Queen and Frost/Nixon, which was based on his play. He has also scripted the upcoming The Special Relationship for HBO and Hereafter for DreamWorks. He will turn his attention to Bond 23 on completion of these duties. Morgan is represented by UTA (US) and Independent Talent Group (UK).
Since 1991 Neal Purvis and Robert Wade have collaborated on a diverse range of projects including The Italian Job, Johnny English and the past four Bond films. They recently adapted John Le Carre's The Mission Song and are also working on the upcoming sequel The Brazilian Job. Purvis and Wade are represented by Endeavor (US), Casarotto Ramsay & Associates (UK).
Paramount Pictures has preemptively bought action-comedy pitch "Honey Pot" from scribe Liz Meriwether for the Montecito Co. to produce.
Details of the storyline are being kept under wraps. Pic will feature two female leads and be set in the world of international espionage.
Meriweather described the project as what happens "when a bunch of hot, funny women get their 'Bourne' on."
Montecito principals Ivan Reitman, Tom Pollock and Jeffrey Clifford will produce.
Meriwether penned the Off Broadway play "Mistakes Madeline Made," which led to the Fox TV pilot "Sluts" and friends-with-benefits comedy "Fuckbuddies," which Montecito is also producing.
Meriwether is adapting Rudolph Delson's tome "Maynard and Jennica" for producer Scott Rudin.
Montecito's recent films include "I Love You, Man" and "Hotel for Dogs." Upcoming projects include Jason Reitman comedy "Up in the Air," starring George Clooney.
Blood: The Last Vampire
(Hong Kong-France)
By PETER DEBRUGE
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A Dimension Films/Samuel Goldwyn Films (in U.S.) release of an East Wing Holdings Corp. (Hong Kong)/SAJ (France) presentation in association with Beijing Happy Pictures Cultural Communications. Produced by Bill Kong, Abel Nahmias. Co-producer, Alice Yeung. Directed by Chris Nahon. Screenplay, Chris Chow, based on the 2001 anime film by Kenji Kamiyama, Katsuya Terada.
Saya - Gianna
Alice McKee - Allison Miller
Michael - Liam Cunningham
Luke - J.J. Field
Onigen - Koyuki
Kato Takatora - Yasuaki Kurata
General McKee - Larry Lamb
There will be plenty of the red stuff spilled in "Blood: The Last Vampire," a live-action adaptation of the cult 2001 anime, though oddly enough, none of the damage is caused by vampires. Instead, it's a 400-year-old samurai named Saya (forever 16 in the flesh) who's responsible for most of the bloodletting. Charged with ridding the world of demons and vampires, she slashes her way through all manner of supernatural adversaries in this peculiar blend of horror tropes and Hong Kong action devices. Western prospects look slim, though the pic is polished enough to suck in genre fans back East.
The internationally executed project cuts a wider swath than the material might suggest: Staged in China and Argentina by French helmer Chris Nahon ("Kiss of the Dragon") with a diverse talent roster that ranges from Korean star Gianna (known as Jeon Ji-hyun in her home country) to American, Japanese and European supporting players, "Blood" seems engineered to appear Hollywood-made to its Asian target aud. However, while foreign viewers are apt to focus on the action, native English speakers can't help but notice the sheer awkwardness of the perfs.
The first half of the film hews close to the original anime before expanding to accommodate a new backstory, which owes a good deal to the American-made "Blade," in which Wesley Snipes played a sword-wielding half-vampire hybrid. Saya is a similarly conflicted "halfling" tasked with hunting down her own kind, and, as essayed by Gianna, she's more fetish object than star. The character survives on bottled blood provided by a secret organization called the Council and spends her days picking off vampires brazen enough to show their faces in public.
When the Council assigns Saya to protect the students at a demon-infested American military base, she trades her duds for a kinky seifuku (schoolgirl uniform) and over-the-shoulder poster tube (all the better to conceal her samurai sword) and tries to appear demure among the more outspoken American students. But it's hard to keep a low profile with bloodsuckers about, and by the end of the day, Saya's blown her cover to the general's daughter, Alice (Allison Miller), a mousy girl with an uncanny knack for attracting vampire attacks.
Playing it fast and loose with existing vampire mythology, "Blood" presents Saya's undead adversaries as lumbering, zombie-like creatures who never pose a sufficient threat to Alice or the others, since Saya is skilled enough to dispatch dozens of them on her own. The most powerful of these attackers are capable of transforming into winged demons, which are rendered in herky-jerky CG, as if in tribute to stop-motion wizard Ray Harryhausen. (Other effects, including a "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"-style rooftop chase, look merely cartoony).
The collaborator most likely to impress fans of the genre is action director Cory Yuen, the fight choreographer-turned-director responsible for "The Transporter." However, while Yuen orchestrates at least four noteworthy confrontations, Nahon's longtime editor Marco Cave seems unfamiliar with Asian action sensibilities, reducing all but one of the fight scenes into a flurry of cuts.
The finale suffers, despite the presence of an all-powerful super vampire (Koyuki) who can make heads explode merely by snapping her fingers. Fortunately, a key flashback in which Saya and her samurai mentor (Yasuaki Kurata) confront a band of undead ninjas survives more or less intact, demonstrating the level at which Yuen and Nahon actually conceived the action. Owing heavily to director Zhang Yimou (whose recent epics also were produced by "Blood's" Bill Kong), the scene mixes gravity-defying feats of skill with intense hand-to-sword combat amid scenic woods.
Helmer Nahon surfaces in the final scene as a U.S. Army interrogator with a strong French inflection, betraying the film's ambivalence to accents and acting ability alike. Behind the camera, Nahon privileges surface appeal and kinetic energy over narrative logic, and finesses the footage with an unpleasant yellow tinge that gives everything a vintage chopsocky feel.
Camera (color, widescreen), Poon Hang Sang; editor, Marco Cave; music, Clint Mansell; production designer, Nathan Amondson; art directors, Sun Li, Rika Nakanishi; costume designers, Constanza Balduzzi, Shandy Lui Fun Shan; sound (Dolby Digital/DTS), Martin Trevis; action director, Cory Yuen; visual effects, Eclair VFX, Menfond Electronic Art & Computer Design; creature and makeup effects, Spectral Motion. Reviewed at Interactive screening room, Los Angeles, June 11, 2009. MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 89 MIN.
Easier With Practice
By JUSTIN CHANG
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'Easier With Progress'
'Easier With Progress'
A Forty Seconds Prods. presentation. (Sales: Lantern Lane Entertainment, Calabasas, Calif.) Produced by Cookie Carosella, Kyle Patrick Alvarez. Co-producer, David Melito. Directed, written by Kyle Patrick Alvarez, based on the article "What Are You Wearing?" by Davy Rothbart.
With: Brian Geraghty, Kel O'Neill, Marguerite Moreau, Jeanette Bronx, Jenna Gavigan, Kathryn Aselton, Eugene Byrd.
Amusingly predicated on the romantic possibilities of phone sex, "Easier With Practice" pushes past its titillating premise to become a quietly provocative love story about emotionally stunted manhood and the risks some guys will take to connect. Distinguished by a fine central performance from Brian Geraghty and a profound sensitivity to the awkwardness and alienation often felt by the ostensibly tougher sex, this perceptive, funny-sad character study reps a strong calling card for debuting writer-director Kyle Patrick Alvarez and merits a shot at Stateside theatrical play once it's finished roaming the fest circuit.
Inspired by Davy Rothbart's autobiographical GQ magazine article "What Are You Wearing?" "Easier With Practice" follows sensitive, nerdily handsome 28-year-old Davy Mitchell (Geraghty, "The Hurt Locker"), an aspiring writer with a slim volume of short stories to his credit. Winding his way through New Mexico on an ill-advised book tour with his younger, meaner brother Sean (Kel O'Neill), Davy finds himself alone in their motel room one night when he receives a phone call from a mysterious "Nicole," whose inviting, very accommodating voice more or less has him at hello.
In an impressively sustained long take that morphs from mundane to perplexing to hilariously awkward to dangerously erotic in a matter of minutes, Nicole leaves Davy satisfied but eager for more. And so begins a decidedly long-distance relationship, marked by frenzied interludes of loquacious lovemaking followed by tender postcoital bonding. Nicole proves eager to please sexually but more elusive emotionally, declining David's invitations to meet in person and never even giving him her number, instead initiating every call on a private line.
As his book tour runs its pathetic course, Davy finds it increasingly hard to hide the truth from Sean, whose glee in humiliating his brother goes beyond immature to borderline-sadistic. Things don't improve when the siblings return to their Midwestern hometown, as Davy's growing obsession with his fantasy girlfriend forestalls his connection with a lovely former flame (Marguerite Moreau).
Davy's presence in almost every scene has a calibrating effect, lending the film its quiet, intimate focus; even occasional scenes of group activity are lensed so as to accentuate the character's profound isolation even from close friends. Brave isn't too strong a word to describe Geraghty's performance, which requires the thesp to talk dirty and simulate masturbation (usually at the same time), all the while sustaining a level of self-delusion that risks turning off the unsympathetic viewer.
But Alvarez never lets his actor down, credibly and compassionately illuminating Davy's shame, vulnerability, social awkwardness and lack of sexual confidence, and subtly suggesting that this brand of wounded, tongue-tied masculinity is by no means unique. Offering terrific support are O'Neill, Moreau and Eugene Byrd in a small but pivotal role as a friend who identifies with Davy's misfit status.
"Easier With Practice" gathers momentum as it builds toward a possible meeting between Davy and Nicole; what transpires is surprising on a narrative level but proves entirely in keeping with Alvarez's thematic concerns. The deeply resonant finale leaves more questions than answers -- in some ways, it feels less like an end than a beginning -- and is all the more poignant for it.
David Morrison's Red-One digital lensing of Albuquerque locations provides a suitably drab palette. Pic relies somewhat too heavily on the narrative shorthand of the pop-scored montage, veering into the conventional romantic-comedy territory it otherwise so deftly sidesteps.
More than one option
* (Person) David Morrison
Song
* (Person) David Morrison
* (Person) David Morrison
Camera (color, DV), David Morrison; editor, Fernando Collins; music supervisors, Marguerite Phillips, Colin Wyatt; production designer, Brooke Peters; art director, Gary Barbosa; supervising sound editor, Jeffrey Kaplan; assistant director, Michael Breines; casting, Nicole Arbusto, Joy Dickson. Reviewed at CineVegas Film Festival (Jackpot Premieres), June 12, 2009. (Also in Edinburgh Film Festival -- Rosebud.) Running time: 100 MIN.
Aussie scribe Stuart Beattie ("30 Days of Night," "GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra," "Australia") will make his directorial debut on an adaptation of the young-adult novel "Tomorrow, When the War Began" for Paramount Vantage says The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on the first novel in John Marsden's popular seven-book series penned throughout the late 90's, the story details the insurgency efforts of a band of teenagers fighting off an enemy invasion and occupation of their homeland.
The filmmakers plan to make a trilogy of features from the first three books and then, if they're successful, spin the next four off into a TV series.
The project is currently casting and filming will get underway in September in Australia
Jack Black comedy "Man-Witch" looks like it's headed into production according to scribe's Josh Stolberg's official blog.
"It's looking like Man-Witch is a go at Warner Bros. I can't say much about it at this point because the casting hasn't been officially announced but it's looking really, really good" says Stolberg ("Good Luck Chuck," "Piranha 3D").
Black plays a schoolteacher who suddenly discovers he has witch-like abilities. Taken in by a coven, he is persuaded to attend a school for witches, only to discover that his classmates are all girls.
Todd Phillips ("Road Trip," "The Hangover") is slated to direct.
Natalie Portman is attached to play the lead in Darren Aronofsky's supernatural thriller "Black Swan" says The Hollywood Reporter.
"Black Swan" centers on a veteran ballerina (Portman) who finds herself locked in a competitive situation with a rival dancer, with the stakes and twists increasing as the dancers approach a big performance.
But it's unclear whether the rival is a supernatural apparition or if the protagonist is simply having delusions. Mark Heyman has done a rewrite of John McLaughlin's original script for the film.
Mike Medavoy's Phoenix Pictures and Aronofsky's own Protozoa Pictures are producing.
Dakle, nešto kao Tokyo Fist, samo sa baletom? Hmmmmmmmmmm.....
Adrien Brody, Forest Whitaker, Elijah Wood and Cam Gigandet will star in "The Experiment," a remake of the German psychological thriller "Das Experiment" for Inferno Entertainment and Magnet Media Group.
Marty Adelstein, Inferno's Bill Johnson and Magnet Media's Jeanette Buerling and Maggie Monteith will produce. Magnet and Inferno are co-financing and Inferno's handling international sales.
"Prison Break" creator Paul Scheuring is directing from his screenplay. Filming begins in Iowa next month.
"Das Experiment," directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, centered on a group of ordinary men recruited to take on the roles of guards and prisoners as part of a research study and examined how the effects of assigned roles, power and control affected the participants. Brody will portray the de facto leader of the prisoners while Whitaker will play a guard who's corrupted by the power he's given.
Inferno's Jim Seibel and Tracee Stanley and Magnet's John Michaels are exec producing along with Scott Nemes and Dawn Parouse.
Brody's recent credits include "Cadillac Records" and "The Brothers Bloom."
Whitaker stars in the upcoming "Where the Wild Things Are," "Repossession Mambo" and "My Own Love Song." He's also set to star in, direct and co-write the Louis Armstrong biopic "What a Wonderful World."
Inferno produced and financed "The Women" and "Hachiko: A Dog's Story," which is set for an October release. It's also prepping actioner "The Killer Elite."
Magnet launched its equity film finance fund a year ago and entered into a co-financing and co-production deal with Inferno to co-fund $250 million for thriller, action and comedy films in the $10 million-$60 million budget range. It recently financed "13," sold by Paramount Vantage; it also recently executed a first option to finance the musical "Cleo."
Frat House Massacre
By DENNIS HARVEY
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A Screamkings production in association with Alex Esber. Produced by Alex Pucci, Alex Esber. Executive producer, Pete Jaccione. Co-producer, Philip R. Garrett. Directed by Alex Pucci. Screenplay, Draven Gonzalez, based on a story by Gonzalez, Pucci.
With: Jon Fleming, Rane Jameson, Niki Notarile, Lisa DiCicco, Chris Prangley, Andrew Giordano, Ryan Ross, Michael Galante, Jim Ford, Georgia Cladden.
Trashy late-'70s/early-'80s slasher pics get a diverting homage/satire in the self-explanatory "Frat House Massacre." Reversing the genre norm, pic shows more buff male skin than T&A (though femmes remain prone to sentiments like, "Studying always gets me horny!"). Otherwise, "Massacre" serves up the requisite gore, sex, recreational drug use, random logic gaps, implausible resolution, cheesy synth score and other details faithful to bottom-rung early slasher convention. Second feature for helmer Alex Pucci and scenarist Draven Gonzalez should follow their prior "Camp Daze" to DVD.
Sean (Jon Fleming) arrives at college in 1980 sans sibling Bobby (Rane Jameson) -- the latter comatose after an unsolved hit-and-run -- only to become one more frat pledge whose disappearance oddly attracts little notice after fatal hazing hijinks. Once Bobby awakens, Delta Iota Epsilon members and almost everyone else on campus start suffering gruesome deaths. Any doubts of tongue-in-cheek intent should be erased by the full-on disco production number that precedes the blood-soaked climax. The production packaging, including retro fashions and dance tracks, hews close to C-grade originals.
Camera (color, DV-to-HD), Alex Esber; editors, Esber, Drew Pannebacker, David J. White; music, Claudio Simonetti; production designer, Ben Miller. Reviewed at Another Hole in the Head, San Francisco, June 15, 2009. Running time: 100 MIN.
Doghouse
(U.K.)
By LESLIE FELPERIN
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A Vertigo (in the U.K.) release of a Carnaby Intl. presentation of a Carnaby Film Prods. production, in association with Hanover Films (U.K.), Molinare Prods. (International sales: Carnaby, London.) Produced by Mike Loveday. Executive producers, Terry Loveday, Andrew Loveday, Terry Stone, Toby Richards, Billy Murray, Mike Diamond, Steve Milne, Mark Foligno, Deepak Sikka. Associate executive producers, Simon Feather, Edwin Beardow, Anthony Silver, Lee Richards, Ivor Ponting, Michael Shadwell, Sandra Shadwell, Glenn Wheeler, Anthony Rosato. Directed, edited by Jake West. Screenplay, Dan Schaffer.
With: Danny Dyer, Noel Clarke, Stephen Graham, Emil Marwa, Lee Ingleby, Keith-Lee Castle, Christina Cole, Terry Stone, Neil Maskell, Emily Booth.
Schlocky, but mildly amusing as long as a little lighthearted misogyny doesn't bother you, Brit horror-comedy "Doghouse" pits a ravenous pack of mutant "man-hating, feminist cannibals" against some blokes who just wanted a weekend of male bonding. Pic is nowhere near as enjoyable as breakout hit and obvious exemplar "Shaun of the Dead," but it's still slightly better than like-minded genre-mate "Lesbian Vampire Killers," thanks to better one-liners. "Doghouse" bit into a meager domestic B.O. bone of $91,000 on its June 12 opening weekend, but should get more meat from its natural diet of ancillary earnings.
After some brisk, character-sketching introductions, the pic quickly gets down to business by packing off seven disparate buddies to the remote English village of Moodley (credits list West Sussex as a location) where the women are said to outnumber the men four-to-one, odds that will not work well in their favor once the mayhem begins. The lads' objectives are to get drunk, pick up some femmes (or not, in the case of token gay character Graham, played by Emil Marwa) and help recently separated nice guy Vince (Stephen Graham, "This Is England") heal his broken heart.
However, it soon becomes clear that some kind of ill-explained airborne virus ("Bird flu?" someone suggests) has turned all the town's women into flesh-eating "zombirds." The men are forced to take shelter as the newly zombified womenfolk (all dressed in stereotypical gear like bridal wear, shopkeepers' aprons and hair curlers) shuffle into the streets and besiege their hiding places.
Punchy script by newcomer Dan Schaffer walks a fine line between sending up men's fear of women and endorsing it. When inveterate skirt-chaser and all-around dog Neil (Danny Dyer) hesitates over killing a female attacker, Vince urges him on with one of the pic's best lines: "Today is not the day to stop objectifying women." Auds may feel less comfortable, however, with cries like "Take that, bitch!" as subsequent zombirds are slaughtered.
Still, "Doghouse" never takes itself too seriously and clearly doesn't expect anyone else too, either. Pic takes an admirable relish in baiting p.c. sensibilities: In a moment of quiet, the men discuss which of the zombies they'd most like to shag, were circumstances different.
Helmer Jake West (whose previous features include "Evil Aliens" and "Razor Blade Smile") clearly knows his target aud's tastes, and salts the pic heavily with references to the gorefest canon. There's plenty of blood but hardly any scares, and the atmosphere remains playful, even cheerful, especially at the goriest moments. The actors seem to be enjoying themselves, especially Dyer and Graham.
General low-budget look doesn't do any harm, given the intentionally slapdash, made-up-as-it-went along tone.
Camera (Deluxe color, widescreen), Ali Asad; music, Richard Wells; music supervisor, Peter Hadfield; production designer, Matthew Button; art director, Daniela Faggio; costume designer, Hayley Nebauer; special effects makeup designer, Karl Derrick; sound (Dolby Digital), Adam Garston, Carl Homer. Reviewed at Odeon Norwich, June 17, 2009. Running time: 89 MIN.
Supermen of Malegaon
(Documentary -- Japan-South Korea-Singapore)
By EDDIE COCKRELL
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A Mediacorp (Singapore)/NHK (Japan)/KBS (South Korea) production for the Asian Pitch. Produced by Faiza Ahmad Khan, Siddarth Thakur, Siddharth Thakur, Gargey Trivedi. Executive producers, Junichi Katayama, Chung-Yong Park. Directed by Faiza Ahmad Khan.
With: Sheikh Nasir, Akram Khan, Shafique, Farogh Jafri, Shakeel Bharati.
(Urdu, Hindi dialogue)
An agreeably ramshackle film about the unshakable commitment of an equally rickety group of dirt-poor movie tragics producing a superhero spoof in their Muslim village, "Supermen of Malegaon" poses no threat to Warner Bros. but possesses a loopy, energetic DIY charm. Pic, which won the jury award for docu feature at Italy's annual Asian film confab, the Asiatica Film Mediale, is too specialized to support a theatrical campaign, but is bounding along the fest circuit and should show its strength in ancillary.
Like "American Movie" before it, "Supermen of Malegaon" is about dreamers with more ambition than talent or resources. Here, the dreamer is wedding videographer and former videotheque proprietor Shaikh Nasir, who runs a cottage industry making spoofs of Hollywood fare and the Bollywood films produced a hundred miles away in Mumbai. The locals eat these films up, as life in the cotton-mill town of Malegaon provides little other entertainment.
Nasir is budgeted the equivalent of $1,200 for the project, which he explains by saying, "So far, nobody has messed with Superman." One of his screenwriters, Farogh Jafri, reasons, "You open with a blast, so that you have the audience's concentration," while another, Akram Khan, who plays the bad guy, has a weird obsession with filth.
Reasoning that Superman would be "a victim of many diseases" with "asthma from flying through pollution," they hire a scrawny guy named Shafique (who's a dead ringer for Charlie Callas) to be their hero.
The shoot isn't without incident: The helmer drops his camera into a river, Shafique needs four days off for his wedding, the handmade uniform must be washed and dried every day, and a local paper's coverage repeatedly refers to the production as "Spider-Man." Finally, the film, with the poster tagline "The Pack of Blasting Comedy," is preemed at the resuscitated video parlor to much excitement.
Docu helmer Faiza Ahmad Khan is clearly fond of this endeavor and takes a benevolent view toward these passionate cineastes. Seventy-nine-minute version screening at SilverDocs appears to be a pre-existing 52-minute cut with the actual finished product grafted on; as rough as its creation would suggest, the pic sports a subversive humor.
Camera (color, HD), Gargey Trivedi; editor, Shweta Venkat; music, Sneha Khanwalkar, Hitesh Sonik; sound, Gunjan Augustine Sah; sound designer, Niraj Gera. Reviewed on DVD, Sydney, Australia, June 7, 2009. (In Silverdocs Film Festival, Silver Spring, Md. -- Silver Spectrum.) Running time: 79 MIN.
Coming Soon
(Thailand)
By DENNIS HARVEY
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A GTH presentation of a Joy Luck Club production. Produced by Jira Maligool, Yongyooth Thongkongtoon, Chenchonnee Soonthornsaratul, Chanajai Tonsalthong. Executive producers, Paiboon Damrongchaitham, Boosaba Daoruang, Visute Poolvoralaks, Jina Osothslip. Directed by Sopon Sukdapisit. Screenplay, Sukdapisit, Kongkait Komesiri.
With: Vorakan Rojchanawat, Chantavit Dhanasevi, Sarinrat Thomas, Thanatorn Oudsahakul, Wanchat Kwangmuang.
Going to the movies -- let alone pirating them -- just got a lot more hazardous, at least within the clever story concept of "Coming Soon." First directorial feature by Sopon Sukdapisit, co-scenarist of Thai horror megahits "The Shutter" and "Alone," revolves around a film-within-a-film whose villainess reaches off the screen to terrorize viewers. Effectively creepy piece is essentially a tricked-up slasher-cum-ghost tale, but decent chills and an offbeat hook make for solid genre fare. Remake potential is ripe.
Shy projectionist Shane (Chantavit Dhanasevi) has kicked a drug problem, though ex-girlfriend and multiplex co-worker Som (pop star Vorakan Rojchanawat) still doesn't trust him enough to reconcile. Sticking to the straight-and-narrow, he's nonetheless muscled into letting a print of as-yet-unopened new horror film "Vengeful Spirit" be copied for pirate DVD. But watching "Spirit" in any form proves dangerous, since the child-snatching, witch who inspired it exacts revenge upon those who watch the screen re-enactment of her death at the hands of vigilantes. Shane and Som investigate the mystery while theater employees and others are picked off. Neat premise's possibilities aren't fully explored, but this well-crafted item delivers the basic goods.
Camera (color), Somboon Phopituckul; editor, Thammarat Sumethasupachak; music, Terdsak Janpan; production designer, Sopon Phulsawasd. Reviewed at Roxie Cinema, San Francisco, May 12, 2009. (In Another Hole in the Head, San Francisco.) Running time: 83 MIN.
Quote from: crippled_avenger on 19-06-2009, 10:37:42
Coming Soon
(Thailand)
By DENNIS HARVEY
by ghoul:
http://ljudska_splacina.com/2009/06/coming-soon-2008.html
Danielle Panabaker ("Mr. Brooks," "Friday the 13th") will star opposite Amber Heard ("The Stepfather," "The Informers") in John Carpenter's psychological horror thriller "The Ward" for Echo Lake Entertainment and A Bigger Boat says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story follows a girl (Heard) who is admitted to a psychiatric ward, meets other girls there with distinct personalities and discovers a mysterious girl haunting the halls at night.
Panabaker plays a patient in the institution, a snobbish girl who flirts with orderlies and faces electroshock therapy. Mamie Gummer ("Taking Woodstock") also has been cast as a patient.
Michael and Shawn Rasmussen wrote the script, with revisions by Jim Agnew and Sean Keller. Shooting kicks off next month in Spokane, Washington.
Universal Pictures is developing the aspirational comedy "Pharm Girl" for Reese Witherspoon to produce and star in says The Hollywood Reporter.
The project centers on a woman (Reese Witherspoon) who gets a job at a pharmaceutical powerhouse but begins to see the underbelly of the industry as she rises through the company's ranks.
"Bad Santa" and "I Love You Philip Morris" writers Glenn Ficarra and John Requa are penning the screenplay and in talks to direct.
"Michael Clayton" and "Duplicity" writer/director Tony Gilroy is set to rewrite MGM's remake of the 80's cult classic "Red Dawn" reports Latino Review.
The original John Milius classic followed the scrappy insurgency of a group of Midwestern teenagers who take on their high school mascot name as a rallying cry of resistance against Soviet and Cuban forces that have invaded the US.
Gilroy, who also penned the Jason Bourne series, performed a similar re-write job on Universal's recent US film remake of British mini-series "State of Play".
Mike Mitchell ("Shrek Forever After") will direct the live-action fantasy "Once Upon a Time..." for MGM Films reports Variety.
The story has Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty married to their handsome princes, the Charming brothers, and planning to live happily ever after -- only to see their spouses go missing.
The sisters-in-law set out to save their husbands and the fairy tale kingdom. Charlie Vignola, Kevin Marcus and Bradley Marcus penned the script.
Because the characters are public domain, there is no need to license Disney who've made big profits from the three characters via animated feature films.
Rising British actress Carey Mulligan ("An Education," TV's "Doctor Who") has been cast in Oliver Stone's "Wall Street" sequel "Money Never Sleeps" says Latino Review.
Mulligan will play the daughter of Gordon Gecko (Michael Douglas), who hasn't spoken to her father in the eleven years he was away in prison.
Now she's engaged to Shia LaBeouf's character and she also blames her father for her brother's suicide.
I Sell the Dead
By DENNIS HARVEY
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An IFC Films release of a Glass Eye Pix presentation. Produced by Larry Fessenden, Peter Phok. Directed, written, edited by Glenn McQuaid.
With: Dominic Monaghan, Larry Fessenden, Angus Scrimm, Ron Perlman, Eileen Colgan, John Speredakos, Brenda Cooney, Daniel Manche, Joel Garland, James Godwin, Aidan Redmond.
Antic horror comedy "I Sell the Dead" nods to the '60s Hammer heyday of fog-swirling Victorian chillers, as well as that period's penchant for teaming genre favorites (Boris Karloff, Basil Rathbone, Peter Lorre, etc.) in genial sendups. Fondly crafted, amusing if slight item has toured fests since last fall, selling rights in several territories. IFC will give the pic simultaneous U.S. theatrical and on-demand rollouts starting Aug. 14, with partner Blockbuster handling rental/download distribution.
In addition to producing, contemporary horror helmer Larry Fessenden ("The Last Winter") steps before the camera here as rascally Willy Grimes, who apprentices Arthur (Dominic Monaghan) in the fine art of grave-robbing, their primary client being sinister Dr. Quint (Angus Scrimm, "Phantasm"). As if this illegal trade weren't trouble enough, the duo's exhumed corpses have an exasperating habit of coming back to hostile life. Stringing together several macabre episodes, framed by Arthur's pre-guillotine confession to blase Father Duffy ("Hellboy's" Ron Perlman), Glenn McQuaid's feature writing-directing debut doesn't build much narrative steam. Still, droll perfs, diverting f/x and handsome B-pic atmospherics ensure a good time for horror fans with a memory past last weekend's slasher remake.
Camera (color), Richard Lopez; music, Jeff Grace; production designer, David Bell. Reviewed at San Francisco Independent Film Festival, Feb. 13, 2009. (Also in Slamdance, Rotterdam, Seattle, Los Angeles film festivals; Cannes Film Festival -- market.) Running time: 85 MIN.
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"Eragon" star Edward Speleers has joined the cast of "Cowboys for Christ", the follow-up to the original 70's cult classic "The Wicker Man", according to the actor's official blog.
Speleers and Morgan James star as two Texans who plan to spread Christianity in Tressock, Scotland but are unaware that they're in grave danger from the Celtic pagan community in the village.
Original 'Wicker' star Christopher Lee is also onboard. Principal photography is scheduled to start in July in Scotland under the helm of Robin Hardy.
Three days before production was scheduled to begin, Sony Pictures has dropped plans for the $50+ million Steven Soderbergh-directed Brad Pitt-starrer "Moneyball" reports Variety.
The move came on Friday after Sony chief Amy Pascal apparently read the final draft delivered last week by Steve Zaillian and Steven Soderbergh and found it very different from the earlier scripts she championed.
That discomfort was enough for her to put the picture "in limited turnaround" and gives Soderbergh the chance to set it up at another studio. Shooting was supposed to kick off on Monday in Phoenix after three months of pre-production and both cast and finances locked in place.
As a result there's been a scramble over the weekend to get another studio to sign on, if it can't be found by Monday then Sony could either entirely drop the project, delay it until the script issues are sorted, or replace Soderbergh and possibly Pitt.
The film is based on the bestselling Michael Lewis book about Billy Beane (Pitt), the former baseballer who undermined his playing career by taking a big paycheck before he was ready, and resurfaced as Oakland A's general manager who found success fielding competitive teams for low cost.
Pascal's concern could stem from the film's unusual structure which includes real interview vignettes with the likes of Lenny Dykstra, Mookie Wilson and Daryl Strawberry interspersed throughout the film.
French actor Alain Chabat ("Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian") is attached to play the titular role in the buddy comedy "The Dubber" for Focus Features reports Variety.
The film centers on a man who provides the French dubbing voice for a top Hollywood star. When the A-lister has an on-set meltdown and goes missing, the dubber travels to the U.S. to help find him.
Richard Raddon and filmmaker Marina Zenovich ("Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired") came up with the idea. A script was then penned by David Gilcreast and writer-director Jay Chandrasekhar, with a second draft by Mark and Jay Duplass ("Baghead").
Marking the first major acquisition for newly appointed Paramount Film Group prexy Adam Goodman, the studio has paid seven figures upfront for action-comedy pitch "License to Steal."
Shane Salerno will pen the script. Project is loosely based on Marc Weingarten's Salon.com article about the high-end repo business, in which agents travel all the world to reclaim play toys including private jets and speedboats.
Par teamed on the purchase with Skydance Prods., David Ellison's production and financing company. Skydance is in discussions to possibly co-finance the picture.
Writer-producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are producing "License to Steal." Sale of the pitch came just as Orci and Kurtzman celebrated the blockbuster opening of "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," which they penned with Ehren Kruger.
Kurtzman and Orci also penned this summer's "Star Trek," from Paramount, as well as exec produced Disney's romantic comedy "The Proposal," which placed No. 2 behind "Transformers" at the weekend box office.
Paramount took possession of the repo project so quickly that other studios didn't have time to bid. While Kurtzman and Orci are CAA-repped, WME shopped the project and aligned three of its major directors to bids. McG took the project to Warner Bros., Timur Bekmambetov took it to Universal, and Bryan Singer (with Michael De Luca) took it to Sony, with Salerno the writer at each pitch to studio presidents.
Though a portion of the article got published in two parts by Salon.com, Salerno actually acquired the article from Weingarten a year ago. Studios read an 8,000-word unpublished version, along with a pitch by Salerno, who is currently writing a project that James Cameron is producing at Fox.
Kurtzman and Orci said: "We're thrilled to be working with Shane, a wildly inventive and talented creator. His passion was clear the minute he started telling his story. He has crafted a smart, lighthearted action movie that's fun and topical, with a ton of unexpected plot twists.."
Salerno will be executive producer with Ellison and Kurtzman/Orci's Bobby Cohen.
Casanegra
(Morocco)
By JAY WEISSBERG
A Sigma Film, Soread 2M production. Produced by Ali Kettani, Dino Sebti. Executive producers, Ali Kettani, Dino Sebti, Omar Jawal. Co-producer, Aziz Nadifi. Directed, written by Nour-Eddine Lakhmari.
With: Anas Elbaz, Omar Lotfi, Mohamed Benbrahim, Ghita Tazi, Driss Roukhe, Hassan Skalli, Raouia, Haitham Idrissi.
Yet another new voice is emerging from Moroccan cinema, and it's fresh and energetic enough to be heard on multinational stages. Nour-Eddine Lakhmari's sophomore feature, "Casanegra," is a cross between classic film noir and "Mean Streets," a dark tale of two small-time hustlers with big dreams looking to escape their dead-end lives in Casablanca. Though Lakhmari occasionally overpitches his scenes, he's crafted memorable portraits of not-so-quiet desperation, helped considerably by Italo d.p. Luca Coassin's tonally muted but intense visuals. Already a local smash, the pic could see modest Euro arthouse success, spurred by wins at Dubai and Taormina.
A terrific credits sequence, all neon signs in 1940s typeface, prepares the way for a style and story indebted as much to Anthony Mann as to Martin Scorsese. Karim (Anas Elbaz) and Adil (Omar Lotfi) are just past 20, looking to earn a fast buck through shady deals. For Karim, perpetually dressed in a black suit and tie, the dough is his ticket out of anonymity and into respect. Adil has a more pressing need for escape, thanks to a psychotic stepfather (Driss Roukhe).
After an especially violent beating, Adil becomes more determined than ever to get an illegal visa to join his uncle in Malmo, Sweden. He turns to Zrirek (Mohamed Benbrahim), a brutal shake-down artist with a hair-trigger temper -- he's part Fagin, part Bill Sikes via David Lynch. Karim wants nothing to do with the guy, but a brief stint as a nameless cog in a fish-cleaning factory (memorably lensed) convinces him that one job for Zrirek would be worth the risk.
Hesitation comes in the form of a slightly older beauty, Nabila (Ghita Tazi), a classy antique dealer. For Karim, she represents a gentler side of the city, one of chic watering holes, European trappings and soft femininity. Their first meeting is wonderfully played, providing a palpable sense of relief from the darker elements -- a nightmarish assortment of whores, addicts and freaks who inhabit the nighttime streets.
"Casanegra" reps a considerable advance from Lakhmari's promising but disjointed debut, the Norwegian-Moroccan co-production "The Gaze." He's tightened his scripting skills, allowing the story to develop naturally while adeptly building tension. One slip-up, however, is glaring: A scene of Adil's step-father on the rampage is so over-the-top that it transcends the stereotype, but Lakhmari undercuts the sequence when he tries to recapture its intensity in a throw-away setpiece between Adil and a couple of nut-job fences.
Despite such a blunder, "Casanegra" captures Moroccan dissatisfaction in such a hip way that it's no surprise some snatches of dialogue have become the nation's latest street lingo. Part of the appeal is attributable to the two leads, both non-professionals who convey a nervous vulnerability beneath their tough-guy shells. These are career-making perfs for Elbaz and Lotfi, who could become stars if handled properly.
Shooting on location and mostly at night, Coassin and Lakhmari capture not merely the city but its tarnished yet still attractive soul in true film-noir fashion. Colors have been drained so that the visuals appear as close to black-and-white as possible; about the only warmth comes from Nabila's lipstick. Sarah Mouta's editing is sharp and considered, with Richard Horowitz's jazzy score forming the ideal accompaniment.
Camera (color, widescreen), Luca Coassin; editor, Sarah Mouta; music, Richard Horowitz, Amine Snoop; production designer, Badria Soud Elhassani; costume designer, Amina Hamada; sound (Dolby Digital) Emmanuel Le Gall, Patrice Mendez, Remi Verbaeys. Reviewed at Taormina Film Festival (Mediterranean competition), June 16, 2009. (Also in Cannes Film Festival -- market; Dubai Film Festival.) Running time: 131 MIN.
The Athlete
(U.S.-Germany-Ethiopia)
By LESLIE FELPERIN
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An Av Patchbay, El Atleta (U.S.)/Instinctive Film (Germany)/Riot Entertainment (Ethiopia) production. (International sales: Av Patchbay, New York.) Produced, directed by Davey Frankel, Rasselas Lakew. Screenplay, Lakew, Frankel, Mikael Amerio Awake.
With: Rasselas Lakew, Dag Malmberg, Ruta Gedmintas, Abba Waka Dessalegn.
Based on a remarkable true story, told through a blend of drama and archival footage, "The Athlete" recounts the life and times of Africa's first Olympic gold medalist, Ethiopian marathon runner Abebe Bikila. Co-helmed by visual artist Davey Frankel and Ethiopian athlete Rasselas Lakew (who also plays the lead), pic reps a worthy if somewhat programmatic contribution to cinematic sporting history. Upbeat yet tragic finale could ensure a few laps around the fest circuit and niche distribution.
Pic starts in 1969 with Bikila (Lakew, quietly dignified), then at the height of his career, revisiting his Ethiopian hometown, prompting some spectacular location scenery. Flashbacks and dialogue reveal how he survived WWII by hiding in hills, became an athlete and soldier, and then triumphed running barefoot in the 1960 Rome Olympics. However, in 1969, a car accident leaves him paralyzed. Not one to take adversity sitting down, Bikila fights to gain control of his arms at least and then goes on to win medals in cross-country sledging. Finale, set to a song by avant-garde Icelandic group Sigur Ros, is properly tearjerking if manipulative. Tech credits are low-budget but watchable all the same.
Camera (color/B&W, 35mm-to-HD), Philipp Pfeiffer, Rodney Taylor, Radoslav Spassov, Toby Moore; editors, Davey Frankel, Matt Mayer; music, Christian Meyer; production designer, Tesfaye Wondemagegne; costume designer, Muslin Dulti. Reviewed at Edinburgh Film Festival (Rosebud), June 23, 2009. Original title: Atletu. Amharic, English dialogue. Running time: 85 MIN.
Wasted
(U.K.)
By LESLIE FELPERIN
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A Scottish Screen, BBC Scotland presentation of a Raindog production. (International sales: Wasted Prods., Glasgow.) Produced by Wendy Griffin. Executive producers, Carole Sheridan, Ewan Angus, David Hayman. Co-producers, James Hamilton, Clare Kerr, Phyllis Ironside, Margaret Paterson. Directed, written by Caroline Paterson, Stuart Davids.
With: Neil Leiper, Emma Harley Miller, Kate Dickie, Paul Thomas Hickey, Alan Tripney, David Hayman, Cavan Bolland, Paige Gillies, Gary Lewis.
Auds who thought "Trainspotting" painted a depressing portrait of Scottish junky life ought to get a load of "Wasted," an ultra-realistic depiction of the lower depths that pulls no punches, kicks or pummelings of any sort. Feel-real-bad pic will rep a very hard sell beyond the fest circuit, but this debut feature for legit-trained co-helmers Caroline Paterson and Stuart Davids is well worth catching for its outstandingly credible improvised perfs, fluid handheld lensing and assured helming.
Glaswegian twentysomethings Connor (Neil Leiper) and Suzanne (Emma Harley Miller) grew up together in a children's home where some very bad stuff went on (they're played by child actors Cavan Bolland and Paige Gillies in flashbacks). Deeply damaged, both have grown up to become junkies who rely on prostitution for money.
Reunited after not having seen each other for years, the two reignite their bond but don't become lovers at first, presumably because sex is now just work for them both. When not turning tricks, they spend much of their time getting high in a dilapidated squat with other junkies, including older prostitute Michelle (Kate Dickie, "Red Road") and longtime addict Joe (David Hayman).
According to the pic's press notes, the script was developed over a long research and rehearsal process, and the thesps so inhabit their smack-ravaged personas that even the better known actors, such as Dickie and Hayman, are nearly unrecognizable. Dialogue (which will probably need subtitling for some English-speaking territories due to accents) sounds so naturalistic, the pic could almost pass for a documentary. It's only the more filmic touches, such as the flashbacks, that give the game away.
Paterson and Davids strike the odd false note at the end, including the now tedious cliche of having characters interact with their younger imagined selves. Moreover, some auds may feel repelled by the pic's relentless grimness, however sociologically accurate it may be. There's gang rape (of a man), child abuse, physical abuse, repulsive needle marks -- something to upset everyone.
Running time could lose 10 minutes or so, but tech credits are pro.
More than one option
* (Person) James Hamilton
Set Designer
* (Person) James Hamilton
Photography, Actor
* (Person) James Hamilton
Screenplay
* (Person) James Hamilton
Makeup Assistant, Hair Assistant
* (Person) James Hamilton
Assistant Director
* (Person) James Hamilton
Editor
* (Person) James Hamilton
Foley Editor, Foley, Foley Recordist
* (Person) James Hamilton
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* (Person) David Hayman
Director, Assistant Director, Actor
* (Person) David Hayman
Music Supervisor
More than one option
* (Person) Paul Thomas
Actor
* (Person) Paul Thomas
Driver, Production, Transportation Coordinator
* (Person) Paul Thomas
Electrician, Grip
* (Person) Paul Thomas
Assistant, Driver, Production Assistant
* (Person) Paul Thomas
Book as Source Material
* (Person) Paul Thomas
Song Performer
* (Person) Paul Thomas
Sound
* (Person) Paul Thomas
Publicity
* (Person) Paul Thomas
Camera Assistant
* (Person) Paul Thomas
Stunts
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* (Person) Gary Lewis
Actor
* (Person) Gary Lewis
* (Person) Gary Lewis
Actor, Song Performer
* (Person) Gary Lewis
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More than one option
* (Film) Wasted!
* (Tv) Wasted
Summer Phoenix, Stephen T Kay
* (Tv) Wasted
Camera (color, HD), Lol Crawley; editors, James Hamilton, Phyllis Ironside; music, Jim Sutherland; production designer, Stephen Bryce; costume designer, Iain MacAulay; sound, Kenny Allan. Reviewed at Edinburgh Film Festival (competing), June 26, 2009. Running time: 103 MIN.
Buben baraban
(Russia)
By LESLIE FELPERIN
An Ithaca Film production, in association with Central Partnership, with the support of the Russian Ministry of Culture and Cinematography. (International sales: Central Partnership, Moscow.) Produced by Ruben Dishdishian, Aram Movsesian, Sergei Danielian. Executive producer, Andrei Ridarov. Directed, written by Alexei Mizgiriov.
With: Natalya Negoda, Dmitri Kulichkov, Yelena Lyadova, Sergei Neudachin, Liubomiras Lauciavicius, Alexander Oblasov.
A lonely, embittered librarian struggles to balance ethics, love and the brutal facts of survival in Russian drama "Buben baraban," aka "Tambourine Drum." Sophomore writer-helmer Alexei Mizgiriov ("The Hard-Hearted") subtly evokes an atmosphere of quiet desperation and has a nicely oblique touch with storytelling; a beautifully restrained but emotionally complex lead perf from Natalya Negoda ("Little Vera") reps another plus point. Pic should drum up minor coin domestically and have a shot at fest play.
The film opens just after the 1996 nationwide miner's strike that paralyzed the country, and in a small, provincial coal-mining town, everyone has to do what they can to survive.
Middle-aged spinster librarian Katya (Natalya Negoda) loves literature, to such an extent that she humiliates the mother of a child who has defaced one of the books from her library. Her young colleague Yelena (Yelena Lyadova, "The Banishment"), who also lives next door in the crummy social housing provided by the state, tells Katya how much she looks up to her for holding out for true love, even if it's left her lonely. But Katya has a secret: She steals books from the library to sell for cash.
One day a man (Dmitri Kulichkov) arrives in town, dressed as a soldier. He immediately starts making advances toward Katya, who succumbs to his charms. However, like Katya, he's not what he seems. In fact, almost nobody in the town is really honest or straight; gradually, secrets and lies come out, precipitating a breakdown in Katya that recalls Isabelle Huppert's disintegration in "The Piano Teacher."
Pic starts out quite naturalistically and slowly introduces unsettling, borderline surreal touches, such as a scene in which strippers line up for display in the town's supposedly one classy restaurant, where Katya finally eats a meal she's never been able to afford.
Casting of Negoda in the lead not only reaps a terrific lead perf but adds extra resonance, given that Negoda once played the sexy rebel bridling against Soviet conformism and cramped social housing in "Little Vera" (1988). Given the crummy conditions and social pressures Katya has to deal with, "Buben Baraban" almost forms a kind of distaff sequel to Vasily Pichul's Glasnost-era film.
Craft contributions are a little above average for a Russian film, with good use of sound and nuanced lensing by Vadim Deev, favoring striking medium-distance compositions.
Camera (color), Vadim Deev; editor, Natalia Kucherenko; production designer, Denis Shibanov; costume designers, Marta Khushvatova, Tatiana Kniazheva; sound (Dolby Digital), Makar Akhpashev. Reviewed at Sochi Open Russian Film Festival (competing), June 14, 2009. Running time: 92 MIN.
KICKS
(U.K.)
By LESLIE FELPERIN
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A Northwest Vision, Media & Digital Departures presentation, in association with the Liverpool Culture Co., BBC Films, of a Starstruck Films production. (International sales: Missing in Action, London.) Produced by Andy Stebbing. Executive producers, Christopher Moll, Lisa Marie Russo. Co-producer, Stephen Cheers. Directed by Lindy Heymann. Screenplay, Leigh Campbell, based on a story by Laurence Coriat.
With: Kerrie Hayes, Nichola Burley, Jamie Doyle, Laura Wallace, Sarah Jane Buckley.
Two teenage girls' adoration of a British soccer star becomes dangerously intense in "KICKS," an absorbing drama marred only by a slight loss of focus in the third act. Although the script's askance view of celebrity idolatry is timely, the pic may struggle to find auds, even domestically, given that it's not quite clever-clever enough for the arthouses but too cerebral for the teen demographic it depicts. Still, it should kickstart a few careers, particularly for first-time helmer Lindy Heymann and young stars Kerrie Hayes and Nichola Burley.
Shy loner Nicole (Hayes, "Sparkle"), with her long Alice-in-Wonderland hair and baby face, barely looks her 15 years. Left to her own devices much of the time -- her single mother, never seen, works a lot of night shifts, and her dad has started another family elsewhere -- Nicole hangs out with other would-be groupies near the players' exit at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, where her idol, Lee Cassidy (Jamie Doyle) plays for Liverpool FC.
At the stadium, Nicole meets Jasmine (Nichola Burley, "Donkey Punch"), a girl about her own age but older-looking and more sophisticated, whose greatest ambition is to become a WAG. ("WAGs," originally an acronym to denote footballers' "wives and girlfriends," is now Brit slang for a certain kind of trashily but expensively dressed femme sub-celebrity, many of whom feature prominently in Blighty's supermarket tabloids.) The two become best friends, united in their shared obsession with Cassidy, whom they begin stalking.
When it's announced that Cassidy is going to be transferred to Madrid, the girls are at first devastated, then quietly determined to find a way to make him stay.
Like its protagonists, the pic doesn't quite know what to do with itself toward the end, and the final resolution seems arbitrary and curiously flat. The film's midsection is the strongest, especially its depiction of how Nicole and Jasmine's generation has internalized the materialism and superficial values of the media, which constantly promote celebrities who are famous just for being famous.
The girls' hormonally flushed, semi-hysterical relationship also convinces (Jasmine, in her own way, is just as neglected by her parents, who promise her a boob job when she's 16). There are obvious resonances here with "Heavenly Creatures," "My Summer of Love" and "Thirteen," but elfin Hayes and the more carnal Burley have their own unique presences and consistently impress. Heymann's helming is quietly assured; her strong use of music suggests her background in musicvideos has paid dividends.
Craft contributions are sturdy, with Eduard Grau's richly colored lensing drawing particular attention.
Camera (color, HD), Eduard Grau; editor, Kant Pan; music, Daniel Glendining; production designer, Grant Armstrong; art director, Colin Taylor; costume designer, Julian Day; sound (Dolby Digital), Giancarlo Dellapina; sound designers, Paul Horsley, John Rutherford. Reviewed at Edinburgh Film Festival (competing), June 25, 2009. Running time: 81 MIN.
Kambakkht ishq
(India)
By RONNIE SCHEIB
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'Kambakkht ishq'
Kareena Kapoor hangs with Sylvester Stallone in the Eros Intl. release.
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An Eros Intl. release of a Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment production. Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. Executive producer, Prachi Thadani. Co-producer, Sunil A. Lulla.
Directed by Sabbir Khan. Associate director, Ashwin Shetty. Screenplay, Khan, Ishita Moitra, Kiran Kotrial, Anvita Dutt Guptan.
With: Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor, Aftab Shivdasani, Amrita Arora, Denise Richards, Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Routh, Kiron Kher, Javed Jaffrey, Vindu Dara Singh.
(Hindi, English dialogue)
Bollywood meets Hollywood -- or rather, invades it -- in "Kambakkht ishq," a bold, brash, singing-and-dancing romantic comedy set on Paramount's soundstages and Universal's backlots. Featuring two of India's biggest stars, Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor, with key secondary roles filled by Yanks Sylvester Stallone and Denise Richards (playing themselves), pic revolves around a classic, no-holds-barred, love/hate match between a male-chauvinist stuntman and a man-hating model-cum-doctor. Targeting the diaspora and beyond, this entertaining if somewhat uneven romp reps a strong contender in Bollywood's ongoing quest to go global, opening July 3 at more than 2,000 theaters worldwide.
Viraj (Kumar) and Sim (Kapoor) first face off in church, each racing in dramatically and failing to stop the marriage of their younger siblings, Viraj's brother Lucky (Aftab Shivdasani) and Sim's sister Kamini (Amrita Arora). At the wedding reception that follows, battle lines are drawn between the sexes in a dazzlingly choreographed number that ends in a farcical brawl.
Indeed, all the musical numbers, from the garbage can-wielding motorcyclists on the quays of Venice to the multiple brides caught in the throes of a male nightmare, percolate with style and vigor, with none of the garish busyness or google-eyes that afflict some Bollywood romantic comedies.
Surprisingly, pic works best when fully immersed in the films-within-a-film context of Hollywood moviemaking. Kumar's martial-arts expertise (he performs his own stunts) pays off big time in a string of impressive, full-blown action sequences. These setpieces are sometimes played straight, while others pile disaster upon disaster in perfectly executed overkill. The interactions between Viraj and real Hollywood actors like Brandon Routh ("Superman Returns"), or Stallone at a formal Taurus Stuntman of the Year award ceremony, feel totally authentic; Viraj's long-standing, flirtatious friendship with Richards likewise rings true.
If Viraj's stuntman skills serve to balance out his otherwise unfeeling macho image, Sim's oddball double career as supermodel and surgeon does little to offset her character's ball-breaking bitterness. Initially, a modeling job in Venice enables sexy motorcycle rides and athletic musical confrontations with Viraj. But instead of sticking to the fashion world (Kapoor is always gloriously outfitted), the filmmakers insist on placing her in medical settings, presenting hospital rounds as a series of tired running gags. (Admittedly, the setup allows for a good extended joke involving a surgical mishap.)
Tyro helmer Sabbir Khan adroitly maintains high energy through most of the lengthy running time, ably assisted by lenser Vikas Sivaraman and a slew of gifted action directors, choreographers, dancers and musicians. Pic drags noticeably around the two-hour mark, during a recap of previous scenes edited in an interminable musical montage, but then rebounds with an ultimately hilarious, over-the-top bit in which Stallone is allowed to administer the coup de grace.
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Camera (color, widescreen), Vikas Sivaraman; editor, Nitin Rokade; background music, Salim-Sulaiman; song music, Anu Malik; lyrics, Guptan; production designer, Acropolis; costume designer, Aki Narula, Shabina Khan; sound (Dolby Digital), Jitendra Chaudhary; re-recording mixer, Leslie Fernandez; visual effects, Prime Focus; action directors, Spiro Razzatos, Franco Solman, Mahindar Verma; choreographer, Vaibhavi Merchant. Reviewed at Broadway screening room, New York, June 30, 2009. Running time: 139 MIN.
Modern Love Is Automatic
By LESLIE FELPERIN
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A Zach Clark production. (International sales: Clark, New York.) Produced by Clark, Sydney-Chanele Dawkins. Directed, written, edited by Zach Clark.
With: Melodie Sisk, Maggie Ross, Carlos Bustamante, Diana Cherkas, Rebecca Herron, Morgaine Lowe, Matthew Hartman, Marissa Molnar.
At first knowing and campy, but growing darker and more interesting by degrees, the low-budget sex comedy "Modern Love Is Automatic" tracks the fortunes of a bored nurse who starts moonlighting as a dominatrix. Given its premise, pic could have easily repped just another hipster-targeting celebration of alternative lifestyles, but instead, sophomore writer-helmer-editor-producer Zach Clark ("Rock & Roll Eulogy") audaciously suggests that even whipping businessmen while wearing latex catsuits won't necessarily make you happy. It's a chilly message, and coupled with its ice-maiden heroine, pic may struggle to connect with all but the most modern-minded auds outside the fest circuit.
Living in some unidentified East Coast suburb, poker-faced brunette bombshell Lorraine Schultz (Melodie Sisk) is clearly bored with her job as a nurse, and so bored with her b.f., Ben (Matthew Hartman), she hardly blinks when she catches him having sex with another woman.
After she kicks Ben out, Lorraine takes in terminally perky aspiring model Adrian (Maggie Ross) to help pay the rent, and takes up dominatrix work as a sideline after boning up, as it were, on the techniques involved (she studies an S&M mag she finds on a bus). She proves adept at her new hobby, but the charms of forcing men to clean toilets while wearing gimp masks start to pale after a while.
Meanwhile, a subplot follows Adrian as desperation forces her to take a job in a mattress showroom, where she's expected to wear skimpy outfits and flirt with the customers. It's much like working in a strip bar, opines one colleague (Marissa Molnar), except in a strip bar, the customers aren't allowed to touch the workers.
So far, so John Waters-esque, but with fewer one-liners. But around the halfway mark, things turn nasty as Adrian's b.f. Mitch (Carlos Bustamante) develops a creepy obsession with Lorraine and starts stalking her.
Clark's skill at shifting tone impresses, and what at first seems like a good indie-movie laugh at the expensive of provincial hicks develops into something both more empathic and more troubling. It helps that Sisk's laconic performance (she must barely utter more than 200 words throughout) reps a kind of blank slate onto which characters and auds can project what she might be thinking. The final scenes prove, however, there's more there than just a pretty face.
Strikingly stripped-down production design enhances the air of anomie, while the costumes by Denise Farthing, in particular Lorraine's trademark hot-pastel outfits (somewhat reminiscent of Joan Holloway's wardrobe on "Mad Men"), add a nice, kitschy splash of color to the proceedings. Raucous tunes by hard-core outfit Blasphemer inject punky edge.
Camera (color, HD), Daryl Pittman; music, Adam Blais; costume designer, Denise Farthing; sound (Dolby Digital), Daniel Drachsler, Jen Sickles; sound design, Rodrigo Galvan. Reviewed at Edinburgh Film Festival (Under the Radar), June 26, 2009. (Also in South By Southwest festival.) Running time: 93 MIN.
A Wednesday
(India)
By RONNIE SCHEIB
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A UTV Motion Pictures presentation of a Friday Filmworks/Anjum Rizvi Film Co. production. Produced by Ronnie Screwvala, Anjum Rizvi, Shital Bhatia. Executive producer, B. L. Gautam. Co-producers, Deven Khote, Zarina Mehta, Siddharth Roy Kapur. Directed, written by Neeraj Pandey.
With: Naseruddin Shah, Anupam Kher, Jimmy Shergill, Aamir Bashir, Deepal Shaw, Kai Prasad Mukherjee.
(Hindi, English dialogue)
Terrorists, cops and ticking time bombs make for an explosive mix in tyro helmer-scribe Neeraj Pandey's "A Wednesday." A lopsided two-hander featuring a couple of legendary Indian thesps locked in mortal conflict, this brisk political thriller pits a solitary terrorist (Naseruddin Shah), atop a building overlooking Mumbai, against a seasoned police chief (Anupam Kher) with all the combined municipal forces racing around at his command. Though timely, the pic's excitingly packaged rumination on the ethics of counterterrorism may be couched in terms too regional to travel very far, the post-"Slumdog Millionaire" trendiness of Indian locales notwithstanding.
A nameless agitator gives the police four hours to round up four incarcerated terrorists and bring them to a soon-to-be-specified location or he will detonate five bombs hidden around the city. He lets officials find one of them, stashed across from police headquarters, to attest to his bona fides.
Early intimate and/or comic scenes proceed unexceptionally as they establish the characters, making up in brevity what they generally lack in finesse or wit. The sole exception is antiterrorist cop Arif (Jimmy Shergill), who spectacularly, brutally wails away at a subordinate on a thoroughfare packed with horrified bystanders.
The pic doesn't really take off until the countdown to doomsday. Once police commissioner Prakash Rathod (Kher) begins deploying his troops in all directions, editor Shree Narayan Singh's complex intercutting, propelled by Sanjoy Chowdhary's relentless score, keeps the tension mounting as the mission-driven terrorist and the calmly controlled Rathod engage in terse cat-and-mouse exchanges over the phone.
Shah and Kher's mutual star-turn dominance recalls "Heat," just as the general setup -- the cops' frantic attempts to follow the terrorist's phoned-in directives while still scrambling to find his planted bombs -- recalls "Die Hard With a Vengeance." Helmer Pandey borrows freely from the Hollywood action toolbox; there's even a "wrong building" scene like the one so iconically executed in "The Silence of the Lambs." Hardly striving for originality, Pandey satisfyingly negotiates genre trappings to craft a familiar buildup, leading to a surprise twist that sends the pic careening off in unexpected directions closer to Paddy Chayefsky than to Michael Mann.
After suitable pyrotechnics, "A Wednesday" stops dead for more than 10 minutes to deliver the extended lamentation of a "common man" who, tired of living under the threat of terrorism, is mad as hell and isn't going to take it any more. Only the extraordinary skill of the actors and the inventiveness of cinematographer Fuwad Khan save the film from bogging down in muddled, pretentious populism.
More than one option
* (Film) Heat
1995 - Al Pacino, Michael Mann
* (Film) Heat
Sylvia Miles, Paul Morrissey
* (Film) Heat
1987 - Burt Reynolds, Stanton Barrett
* (Film) Zhara
* (Tv) Revealing Evidence
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* (Person) Michael Mann
Director, Executive Producer, Story By
* (Person) Michael Mann
Location Manager
* (Person) Michael Mann
Actor
* (Person) Michael Mann
CGI Artist
* (Person) Michael Mann
Camera (color, widescreen), Fuwad Khan; editor, Shree Narayan Singh; music, Sanjoy Chowdhary; art director, Sunil Nigvekar; costume designer, Riyaz Ali Merchant; sound (Dolby Digital), Kuldeep Good; action director, Sham Kausal; line producer, Rajesh Ganguly; associate producers, Alpana Mishra, Usha Balram; assistant director, Ashok Kumar Shukla; casting, Indivar Bhatia. Reviewed at Museum of Modern Art, New York, June 11, 2009. (In Shanghai Film Festival.) Running time: 104 MIN.
Home Movie
By JORDAN MINTZER
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A Moderncine production. (International sales: Worldwide Film Entertainment, Los Angeles.) Produced by Andrew Van Den Houten, William M. Miller. Directed, written by Christopher Denham.
With: Adrian Pasdar, Cady McClain, Austin Williams, Amber Joy Williams.
The kids are far from all right in "Home Movie," a Val Lewton-esque, no budget horror pic that applies a "Blair Witch" aesthetic to a psychotic family yarn a la 2009 Palme d'Or winner Michael Haneke. Freshman scribe-helmer Christopher Denham's chilling four-handler features "Heroes" star Adrian Pasdar as the clan's abusive, alcoholic father with an iffy sexual upbringing -- but he's not the worst of them. Inventively using home video footage that starts off cheerfully and slowly becomes terrifying, film is the perfect antidote for camera-yielding parents, and deserves inclusion on the household DVD rack.
The Poe family (natch!) seems to be living happily enough on their isolated homestead, so why are little Jack (Austin Williams) and Emily (Amber Joy Williams) acting so weird? Maybe it's because their dad's (Pasdar) a priest and their mom's (Cady McClain) a shrink. Or because their folks can't stop documenting every last activity with a DV camera. Before long a child revenge fantasy kicks in, first subtly (a dead frog here, a rock thrown there) and then ferociously (poor cat, poor parents). A rambunctious Pasdar more than earns his paycheck, and five-and-dime tech package is aces.
Camera (color, DV), William M. Miller; editor, John T. Miller; music, Ryan Shore; production designer, Emilie Ritzman; costume designer, Michael Bevins. Reviewed at Cannes Film Festival (market), May 19, 2009. Running time: 76 MIN.
onaj rus gore (Buben baraban) deluje zanimljivo, a Home Movie imam već neko vreme na divxu, daću mu šansu u narednim danima.
Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston and Brian Blessed are set, but who else is starring in the upcoming film adaptation of the Marvel Comics hero "Thor"?
Not Clifton Collins Jr. it would seem. The "Capote" and "Star Trek" actor, who revealed that he auditioned for a role in the film, told The Dead Bolt this week that he's no longer a part of the project.
"That was a long time ago. I wasn't really getting into it, I was just preparing stuff. It's a fantastic director, a great piece, but I have absolutely nothing to do with it."
Meanwhile Jessica Biel is now being rumored to be playing a female character and love interest to the titular hero in the project according to Nuke the Fridge.
The site's source also says the role is likely to be that of Amora The Enchantress.
"Fringe" scribe Brad Caleb Kane is set to pen a feature film based on the popular children's toy View-Master for Dreamworks Pictures says Greek Geek.
Kane revealed on a Twitter post that "Transformers" and "Star Trek" scribes Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are also involved on the project said to be in the vein of great 80's family adventure films like "The Goonies" and "Young Sherlock Holmes".
Kane is currently penning the -fi action-adventure Uprising for director Wolfgang Petersen over at Sony Pictures.
Scribe George Gallo ("Bad Boys", "Midnight Run") will sit in the director's chair for the upcoming indie thriller "Columbus Circle" says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story centers on a reclusive heiress (Selma Blair) in an upscale Manhattan apartment building who is brought face-to-face with her fears when a detective (Giovanni Ribisi) shows up to investigate a homicide next door and a new couple (Amy Smart, Jason Lee) moves in to that apartment.
Kevin Pollak, who co-wrote the script with Gallo, plays the building's concierge and one of the heiress' few friends. Jason Antoon has also been cast.
Shooting kicks off this month in Los Angeles. Christopher Mallick, William Sherak and Jason Shuman will produce.
Christina Applegate and Charlie Day (TV's "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia") have joined the cast of the romantic comedy "Going the Distance" for New Line Cinema says The Hollywood Reporter.
Geoff LaTulippe's script follows a couple (Drew Barrymore and Justin Long) trying to maintain a long-distance relationship.
Applegate plays Barrymore's sister while Day is playing Long's best friend. Nanette Burstein ("The Kid Stays in the Picture," "American Teen") is directing while Adam Shankman and Jennifer Gibgot are producing.
Guy Pearce is in final negotiations to join the supernatural thriller "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" for Miramax Films says The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on a 1973 ABC telefilm, the new film's story deals with a young girl who moves in with her father and his girlfriend and discovers they are sharing the house with demonic creatures.
Bailee Madison ("Bridge to Terabithia") is set to star as the girl. Pearce will play the father, an author frustrated by his daughter's tales of monsters, not believing her even when his girlfriend (Katie Holmes) backs her.
Troy Nixey helms the project which Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins penned. Shooting kicks off next month in Melbourne, Australia.
JENNIFER'S BODY
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/3033798/jennifers_body_trailer/ (http://www.metacafe.com/watch/3033798/jennifers_body_trailer/)
Sudeći po traileru, ovo ne izgleda POTPUNO nepodnošljivo, mada će nas po svemu sudeći opet lišiti bilo kakve golotinje.
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809961221/video (http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809961221/video)
Trejler za DISTRICT 9. Deluje obećavajuće. Nakon bledog TERMINATORA i apsolutno ogavnih TRANSFORMERSA, evo konačno robotske akcije koja izgleda prilično dobro i ima R rejting.
Quote from: Harvester on 07-07-2009, 19:40:38Sudeći po traileru, ovo ne izgleda POTPUNO nepodnošljivo, mada će nas po svemu sudeći opet lišiti bilo kakve golotinje.
Pa, deluje da će biti makar gledljivo, iako su se osamdesetih slični filmovi snimali sa znatno manjim pretenzijama i uz akcenat na opuštenoj eksploataciji. Mada, glupo je da sudim, pošto "Juno" još nikako da pogledam, ali bar po onome što sam video i pročitao u vezi tog filma, a uz ovaj trejler pride, imam utisak da bi Diablo Cody sa "Jennifer's Body" htela da ponovi ono što je Kevin Williamson uradio sa "Vriskom" (mada znamo kako je Williamson svojih 15 minuta slave ekspresno istrošio). Kad je reč o Megan Fox, ona tek treba da pokaže ume li uopšte da glumi, tako da golotinju verovatno čuva kao adut za budućnost, kad interesovanje za nju bude počelo da zamire...
Mislim da bih mogao da repriziram tu Juno. Prilikom prvog gledanja bio sam (vjerovatno opravdano) vrlo bijesan zbog nedostatka bilo kakvog dešavanja u filmu, a i ekstremno sam mrzio Elen Pejdž zbog Hard Candy. Međutim, ima nešto neodređeno simpatično u tom filmu što sprječava čovjeka da pljuje po njemu, a i Jelena se oprala ulogom u American Crime, tako da...
"I Am Legend" director Francis Lawrence is back in business with Will Smith.
Lawrence is aboard to develop and direct "City That Sailed," a 20th Century Fox project about a father and daughter living on opposite sides of the ocean whose love is so strong that it causes Manhattan to split off and float across the Atlantic.
The film will be developed as a potential star vehicle for Smith, who is producing with Overbrook Entertainment partner James Lassiter.
"Ocean's Thirteen" scribes Brian Koppelman and David Levien will rewrite a script that originated from "Truman Show" scribe Andrew Niccol.
Lawrence is next expected to direct "Water for Elephants," the Fox 2000 adaptation of the Sara Gruen novel that is being scripted by Richard LaGravanese. Lawrence has been courting Reese Witherspoon to star in the story of a Depression-era traveling circus, but the actress has not committed. Gil Netter, Erwin Stoff and Andrew Tennenbaum are producing.
Hoping to add some giggle to the jiggle, Paramount Pictures has set Jeremy Garelick to rewrite and direct "Baywatch," a bigscreen comedy based on the syndicated series about buff lifeguards who patrol a beach in California.
The film marks Garelick's directing debut. The scribe, who most recently did an uncredited rewrite of "The Hangover" with Todd Phillips, has written "Murray at Large" for Phillips to produce and possibly direct at Warner Bros., and also scripted "The Insane Laws" at Columbia.
While new Paramount Film Group prexy Adam Goodman is sorting through the studio's development, "Baywatch" shapes up as a good bet to get made. It's one of the projects Goodman brought over from when he was an exec at DreamWorks -- and "Baywatch" has the kind of built-in global brand awareness that studios look for in potential franchises.
The pic will be co-financed by the studio and Cold Spring Pictures, the financing arm of the Montecito Picture Co. Contrafilm's Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson are producing with "Baywatch" creators Michael Berk, Doug Schwartz, Greg Bonann and Michelle Berk. Montecito's Ivan Reitman, Tom Pollock, Jeff Clifford and Joe Medjuck are also involved in producing capacities.
DreamWorks paid seven figures for remake rights in 2005 and got a script by Jay Scherick and David Ronn that was heavy on action. Garelick was sent the script do a punch-up. Though he never saw the original TV show and its well-rounded cast, he saw an opportunity to turn it into broad comedy.
"It felt like the template to do a movie that was similar to 'Stripes' and 'Police Academy,' the comedies I loved growing up," Garelick said. "Rather than trying to pitch the tone, I figured it would be easier to write the first act to convey who these characters were," Garelick said.
Some 37 pages later, Garelick has landed the job. The script now focuses on two unlikely lifeguard candidates trying to catch on alongside the buff bodies that will be as abundant in the film as they were in the TV series.
Garelick is repped by UTA and manager Allen Fischer.
Don McKay
By ROB NELSON
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An Animus Films production. (International sales: Lightning Entertainment Group, Santa Monica.) Produced by Jim Young. Executive producers, Thomas Haden Church, William Earon. Co-producer, David Denney. Directed, written by Jake Goldberger.
With: Thomas Haden Church, Elisabeth Shue, Melissa Leo, M. Emmet Walsh, Keith David, Pruitt Taylor Vince, James Rebhorn.
A film noir set mostly in broad daylight, "Don McKay," writer-director Jake Goldberger's mild riff on "Double Indemnity," etc., works best as a showcase for its veteran cast, particularly Elisabeth Shue in a playful perf as a small-town femme fatale faking terminal illness. As the titular homme futile, exec producer Thomas Haden Church displays aptly geeky gullibility in a film that most resembles John Dahl's twisty cable/theatrical hybrids of the mid-'90s. Unlike Dahl's "Red Rock West," though, Goldberger's oddly laid-back thriller will stick exclusively to smallscreen slots.
Pushing an electric broom in Nowheresville, high school janitor Don (Church) is summoned to the town of Mount Raven by his childhood sweetheart Sonny (Shue), who looks to be the healthiest cancer patient alive. Suspiciously begging to spend the "rest of my short life" with a milquetoast loser, sexy Sonny turns up the body heat but somehow can't get Don to the altar as required by her gold-digging plot. Despite the blackly comic appearance of a corpse about halfway thru, the pic doesn't gather sufficient steam until its surprise-packed final reel, in which Melissa Leo earns laughs as Sonny's independently scheming nursemaid.
Camera (color, DV), Phil Parmet; editor, Andrew Dickler; music, Steve Bramson; production designer, Aleta Shaffer; costume designer, Andrew Poleszak. Reviewed at Solstice Film Festival, Minneapolis, June 18, 2009. (Also in Tribeca Film Festival -- Encounters.) Running time: 90 MIN.
Me
Ya (Russia)
By LESLIE FELPERIN
A VVP-Alliance production. (International sales: VVP-Alliance, Moscow.) Produced by Anna Mikhalkova, Maxim Korolev.
Directed, written by Igor Voloshin.
With: Artur Smolyaninov, Andrei Khabarov, Oksana Akinshina, Aleksey Gorbunov, Pyotr Zaychenko, Anna Mikhalkova, Maria Shalayeva, Aleksei Poluyan, Mikhail Evlanov.
Sort of a cross, plotwise, between "Trainspotting" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," Russian drama "Me" follows an 18-year-old druggie's efforts to dodge national service by feigning madness in the early 1990s. Sadly, its characters are not quite as outrageously costumed and made up as those in helmer Igor Voloshin's previous feature "Nirvana," but pic still has plenty of style and sass, and the script's better this time. "Me" has the makings of a cult hit at home among young audiences and would make ideal fodder for midnight movie slots at offshore fests.
Glasnost has arrived. The Soviet Union is about to break up, and old conventions are breaking down. A gang of young people in Sevastopol enjoy their newfound freedom, getting high on the drugs newly flooding the market and wearing punk gear 10 years after everyone in the West has moved on to other fashions.
Pic's adolescent protagonist, Geroi (beaky but charismatic Artur Smolyaninov), is drawn into their circle and eventually becomes good friends with the gang's leader and chief drug dealer, Rumin (Aleksey Gorbunov), who's first seen arriving at a party in slow-mo, surrounded by babes, dressed in finest gold and sequined bling. (Voloshin likes this sequence so much, he shows it twice.)
However, when Geroi is called up for national service, his only way out is to either appear mad or convince the authorities he's gay. Opting for the first, he's sent to one of those horrifically dilapidated mental hospitals that are always showing up in Russian movies. Life's no picnic in the nuthouse under the stern rule of chief doctor Elizabeta (Anna Mikhalkova, who also produced). Fortunately, Geroi meets and woos beautiful nurse Nina (Oksana Akinshina, "Lilya 4-Ever," "Hipsters").
The story skips around quite a bit, taking in subplots about Rumin and some of the other characters, and occasionally bursting into the odd fantasy sequence, such as one fab interlude in which Nina lip-syncs to "Venus." All this somewhat disguises fact that the script, despite its earthy, often funny dialogue, is a rather shambolic affair, but nonetheless sharper than the melodrama of "Nirvana." That said, the larky atmosphere gives way at the end to an elegiac tone in which the deaths of several characters are foretold.
Suspicion grows -- especially given the pic's title and the fact that helmer grew up in Sevastopol -- that it's all a bit autobiographical. Direction certainly feels impassioned and personal, and Voloshin's talent for visual excess is much in evidence. Perfs are solid, if not outstanding.
Tech credits reunite most of the key craftspeople from "Nirvana" with impressive results, especially in the lighting and lensing department under Dmitri Yashonkov. Soundtrack, chosen by music supervisor Alexander Kopeykin, reps the right kind of retro.
Camera (color, widescreen), Dmitri Yashonkov; editor, Tatiana Kuzmicheva; music supervisor, Alexander Kopeykin; production designer, Pavel Parkhomenko; art directors, Parkhomenko, Nadezhda Vasilyeva; costume designer, Nadezhda Vasilyeva; sound (Dolby Digital), Maxim Romasevich; sound designer, Alexander Kopeikin. Reviewed at Sochi Open Russian Film Festival (competing), June 12, 2009. Running time: 86 MIN.
Hipsters (Stiljagi)
7 July, 2009 | By Dan Fainaru
Dir: Valery Todorovsky. Russia, 2008. 125 min
An energetic, impressive production already garlanded with four Nikas (the Russian Oscar) for best film, production design, costumes and sound, Valery Todorovsky's attempt to revive the immediate post-Stalinist era may appeal initially to Russian audiences, but should easily navigate international markets after an enthusiastic reception at Karlovy Vary.
A portrait of a grim period, Hipsters is almost a Russian version of Grease - as fanciful and unrealistic as its American counterpart, but with more of a political subtext to sustain it. It's set way back in 1955, when, in an attempt to establish their independence against the backdrop of grey uniformity surrounding them, young Russian rebels ("hipsters") copied American fashions, hairdos and slang. Featuring a cast of young energetic hopefuls and several seasoned veterans in cameo roles (Sergey Garmash, Oleg Yankovsky), critics might carp that Hipsters offers perhaps an overly gentle and forgiving image of that time, hiding behind colorful sets and costumes which border on caricature. But general audiences are likely to be much more forgiving.
Hipsters centres around a shy, nerdy Communist youth (komsomolchik) called Mels, played by Anton Shagin, who falls for luscious blonde hipster Polya (Akinshina) and turns his back on his pretty but strict brigade commander girlfriend (Brik). He takes up the tenor saxophone instead, raises some hell of his own and ends up marrying his blonde bombshell and even having an unlikely child with her before Todorovsky wraps it all up in a rousing finale.
Hipsters' score, a lively mélange of updated Soviet hits and fresh numbers written specially for the film, pumps away energetically, while clever art direction blends real-life locations with studio sets to create a world apart. Throughout it all, the cast seems to be having the time of its life.
Production Company
Red Arrow Company
Producers
Leonid Lebedev
Leonid Yarmolnik
Vadim Goryainov
Valery Todorovsky
International Sales
Central Partnership
+ 7 495 777 4961
Screenplay
Yuri Korotkov
Cinematography
Roman Vasyanov
Production design
Vladimir Gudilin
Editing
Alexei Bobrov
Music
Konstantin Meladze
Main Cast
Oksana Akinshina
Anton Shagin
Evgeniya Brik
Maksim Matveev
Oleg Yankovsky
Sergey Garmash
http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2009/07/laffaire-farewell.html (http://dobanevinosti.blogspot.com/2009/07/laffaire-farewell.html)
Mel Gibson will star in "The Beaver" for director Jodie Foster.
The script, written by Kyle Killen, topped the Blacklist in December.
Gibson will play a depressed man who finds solace in wearing a beaver hand-puppet. On top of helming, Foster will play the role of the man's wife.
Foster boarded the project and brought it to Gibson, with whom she co-starred in 1994's "Maverick."
Anonymous Content's Steve Golin and Keith Redmon will produce the film. Producers are pushing for a September start date in New York.
Financing for the $18 million-$19 million pic has yet to be finalized. A studio could pick up the project or it could go the indie route, as Golin did with Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's "Babel."
It's possible that Gibson's production company Icon could get involved in some way. Icon has distribution shingles in territories such as the U.K. and Australia.
Project had several star and director combos circling -- including Steve Carell and Jay Roach -- over the past several months.
Pic brings Foster back to feature directing for the third time, after 1991's "Little Man Tate" and 1995's "Home for the Holidays."
Tomas Alfredson to direct Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy
9 July, 2009 | By Screen staff
Swedish director Tomas Alfredson has signed on to direct an adaptation of John Le Carré's Cold War spy novel, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, for Working Title Films.
Alfredson, director of vampire movie Let The Right On In, will start shooting next year. It will be his first English-language film.
Oscar-nominated screenwriter Peter Morgan, who previously worked with Working Title on Frost/Nixon, is writing the film and also acting as executive producer,
The feature will be produced by Working Title's co-chairman Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, with Le Carré, Debra Hayward and Liza Chasin are also executive producing.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy tells the story of a retired British intelligence officer who is asked to seek out one of the men – a Russian spy - in the senior ranks of his old agency. It was made into a BAFTA-winning and Emmy nominated TV series, starring Alec Guinness, in the Seventies.
Bevan said: "The timing is right for a new screen version of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier,Spy so it's great for us to be able to continue our creative collaboration with Peter Morgan on this and to have Tomas onboard who we've no doubt will bring a unique vision to the material."
Alfredson added: "It is both satisfactory and uplifting to make my debut in the English language in the good company of Peter Morgan and Tim Bevan."
Alfredson, who is a former member of comedy troupe Killingganget, won the Best Narrative Feature award at the Tribeca Film Festival for horror film Let The Right One In. He also made award-winning short film Screwed in Tallinn and the 2005 film Four Shades of Brown.
Zooey Deschanel ("Failure to Launch," "") has joined the cast of the comedy "Your Highness" for Universal Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story centers on an arrogant, lazy prince who must complete a quest to save his father's kingdom. Joining him on the quest is his more heroic brother.
"Tropic Thunder" and "Land of the Lost" star Danny McBride plays the prince and "Spider-Man" star James Franco will be his brother.
Deschanel plays Belladonna, Franco's virginal bride while Natalie Portman plays McBride's love interest, a warrior princess.
McBride and Ben Best penned the script while David Gordon Green directs. Shooting kicks off this month in Northern Ireland.
Circle of Confusion's producing "Gatekeeper," a zombie thriller with Matthew O'Leary, Lea Thompson, Judge Reinhold, Ron Perlman and Jana Kramer attached.
Circle of Confusion exec Stephen Emery will produce, with production starting in September.
Isaac Meisenheimer is signed to make his feature directing debut on "Gatekeeper." Meisenheimer also penned the script, in which a simple mistake leaves three friends to defend their town from a zombie outbreak.
"We intend to make a film in the vein of 'Shaun of the Dead' for American audiences," Emery said.
LONDON -- Jason Statham is in final negotiations to star in "Blitz," a London-set thriller about a serial killer targeting police officers.
Lionsgate U.K. is fully financing the project, which is an adaptation of Ken Bruen's bestseller of the same name. Mandate Intl. will handle international sales.
"Blitz" will be Lionsgate U.K.'s first British project since it announced its plans to beef up its local production last year. It will also mark the first collaboration between Statham and Lionsgate U.K. since last year's "The Bank Job," which was a hit at the Blighty box office.
Statham will play a tough, uncompromising cop assigned the task of tracking down the killer. Paddy Considine will play his partner.
Nathan Parker wrote the script; Elliott Lester is directing.
Lionsgate U.K. topper Zygi Kamasa, Steve Chasman, Brad Wyman and Donald Kushner are producing.
Project begins lensing Aug. 10 in London.
"Jason and I are excited about the opportunity to be working here again as we are keen to continue supporting British films," Chasman said.
While its U.S.-based parent company has been the subject of boardroom unrest with speculation over the intentions of shareholder and corporate raider Carl Icahn, Lionsgate U.K. has been gradually ramping up its production activities.
Lionsgate U.K. projects in the hopper include the $15 million contemporary sci-fi thriller "83," which Noel Clarke will write, direct and star in; and laffer "Stiff," from "Borat" writer Dan Mazer and producer Andrea Calderwood about a 1980s rock star who falls into a coma on stage and wakes up 20 years later.
Danny Huston ("30 Days of Night," "Wolverine") has joined the cast of Ridley Scott's "Robin Hood" for Universal and Imagine Entertainment says The Hollywood Reporter.
Huston will step into the shoes of the historical figure King Richard, who became known as Richard the Lionheart because of his exploits in the Third Crusade.
As previously reported, Russell Crowe plays the legendary folk hero with Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian. Filming is continuing apace in the UK at present.
Susan Sarandon and John Goodman have joined the cast of the Jack Kevorkian biopic "You Don't Know Jack" for HBO Films says The Hollywood Reporter.
Al Pacino stars as Kevorkian, known as Dr. Death, who assisted in more than 130 suicides. After willingly sending a videotape of himself euthanizing a terminally ill man to "60 Minutes," he was convicted in 1999 of second-degree murder and spent eight years in prison.
The HBO film follows Kevorkian's (Pacino) rise as he builds his infamous Mercy Machine and sets out to perform assisted suicides while waging an epic legal battles defending a patient's right to die.
Goodman will play Nicol, a friend and co-worker of Kevorkian since 1961 and a steadfast supporter of the right to die.
Sarandon will play Janet Good, an activist with the Hemlock Society who becomes one of Jack's staunchest supporters, working side by side with him to make humane suicide available to the terminally ill and suffering.
Barry Levinson directs from Adam Mazer's script which is loosely based on Neal Nicol and Harry Wylie's book "Between the Dying and the Dead".
Rupert Graves is attached to play the lead role of Eduardo in the Balkans-set drama The Filthy War to be directed by John Irvin.
Graves will play a war correspondent in former Yugoslavia who creates a platoon of international volunteers to defend a Croatian village from Serb militants.
Vinnie Jones has been cast as the Balkan warlord Arkan. Additional casting will be announced shortly.
Producer Laszlo Hege of Mozgofilms adapted the screenplay partly based on E Rozsa Flores' memoir of the Yugoslav War. In an unrelated incident, the author was killed in Bolivia under mysterious circumstances.
Graves' previous credits include V For Vendetta, Death At A Funeral, and The Madness Of King George.
heh, ko bi reko da će arkanovci da ga nađu čak u boliviji!?
Croatian village of peacufl minding-their-own-business shepherds defended from the bearded, drunk, bloodthirsty Serb militants
"Creation," helmer Jon Amiel's biopic about Charles Darwin, will open the 34th Toronto International Film Festival, it was announced this morning (July 14), along with three galas and 19 special presentations.
"We are pleased to open the Festival with such an impassioned look at Charles Darwin, especially on the year marking the 200th anniversary of his birth," said TIFF director and CEO Piers Handling.
Produced by Jeremy Thomas, pic stars Paul Bettany ("The Da Vinci Code") as the English scientist and author of the controversial "The Origin of Species," and Jennifer Connelly as his wife Emma. John Collee's screenplay is adapted from "Annie's Box," a biography about Darwin's private life written by his great-great-grandson Randal Keynes.
Recorded Picture Company developed the pic with BBC Films and the UK Film Council.
Gala world preems include romantic comedy "The Invention of Lying" (Warner Bros. U.S.), from co-writers and co-helmers Ricky Gervais (who also stars) and Matthew Robinson, and Aaron Schneider's frontier drama "Get Low," starring Robert Duvall as a backwoods eccentric who stages his own funeral while still alive. Bill Murray and Sissy Spacek co-star.
The North American preem of "Max Manus," co-helmer Joachim and Espen Sandberg's biopic on the Norwegian resistance fighter, and the Canuck preem of Lee Daniels' "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" will also receive gala screenings.
Helmer Scott Hicks ("Shine") will deliver Clive Owen starrer "The Boys Are Back," one of 10 world preems announced as special presentations. Other pics include: Bruno Dumont's "Hadewijch," Bruce Beresford's "Mao's Last Dancer," Neil Jordan's fisherman fairytale "Ondine" (starring Colin Farrell), Jordan Scott's boarding school drama "Cracks," Tim Blake Nelson's "Leaves of Grass" (Edward Norton as twin brothers), Raoul Peck's political thriller "Moloch Tropical," Brian Koppelman and David Levien's "Solitary Man" (Michael Douglas stars), Nicolas Winding Refn's Viking saga "Valhalla Rising" and Niki Caro's romance "The Vintner's Luck."
Steven Soderbergh's "The Informant!" will receive its North American preem, as will Jane Campion's "Bright Star," Rachid Bouchareb's "London River," Bong Joon-ho's "Mother" and Yousry Nasrallah's "Scheherazade Tell me A Story."
Catherine Corsini's "Partir," starring Kristin Scott Thomas, will receive its international preem.
The Toronto International Film Festival runs Sept. 10-19.
Principal photography has begun on Takashi Miike's samurai epic, Thirteen Assassins, in Japan's Yamagata Prefecture.
Based on Eiichi Kudo's 1963 film of the same name, the film follows the coming together of thirteen assassins who undertake a suicide mission to kill an evil young lord in the era of the shogun. The screenplay has been written by Daisuke Tengan.
The $6m movie is being produced by Toshiaki Nakazawa, who picked up this year's foreign language Oscar for Departures, with Jeremy Thomas executive producing through Recorded Picture Company. Thomas has a long history with Asian cinema, producing classics such as Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, and The Last Emperor.
The film, which stars Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Hiroki Matsukata and Kazuki Namioka, is being distributed by Toho in Japan. Thomas's UK based Hanway Films is handling international sales.
Da vidimo, može li Miike da snimi strejt ap samurajski film. Nagađam da ne može i biće zanimljivo gledati rezultate.
Rough Cut
(South Korea)
A Studio 2.0, Sponge Entertainment release of a Kim Ki Duk Film, Yeomhwamiso production. (International sales: Showbox/Mediaplex, Seoul.) Produced by Kim Ki-duk, Jo Seong-gyu. Directed by Jang Hun. Screenplay, Kim Ki-duk; adaptation, Jang, Ok Jin-gon, Oh Se-yeon; story, Kim.
With: So Ji-seob, Gang Ji-hwan, Go Chang-seok, Hong Su-hyeon, Jang Heui-jin.
The disquieting tendency in South Korean cinema toward ever more senseless alpha-male violence is given a film-buffy spin in "Rough Cut," scripted by local maverick Kim Ki-duk. Basically one long faceoff of competitive testosterone between a hardened gangster and a cocky actor, this first helming outing by Kim alum Jang Hun makes a small point about the worlds of real and fake violence colliding at a personal level. However, it also wallows, repetitively, in the world it supposedly critiques. Release last fall scored a warm 1.4 million admissions, partly due to the teen appeal of lead So Ji-seob.
Su-ta (Gang Ji-hwan), a short-fused actor who thinks he's a tough guy, and Gang-pae (So), a real-life tough guy who's always wanted to be an actor, meet in a nightclub. When Su-ta hospitalizes a stuntman, he asks Gang-pae to step into the production; the latter agrees on the condition that the violence isn't faked, thereby testing Su-ta's limits. Male perfs run the range of Korean male attitudinising, but even the memorable final slugfest is diminished by the foregoing violence. Tech package is standard; Korean title means "A Film Is a Film."
Camera (color), Kim Ki-tae; editor, Wang Su-an; music, No Hyeong-woo; art director, Lee Hyeon-ju; costumes, Ma Yeon-heui. Reviewed at Shanghai Film Festival (competing), June 14, 2009. (Also in New York Asian Film Festival, 2008 Pusan Film Festival -- market.) Original title: Yeonghwaneun yeonghwada. Running time: 113 MIN.
The Will Smith-produced remake of the 1984 family hit "The Karate Kid" has scored the official title of "Kung Fu Kid" according to The Associated Press.
Filming kicked off on Saturday in Beijing on the co-production between the state-run China Film Group and Columbia Pictures.
'Kid' stars Jaden Smith as the titular student and Jackie Chan as the wise kung-fu master. Harald Zwart ("Pink Panther 2") directs.
Producer Ken Stovitz confirmed the story will be set in modern-day Beijing and filming will continue for three months.
Aentikeu: Seoyang Goldong Yanggwaja Jeom (South Korea)
By BOYD VAN HOEIJ
A Showbox/Mediaplex release of a United Pictures, Soo Film, Zip Cinema production. (International sales: Finecut, Seoul.) Produced by Min Jin-su, Eugene Lee. Executive producers, Lee Jeong-hun, Lee Tae-hun. Directed by Min Kyu-dong. Screenplay, Lee Gyeong-eu, Kim Da-yeong, Min, based on the manga by Fumi Yoshinaga.
With: Ju Ji-hun, Kim Jae-wook, Andy Gillet, Yu Ah-in, Choi Ji-ho, Kim Chang-wan, Lee Hwi-hyang, Oh Mi-heui, Nam Myeong-ryeol, Lee Hwan, Go Chang-seok.
(Korean, French dialogue)
A Japanese manga conceived for teen girls gets a Korean bigscreen makeover in "Antique," the story of four hot guys who run a pastry shop, dealing with same-sex attraction and a criminal on the loose while preparing unpronounceable Gallic confections for their clientele. Helmer Min Kyu-dong zooms in on the mouthwatering cast and delicacies on sale, though this light souffle has a few too many ingredients to achieve a satisfactory balance. Still, gay and Asian fests will want to have this cake and eat it, before the pic starts reaping some cherries on the top in ancillary.
Pic is already the third adaptation of the "Antique Bakery" manga by femme artist Fumi Yoshinaga. The comic is part of the Japanese Boys Love genre, which features stories about gay relationships targeted at young teenage girls (take out the threat factor, double the eye candy). Helmers such as Kotaro Terauchi have been making low-budget BL movies for some time, but this highly polished South Korean adaptation is clearly aimed at the masses. Locally, "Antique" drew some 1.2 million admissions on release late last year.
Rich kid Jin-hyeok (handsome Ju Ji-hun) decides to open a pastry shop, called Antique, despite the fact he hates cake. The excuse he gives his family: "All the customers are girls." Indeed. But all the employees are boys, as demanded by his star pastry chef, Seon-woo (androgynous Kim Jae-wook), a comfortably out gay man who learned his trade in France from his then-lover, Jean-Baptiste (Andy Gillet).
Seon-woo has a strange fairy tale-like quality that makes every man, gay or straight, fall in love with him -- every man, that is, except for the slightly homophobic Jin-hyeok, who (as revealed in the prologue) is the only man who ever rejected Seon-woo's advances, a decade earlier at school.
The film's first half is a light, humorous look at this odd pairing as they start selling their wares (often shown in closeup, a la "Eat Drink Man Woman"), with even a song-and-dance number thrown in that plays like a cross between a small-scale Busby Berkeley sequence and "Memories of Matsuko." The duo hire help in the form of sweet-toothed former boxer Ki-beom (Yu Ah-in, who eats more than he speaks).
The dynamics change when Su-yeong (Choi Ji-ho), a bodyguard for Jin-hyeok, appears. The pic moves into darker territory when Jin-hyuk's reasons for opening the shop become clear, while more complications arise with the arrival of the amorous Jean-Baptiste.
As in the Sapphic psychothriller "Memento Mori," which Min co-helmed, the same-sex love story, melodrama and traditional Asian thriller motifs mesh well, though it may be a tad much for some Western auds. Arguably, the pic could have worked just as well without the added crime story.
Actors were cast for their looks, but as the central pair, Kim and Ju especially imbue their stock characters with some humanity, and the shared history between Seon-woo and Jean-Baptiste feels surprisingly real.
The pic is brightly lit and good-looking; production designer Jeon Gyeong-ran turns Antique into a bakery that's half Parisian art-deco, half Gaudian colored tiles. Costume designer Chang Hyo-jae overdoes the gays-love-scarves look but otherwise delivers work on par with the other tech contributions.
Camera (color, widescreen), Kim Jun-yeong; editor, Kim Seon-min; music, Chang Yeong-gyu, Dalparan; production designer, Jeon Gyeong-ran; costume designer, Chang Hyo-jae; sound (Dolby SRD), Choi Tae-yeong; visual effects, Yun Jae-hun. Reviewed on DVD, Luxembourg, July 13, 2009. (In Berlin Film Festival -- Kulinarisches Kino.) Running time: 109 MIN.
Universal Pictures has begun development of a film adaptation of the Dark Horse sci-fi comic book series "Fear Agent" says The Risky Biz Blog.
"Agent" centers on a colorful, borderline alcoholic astronaut named Heath Huston, a Texan who works as a so-called fear agent, the last of a dwindling breed of spacemen whose mission it is to fight threats to the planet Earth, which is partly destroyed during the course of the series.
Rick Remender created the series in 2005. A writer is currently being sought for the film, though "Air Force One" and "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" producer Jonathan Shestack penned a spec script based on the property that may be utilized (with Shestack onboard to produce).
Emily Blunt will star in the sci-fi romance thriller "The Adjustment Bureau" for Universal Pictures and Media Rights Capital says the trades.
The story follows a congressman (Matt Damon), on the rise in politics, who meets a beautiful ballet dancer (Blunt) and finds his future thrown into doubt by uncontrollable events.
"Bourne Ultimatum" scribe George Nolfi is directing and adapted the script from a Philip K. Dick short story.
Chris Moore, Michael Hackett and Bill Carraro will produce alongside Nolfi. Filming kicks off mid-September in New York City.
Jeff Wadlow ("Never Back Down") is set to direct the sci-fi action film "Arena" for Summit Entertainment says The Hollywood Reporter.
Toby Wagstaff and Darren Howell's screenplay revolves around a group of modern-day soldiers transported to a shifting landscape, where they are forced to face off against the best warriors from different eras in gladitorial battle.
The director had been working on the prison-escape action project "The Tomb" at the studio until it stalled, the studio then moved him over to 'Arena'. Chris Bender, J.C. Spink, Jim Thompson, Alex Franklin and Jonah Loop are producing.
Morgan Freeman in talks to star in 'Red'
Actor eyes Summit thriller starring Bruce Willis
By DAVE MCNARY
Morgan Freeman
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Morgan Freeman is in talks to star alongside Bruce Willis in Summit Entertainment's espionage thriller "Red," based on the WildStorm/DC Comic.
Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian are producing with DC exec Gregory Noveck serving as exec producer. Brothers Erich Hoeber and Jon Hoeber are penning the script.
Summit acquired rights to "Red," originally written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Cully Hamner, last year. The three-book series, published in 2003 and 2004, tells the story of a former black-ops CIA agent now living a quiet life in retirement until the day a high-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him.
Freeman's toplining Nelson Mandela biopic "Invictus," directed by Clint Eastwood for Warner Bros. with a December release date.
Warner Bros. and Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way are moving ahead on a "Twilight Zone" movie, hiring Rand Ravich to pen a script based on the iconic TV series, which melded fantasy, science-fiction and horror elements.
Studio first set up the project with the Warner-based shingle a year ago.
Ravich's feature credits include directing "The Astronaut's Wife" and exec producing "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind." He also created NBC's detective series "Life."
The original "Twilight Zone" series ran for five seasons starting in 1959 on CBS, with Rod Serling creating the skein and writing more than half of the 156 episodes.
Warners released the previous bigscreen incarnation of the property, 1983's "Twilight Zone: The Movie," with Steven Spielberg and John Landis producing and directing segments.
Paintball
(Spain)
By JONATHAN HOLLAND
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A Filmax release of a Castelao Prods. production in collaboration with TVC. (International sales: Filmax, Barcelona.) Produced by Julio Fernandez, Eva Taboada. Executive producers, Carlos Fernandez, Alberto Marini. Directed by Daniel Benmayor. Screenplay, Mario Schoendorff.
With: Brendan Mackey, Robert Maskell, Patrick Regis, Jennifer Matter, Peter Vives, Anna Casas.
"Paintball" reps the cinematic equivalent of having color-filled bullets pumped at you for 90 minutes. Bloody but heartless horror-thriller delivers bucketsful of noise, action and suspense, but the total absence of anything else -- including any true, character-based tension or novel twists -- will limit its chances of replicating recent Spanish successes in the genre, despite the English dialogue. Released July 10, pic could still hit its mark in niche Euro markets.
Eight thrill-seeking stereotypes, including good-hearted black guy Eric (Patrick Regis), feisty lady Anna (Jennifer Matter) and morally suspect leader-type David (Brendan Mackey) are dumped from the back of a van in the middle of nowhere and, within 10 minutes, are being fired upon with real bullets. The rest of the film sees many of them picked off, one by one, by a team of snipers employed by even wealthier thrill-seekers. Suspense elements are decently handled as the deaths become increasingly elaborate and painful, but the handheld camerawork quickly becomes as tiresome as the overdone audio. The final scene suggests that the audience is as sadistic as the killers, a hint of wit that comes too late.
Camera (color), Juan Miguel Azpiroz; editor, Elena Ruiz. Reviewed at Cine Acteon, Madrid, July 16, 2009. English dialogue. Running time: 85 MIN.
Swinki (Poland-Germany)
By ALISSA SIMON
A Widark Film & Television Prod. (Poland)/ 42film (Germany) production with support from the Polish Film Institute, MMM. (International sales: Widark, Warsaw.) Produced by Witold Iwaszkiewicz. Co-producers, Eike Goreczka, Thomas Jeschner, Mario Schneider. Directed by Robert Glinski. Screenplay, Joanna Didik, Glinski.
With: Filip Garbacz, Daniel Furmaniak, Anna Kulej, Dorota Wierzbicka, Bogdan Koca, Tomasz Tyndyk, Rolf Hoppe, Heiko Raulin, Katarzyna Pysznska.
Polish teens sell themselves to German pedophiles for cash and consumer goods in the heavy-handed Polish melodrama "Piggies." Vet helmer Robert Glinski crudely belabors the relationship between Polish poverty, access to the fruits of Western capitalism and a collapse in traditional values. Repping something of a disappointment to fans of his more nuanced "Hi Tereska," the pic is unlikely to see as much fest travel but might touch a chord at home.
Set in 1990, when the updated Schengen agreement removed border controls between Poland and Western Europe, the story unfolds in an economically depressed Polish town just across the river from Germany. Bright, clean-cut 16-year-old Tomek (Filip Garbacz) earns top marks and participates in his church youth group; an aspiring astronomer, he wants to raise money to buy a fancy telescope, but his goals change when he falls for club girl Marta (Anna Kulej), a pint-sized gold-digger who demands expensive gifts.
While Tomek earns little from his job at the local market, his best friend, Ciemny (Daniel Furmaniak), is mysteriously flush with cash and fancy clothes. When Tomek accidentally witnesses how Ciemny earns his money, he's shocked and disgusted and tries to drag him to the priest.
The shrilly moralistic, cliche-ridden screenplay by Joanna Didik and Glinski fails to make convincing or particularly poignant their protagonist's sudden transformation from straight arrow to piggie. Tomek's character turns out to have just two facets -- which is twice as many as the other dramatis personae.
It's hard to say which one-note character appears the most ridiculous -- perhaps Tomek's constantly primping sister (Katarzyna Pysznska), whose motto is, "I don't care how you earn the money -- it's important that you have it," or his foul-mouthed, beer-swilling father (Bogdan Koca), who cares only about soccer matches. With family like this, no wonder pimp Borys (Tomasz Tyndyk) and petty criminal Max (Heiko Raulin) must maintain a constant leer to indicate their evil natures.
From the ridiculous way the male piggies dress, even the most clueless parent should have an idea of what's going on. Costume details, like the rest of the lurid tech package, support the histrionics of the plot, particularly in the over-the-top ending.
Camera (color), Petro Aleksowski; editor, Krzysztof Szpetmanski; music, Cornelius Renz; production designer, Stefan Hauck; costume designer, Agata Culak; sound (Dolby Digital), Florian Marquardt, David Sikorski. Reviewed at Karlovy Vary Film Festival (competing), July 7, 2009. Running time: 94 MIN.
Phil Claydon ("Lesbian Vampire Killers") has signed on to direct the comedy "Dan Mintner: Badass for Hire" for New Line says The Hollywood Reporter.
A light-hearted homage to 1980s action thrillers, Chad Kultgen's script centers on a tight-jeans-wearing, matchstick-chewing man stuck with an '80s mentality while kicking some modern-day butt.
Beau Flynn, Tripp Vinson and Mason Novick will produce.
Sam Worthington joins Summit's Danish thriller remake The Candidate
22 July, 2009 | By Jeremy Kay
Summit Entertainment has acquired remake rights to Kasper Barfoed's Danish thriller The Candidate (Kandidaten) with Sam Worthington attached to star.
Beau Willimon will write the screenplay about an aspiring lawyer who tries to escape a blackmail plot after he wakes up in a hotel room and finds the woman he met the night before dead in the bathroom.
Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen will produce through Temple Hill Entertainment. Peter Bose and Jonas Allen of Miso Film will serve as executive producers.
Summit's worldwide production and acquisitions chief Erik Feig will oversee the project for the company alongside development director Gillian Bohrer.
Worthington starred in Terminator Salvation and is currently shooting Clash Of The Titans. He will be seen later this year in James Cameron's Avatar.
Worthington and Willimon are represented by CAA.
ROME -- The upcoming Venice Film Festival is shaping up as a launching pad for plenty of U.S. kudos hopefuls, a strong European lineup and new works from big-name helmers including Steven Soderbergh, Michael Moore, Joe Dante, Werner Herzog and Todd Solondz, alongside Claire Denis, Jacques Rivette and Giuseppe Tornatore.
With one week to go before the July 30 announcement, artistic director Marco Mueller and his selection committee seem to have lined up a slew of pics with media-friendly stars, which should pacify the international press corps, which griped last year that the Lido was thin on star power.
Soderbergh's "The Informant!" -- toplining Matt Damon as an agri-business price fixer -- is likely to world preem at the event, which runs Sept. 2-12. Warner Bros. would then give the comedy-thriller a North American sendoff in Toronto.
Moore's docu "Capitalism: A Love Story," about the global economic meltdown, is tipped to launch in Venice ahead of its Stateside bow via Overture Films on Oct. 2 -- one year and a day after the U.S. Senate voted to bail out Wall Street.
Other English-lingo pics said to be ensconced in Lido berths include Australian director John Hillcoat's "The Road," an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic novel starring Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron; Dante's 3-D horror pic "The Hole"; and Herzog's "Bad Lieutenant" redo "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," with Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes.
Horrormeister George Romero may make the trek with "Zombieland" (aka "Survival of the Dead"), the sixth entry in his Living Dead series, which is also unspooling in Toronto.
Former Gucci creative director Tom Ford is expected to bow his helming debut "A Single Man," centered on an L.A.-based British college professor who loses his partner of 16 years. Pic stars Colin Firth and Julianne Moore.
Solondz looks to be Lido-bound with his long-in-gestation "Life During Wartime," a sequel of sorts to 1998's "Happiness," with Charlotte Rampling and Ciaran Hinds among thesps in the ensemble cast.
Wes Anderson's stop-motion-animated film "Fantastic Mr. Fox," a Roald Dahl adaptation, has also been submitted to the Lido, but it's not certain whether it will bow there. Pic's voice cast includes George Clooney, Cate Blanchett and Meryl Streep. Also possible: Lido regulars Ethan and Joel Coen may bring their black comedy "A Serious Man."
Mike Judge ("Office Space") is likely to unveil his latest workplace comedy, "Extract," starring Jason Bateman and Mila Kunis.
Iranian-American artist Shirin Neshat's first feature film, "Women Without Men," developed at the Sundance Institute's Screenwriters Lab, is also said to be headed for the fest.
The rich roster of Euro goods will likely include the usual copious contingents from France and Italy.
Already announced as the opening-night pic is "Baaria," Tornatore's big-budget Sicilian epic that marks the festival's first Italo opener in two decades. The list of local entries is also believed to include Tilda Swinton starrer "Io sono l'amore" (I Am Love), by Luca Guadagnino; Michele Placido's 1968-themed "Il grande sogno" (The Big Dream); and Naples-set drama "Lo spazio bianco" (The White Space), from Francesca Comencini. Also set in Naples and tipped for a Venice berth is Abel Ferrara's docudrama "Napoli, Napoli, Napoli," which explores the underbelly of this highly cinematic Southern Italian city.
Among French fare that looks likely for a Venice bow are Rivette's Gallic-Italo co-production "36 vues du Pic Saint Loup," with Italian actor Sergio Castellitto playing alongside Jane Birkin; Denis' Cameroon-set "White Material," starring Isabelle Huppert and Christophe Lambert; and Patrice Chereau's love triangle drama "Persecution," with Charlotte Gainsbourg.
Spain looks to be repped at Venice with Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza's "REC 2," their follow-up to cult chiller "REC"; Austria may make a Lido showing with "Lourdes," from Viennese helmer Jessica Hausner, also in Toronto; Switzerland may make an appearance with "Pepperminta," a first feature film by Swiss visual artist Pipilotti Rist.
Given Mueller's known bent for Asian cinema, the Far East is expected to be a presence at the Lido this year; but after an Asia-heavy Cannes, available hot titles may be somewhat scarce. One buzz pic in Mueller's mix, if completed, is Chinese historical actioner "The Warrior and the Wolf," helmed by Tian Zhuangzhuang and toplining Maggie Q. It's co-produced by Focus Features and Hong Kong-based Edko Films.
Deals cut for 'Saw VII'
Lionsgate has greenlit franchise's seventh installment
By DAVE MCNARY
David Hackl
Hackl
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It turns out there's plenty of life left in "Saw" and Jigsaw John.
With "Saw VI" due to open in the usual October slot, Lionsgate has greenlit "Saw VII" with a January start of production. David Hackl -- production designer of the second, third and fourth films and helmer of "Saw V" -- has been tapped to direct.
Mark Burg and Oren Koules, who have produced all six of the "Saw" pics, are back as producers. And scribes Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton, who penned the fourth, fifth and sixth films, are writing the seventh.
Lionsgate has worldwide rights in North America and the United Kingdom. The five "Saw" pics to date have grossed more than $700 million worldwide.
Dunstan and Melton, who broke into Hollywood via Project Greenlight, also wrote home-invasion thriller "The Collector," which opens next weekend through Freestyle Releasing. That pic also marks Dunstan's helming debut
Trejler za "The Book of Eli": Apple - Trailers - The Book of Eli (http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/thebookofeli/#)
Frank Miller ("300") has completed a first draft of a proposed sequel to his graphic novel "300" says Digital Spy.
Serving as a direct follow-up to its predecessor, the book will provide the basis for a potential film collaboration between Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures who produced the first film.
Zach Snyder, who helmed the first movie, has expressed an interest in returning and co-writer Kurt Johnstad is rumored to be contributing to the screenplay.
Paul W.S. Anderson (AVP, "Mortal Kombat") is set to return to the director's chair for "Resident Evil: Afterlife" says Production Weekly.
Anderson directed the first installment, but served only as a writer and producer for the two sequels. He also penned the fourth film.
Filming will get underway shortly in Toronto for release next September.
Shock Til You Drop also confirmed that the film is the first in a new trilogy, and will be shot in 3D using the same camera systems used on James Cameron's "Avatar".
James Wan ("Saw," "Dead Silence") will co-write and direct the film adaptation of classic video game "Castlevania" reports Bloody Disgusting.
Paul W.S. Anderson penned the script and is producing. The story begins as a Transylvanian knight leads his men into a gothic castle to seek refuge from the Turkish army. The knights soon discover the castle is controlled by the original vampire.
The script sets up a generational clash between Vlad the Impaler and the Belmont family, a clan that unleashed the original vampire and battles to defeat him.
Wan is replacing Sylvain White, who was previously set to direct.
Josh Brolin is tipped to nab the villain role in "Money Never Sleeps", Oliver Stone's follow-up to his classic 1987 feature "Wall Street" says Deadline Hollywood Daily.
Javier Bardem was originally sought for the part but the actor turned it down. Oliver Stone and screenwriter Allan Loeb ("21") are adding the final touches to the screenplay.
In "Money Never Sleeps", Brolin would play a villainous hedge fund manager. Shia LaBeouf plays a young trader who seeks revenge with advice from his fiancee's dad - Michael Douglas' Gordon Gekko character.
Danny Huston has joined the cast of "You Don't Know Jack" for HBO Films says The Hollywood Reporter.
The biopic of controversial euthanasia advocate Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the film already stars Al Pacino, Susan Sarandon and John Goodman. Huston will portray Geoffrey Fieger, Kevorkian's lawyer.
Barry Levinson is directing with shooting scheduled to kick off later this year.
Ron Livingston, Jim Gaffigan, Kelli Gellar, Rob Riggle and Jason Sudeikis have joined the cast of New Line's romantic comedy "Going the Distance" reports Variety.
Written by Geoff LaTulippe, the observational comedy concerns a young couple (Drew Barrymore and Justin Long ) navigating their way through the perils of a long-distance relationship.
Nanette Burstein directs the film which is being produced by Adam Shankman and Jennifer Gibgot. Filming kicked off two weeks ago.
Jon Hamm and Rebecca Hall are joining the romantic crime thriller "The Town" for Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures reports the trades.
An adaptation of the Chuck Hogan novel "Prince of Thieves," the story follows the relationship between a bank manager (Hall), a career criminal (Ben Affleck) who falls for her during a robbery, and a dedicated FBI agent (Hamm) trying to bust him.
The agent sees her as his golden ticket to catching the crim, Boston's most infamous bank robber.
Affleck is directing himself with shooting to take place in Boston starting next month. Peter Craig and Hogan penned the script which Affleck re-wrote, while Graham King will produce.
Charlize Theron's Denver and Delilah Films has acquired screen rights to Christopher Buckley's satirical novel "Florence of Arabia." Theron will produce and develop the film as a star vehicle.
Pic will be written by Dean Craig.
"Florence of Arabia" is about a State Dept. employee (to be played by Theron) who, after watching her friend marry the prince of a Middle East country and subsequently get executed, fights for equal rights for the women of that country.
Theron will produce through Denver and Delilah. The Johnson-Roessler Co. will be exec producer.
Craig is writing "The French Exchange" for Pathe and Forward Films, and he scripted "Fresh," a seven-episode series that airs on BBC in September. He also wrote "Death at a Funeral," the 2007 comedy that is being remade by director Neil LaBute for Screen Gems.
Theron is repped by One Talent Management and WME, Craig by UTA and Principal Entertainment.
"The Wolfman" won't howl this year as planned. Universal Pictures is moving the reboot of its classic monster franchise to early next year.
The horror pic, which stars Benicio Del Toro as the hairy shape-shifter, will now be released Feb. 12 and serve as counterprogramming to New Line's romantic comedy "Valentine's Day," the Summit drama "Remember Me," with "Twilight's" Robert Pattinson toplining, and Disney's 3-D re-release of "Beauty and the Beast."
It's the fourth date for "Wolfman" after roaming from Feb. 13 to April 3 and then Nov. 6 this year.
Despite the change, studio's theme park still plans to heavily hype the property at its annual Halloween Horror Nights event.
"We have seen just how enormous first quarter movies can be," said Adam Fogelson, president of marketing and distribution for U, citing the $215 million that studios generated on the February weekend this year, versus the $136 million that pics earned on the November date last year.
Marketers believe next year could become "a perfect storm" for distribs, considering Valentine's Day falls on a Sunday and will be closely followed by the President's Day holiday, the next day.
The November slot will be taken by U's alien-abduction drama "The Fourth Kind," starring Milla Jovovich. It had previously not had a home on the release schedule. Studio picked it up from Gold Circle Films.
U also slotted new dates for four other pics, giving it one pic to unspool each month through the first half of next year, when also taking into account the Nancy Meyers comedy "It's Complicated" (that opens Christmas Day and will play well into January) and the untitled Robin Hood actioner with Russell Crowe (May 14).
The other dates include:
n March 12 for "Green Zone," the Paul Greengrass drama that reunites the helmer with Matt Damon.
n An April 16 position for "MacGRUBER," the Lorne Michaels comedy spun off from "Saturday Night Live" that Relativity is producing through its Rogue Pictures banner.
n A prime summer slot of June 11 for the Russell Brand comedy "Get Him to the Greek," produced by Judd Apatow. U had previously succeeded with an early June date with "Knocked Up," and Warner Bros. has struck gold with "The Hangover" this year. An April release had been previously eyed for the R-rated laffer. Fox has its adaptation of "The A-Team," and Sony has its reboot of "The Karate Kid" on that date, as well.
* A yet-to-be-chosen first quarter slot for the action thriller "Repo Men," formerly known as "Repossession Mambo," with Jude Law and Forest Whitaker.
Robert Schwentke, German director of "Flightplan" (38% positive among "top critics" at Rotten Tomatoes) and "The Time Traveler's Wife" (due Aug. 14), is talking to Summit Entertainment about helming "Red," based on Ellis' acclaimed graphic novel.
The story deals with a retired black-ops CIA operative surprised one day by a high-tech assassin determined to kill him.
Bruce Willis is aboard as the main character. Erich & Jon Hoeber (the Kate Beckinsale Antarctica thriller "Whiteout," due in September) penned the screenplay.
I'm excited, I suppose, not because it's Schwentke, but because the hiring of a director provides more evidence that Ellis' nutty, uberviolent story is really headed to the big screen.
Summit is the shop behind everything from "Memento" to "American Pie" to "Insomnia," "Vanilla Sky," "Wrong Turn," "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," "The Brothers Grimm," "The Hottie and the Nottie," "Happy-Go-Lucky," "Step Up," "Once," "P2," "In The Valley of Elah," "Sex Drive," "Push," "Knowing" and the "Twilight" saga.
US independent distributor Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired North American rights to Danish thriller Terribly Happy (Frygtelig Lykkelig).
The film, directed by Henrik Ruben Genz, tells the story of a Copenhagen police officer who is transferred to a provincial town following a breakdown. Once there, he meets bizarre locals, including a married femme fatale.
The film premiered at Karlovy Vary in 2008 (where it won the Grand Prix) and it went on to win seven Danish Robert Awards.
Oscilloscope plans a theatrical release followed by a DVD and digital release.
Adam Yauch, head of Oscilloscope Laboratories said: "I love this film. It is just further proof that Danish people are clearly out of their minds."
The deal was negotiated by Susan Wendt for TrustNordisk on behalf of the filmmakers and David Fenkel for Oscilloscope.
This marks Oscilloscope's 18th acquisition since its founding in 2008. The company recently announced that it would do business as usual despite founder Adam Yauch announcing that he is being treated for cancer.
Other upcoming Oscilloscope releases include No Impact Man, The Messenger, and Michel Gondry's The Thorn In The Heart.
Universal Pictures has attached Ron Howard to direct "The Parsifal Mosaic," an adaptation of the espionage thriller by "The Bourne Identity" author Robert Ludlum.
David Self will adapt the Ludlum novel about a CIA operative who thinks he witnessed the execution of his lover after she was identified as a KGB double agent.
Imagine Entertainment's Brian Grazer will produce with Captivate Entertainment partners Jeffrey Weiner and Ben Smith. Imagine's David Bernardi will be exec producer.
The studio, which is separately developing a fourth "Bourne" installment with director Paul Greengrass, and "The Sigma Protocol" (an adaptation of yet another Ludlum thriller), began negotiating the rights for "Parsifal Mosaic," for which it had first-look rights in a deal U made with Captivate, which controls screen rights to the late author's books.
Self, best known for "Road to Perdition," most recently co-scripted "The Wolf Man" for Universal.
District 9
(New Zealand)
By JUSTIN CHANG
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'District 9'
Sharlto Copley must reverse his own alien metamorphosis and help extraterrestrial refugees return to their planet in 'District 9.'
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A Sony Pictures Entertainment (in North America) release of a Peter Jackson presentation in association with TriStar Pictures and Block/Hanson of a WingNut Films (New Zealand) production. (International sales: QED Intl., Los Angeles.) Produced by Jackson, Carolynne Cunningham. Executive producers, Bill Block, Ken Kamins. Co-producer, Philippa Boyens. Co-executive producers, Paul Hanson, Elliot Ferwerda. Directed by Neill Blomkamp. Screenplay, Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell.
With: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, David James, Vanessa Haywood, Mandla Gaduka, Kenneth Nkosi, Eugene Khumbanyiwa, Louis Minnaar, William Allen Young.
(English, Nyanja dialogue)
Upon the ashes of his aborted "Halo" vidgame adaptation, producer Peter Jackson has erected "District 9," an enjoyably disgusting sci-fier set in and around a rubble-strewn war zone where extraterrestrial refugees have taken up indefinite residence. Better conceived and executed than one might expect from a low-budget rebound project, this grossly engrossing speculative fiction bears Jackson's blood-splattered fingerprints but also heralds first-time feature director Neill Blomkamp as a nimble talent to watch. A viral campaign reminiscent of the more gimmicky "Cloverfield" should draw hefty hordes initially, but positive notices and buzz will be required to sustain a B.O. invasion.
Shot and set in Blomkamp's native South Africa, "District 9" imagines a present-day scenario in which humans and aliens are forced into an uneasy co-existence and, predictably, bring out the violent worst in each other. As scripted by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, the result reps a remarkably cohesive hybrid of creature feature and satirical mockumentary that elaborates on the helmer's 2005 short "Alive in Jo'burg," borrows plot points from 1988's "Alien Nation" and takes its emotional cues from "E.T."
The film's faux-verite visual style, however, is very much a thing of the present, blending handheld HD camerawork with ersatz news coverage (complete with CNN-style text scrolls) and talking heads, plus actual archival footage from local news agencies, so as to suggest an urgent dispatch from the front lines of an interspecies war.
The introductory 15 minutes are swiftly paced, making modest demands on the viewer to keep up with the jiggly aesthetic and the particulars of the premise: Twenty years ago, an enormous spaceship came to rest over Johannesburg, now a sun-scorched urban wasteland. Since then, the ship's inhabitants, referred to as "prawns" -- four-legged insectoid beings that walk upright, secrete black goo and speak in subtitled grunts and gurgles -- have been moved into the titular ghetto and placed under the control of Multi-National United, a private corporation bent on cracking the secrets of the aliens' ultra-powerful weapons.
Into the fray strides Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley), an annoyingly chipper, boastful MNU operative overseeing the transfer of aliens to the more remote District 10. Blithely navigating cameramen through the creatures' filthy shack homes, Wikus accidentally comes into contact with an icky substance that, within hours, begins altering his DNA.
In the script's most ingenious gambit, the contaminated Wikus is suddenly coveted by MNU, as well as by a gang of Nigerian thugs and witch doctors who won't win the filmmakers any prizes for ethnic sensitivity. Forced into hiding, Wikus teams up with an intelligent, green-skinned prawn, Christopher Johnson (voiced by Jason Cope), and his kid, Little CJ, who's kinda cute in a hideous sort of way; together, they seek a way to reverse Wikus' alien metamorphosis and help the refugees return to their planet.
Rather than plunge the viewer immediately into unrelieved carnage and chaos, the film opens on a note of anxious uncertainty and tense humor as it probes the varying degrees of hostility in human-prawn relations. Though compelling throughout, "District 9" never becomes outright terrifying, largely because Blomkamp is less interested in exploiting his aliens for cheap scares than in holding up a mirror to our own bloodthirsty, xenophobic species.
That said, he doesn't skimp on the viscera; it's hard to watch the grisly climactic battle, with its parade of high-tech weaponry and exploding body parts, and not think of the horror cheapies Jackson was making pre-"Lord of the Rings." The pic does take a sentimental turn toward the end, with an excess of alien reaction shots that feel at odds with the much more authentic passion Blomkamp lovingly invests in his grotesque setpieces.
Copley makes the most of the only substantial human role -- and not an especially likable one at that -- with a twitchy, blustery, shifty-eyed performance of ferretlike intensity. Dropping F-bombs in Afrikaans-accented English, he ably conveys not only Wikus' physical transformation but also his mental deterioration and subsequent moral awakening; it's to the pic's credit that when Wikus is shown on the battlefield, his half-mutated body covered with festering wounds and alien protrusions, he has never seemed more profoundly human.
Lensed primarily on the Red-One camera, the film looks and sounds terrific, its seeming improvisation masking the obviously exhaustive planning required in all departments. The interactions between the aliens (a combo of f/x and old-fashioned prosthetics) and the humans are handled as confidently as anything in the "Transformers" movies and are arguably more impressive for d.p. Trent Opaloch's off-the-cuff shooting style. Clinton Shorter's percussive score is effective but at times over-reliant on the loud wailing/crooning that has become a too-easy signifier of Africa and other foreign locales.
Camera (color, HD-to-35mm), Trent Opaloch; editor, Julian Clarke; music, Clinton Shorter; music supervisor, Michelle Belcher; production designer, Philip Ivey; art directors, Emilia Weavind CQ, Mike Berg; lead set decorator, Guy Potgieter; costume designer, Diana Cilliers; sound (Dolby Digital/SDDS/DTS), Ken Saville, Lebo Mawasha, Basiami Segola; supervising sound editors, Brent Burge, Chris Ward; sound designer, Dave Whitehead; re-recording mixers, Michael Hedges, Gilbert Lake; visual effects supervisors, Dan Kaufman, Robert Habros, Matt Aitken, Trevor Adams, Patti Gannon; visual effects, Image Engine, the Embassy Visual Effects, Weta Digital, Zoic Studios; weapons, creatures and makeup effects, Weta Workshop; stunt coordinator, Grant Hulley; line producer, Trishia Downie; assistant director, Paul Grinder; casting, Denton Douglas. Reviewed at Sony Studios, Los Angeles, July 27, 2009. (In Comic-Con, San Diego.) MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 111 MIN.
Twentieth Century Fox is resuscitating its "Alien" franchise. The studio has hired Jon Spaihts to write a prequel that has Ridley Scott attached to return as director.
Spaihts got the job after pitching the studio and Scott Free, which will produce the film.
The film is set up to be a prequel to the groundbreaking 1979 film that Scott directed. It will precede that film, in which the crew of a commercial towing ship returning to Earth is awakened and sent to respond to a distress signal from a nearby planetoid. The crew discovers too late that the signal generated by an empty ship was meant to warn them.
The deal gives Fox another chance to keep the "Alien" franchise alive. There were three sequels to Scott's original, but it is the first time the director has set his mind on directing one.
Spaihts has become a go-to-guy for space thrillers. After Keanu Reeves became attached to his Warner Bros. sci-fi script "Shadow 19," Reeves hired Spaihts to write the space journey epic "Passengers," which is berthed at Morgan Creek. That script got Spaihts the meeting with Fox and Scott Free, and he won the job with an "Alien" reboot take that the studio and Scott loved.
Fox has separately hired him to rewrite "The Darkest Hour," which Timur Bekmambetov to produce with Tom Jacobson. Spaihts is writing "Children of Mars" for Disney and Scott Rudin, and he will follow by rewriting "St. George and the Dragon" for Sony and Red Wagon.
Inače, ovaj Spaihts je ozbiljan pisac, čitao sam PASSENGERS i to je zaista izvanredan scenario pa ne čudi da na osnovu njega dobija druge ponude. Šteta je samo što je sam PASSENGERS praktično nesnimljiv.
Hmda, ali... kako napraviti prikvel sa ovakvim sinopsisom a koji neće biti samo rehash prvog filma?
Quote from: Meho Krljic on 31-07-2009, 12:48:30
Hmda, ali... kako napraviti prikvel sa ovakvim sinopsisom a koji neće biti samo rehash prvog filma?
great minds think alike: već rekoh na ovu temu sledeće -
oćeš da ti kažem otkud ljudi, i o čemu je plot?
biće to prežvakavanje I dela, sa ekipom LJUDI koja bilo nabasa bilo svesno bude poslata na mesto gde se sretnu s alienima. biće to film o tome kako je Kompanija saznala za aliene (jer u I delu je jasno hintovano da oni imaju neku predstavu o njima).
ljucki, previše ljucki, ima da bude to, mark my words.
na neviđeno, tvrdim - ako dobaci do TROJKE po mojoj tarifi, biće to gigantsko postignuće!
sve to, i još mnogo drugog, piše na topiku o ovom prikvelu, ovde:
http://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/index.php?topic=7765.0 (http://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/index.php?topic=7765.0)
Da, sad se sećam da si to tada napisao. Sirijsli, Finčer je već napravio rehash prvog dela u trećem delu i po mom ničim izazvanom mišljenju izvukao se na najdostojanstveniji moguć način. Kako to odraditi i po treći put?
Might secret agent Matt Helm provide the answer to which film Steven Spielberg will next helm?
Spielberg is seriously considering a film that DreamWorks developed for several years before leaving it behind at Paramount as part of the divorce settlement between the two companies. But the question of whether Spielberg will direct involves a series of complex issues that touch on the relationship between Paramount and DreamWorks, and the latter studio's new finance partner, Reliance.
Spielberg's camp said he is attached to produce, but it's unclear if he's going to direct. Clearly, Spielberg is excited about the project again after the rewrite that Paul Attanasio delivered last week.
While some DreamWorks-developed projects left behind at Paramount give Spielberg and Stacey Snider the option to co-finance and co-distribute, "Matt Helm" isn't one of them. The picture is 100% owned by Par.
As Spielberg and Snider near the closing of their financing and their new deal with Disney, they would like nothing more than to have those partners be part of Spielberg's next picture. But Paramount isn't obligated to make that deal, and it's unclear whether the studio will step up to Spielberg's traditionally rich deal terms.
Confident that "Matt Helm" can launch a franchise, Par brass have an interesting decision to make. The studio, which has made a concerted effort to cut back on first-dollar gross deals, could save money by going with another filmmaker.
But who better to create a franchise's footprint than the most commercially successful director on the planet?
"Matt Helm" is based on a series of 27 novels written by Donald Hamilton about a government agent whose mission is to take down enemy agents. While the novels were set in the post-WWII Cold War era, the current script is set in the present. While a series of tongue-in-cheek films were made with Dean Martin playing Helm as a playboy spy, the tone of Attanasio's script is closer to that of "The Bourne Identity."
Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are producing.
The drama is expected to play out by week's end.
Rising Aussie helmers Michael and Peter Spierig ("Undead," "Daybreakers") have signed on to direct a remake of the classic 1935 swashbuckler "Captain Blood" for Warner Bros. Pictures says Variety.
Errol Flynn starred in the original as a wrongly imprisoned British doctor named Peter Blood who escapes with a French pirate (Basil Rathbone) and clashes with the buccaneer who kidnapped his woman (Olivia de Havilland).
The new version switches the location to space though will keep quite close to the storyline. Bill Gerber will produce while John Brownlow will pen the script.
Coweb
Zhan, wu shuang (Hong Kong-China)
By DEREK ELLEY
Emily Halpern & Sarah Haskins(1226 views)
A Joy Charm Enterprise (Hong Kong)/Beijing Channel Pictures Co. (China) presentation of a Singing Horse production. (International sales: Easternlight Films, Beverly Hills.) Produced by Wang Guoju, Xiong Xinxin. Executive producers, Joe Ma, Eddie Chan. Directed by Xiong Xinxin. Screenplay, Sunny Chan; story, Xiong.
With: Jiang Luxia, Sam Lee, Eddie Cheung, Kane Kosugi, Chan Kwok-pong, Peggy Zeng, He Zhonglin, Zhang Zuofeng, Mike Moeller, Eskindir Tesfay, Andy Taylor.
(Mandarin dialogue)
A Chinese distaff action star is born in "Coweb," an otherwise by-the-numbers contempo martial-artser that harks back to the exhilarating quickies of '80s and early '90s Hong Kong cinema with femme leads like Moon Lee and Cynthia Khan. Befitting the times, the new star is from the mainland, 23-year-old Shaolin wushu champ Jiang Luxia, whose pugnacious energy invigorates this so-so helming debut by well-known martial-arts coordinator-cum-thesp Xiong Xinxin. Pic opened in China in May but is ancillary fodder elsewhere.
With her boyish looks, broken nose and baggy clothing, Jiang has the androgynous appeal of mainland Chinese singer Li Yuchun and the recklessness of onetime action distaffer Sharon Yeung, making her a potential gay icon in the West.
Unfortunately, the pic doesn't allow her to express any of the humor or character she showed in her own online shorts, which made her a 2007-08 Web hit under the alias "Cat-Eared Baby." However, as a wushu fireball, she has the wherewithal to blaze a trail alongside other Asian newcomers such as Thailand's Jeeja Yanin ("Chocolate") and Japan's Rina Takeda ("High-Kick Girl!") in the newly reinvigorated femme action genre.
The plot is simply an excuse for one setpiece after another -- on bamboo scaffolding, in water, with nunchucks, and even in a breakdance sequence -- as Nie Yiyi (Jiang), after signing up as a bodyguard to a Hong Kong millionaire (Eddie Cheung) and his wife (Peggy Zeng), finds herself participating in an online tournament in which the rich bet vast amounts on her survival.
As in Yanin's and Takeda's movies, much effort goes into showing that Jiang does her own stunts (well, most of them, anyway), though the more dangerous ones are wire-assisted. Xiong's deliberately retro approach fits in with current trends ("Yip Man," etc.), and Jiang's final, lengthy standoff with Asian-American martial artist Kane Kosugi (son of vet Sho Kosugi) caps a genuinely impressive and breathless display of the diminutive lead's abilities.
Though mostly set in Hong Kong, the pic was actually shot in China's Guangdong province. Sam Lee provides a smidgen of lightness as her childhood friend, and Cheung most of the acting smarts. Tech package is OK, though editing is choppy.
English title is never explained, though could be an abbreviation for "Combat Web." Chinese title roughly means "Peerless Combat."
Camera (color), Chan Chor-keung; editor, Lee Ka-wing; music, Brother Hung; art director, Simon So; costume designer, Sukie Yip; sound (Dolby Digital); martial arts director, Xiong. Reviewed on DVD, London, July 28, 2009. Running time: 87 MIN.
Chaw
Chawoo (South Korea)
By DEREK ELLEY
A Lotte Entertainment release of a Lotte Entertainment, Big House Vantage Holdings presentation of a Soo Jack Film, Big House Vantage Holdings production. (International sales: Fine Cut, Seoul.) Produced by Park Gyeong-deok. Directed, written by Shin Jeong-weon.
With: Eom Tae-woong, Jeong Yu-mi, Jang Hang-seon, Yun Je-mun, Park Hyeok-gweon, Jeong Yun-min, Heo Yeon-hwa, Go Seo-heui, Park Hye-sin.
"Razorback" meets "Jaws" in the blackly comic horror outing "Chaw," in which a giant wild boar dines on humans in the South Korean countryside. This smartly scripted nod to B-movie conventions, which also throws in references to "Predator" for good measure, is a tasty crowdpleaser for auds of all stripes, with midnight fest legs and juicy ancillary potential. Mid-July release has racked up a toothsome 1.25 million admissions locally in its first three weeks, and has already sold to 15 countries.
Title (pronounced "chow") is supposedly a dialect word for an animal trap used in the central and northwest parts of the country. More conveniently, the English transliteration also evokes that of Spielberg's shark thriller, as does its general outline -- an early kill mistaken for the real thing, a local official worried about the impact on tourism if news of the murders seeps out.
Setting is the small village of Sameri, populated by the usual collection of gruff locals and weirdos -- including a madwoman (Go Seo-heui) with a baby doll -- and surrounded by a forest where something evil lurks. As the body count gradually rises and a retired hunter's cute granddaughter (Jang Hang-seon) becomes the latest victim, the preening Det. Shin (Park Hyeok-gweon) arrives from Seoul to investigate. Also in town is short-fused cop Kim (Eom Tae-woong, the main character in "Handphone"), who's been reassigned from the capital and is staying with his heavily pregnant wife (Heo Yeon-hwa) and crazed mom (Park Hye-jin).
After the hungry hog arrives unannounced at a premature celebration of its death, Cheon, Shin and Kim finally team up with a younger pro hunter (Yun Je-mun), and a young ecologist (Jeong Yu-mi), to hunt the critter down and find Kim's mom, who's gone AWOL.
The construction and the characters are knowingly generic, but the protags' personal quirks and mildly goofy interplay maintain human interest until the monster's next appearance. Park is good as the shades-wearing Mr. Cool detective who can't stop pilfering other's possessions; Yun aces as the arrogant, high-tech hunter who's the polar opposite of vet stalker Cheon; and a deglammed Jeong likable as the geeky researcher who wants to record everything on her digicam.
Helmer Shin Jeong-weon mines some of the same small-town material he did in his macabre comedy, "To Catch a Virgin Ghost," but delivers thrills when the occasion demands. Martial score ups the adrenaline at crucial moments, and creature effects, though cheesy, do the job.
The pic was partly shot in California, where Polygon Entertainment also worked on the visual effects.
Camera (color), Kim Yong-cheol; editor, Kim Du-jin; music, Kim Jun-seong; art director, Kim Gyeong-mi; sound (Dolby Digital), Jeong Jin-mo; creature effects supervisor, Erik Jensen; visual effects, Polygon Entertainment, Stareast Digital Lab. Reviewed at Primus 11, Bucheon, South Korea, July 20, 2009. Running time: 122 MIN.
Black
(France)
By JORDAN MINTZER
A Zootrope Films release of a Chic Films production, with participation of Canal Plus, CineCinema. (International sales: Shoreline Entertainment, Los Angeles.) Produced by Marco Cherqui. Executive producer, Lauranne Bourrachot. Directed by Pierre Laffargue. Screenplay, Laffargue, Lucio Mad, Gabor Rassov.
With: MC Jean Gab'1, Carole Karemera, Francois Levantal, Anton Yakovlev, Mata Gabin, Thierno Ndaye Doss, Ibrahima MBaye, Michel Duperial, Tapha Gueye, Nicky Naude, Louis-Karim Nebati, Youssef Hajdi, Francois Bredon.
Thirty-five years ago, Gallic blaxploitationer "Black" would have make debuting helmer Pierre Laffargue someone to watch. But with neither the irony of the recently revamped "OSS 117" series nor the hipsterness of Quentin Tarantino, pic is merely a straightforward reworking of a genre that was never made in France during its heyday. Thanks to the joyously retro soundtrack and widescreen staging, as well as the delightfully B-grade perf by rapper MC Jean Gab'1 (pronounced "Gabin," like the actor), aficionados will want to add this to their superfly playlists. Otherwise, the B.O. macking will be minimal.
Beyond selected tracks by funk greats like Roy Ayers and Eumir Deodato, and a kitsch level as large as Pam Grier's afro in "Coffy," "Black" is not your average blaxploitation pic and Black (Gab'1) not your average streetwise hero: Mean and muscular, a low-key dresser, far from a ladies' man and slightly awkward when mouthing the script's scant, cuss-heavy dialogue, he's closer to Carl Weathers of "Action Jackson" than to bad boys like "Shaft" or "Black Caesar."
Likewise, the film's combat-packed sequences, "exotic" tropical settings and gangs of raging Russian mercenaries make it feel more like a throwaway '80s actioner than a '70s blend of urban groove and African-American empowerment.
Still, the overall upbeat pacing and handy widescreen compositions by Patrick Ghringhelli ("After We're Gone") make for a pleasant ride as the pic first follows ex-con Black during a bumbled Parisian armored-car robbery, and then on the run to Dakar, where he hopes to heist a briefcase of priceless diamonds.
Though his origins are Senegalese, Black has never been to his home country. He quickly gets more than he's bargained for, losing his fellow henchman but teaming up with a suave local cop (Carole Karemera) to make it out alive.
Like his character, Gab'1 ("District B13: Ultimatum") was himself involved in several robberies, spent seven years in prison and then rose to fame with his hit rap single, "J't'emmerde" (roughly, "Fuck you"). He's not the most animated of actors, but he does have a wry sort of humor and a child's smile a la Mike Tyson that makes him wickedly charming.
He also seems vaguely human, compared with his Caucasian adversaries. These include a lanky arms dealer (Francois Levantal) who's slowly transforming, Cronenberg-style, into a human snake, and a mad Russian general (Anton Yakovlev) who resembles Dolph Lundgren on amphetamines.
Faithful to his influences, Laffargue films the action in sustained, old-school wide shots, using plenty of eye-catching street locations in Senegal and very little detectable CGI.
More than one option
* (Co) Canal Plus
Filmography, Year, Role
* (Co) Canal Plus
Filmography, Year, Role
Camera (color, Panavision widescreen) Patrick Ghringhelli; editor, Pierre Laffargue; production designers, Arnaud Roth, Moustafa Ndiaye; costume designers, Alice Cambournac, Lattali Soraya; sound (Dolby Digital), Jean-Luc Audy, Patrice Grisolet, Christophe Vingtrinier; assistant directors, Hubert Barbin, Demba Dieye; casting, Gigi Akoka, Hubert Laba Ndao. Reviewed at Rex 7, Paris, July 15, 2009. (In SXSW Film Festival -- Fantastic Fest at Midnight.) Running time: 109 MIN.
Haeundae
(South Korea)
By DEREK ELLEY
A CJ Entertainment release and presentation of a JK Films production, in association with CJ Entertainment. (International sales: CJ, Seoul.) Produced by Yun Je-gyun. Executive producer, Kim Jeong-ah. Directed, written by Yun Je-gyun.
With: Seol Gyeong-gu, Ha Ji-weon, Park Jung-hun, Eom Jeong-hwa, Lee Min-gi, Gang Ye-weon, Kim In-gweon, Cheon Bo-geun, Song Jae-ho.
(Korean, English, Japanese dialogue)
South Korea's most popular beach resort gets trashed by a tsunami -- but the characters triumph over the CGI -- in "Haeundae," the first full-on disaster movie from the peninsula. This thoroughly entertaining, tightly cut slice of widescreen hokum goes the usual route of focusing on a small, dysfunctional group before the badass brine hits, but with much more leavening humor than most Western efforts. Its July 22 release swamped local theaters, taking a beefy 2 million admissions (some $15 million) in its first five days; offshore, it'll be more of a specialty curio, especially after Sony/Columbia's "2012" overwhelms the planet in November.
The past couple of years have seen London underwater ("Flood"), China ravaged ("Super Typhoon") and Tokyo's subway waterlogged ("252"). Overall, "Haeundae" is the best of the bunch, and its $10.5 million tab, huge by local standards, is all up on the screen.
Haeundae is part of the southern coastal sprawl that makes up Busan, the country's second biggest city and home to its best-known film fest. The pre-credits sequence, set in December 2004, references a (real-life) milder event, as a deep-sea trawler is caught in a heavy storm-cum-tsunami. One man dies, trapped under equipment.
On board that night was Choi Man-shik (Seol Gyeong-gu) who, in August 2009, still blames himself for the accident. Choi hasn't been to sea since, drowning his sorrows in drink while trying to care for his young son (Cheon Bo-geun). Meanwhile, Choi's longtime g.f., Gang Yeon-heui (Ha Ji-weon), who happens to be the dead man's daughter, runs a small seaside fish eatery while waiting patiently for Choi to propose.
Script by helmer Yun Je-gyun (a Busan native) wastes no time drawing connections among a small cluster of characters. They include Choi's handsome younger brother, lifeguard Hyeong-shik (Lee Min-gi), who, after rescuing an oversexed college student from Seoul (Gang Ye-weon), spends the rest of the movie fending off her rich jock admirer.
Also in the frame are Choi's uncle (Song Jae-ho), a wealthy property developer; Kim Hwi (Park Jung-hun), a marine geologist involved in the earlier tsunami; and Kim's careerist ex-wife, Lee Yu-jin (Eom Jeong-hwa), in town for a business event along with the young daughter Kim never knew he had.
The opening hour of most disaster movies generally reps a tiresome waiting game before the effects kick in. But in brief strokes, "Haeundae" manages to sketch a likable collection of drunks, losers and people just getting by in life that's entertaining on its own terms. (Choi's drunken escapade at a baseball game is a case in point.) In one magical sequence, all the characters enjoy a brief moment of true romance and happiness during a fireworks display that cements the pic's emotional framework.
The second hour, as Park vainly tries to persuade the Disaster Prevention Agency that a real mutha is on its way following an undersea earthquake, sees all the characters trapped in individual situations when the tsunami rolls in.
Visual effects, supervised by Hans Uhlig ("The Day After Tomorrow") and masterminded by Marin County's Polygon Entertainment, are OK, especially for a movie in which they're the cherry on the cake rather than the whole bakery. Special effects, utilizing some original, half-comic ideas, are generally more impressive.
A dramatic lead with an impressive resume, Seol ("Public Enemy," "Oasis") makes attractively light work of his loser/drunk, and is nicely balanced by the charismatic Ha -- a regular in Yun's movies ("Sex Is Zero," "Miracle on 1st Street") -- as his smiley-eyed, practical other half. Other perfs are more rote.
Editing by Shin Min-gyeong, some 10 minutes tighter than originally announced, wastes little time. Lee Byeong-woo's big score is overdone in the final reels.
Camera (color, widescreen, HD-to-35mm), Kim Yeong-ho; editor, Shin Min-gyeong; music, Lee Byeong-woo; production designer, Hwang In-jun; costume designer, Kim Jong-weon; sound (Dolby Digital), Eun Heui-su, Andy Wiskes; senior visual effects supervisor, Jang Seong-ho; visual effects supervisor, Hans Uhlig; visual effects, Polygon Entertainment; special effects, Hong Jang-pyo; San Francisco unit camera, Carl Miller. Reviewed at CGV 4, Bucheon, South Korea, July 22, 2009. Running time: 120 MIN.
High-Kick Girl!
Hai-kikku garu! (Japan)
By DEREK ELLEY
A Hexagon Pictures, Nagoya Broadcasting Network, Digital Hollywood Entertainment KK production. (International sales: Birch Tree Entertainment, Las Vegas.) Produced by Masaaki Mizuno, Ken Nakanishi, Fuyuhiko Nishi. Executive producers, Akira Yoshida, Motoko Kimura, Yoichi Sakai. Directed by Fuyuhiko Nishi. Screenplay, Nishi, Yoshikatsu Kimura; story, Nishi.
With: Rina Takeda, Tatsuya Naka, Ryuki Takahashi, Kyoji Amano, Masahiro Sudo, Ichiro Sugisawa, Akihito Yagi, Kazuma Yamane, Shinji Suzuki, Mayu Gamo, Kazutoshi Yokohama, Misako Nagashima, Hisae Watanabe, Fuyuhiko Nishi, Aya Sugiyama, Kazuma Takeda, Yuka Kobayashi, Kumi Imura, Sayaka Akimoto.
East Asia's newly resurgent femme-action genre gains its youngest star -- and most offbeat movie -- in "High-Kick Girl!" This showcase for then-17-year-old karate wunderkind Rina Takeda plays almost like a training manual for the sport, stripped to the bone of plot and cinematic technique by martial-arts coordinator Fuyuhiko Nishi ("Black Belt," "Shaolin Girl") in his helming debut. Hot item at this year's Hong Kong Filmart looks grotty on the bigscreen due to DigiBeta lensing, though Takeda's deceptive cuteness and high-kickin' talent should make this a must-have among genre fans in ancillary. Pic went out in Japan mid-May.
Tiny, toned Takeda has a very different screen appeal from other newcomers like China's boyish Jiang Luxia ("Coweb") and Thailand's mop-haired Jeeja Yanin ("Chocolate"). In spotless white shirt and jumper, plus plaid miniskirt, Takeda is all Nipponese neatness and impassivity but springs to life with whiplash kicks and chops. Unlike Jiang and Yanin, the sexual tease quotient is high.
A wannabe black belt who takes on more accomplished opponents to prove her skill, brown-belted Kei Tsuchiya (Takeda) is first seen calmly walking into a Tokyo dojo and telling her milquetoast b.f. (D-Boys boy-bander Ryuki Takahashi), "Looks like they're ready for the real thing." After demolishing the entire club, she's called on the carpet by her master, Matsumura (Tatsuya Naka), who makes her do basic kata routines to exhaustion. "Karate is the art of defense," he says. "Never hit first."
But when Kei gets a call from a group called the Destroyers, who hire top martial artists to beat people up for money, she can't resist the challenge to find out how strong she is. After testing her out on a group of young femmes -- played by real-life karateka Yuka Kobayashi and aikido black belt Sayaka Akimoto -- the Destroyers' head (vet Masahiro Sudo) takes her on. They've been looking for Matsumura for 15 years, and use Kei to get to him, leading to an epic gym battle that occupies the whole third act.
The excuse for a plot -- was Matsumura so hard to find in the phone book? -- is simply intended to teach Kei the true philosophy of karate, as Matsumura takes on a roomful of fighters one by one and Kei gets the bejeezus beaten out of her. Contrary to basic genre rules, Kei disappointingly ends up as a guest star in her own movie when Matsumura takes the stage.
Still, the impressive lineup of real-life martial artists, including Kyoji Amano as the Destroyers' chief fighter, plus Ichiro Sugisawa and women's mixed martial-arts star Hisae Watanabe, holds attention. Almost every fight sequence is repeated in slow-motion, giving the whole movie a vid-manual feel.
Camera (color, DigiBeta), Nobuyuki Matsuo; editor, Kawahara Hiroshi; music, Tomoo Misato; art director, Hiroko Shimane; costume designer, Mitsuru Takahashi; sound (DTS), Mitsuru Sedani; associate producers, Kazuki Kanamori, Taku Nishida. Reviewed at PiFan (World Fantastic Cinema), Bucheon,South Korea, July 22, 2009. (Also in Hong Kong Filmart.) Running time: 80 MIN.
Hey folks, Harry here - There have been a great deal of rumblings of this project gaining increasing momentum. The following is not decisive information, meaning Jeremy's reading and screen-testing for the part. That just means he's most likely one in a handful of names at this stage. Now - is Jeremy Renner fucking A you're right for MAD MAX? Yessirree!!! I would be genuinely excited if Renner nabbed the role. It'd be perfect frankly. Damn I love the idea of a MAD MAX movie starring Renner. What about all of you?
Hi Harry
Found this interview whilst cruising the net. Jeremy Renner, star of The Hurt Locker, says he's screen-testing for a part in George Miller's Mad Max 4, which still appears to be set to start filming next Summer. What part he's testing for, he didn't say (damn). Anyway, here's the quote and link.
"*Q:* What is next for you?
*A:* I'm off to Boston on Aug. 19 for a film Ben Affleck is directing called "The Town." It's based on the novel "Prince of Thieves" about a group of career bank robbers. One of the robbers falls in love with a girl we rob. So it's a great crime thriller and romance. It's a lot of fun.
I'm a robber. Ben will direct and star. It also has Rebecca Hall ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona"), Jon Hamm ("Mad Men"), and Blake Lively ("Gossip Girl") plays my sister.
*I'm also fighting to do the new Mad Max film with George Miller. That might be next summer. I'm screen-testing and meeting George Miller."*
The Collector
By JOHN ANDERSON
A Freestyle Releasing release of a Liddell Entertainment presentation of a Fortress Features production. Produced by Brett Forbes, Julie Richardson, Patrick Rizzotti. Executive producers, Jennifer Hilton, Mickey Liddell. Co-producers, Courtney Moorehead Balaker, Christopher Lockhart, Ben Weiss, Michael Gozzard. Directed by Marcus Dunstan. Screenplay, Dunstan, Patrick Melton.
Arkin - Josh Stewart
Michael Chase - Michael Reilly Burke
Victoria Chase - Andrea Roth
Hannah Chase - Karley Scott Collins
Jill Chase - Madeline Zima
The Collector - Juan Fernandez, Tom Gulager, Patrick Melton
With both feet planted firmly on the sticky accelerator of the torture-porn vehicle, "The Collector" is a surprisingly stylish and confident high-concept thriller in which a burglar breaks into a family home already invaded by a super-sadistic serial killer; bloodletting and mood lighting ensue. Hyper-violent slicer-dicer takes its time getting to the dismemberments, disembowelments and death by bear trap, but the execution, so to speak, is first-rate. Pic shows utter disregard for auds' gastrointestinal well-being and yielded about $3.6 million in its opening weekend, but style points and fan buzz could prompt sequels.
Slaughter cinema can be divided into two pools of thought, the Freudian vs. the Manichean. The former includes "Psycho" (Mom did it!) and "Friday the 13th" (it was those rotten kids!). Helmer Marcus Dunstan and his co-writer/producing partner Patrick Melton have chosen the other side of the debate, dispensing with apologetic psychology altogether and portraying their Collector as a purist, as in pure evil.
It's scarier that way: There's never an explanation for why the captive man bursts out of a mysterious box during the opening credits, or why the box was there to begin with. Or why, shortly thereafter, the Chase family is already being subjected to unspeakable terror when their house is broken into -- again -- by an itinerant carpenter, Arkin (Josh Stewart), who had been working there in the afternoon. Why the Chases? Because, as Edmund Hillary might have said, they were there. What Arkin has to decide is whether to get the hell out or try and save the family. All things considered, he doesn't choose well.
There are a certain number of preliminaries (a surprising number, given the target aud) before the commencement of Butchery 101. Arkin has a daughter and an ex-wife, who owes money to loan sharks. He may seem like a stoner (Stewart actually imbues his character with a generous sense of cosmic resignation), but he's otherwise a decent guy: To pay off his ex's debt before her midnight deadline, he agrees to break into the Chase house, where he knows an uncut ruby of enormous size is waiting in the upstairs safe.
What he doesn't expect to find is a house that's been rigged up by the Satan-meets-"Hostel" version of Rube Goldberg -- knife-studded chandeliers, staircases bristling with spikes and nails, and a machete poised, a la guillotine, to swing down from the ceiling. There are also a number of Alexander Calder-inspired arrangements involving fish hooks.
It's a rather ingenious series of tortures-to-be, seemingly characteristic of the Dunstan-Melton aesthetic and taste for perversity: In one of our first looks at Mrs. Chase (Andrea Roth), she applies a syringe full of Botox to a wrinkle on her forehead: The audience cringes, and it's a pretty good joke -- especially in light of what happens later -- about just what it takes to get an audience of horror fans to recoil. Judging by "The Collector," it's a very tiny needle, or a bucketload of gore.
Production values are first-rate, especially the sound design, and lenser Brandon Cox's virtually light-free shooting.
Camera (Technicolor), Brandon Cox; editors, Alex Luna, James Mastracco, Howard Smith; music, Jerome Dillon; music supervisor, Tricia Holloway; production designer, Ermanno Di Febo-Orsini; art director, Michael Barton; set decorator, Marina Starec; costume designer, Ashlyn Angel; sound (Dolby Digital), Gary Day; sound designers, Steven Avila, Peter Lago; supervising sound editor, Trip Brock; re-recording mixers, Kelly Vandever, Mark Rozett; special effects coordinator, Frank Ceglia; visual effects supervisor, David Karlak; makeup effects, Gary J. Tunnicliffe; stunt coordinator, Hiro Koda; associate producers, Bonnie Forbes, Shanon Davis, Tighe Michael Curran; assistant director, Alisa Fredericks; casting, Monika Mikkelsen. Reviewed at AMC Empire 25, New York, July 31, 2009. Running time: 88 MIN.
Nema nighe one high kick girl na divx, rapidi, torrenti, ...
???
Nigde nista, bas mi se gledo neki portabl kill bill sa kosookima,kad ono...
zna li neko negde?!?!?!
Carla Gugino has reunited with "Watchmen" director Zack Snyder on "Sucker Punch," the Warner Bros./Legendary drama about a girl who's institutionalized by her wicked stepfather and retreats into an alternative reality as a coping strategy.
Gugino will play a nurse in the insane asylum who becomes a madam at a brothel in the film's alternate reality. Emily Browning plays the girl; Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Jena Malone and Abbie Cornish co-star.
Zack and Debra Snyder are producing through their Cruel & Unusual banner. Pic begins shooting in early fall.
Gugino, who just completed a Broadway run in "Desire Under the Elms," next stars in the Sebastian Gutierrez-directed "Women in Trouble." She plays a porn star who discovers she's pregnant.
Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way banner is developing a Gothic reimagining of "Little Red Riding Hood" with screenwriter David Leslie Johnson.
The Warner Bros.-based banner partnered with Johnson on horror pic "Orphan," which has grossed $28 million in its first 11 days.
The "Red Riding Hood" project's been developed internally at Appian Way but isn't being positioned as a possible acting vehicle for DiCaprio.
The best-known version of the story -- in which a wolf disguises himself to fool a girl delivering food to her sick grandmother in the forest -- was published in the 19th century by the Brothers Grimm. Earlier oral versions of the tale, which date back to the Middle Ages, are far darker and sometimes involve a werewolf rather than a wolf; the first published version, by Charles Perrault, concludes with Red Riding Hood eaten by the wolf, with no happy ending.
Appian Way is partnered with Phoenix Pictures on Paramount's upcoming thriller "Shutter Island," starring DiCaprio and directed by Martin Scorsese.
Trejler za THE LOVELY BONES!
Apple - Trailers - The Lovely Bones (http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/thelovelybones/#)
Podseća na HEAVENLY CREATURES i THE FRIGHTENERS, a to su mi omiljeni Jacksonovi filmovi, jedva čekam!
A Perfect Getaway
By DENNIS HARVEY
A Rogue Pictures release of a Relativity Media production in association with QED Intl. Produced by Ryan Kavanaugh, Mark Canton, Tucker Tooley, Robbie Brenner. Executive producers, Robert Bernacchi, Scott Fischer, Mark Fischer. Co-producers, Kenneth Halsband, Camille Brown, Geoffrey Taylor. Directed, written by David Twohy.
Nick - Timothy Olyphant
Cydney - Milla Jovovich
Gina - Kiele Sanchez
Cliff - Steve Zahn
Kale - Marley Shelton
Cleo - Chris Hemsworth
A big-reveal thriller with surprises that really do surprise -- and are worth waiting for through an audaciously long buildup -- "A Perfect Getaway" finds writer-director David Twohy in popcorn form with a muscularity not seen since 2000's "Pitch Black." Toplining Milla Jovovich and Steve Zahn as one of three Kauai-vacationing couples imperiled by homicidal maniacs, pic offers a basic "In the Blue"-type lure, marrying suspense to spectacular scenery both natural and gym-toned. What develops, however, is gratifyingly twisty, and doesn't lose its humor even when the going gets very tough. Late-summer sleeper status is assured, with likely stronger ancillary biz.
Excerpts from a wedding video intercut with the early Hawaii honeymoon days of Cydney (Jovovich) and Cliff (Zahn), accompanied by ominous music, raise the usual expectations that we'll soon witness deep trouble in paradise. After viewing their destination by helicopter, the two purchase permits allowing them to hike 11 miles to a remote beach.
Their rental-car drive to the trail's start point is marred by a brief encounter with hitchhikers Cleo (Chris Hemsworth) and Kale (Marley Shelton). She seems nice; he really doesn't. Once on foot, our yuppie protags meet a more congenial fellow traveler in Nick (Timothy Olyphant), who leads them to a gorgeous waterfall where his own amour, sassy Southerner Gina (Kiele Sanchez), is already taking the waters au naturel.
The warning signs are many: The more Nick and Gina talk, the weirder they get. The stalking/skinning of a wild goat for supper induces Cliff to observe that his new friends have "officially graduated to the 'crazy' category." This is no idle jest; by then, everyone has become aware that a pair of honeymooners in Honolulu were brutally murdered by another couple who are still at large.
It takes "Getaway" a full hour before it springs its biggest -- though far from last -- plot twist (which no doubt will be spoiled for many by text-messaging friends and unsubtly hinting reviewers). But that hour is far from time spent waiting for something to happen, as Twohy's screenplay gifts its principals with some fresh, sparky dialogue. When things finally do go to hell in the proverbial handbasket, the humor becomes more visceral than verbal, though one female character does get a memorably offhand last line.
The script's sole dicey aspect is the characters' occasional, self-conscious quipping about the very thriller-movie tropes being upended (excused by the fact that Cliff is a rising screenwriter), but fortunately those aren't pushed to overload. Twohy's one directorial misstep is a late bit of split-screen gimmickry that values style over content. But those minor quibbles aside, "A Perfect Getaway" is most satisfying (admittedly, "perfect" would be a stretch) pop entertainment that's clever enough to require no apologies for being sexy, gory, and far-fetched when thought about afterward.
Clearly enjoying their character idiosyncracies, the thesps are sharp, with slowly rising star Olyphant and comparative unknown Sanchez likely to get career boosts. Production is first-rate down the line; Mark Plummer's widescreen images were mostly shot on Puerto Rico for tax-credit purposes, with some Jamaica and Kauai pickups dressed in.
Camera (Technicolor, widescreen), Mark Plummer; editor, Tracy Adams; music, Boris Elkis; music supervisor, Gina Amador; production designer, Joseph Nemec III; art director, Zina Torres; set decorator, Lisa J. Alkofer; costume designer, Laura Goldsmith; sound (Dolby Digital), Steven Grothe; re-recording mixers, Marc Fishman, Tony Lamberti; visual effects supervisors, Jonah Loop, Tim Carras; assistant directors, Myron Hoffert, Joan G. Bostwick; casting, Anne McCarthy, Jay Scully, Freddy Luis. Reviewed at Sony Metreon, San Francisco, August 4, 2009. MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 97 MIN.
'Green Hornet' casts Kato role
Jay Chou joins Seth Rogen in Columbia pic
By DAVE MCNARY
Jay Chou
Chou
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Taiwanese singer-actor Jay Chou has joined the cast of Columbia's "The Green Hornet" opposite Seth Rogen in the role of sidekick Kato.
Chou replaces Hong Kong actor Stephen Chow in the role, originally made famous by Bruce Lee in the 1966-67 TV series.
Col made the announcement Friday. "Hornet," directed by Michel Gondry, is slotted for a summer 2010 release and the project's moving ahead for a fall start date.
"Jay is incredibly unique and charming and fights like a wild dog!" Gondry said.
Chou broke into film in "Initial D" in 2005 in China, starred opposite Chow Yun-Fat and Gong Li in Zhang Yimou's "The Curse of the Golden Flower" and "Kung Fu Dunk" and made his directorial debut and starred in "Secret." He's also in the upcoming Chinese film "Ci Ling" and in Yuen Woo-Ping's "True Legend."
The studio's in early talks with Nicolas Cage to play the gangster villain in "The Green Hornet" and Cameron Diaz is negotiating to play a reporter and love interest (Daily Variety, July 21).
Frank Langella will join the cast of "Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps," the Oliver Stone-directed sequel for 20th Century Fox.
Shia LaBeouf stars with Michael Douglas, who'll reprise his Gordon Gekko role. Josh Brolin is reportedly circling a part in the Allan Loeb-scripted drama as well.
Langella is in talks to play Lewis Zabel, an old-time broker who mentors LaBeouf's character, a young Wall Street broker. The mentor's fate plays a major part in the film's plot.
It's Langella's first role since his Oscar-nominated turn as Richard Nixon in "Frost/Nixon" in 2008.
He will next be seen starring with Cameron Diaz and James Marsden in Richard Kelly-directed thriller "The Box" and Andrew Jarecki's "All Good Things" with Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst.
WME reps Langella. Stone and Edward R. Pressman are producing with Eric Kopeloff.
Jon Heder to star in 'Buddy Holly'
Adaptation of comic sci-fi novel comes to bigscreen
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Jon Heder
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Ed Helms shows 'Intelligence'(1281 views)
Jon Heder is set to star in "Buddy Holly Is Alive and Well on Ganymede," an adaptation of the Bradley Denton comic sci-fi novel. Robert Rugan wrote the script and will direct.
Heder will shoot the film when he has time off from the untitled sitcom he stars in. Laffer, produced by Gary Sanchez Prods. and Debmar-Mercury, will air on Comedy Central.
Molly Mayeux ("Diary of a Mad Black Woman") is producing "Buddy Holly" through her Dahlia Street Films banner with producer partner Michael Hennessy ("Trailer Park of Terror"). Brian Bullock of Caspian Pictures is exec producer.
In the film, Heder will play Oliver Vale, an average geek whose uneventful life changes when Buddy Holly turns up on every TV channel and declares that Vale is the only one who understands why this is happening -- which causes Vale to be pursued by a mob of disguised aliens. Rugan was creative director of the motion graphics boutique Superfad, and his first indie feature was "Alice's Misadventures in Wonderland."
Columbia Pictures and Happy Madison have acquired an untitled script by Johnathon Schaech, Josh Wolf and Richard Chizmar that comedically explores an incident in the life of ex-Baltimore Orioles player Rick Dempsey, whose Little League coach turned out to be a bank robber.
The script was written with input from Dempsey, the scrappy ballplayer who was named MVP of the 1983 World Series.
Schaech, who starred in the Tom Hanks-directed "That Thing You Do," is a lifelong Orioles fan who got involved after meeting with Dempsey. Schaech and writing partner Chizmar brought in Wolf, an established comedy writer to add humor to the character piece.
The writers pitched the story around town, and sparked to Happy Madison and Col, which is overhauling another fact-based baseball film: Aaron Sorkin is rewriting "Moneyball," the film that imploded recently but still has Brad Pitt attached to play Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane.
"Our pitch was, it's 'Catch Me if You Can' meets 'Bad News Bears' with a touch of 'Bad Santa,' " Schaech said.
Dempsey's coach, John Jennings, steered the team to a Little League World Championship in 1963, did time for his crimes and died of cancer after his release from prison.
It is the second turn at bat for Dempsey, who was aligned several years ago to a project that was set up at Warner Bros. That project went away, and the writers started from scratch.
Schaech and Chizmar most recently adapted the Stephen King novel "From a Buick 8" into a Tobe Hooper-directed thriller.
Kim Basinger is negotiating to join Zac Efron in "The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud," the Burr Steers-directed drama for Universal Pictures.
Basinger would play the grieving mother of Efron's character, a caretaker at a cemetery who has weekly meetings with a younger brother whose accidental death he feels was his fault. Efron stepped out of "Footloose" in March to re-unite with his "17 Again" director Steers on the project.
Pic was originally scripted by Craig Pearce and polished by Steers. Marc Platt is producing.
Basinger most recently starred with Charlize Theron in "The Burning Plain," the Guillermo Arriaga-directed drama that will be released Sept. 18.
Alex Holmes has been tapped to steer a biopic of car designer John DeLorean that Time Inc. Studios and XYZ Films will produce.
Holmes, who most recently wrote and directed the HBO and BBC miniseries "House of Saddam," developed the DeLorean script with co-writer Rob Warr. They had previously collaborated on the BBC TV series "Dunkirk."
The DeLorean film will tell the story of how the auto industry maverick's glamorous life came crashing down when he was caught in an FBI drug trafficking sting, only to be acquitted on grounds of entrapment.
Holmes envisions the pic as a crime thriller with a tragic hero at its heart.
"As a kid, John DeLorean seemed an almost mythic figure to me. His dreams brought him head to head with both the British and American establishment, and they destroyed him," Holmes said.
The producers behind the pic are working closely with DeLorean's son Zachary DeLorean, the executor of the DeLorean estate. Film is also based on the carmaker's unpublished memoirs, articles from Fortune and Time, as well as Hillel Levin's book "Grand Delusions."
Time Inc. Studios prexy Paul Speaker; XYZ partners Nate Bolotin, Nick Spicer and Aram Tertzakian; and Tamir Ardon, who is also producing a docu on DeLorean, will produce the pic. Time Inc. Studios is the video and film production arm of Time Inc.
The project is racing to get to the bigscreen before other DeLorean pics, including one from Brett Ratner that James Toback is scripting and Robert Evans is producing, and another from David Permut based on life rights from DeLorean's longtime attorney, Mayer Morganroth.
"There are other producers out there trying to make a movie about my father," said Zachary DeLorean, "but this is the only one I'm standing behind, and the only one the DeLorean estate is allowing."
Holmes is also adapting Robert Mazur's book "The Infiltrator," about Pablo Escobar and the Medellin Cartel, for 2929 Prods., and will write and direct "The Interpretation of Murder," based on Jed Rubenfeld's novel, for Warner Bros. and Paula Weinstein.
Christopher McQuarrie has been tapped by 20th Century Fox to write the sequel to "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," the film that Hugh Jackman is developing to reprise his role as razor-clawed protag Logan.
The studio hasn't yet determined timing or whether Gavin Hood will return as director. McQuarrie has a history with "X-Men," as he worked on the first film with director Bryan Singer but didn't take a credit.
He pitched his take several days ago for a storyline that is set in Japan and based on the Chris Claremont-Frank Miller comicbook series "The Samurai." Story centers on Logan's evolution into a samurai.
Jackman is producing with John Palermo and Lauren Shuler Donner. McQuarrie most recently scripted and produced "Valkyrie."
Universal Pictures has set Bryan Singer to direct and produce a feature version of "Battlestar Galactica."
It's not clear whether Ronald Moore, exec producer of the recent series, will be invited to write the screenplay, but Singer will clearly put his own creative stamp on the project, as the studio indicates that the film will be "a complete reimagination."
Glen Larson is aboard to produce.
The original version of the series ran for two seasons on ABC beginning in 1978. Singer had long been intrigued with "Galactica" and flirted with relaunching it into a TV series right after he directed the original "X-Men" (Daily Variety, Feb. 22, 2001). At the time, he was teamed to exec produce the series with Tom DeSanto and to direct the pilot of the new version.
The director got busy on other projects, but he was prescient, at the time calling the Galactica brand "a sleeping giant." Moore became the executive producer of the 73-episode series, which had a successful run on the then-Sci Fi Channel starting in 2004.
The move negates a prevailing rumor that Singer was flirting with the idea of returning to the X-Men series by taking the reins of "X-Men: First Class," which focuses on the younger mutant characters seen fleetingly at the Xavier Institute of Higher Learning.
"Gossip Girl" creator Josh Schwartz wrote the first draft of that script.
Singer's repped by WME and attorney Dave Feldman.
Legendary Pictures has tapped Christopher Weekes to rewrite "Waterproof," the family actioner that "Enchanted" helmer Kevin Lima will direct.
Project revolves around a man who unwittingly unleashes a cadre of mythological creatures upon his town.
Legendary initially picked up "Waterproof" as a pitch from Gregg Chabot and Kevin Peterka, who took the first stab at penning the script.
Weekes first attracted attention around town for his script "The Muppet Man," a fictional account of the final days of Jim Henson.
"Waterproof" is expected to be Lima's next directing effort.
Lima will produce the pic with Chris Chase, as well as Daniel Bobker and Ehren Kruger.
Legendary recently attached Sam Raimi to helm "Warcraft," based on the "World of Warcraft" videogame franchise, and is currently in production on the reboot of "Clash of the Titans," "Sucker Punch" and "Jonah Hex" at Warner Bros. Shingle's "Where the Wild Things Are" goes out Oct. 16 and "Ninja Assassin" bows Nov. 25, also through WB.
Steve Leff (TV's "Two and a Half Men," "Curb Your Enthusiasm") has sold his comedy spec script "Doc & Howie Whack a Granny" to the Montecito Picture Co. says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story revolves around two men who inadvertently kill a frail elderly woman when they neglect to help her carry groceries up stairs.
On the plus side, the incident puts them in position to get closer to the woman's attractive granddaughters.
Another Badass Added To THE EXPENDABLES??
Merrick here...
For a while now we've been hearing scuttlebutt (what the hell kind of word is that, anyway?) that Bruce Willis would make some kind of appearance in Stallone's THE EXPENDABLES. The film's cast already includes Stallone, Mickey Rourke, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Steve Austin, Randy Couture, Eric Roberts, and Terry Crews.
Although rumors of his involvement were persistent, the below quote represents the first officialish comment on the matter...coming from Bruce himself.
The "Die Hard" star confirmed to MTV News that he is leaving time open on his schedule to shoot a cameo for "The Expendables," the ultra-violent, star-studded action flick written/directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone. Sly is currently putting the finishing touches on the movie, which also stars Jason Statham, Jet Li and Mickey Rourke as mercenaries overthrowing a South American dictator. Willis said that the he will soon join Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger to shoot a very special scene for the flick.
"Not yet, I haven't united with them," said Willis. "I'm waiting for a call from Sly about when we're going to try and make that happen."
...Willis told MTV's Movie Blog HERE.
With this cast, and the promise of breathtaking carnage, is Sly making the ultimate man movie here? I get that feeling...
Neil LaBute will write and direct an adaptation of "The Burnt Orange Heresy," Charles Willeford's crime novel set in the world of modern art, with William Horberg ("The Kite Runner") producing.
Project re-teams LaBute with Horberg after the duo worked on the remake of "Death at a Funeral."
"We had a great experience making 'Death at a Funeral' together for Screen Gems and were looking for something else to do together," Horberg told Daily Variety. "We discovered that we were both big Willeford fans."
More than one option
* (Co) Daily Variety
Filmography, Year, Role
* (Co) Daily Variety
Willeford's novel, set in Palm Beach, centers on a corrupt art critic's attempts to finagle an interview with a legendary but reclusive French painter.
Horberg noted that he was an associate producer on "Miami Blues," another Willeford adaptation, bringing the project to Jonathon Demme and George Armitage at the start of his career. He was an exec producer on "Milk" and is currently exec producing "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" for Miramax.
LaBute's directing credits include "In the Company of Men," "Nurse Betty" and "Lakeview Terrace."
He's repped by ICM.
Warner Bros. and Hollywood Gang Prods. have set "Shoot 'Em Up" helmer Michael Davis to direct "Outland," a remake of the 1981 Sean Connery sci-fier.
Chad St. John, who scripted WB drama "The Days Before," will pen the redo.
The drama revolves around a police marshal stationed at a remote mining colony on Jupiter's moon Io, where he uncovers a murderous conspiracy threatening the entire Outland with collapse.
Hollywood Gang's Gianni Nunnari is producing; Craig J. Flores exec produces.
"We loved the original sci-fi film with Sean Connery," Nunnari said. "At its core, 'Outland' is a version of 'High Noon' in outer space, as two courageous people take a stand against a gang of ruthless conspirators at the highest level."
Davis, who wrote as well as directed the Clive Owen action film "Shoot 'Em Up," said, "We're staying true to the thematic heart of 'Outland' while expanding the space frontier concept."
Takashi Shimizu has heard the sound of his next horror film. The director behind "Ju-On" and the English remake "The Grudge," will direct a thriller about a haunted song that Phoenix Pictures will produce.
Chris Philpott penned the script, based on an idea by producer Taka Ichise and Shimizu, about a haunted song that drives its listeners to suicide. Project does not yet have a title.
Phoenix picked up the script from Ichise, who will produce through his Ozla Pictures banner, along with Phoenix's Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer and Brad Fischer. Phoenix will finance the film.
Ozla's VP Erin Eggers will exec produce, while Steve Zegans serves as co-producer.
Shimizu is wrapping up Japan's first live-action 3-D feature, "The Shock Labyrinth," which will be released in October by Asmik Ace.
Ichise, who produced Sony's "The Grudge" and its sequel, as well as New Line's "Shutter," is producing Paramount's first Japanese-language production, a remake of the studio's "Ghost."
Summit Entertainment is in advanced talks to acquire world rights to "The Beaver," with Mel Gibson starring for director Jodie Foster.
The dark comedy, written by Kyle Killen, centers on a depressed man who finds solace in wearing a beaver hand-puppet. In addition to helming, Foster will play the role of the man's wife.
Foster boarded the project and brought it to Gibson, with whom she co-starred in 1994's "Maverick."
Anonymous Content's Steve Golin and Keith Redmon are producers on the film.
Project is currently in rehearsals, with shooting slated for late September in New York.
Rosario Dawson will star alongside Denzel Washington and Chris Pine in Fox's runaway train drama "Unstoppable," directed by Tony Scott.
Dawson just wrapped Chris Columbus film "Percy Jackson" and is currently shooting "Zookeeper" opposite Kevin James for MGM and Sony. She was last seen in "Seven Pounds" with Will Smith.
Washington formally withdrew from "Unstoppable" in early July, then came to terms two weeks later to put the pic back on track for a fall start. He's playing a veteran engineer who jumps into a locomotive with a young conductor (Pine) to stop an unmanned runaway train loaded with toxic cargo.
Julie Yorn is producing with Scott and Mimi Rogers, and Chris Ciaffa is exec producer. The script, penned by Mark Bomback, is loosely inspired by true events.
Dawson is repped by ICM and Untitled Entertainment.
Disney, Zemeckis board 'Submarine'
Duo to remake pic based on Beatles' music
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Disney and Robert Zemeckis are looking to catch the wave of Beatlemania, floating a new 3-D "Yellow Submarine" for the bigscreen, with merchandising in tow and prospects for spinning off both a Broadway musical and a Cirque du Soleil stage production.
Disney hopes to have the film ready to premiere around the 2012 Summer Olympics.
The deal has been months in the making, with armies of Blue Meanies — er, lawyers — sorting out the complicated rights clearances necessary to remake the 1968 psychedelic toon.
Key to the deal is Zemeckis' access to 16 classic Beatles tunes, ranging from the title song to "Baby You're a Rich Man," "All You Need Is Love," "When I'm 64," "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."
Zemeckis plans to use the 3-D performance-capture format he utilized on the upcoming "A Christmas Carol," in which Jim Carrey plays Scrooge as well as the ghosts that haunt him. His ImageMovers banner would produce.
Though the Beatles broke up in 1970, interest in their music has remained high, as reflected in such recent projects as Julie Taymor's "Across the Universe" pic and Cirque du Soleil's "Love" production in Las Vegas. September will bring a flurry of remastered Beatles albums and the release of vidgame "The Beatles: Rock Band," which incorporates some 45 of the band's songs.
The storyline of the original "Yellow Submarine," directed by George Dunning, was set in Pepperland, an undersea paradise protected by Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. When the band is captured by the music-hating Blue Meanies, a soldier is sent to Liverpool to fetch the Fab Four, who hop in the submarine and save the day.
The Beatles appeared only in the film's closing live-action scene. Actors provided the voices for the animated incarnations of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Transmission
(Hungary)
By ALISSA SIMON
A Filmpartners production, in co-production with Laokoon Film and TV2, with the assistance of the Motion Picture Public Foundation of Hungary. (International sales: Filmpartners, Budapest.) Produced by Gabor Kovacs. Executive producer, Judit Stalter. Co-producers, Agi Pataki, Gabor Rajna, Gabor Sipos. Directed by Roland Vranik. Screenplay, Vranik, Andras Barta.
With: Karoly Hajduk, Zoltan Ratoti, Sandor Terhes, Kata Weber, Eva Kerekes, Hanna Becker, Boroka Korodi, Szabolcs Thuroczy, Ferenc Lengyel.
A population mysteriously deprived of its telecommunication capacity crumbles into chaos in the mesmerizing dystopian drama "Transmission." Magyar helmer Roland Vranik ("Black Brush") sets his second feature in an anonymous seaside town in the not-too-distant future, conveying a sense of unease through disturbing, beautifully composed visuals, an eerie soundtrack and shocking moments of violence. Although stronger on atmosphere than story and character development, the pic is an intriguing fest item that could develop a cult following in ancillary.
The loose narrative centers on three brothers who rep differing responses to the new reality. The eldest, Henrik (Sandor Terhes), is nearly immobilized by insomnia without television's narcotizing effect. Middle brother Vilmos (Zoltan Ratoti) must cope with two frightened young daughters as his wife (Eva Kerekes) goes increasingly mad. Otto (Karoly Hajduk), the youngest, starts a relationship with Julia (Kata Weber), who seems surprisingly pert considering she suffers a vicious attack during the pic's opening moments. Elsewhere in town, some of the elderly inexplicably are beginning to disappear. Shot in the remarkable silver light of Constanca, Romania, elegant lensing by Gergely Poharnok ("Taxidermia") and a hypnotic score are critical to the ambience.
Camera (color), Gergely Poharnok; editor, Wanda Kiss; music, Realistic Crew, David Hegyi, Csaba Kalotas, Krisztian Vranik; production designer, Gabor Vallcz; costume designer, Sosa Juristovszky; sound (DTS), Tamas Zanyi. Reviewed at Sarajevo Film Festival (competing), Aug. 14, 2009. (Also in Hungarian Film Week -- competing.) Original title: Adas. Running time: 90 MIN.
Warner Bros. has closed a deal to remake the 1981 John Boorman-directed "Excalibur," with Bryan Singer producing and developing the picture as a potential directing vehicle.
The deal comes as Singer gets serious about making the New Line-Legendary co-production "Jack the Giant Killer" his next directing effort.
WB and Legendary Pictures have labored for months to pull together the rights to the film, which Singer will produce with Julie Yorn. Also a producer is Polly Johnsen -- who was Polly Cohen when she was the WB exec who presided over the Singer-directed WB/Legendary collaboration "Superman Returns."
Inspired by Thomas Malory's 15th century work, and scripted by Rospo Pallenberg and Boorman, "Excalibur" explores the myth of King Arthur, complete with the Knights of the Round Table, Merlin the wizard and the quest for the Holy Grail to save Arthur's life. The original picture broke such talent as Helen Mirren (who played the evil Morgana), Liam Neeson (Sir Gawain), Gabriel Byrne, Patrick Stewart and Ciaran Hinds.
Singer hasn't set a writer yet.
Matt Reilly is overseeing for WB, Erik Olsen for the Yorn shingle, and Singer's former partner Alex Garcia is overseeing for Legendary Prods.
Singer recently signed on to develop to direct and produce "Battlestar Galactica" at Universal; he'd been eyeing that project since he originally made a deal to godfather a series revival in 2001. At the same time, Singer has been flirting with directing "X-Men: First Class," a 20th Century Fox spinoff that got a first script draft by "The OC" creator Josh Schwartz.
It looks like his next directing assignment might well be "Jack the Giant Killer," a riff on the Jack and the Beanstalk legend that was developed by New Line with scripters Darren Lemke and Mark Bomback and producer Neal Moritz. The story revolves around a young farmer who leads an expedition into the land of the giants to recover a kidnapped princess.
Singer is repped by WME.
HBO has set Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson to star in "The Sunset Limited," an adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy play. Jones will direct.
McCarthy adapted his play into a script. Production will begin next month in New Mexico.
Jackson plays a man who saves another man (Jones) from throwing himself in front of a Harlem subway train. The act begins an exchange of ideologies as the two men from different backgrounds debate the worth of their lives.
Barbara Hall will produce, and Jones will be executive producer.
Jones and Jackson previously worked together on "Rules of Engagement." The project marks Jones' third collaboration on a McCarthy-penned piece. Jones starred in the Coen brothers-directed adaptation of "No Country for Old Men" and also adapted the McCarthy novel "Blood Meridian" as a feature script.
McCarthy's play "The Sunset Limited" opened in 2006 at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater and moved Off Broadway later that year.
Jones just wrapped the John Wells-directed "The Company Men" with Kevin Costner, and he's adapting to star in and direct the Ernest Hemingway novel "Islands in the Stream." Jackson just wrapped "Unthinkable" and "Mother and Child." After he completes "The Sunset Limited," he'll star in "Vengeance: A Love Story."
Zach Galifianakis is in talks to join "Dinner for Schmucks" opposite Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and Lucy Punch, with Jay Roach directing.
"Schmucks" is co-financed by DreamWorks, Spyglass and Paramount and is set to shoot this fall for a summer 2010 release.
Based on the 1998 French film written and directed by Francis Veber, "Schmucks" centers on the most pathetic guest to ever grace one man's weekly dinner gathering. Galifianakis will portray an assistant manager of a mattress store who is dating Carell's ex-wife.
Following his breakout success in Todd Phillips' "The Hangover," Galifianakis also signed to play one of the two leads in Warner Bros.' "Due Date." Phillips also directs this comedy, which focuses on an expectant dad and his unlikely travel companion racing cross-country in hopes of making it home for the birth of his first child.
Looks like John Landis has his leading man for his first feature in 11 years: BURKE AND HARE!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with an interesting little tidbit about the next flick from one Mr. John Landis. Dread-Central spoke with Landis over the weekend and he dropped a bit about his upcoming flick BURKE AND HARE about a pair of 19th Century murderers who sold the bodies of their victims to the Edinburgh Medical College for dissection.
One, it's great news that Landis has another feature in the works (I greatly enjoyed his documentaries MR. WARMTH and SLASHER, but I've missed his comic and horror voice in narrative filmmaking) and two, it apparently will have one Mr. Simon Pegg as the lead.
John Landis and Simon Pegg seem to be a match made in heaven. I'd love to see Landis make a big come back. For some of the iffy features he's put out in the last 15 years the dude still made some of my favorites... KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE, AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, THE BLUES BROTHERS, COMING TO AMERICA, THREE AMIGOS, TRADING PLACES, ANIMAL HOUSE, SPIES LIKE US and Motherfuckin' THRILLER... when you've put out that many great flicks there should be a fund to keep you producing material just in the hopes that the magic he's produced is recaptured a few times more.
What do you folks think about the pairing of Landis and Pegg? I wonder who will play the second lead? As much as I love Pegg and Nick Frost together, I'd like to save their next pairing (after PAUL) for Edgar Wright. Plus I'd love to see Pegg's chemistry with someone else. Who could hold the screen with Simon? Thoughts?
Susan Sarandon is negotiating to join the Oliver Stone-directed "Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps" for 20th Century Fox.
Sarandon will play the mother of a young Wall Street trader (Shia LaBeouf) who falls under the seductive influence of Gordon Gekko. Michael Douglas and Frank Langella also star. Production begins next month in New York.
The drama was scripted by Allan Loeb. Stone and Douglas produce with Edward R. Pressman and Eric Kopeloff.
Sarandon is currently shooting "You Don't Know Jack," the Barry Levinson-directed HBO biopic of Jack Kevorkian that stars Al Pacino and John Goodman. She'll next be seen in the Peter Jackson-directed "The Lovely Bones," starring with Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz and Stanley Tucci.
Filming has begun on Kevin Macdonald's Roman epic The Eagle Of The Ninth. The 12-week shoot started yesterday (August 25) on location in Hungary.
The film, which will also shoot in Scotland, stars Channing Tatum, Donald Sutherland and Jamie Bell. It tells the story of centurion Marcus Aquila (Tatum), who crosses Hadrian's Wall into savage Caledonia to solve the mystery of the Ninth Legion, which disappeared 20 years earlier.
Co-financed by Film4 and Focus Features, The Eagle of the Ninth has already sold in virtually every territory after a successful Cannes Marche earlier this year.
Macdonald's previous films include The Last King of Scotland, which earned Forest Whitaker an Oscar for best actor, and the mountaineering documentary-thriller Touching the Void.
The Eagle of the Ninth sees Macdonald reunited with Jeremy Brock, screenwriter of The Last King of Scotland.
Duncan Kenworthy, who previously scored successes with Four Weddings And A Funeral, Notting Hill and Love Actually, developed and is producing the film. Anthony Dod Mantle is director of photography.
Snow White and Russian Red
Wojna polsko-ruska (Poland)
By BOYD VAN HOEIJ
A Film Media production in association with Polish Film Institute. Produced by Jacek Samojlowicz. Directed, written by Xawery Zulawski, based on the novel by Dorota Maslowska.
With: Borys Szyc, Roma Gasiorowska, Maria Strzelecka, Sonia Bohosiewicz, Michal Czernecki, Magdalena Czerwinska, Dorota Maslowska.
A fast-talking loser on speed is rejected by both his girlfriend and a country stuck in a post-commie funk in "Snow White and Russian Red." The visually splashy sophomore effort of Polish helmer Xawery Zulawski ("Chaos") is just as helter-skelter as the spiky local literary sensation that inspired it, but is finally too thematically anemic to provide any real dazzle. Though it was crowned best Polish feature at the Era New Horizons fest and was a bona fide hit at home, the pic will struggle to break out of the lower regions of the international fest circuit.
With its staccato stream-of-consciousness narration -- imagine early Bret Easton Ellis stuffed through a meat grinder and served with generous helping of nihilistic, post-1989 angst -- "Snow White" hit a nerve not only with the Polish ADD generation it describes but also with the local literati. Author Dorota Maslowska, who wrote the novel when she was 18, sketched a portrait of her peers being sucked into the void between a communist past they never knew and the garish excesses of Western capitalism of the present.
In this ideological twilight zone lives the ever-ranting bum Silny (Borys Szyc), who has to hear from a femme bartender, Arleta (Magdalena Czerwinska), that his blonde g.f. (Roma Gasiorowska), has dumped him and that a war is on between the Russkies and the Poles -- though the real war takes place inside the protags' heads.
In a typical postmodern twist, the characters are all the creation of a novelist heard in v.o. (providing the only real glue for scenes that are rarely more than perfunctorily connected). Combined with generous substance abuse all around, the narrative sleight-of-hand gives the characters possibilities and powers that defy the laws of logic and nature.
After receiving the bad news double-whammy, Silny, in a fit, hurls Arleta against the walls as if he were an angry superhero. One of the film's best scenes has a horny, foul-mouthed Silny engaging in a conversation with his penis, with a p.o.v. shot from his underwear. Not much later, the vegetarian "S&M goth bitch" (Maria Strzelecka) he has picked up vomits shiny black rocks into his bathtub.
Zulawski, son of France-based helmer Andrzej Zulawski ("Possession"), keeps things visually interesting throughout. He often uses Hollywood-borrowed tricks -- "Fight Club" being only the most obvious source -- such as in a well-staged scene of cartoonish violence in the parking lot of a "Polski Burger" outlet.
The film's main problem is that it remains a 110-minute feature about listless people with no clear narrative arc, and no amount of wacky occurrences can substitute for any deeper insight or suggest possible solutions. This makes the film totally static on a thematic level, despite its pumping soundtrack, roving camera, often psychedelic lighting and snazzy (though thankfully not hysterical) editing. Effects work and wire-fu fight scenes add to the generally off-the-wall tone.
Thesps are extremely game, and Maslowska herself plays the novelist when she puts in an appearance, disguised as a police typist, at the end.
More than one option
* (Film) Kaos
* (Film) Chaos
2003 - Rachida Brakni, Coline Serreau
* (Film) Kaosu
* (Film) Chaos
2005 - Chantal DeGroat, David DeFalco
* (Film) Chaos
Bolec, Xawery Zulawski
* (Film) Chaos
* (Film) Chaos
More than one option
* (Film) Snow White
1987 - Diana Rigg, Michael Berz
* (Film) Branca de Neve
* (Film) Snow White
Stefan Gubser, Samir
More than one option
* (Film) Possession
2002 - Gwyneth Paltrow, Neil LaBute
* (Film) Possession
Isabelle Adjani, Andrzej Zulawski
* (Film) Possession
* (Film) Possession
Camera (color, widescreen), Marian Prokop; editor, Krzysztof Raczynski; music, Jan Komar, Filip Kuncewicz; production designer, Joanna Kaczynska; costume designer, Anna Englert; sound (Dolby Digital), Jarek Bajdowski; line producer, Bozena Krakowka; associate producer, Andrzej Szajna; assistant directors, Ludwik Plater, Marta Kownacka, casting, Marta Kownacka. Reviewed at Karlovy Vary Film Festival (Forum of Independents), July 10, 2009. (Also in Era New Horizons Film Festival.) Running time: 110 MIN.
Meat Grinder
Cheuat gon chim (Thailand)
By DEREK ELLEY
A Phranakorn Film presentation of a Film Guru Co. production. (International sales: Phranakorn, Bangkok.) Produced by Thawatchai Panpakdee, Poj Arnon. Executive producer, Thanapol-Wichai Thanarungroj. Directed, edited by Tiwa Moeithaisong. Screenplay, Samonggu.
With: Mai Charoenpura, Rattanaballang Tosawat, Tirachaya, Duangta Tungkamanee, Somchai Sakdikul.
The torture-porn genre gets its first wannabe art movie with "Meat Grinder," a kind of femme-driven hybrid of "Sweeney Todd" and "Bun Man" set in the old back alleys of 1970s Bangkok. Already a cause celebre in its native Thailand, where it was initially banned then snipped for March release, this strikingly lensed and designed psychochiller by thirtysomething d.p.-turned-helmer Tiwa Moeithaisong (lenser of "Bangkok Love Story") is likely to challenge (and confuse) ratings boards worldwide with its mixture of unblinking grisliness and arty aspirations. Imagine Joerg Buttgereit's early movies remade by Wong Kar Wai and you're halfway there.
Pic introduces its title character -- plump, middle-aged Buss (Mai Charoenpura) -- when a young guy from the country arrives to meet his fiancee, Aoi, who's been working at Buss' noodle shop. Buss tells him Aoi ran off with her husband; after inviting him in, she chops off one of his legs, nails him to the floor by his fingers and then stuffs him, still alive, with herbs.
In fact, as later becomes clear, the trashy Aoi and Buss' no-good, gambling husband tried to drown Buss in a garden pot, but instead she killed them -- very slowly. Exactly when her killing spree started is left vague -- and not helped by the movie's fractured chronology, endlessly moving back and forth -- but when the film begins, she's already reached a point of emotional numbness, derivingneither pleasure nor pain from her work.
Non-Thai auds may have trouble recognizing the period in which the pic is set, though one sequence of police at odds with democracy activists places the story in the '70s.
The film's first hour largely fills in Buss' backstory: a life of abuse since childhood -- especially at the hands of her brutal mother (Duangta Tungkamanee) -- that she's now passed on to her own daughter, Bua (Tirachaya). It also constructs elaborate, almost rhapsodic slaughter sequences (including an extraordinary one with a debt collector, played by Somchai Sakdikul) and sketches in Buss' relationship with Bua, a cripple who has matter-of-factly grown up amid the body parts.
In a transition, the desperately lonely, psychopathic Buss is finally hauled in by the cops but released for lack of evidence. This leads to the final act, as Buss takes revenge on a neighbor's pretty young daughter for stealing away a young demonstrator, Attaporn (Rattanaballang Tosawat), whom Buss has become rather fond of.
The finale is the closest the film comes to standard ultra-violence, and reps its least distinctive section. The almost religioso climax, which takes Buss out of her enclosed world and into public, shows there isn't all that much percolating under Moeithaisong's fancy visuals (cold, grungy colors, black-and-white segs, negative fogging, frequent fades/dissolves) and Waragon Poonsawat's superbly stygian production design (all dank cellars, steel doors and things on hooks).
Still, the movie does stick to the ribs, and not just because of Charoenpura's gutsy lead perf: She not only gets down and dirty with the violence but also, in the second half, manages to evoke some sympathy for what initially seemed a one-dimensional genre character. Equally memorable is the way the pic conjures an enclosed, self-sufficient world (didn't the neighbors ever see anything?) in which any extreme becomes possible, even acceptable.
In staying true to its own universe, "Meat Grinder" follows genre conventions to the letter, but surprisingly never attempts to push the story into social or political allegory, despite the '70s setting. Moeithaisong seems most at home when dwelling on physical, fleshy minutiae: human meat carefully diced for cooking, fingernails prised up, bodies filleted half-alive. Beyond that, "Meat" doesn't have that much substance.
Camera (color/B&W), Moeithaisong; music, Giant Wave Co.; production designer, Waragon Poonsawat; art director, Chaiwat Boonsongnoen; costume designer, Daranuch Sutthirak; sound (Dolby Digital), Thornthund Phlongphlab; sound designer, Giant Wave Co.; special effects, Poonsub Bualieng; makeup effects, QFX Workshop. Reviewed at PiFan, Bucheon, South Korea, July 19, 2009. Running time: 104 MIN.
PiFan
Blood Pledge
Yeogo gwidam 5: dongban jasal (South Korea)
By DEREK ELLEY
A Lotte Entertainment release and presentation of a Cine 2000 Film Prod. production. (International sales: Finecut, Seoul.) Produced by Lee Chun-yeon, Kim Bok-geun. Directed, written by Lee Jong-yong. Story, Jeong Ah-mi.
With: Oh Yeon-seo, Jang Gyeong-ah, Son Eun-seo, Song Min-jeong, Yu Shin-ae, Park Jeong-yun, Choi Min-seong, Oh Jeong-weon.
Four years after the B.O. flop of "Voice," South Korea's "Whispering Corridors" franchise tries once more for resurrection with "Blood Pledge," centered again on ghostly goings-on in a girls' high school. Inexplicably roasted by local crix, this fifth entry, focused on a suicide club, still managed a moderate 700,000 admissions in its June release (considerably more than "Voice" and "Memento Mori") and ranks as solidly entertaining, if hardly original, horror fodder. Ancillary, perhaps as part of a series boxed set, beckons in Western markets.
Despite its up-and-down B.O. fortunes the past 11 years, the franchise has held to its policy of using first-time directors and actresses, several of whom have gone on to make their names. "Pledge" marks the debut of Lee Jong-yong, who has worked for Park Chan-wook as an a.d. ("JSA") and scripter ("Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance"), and who helms smoothly and orchestrates the shocks effectively here, though without any personal signature. Among the leads, Oh Yeon-seo, 22, stands out for her chiseled looks and screen presence as the suicide group's leader.
Confusing opening -- replayed in full only at the end -- shows a bunch of classmates at a Catholic girls' school planning a group suicide by candlelight. But only one of them, Eon-ju (Jang Gyeong-ah), falls to her death that night from the church roof. Afraid of being stigmatized, the four "survivors" refuse to talk about Eon-ju's death.
As pressure mounts from fellow students and elders, Eon-ju's ghost gets to work, picking off some characters and saving others. Flashbacks gradually reveal that the suicide club was riven with deep jealousies, and the original plan was not exactly what it seemed.
The plot basically spins on the gradual revelation of elements deliberately withheld at the very beginning, and the characters are moved around the board at the writer's convenience rather than properly developed.
Still, the whole thing is done with such smoothness -- gliding camerawork, fluid cutting, Baroque-like religioso music -- that the thinness of the material hardly seems to matter at 88 minutes. Sensibly, given the circumstances, the action focuses on the central characters, to the exclusion of almost everyone else (especially teachers) in the school.
Putative lead Son Eun-seo, as the dead girl's supposed best friend, is pretty but bland; Yu Shin-ae is better as Eon-ju's younger sister. However, as the strong leader of the group, Oh has little competition in the screen stakes.
Camera (color, widescreen), Gang Seung-gi; editor, Kim Sang-beom; music, Lee Jeong-woo; art director, Yun Byeong-jin; sound (Dolby Digital); visual effects supervisor, Yun Jae-hun. Reviewed at PiFan, Bucheon, South Korea, July 18, 2009. Running time: 88 MIN.
Missing
Shiljong (South Korea)
By DEREK ELLEY
A Cinergy release of a Haldong Sajin, Team Works production. (International sales: Showbox/Mediaplex, Seoul.) Produced by Jo Seon-muk. Executive producer, Lee Yeong-seon. Directed by Kim Seong-hong. Screenplay, Kim Yeong-ok.
With: Mun Seong-geun, Chu Ja-hyeon, Jeon Se-hong, Oh Seong-su, Nam Mun-cheol, Hwang Eun-jeong, Son Geon-woo, Lee Bong-gu, Son Yeong-sun.
Amid all the super-gore and heavy atmospherics of contempo horror pics, "Missing" stands out for its simplicity and lack of exaggeration, like a glass of pure water -- and no less bracing. Straightforward yarn of a taciturn farmer who kidnaps, rapes and murders young women, with no sense of remorse, is closer to South Korean dramas such as Bong Joon-ho's "Memories of Murder" and "Mother" in its depiction of the dark areas of the Korean psyche beneath normal country life; a fine perf by noted actor Mun Seong-geun also elevates this above pure genre fare. Free-thinking fests should take a look.
Helmer Kim Seong-hong has a solid commercial record, starting as writer of the popular "Two Cops" series and then for thrillers like "The Trap" and "Say Yes." But "Missing" -- based on a real-life case that took place in summer 2007 -- is in a different league altogether. Shot for only $1.3 million, the film did moderate biz locally in its March release.
Spoiled Seoul-ite Kang Hyeon-ah (former beauty queen Jeon Se-hong) and her film director b.f., Hong (Son Geon-woo), stay at a small country retreat run by poultry farmer Jang Pan-gon (Mun), who lives with his sick mom and has a rep in town for being a quiet, devoted guy. Without much ado, Pan-gon strangles Hong, splits his skull with a shovel, then drugs and cages Hyeon-ah in a cellar.
Pan-gon first keeps her in the dark for days, then hoses her down and buys her a silver negligee before himself dressing up, crooning a song and raping her.
Ten days later, Hyeon-ah's elder sister, the very together Hyeon-jeong (Chu Ja-hyeon), arrives looking for her sibling. A local goodtime girl (Hwang Eun-jeong) reports seeing her at Pan-gon's place, but a visit there with the police turns up nothing. Later, however, Pan-gon lures Hyeon-jeong back to his farm on a phony excuse.
With slight nods to "The Collector" and "Psycho," but using the simplest means, the film conjures and sustains tension over the question of whether Pan-gon will get away with his crimes and whether Hyeon-jeong will live to tell the tale. Most of the movie is set in broad daylight, in the heat of summer, but a sense of threat is ever present beneath the pic's matter-of-fact approach.
Mun turns a potentially cliched role into a tour de force of minimal acting. As the elder sister who just won't give up, Chu makes a determined femme lead sans genre heroics.
Camera (color), Jeong Han-cheol; editor, Gyeong Min-ho; music, Angelo Lee; art director, Jo Yun-ah; costume designer, Jeong Su-yeon; sound (Dolby Digital), Han Myeong-hwan; special effects, Yun Yeo-jin; action director, Kim Cheol-jun. Reviewed at PiFan (World Fantastic Cinema), Bucheon, South Korea, July 22, 2009. Running time: 98 MIN.
Sultans of the South
Sultanes del sur
By RONNIE SCHEIB
A Maya Entertainment release of a Warner Bros. presentation, in association with Filmax Intl., of a Lemon Films production, in co-production with Warner Bros. Pictures Mexico/Castelao Production, in co-production with Salamandra Films/Via Delphi. Produced by Marco Polo Constandse, Julio Fernandez, Bill Rovzar, Fernando Rovzar. Executive producers, Alex Garcia, Jose Ramon Elizondo, Carlos Fernandez, Julio Fernandez. Co-executive producer, Antonia Nava. Directed by Alejandro Lozano. Screenplay, Tony Dalton.
With: Tony Dalton, Ana de la Reguera, Silverio Palacios, Jordi Molla, Celso Bugallo, Oscar Alegre.
(Spanish dialogue)
Mexican helmer Alejandro Lozano follows his darkly comic debut, the kidnapping-gone-wrong thriller "Matando Cabos," with the somewhat more sober bank-heist-gone-wrong actioner "Sultans of the South." But there's irony aplenty in the plot's many twists and turns as the pic startlingly shifts axes and changes its focus. Less off-the-wall than his compatriot Robert Rodriguez, Lozano nevertheless displays an inventive touch with genre setpieces, be they meticulous robberies or spontaneous car chases, any less explosive interaction kept lively by a diverse cast. Released as part of the Maya Entertainment package, this Spanish-language caper film could score on cable.
The opening heist, choreographed by mastermind Leo (Jordi Molla), unfolds like clockwork. While Leo and cohort Sanchez (Tony Dalton, reprising his dual function as Lozano's star and scripter) calmly shepherd bank officials to the soon-to-be-emptied vault, Monica (the always impressive Ana de la Reguera) holds a bankful of hostages quiet with one machine gun and lots of imperious attitude.
Escaping through a tunnel that's been dug by the fourth team member, the diminutive, garrulous Dominguez (Silverio Palacios), the gang boards a plane for Argentina. Leo, superbly in command, negotiates via cell phone with the clueless police, who still believe they have the robbers trapped in the bank.
Once in Argentina, where the team plans to launder the money, events rapidly spin out of control. A currency exchange, rife with mutual paranoia, is suddenly interrupted by a bullet-spraying band of masked desperados; theensuing high-speed chase is shot with dizzying handheld immediacy from multiple angles.
The Mexican robbers, their number dwindled by hostage-taking and summary execution, now find themselves at the mercy of Buenos Aires' two rival criminal factions. The thieves' survival depends on whether they can rip off one side to recompense the other without getting killed.
"Sultans," constructed as a series of surprises, keeps viewers scrambling to catch up to the action -- whether it evolves according to the characters' plans, erupts chaotically or occurs obliquely in offscreen bastions of power.
Lozano neatly sustains this high level of dramatic unexpectedness, though the pic's final rug-pulling reversal registers as anticlimactic in its overexplanation.
Tech credits are excellent, lenser Juan Jose Saravia imaginatively treating Buenos Aires as an alien landscape.
Camera (color, widescreen), Juan Jose Saravia; editor, Luis de la Madrid Soria; music, Xavier Capellas; music supervisor, Lynn Fainchten; art director, Stella Iglesias; sound (Dolby Digital/DTS), Pedra Marra; sound designers, Enrique Greiner, Eric Dounce; re-recording mixer, Jaime Baksht. Reviewed at New York Latino Film Festival, Aug. 1, 2009. Running time: 95 MIN.
Rob Zombie ("Halloween," "The Devil's Rejects") will write, direct and produce a $30 million remake of 1958 horror classic "The Blob" for Genre Co. says Variety.
In the original Steve McQueen classic, an object from space crashes into a field, containing a red blob-like substance that absorbs the humans it contacts and grows exponentially. Zombie's new version however will take a different tack, the director refusing to disclose details but confirming that "my intention is not to have a big red blobby thing -- that's the first thing I want to change."
Zombie, Jack H. Harris, Richard Saperstein, Judith Parker Harris, Andy Gould and Brian Witten will produce.
The original scored a much gorier remake in 1988 by director Chuck Russell and co-writer Frank Darabont. Three years ago Paramount Pictures announced a remake (since aborted) with "House of Wax" scribes Chad and Carey Hayes penning the script.
No distribution deal is in place but one is expected shortly, while the film itself will go for an 'R' rating. Production will begin next spring.
Hayden Christensen has signed on while Thandie Newton and John Leguizamo are in negotiations to join the indie thriller "Vanishing on Seventh Street" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Director Brad Anderson ("The Machinist," "Transsiberian") helms and co-wrote the story set in a once-thriving city where shadowy forms cause residents to inexplicably disappear. Five survivors fight to stay alive while grappling with the meaning of existence.
Christensen is playing a reporter. Newton would play a desperate nurse and Leguizamo a subway operator.
Anthony Jaswinski co-wrote the script while Celine Rattray, Tove Christensen and Lawrence Mattis will produce.
Shooting is set to begin mid-October in the once-thriving city of Detroit.
Former "Smallville" showrunners and "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" scribes Al Gough and Miles Millar are set to pen "I Am Number Four" for Dreamworks Pictures reports Variety.
Based on the James Frey and Jobie Hughes novel about a group of nine aliens who flee to Earth, disguised as teenagers, when their home planet is destroyed.
The refugees assimilate into a high school on Earth when they discover that the enemy which wiped out their planet is now hunting them on their new turf.
Michael Bay will produce and possibly direct the film. Chris Bender and JC Spink will serve as executive producers.
Maggie Grace ("Taken," TV's "Lost") is in negotiations to join the presently untitled Wichita project for 20th Century Fox says The Hollywood Reporter.
The spy thriller centers on a lonely woman (Diaz) whose seemingly harmless blind date suddenly turns her life upside-down when a super spy (Tom Cruise) takes her on a violent worldwide journey to protect a powerful battery that holds the key to an infinite power source.
Grace is playing Diaz's sister, who is getting married, excited that Diaz will take the place of their late father and walk her down the aisle.
James Mangold is helming the film which kicks of filming this October in Boston.
Actor Jason Winer (TV's "Samantha Who?," "Modern Family") is in negotiations to make his feature film directorial debut on "Shining City" for Warner Bros. Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
Seth Greenland penned the comedic novel about a recently unemployed suburban milquetoast dad whose brother dies and leaves behind a dry cleaning business.
He discovers that the business is a front for a prostitution ring, takes it over and starts yuppifying it -- giving the girls 401(k)s and health benefits -- and bringing on his wife to help run things.
When a rival madam finds out about the burgeoning operation, she threatens to take them down.
Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel ("Hot Tub Time Machine") are writing the adaptation while Donald De Line is producing.
Danish helmer Nikolaj Arcel is on tap to bring "Deadman" to life for Warner Bros. with Guillermo del Toro, Angry Films' Don Murphy and Murphy's partner Susan Montford producing the DC Comics adaptation.
Deadman is the ghost of a murdered circus acrobat who has the power to possess the living in order to seek out his killer as well as to help the innocent. The character first appeared in 1967 and was created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Carmine Infantino.
Warner Bros. set up the project three years ago as a potential directing vehicle for del Toro, with Gary Dauberman penning the adaptation (Daily Variety, Dec. 4, 2006).
Arcel's directing credits include Danish films "King's Game" and "Island of Lost Souls."
He's repped by ICM.
Director Steven Soderbergh has committed to next direct "Knockout," a spy thriller that will mark the screen starring debut of Gina Carano, the mixed martial arts circuit fighter.
Relativity Media will fully finance, and Soderbergh plans a late January production start. Domestic distribution is expected to be locked quickly.
Soderbergh locked in the film just as his Warner Bros. comedy, "The Informant!," made its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. The Matt Damon-starrer opens stateside on September 18.
Scripted by Lem Dobbs, "Knockout" casts Carano as a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who is given a second chance to use her skills for constructive purposes. The film is a closer cousin to "La Femme Nikita" and "Kill Bill" than "Million Dollar Baby," in that it doesn't take place in the fight ring. Rather, Soderbergh considers the film as a flat out action film in the James Bond mold, and will shoot in locations around the world that include Ireland, Turkey and the U.S.
Soderbergh will surround Carano will name actors in supporting roles.
The MMA circuit is where Soderbergh discovered Carano, a lightweight division slugger with movie star good looks. The Muay Thai-trained fighter has compiled a 7-1 record. Though Carano suffered her first loss in a title fight last month, she is considered the face of the fledgling women's mixed martial arts fighting circuit.
Dobbs previously scripted "Kafka" and "The Limey" for Soderbergh.
The film will be produced by Gregory Jacobs, Soderbergh's longtime collaborator. Relativity topper Ryan Kavanaugh will also be a producer, and Tucker Tooley is executive producer.
In his deal, Soderbergh waived his upfront salary and will share any ownership stake with Relativity Media.
"We couldn't be more thrilled to be working with Steven Soderbergh on this project, which is clearly right in his sweet spot," said Relativity's Kavanaugh.
"This deal creates a true partnership between us and Steven, where together we will make a mainstream action film with universal appeal for a reasonable budget, and with the incentives for the studio and filmmaker totally aligned," said Tooley.
Soderbergh, who earlier this summer exited a plan to direct "Moneyball" for Columbia Pictures, most recently directed "The Girlfriend Experience," a pic that starred Sasha Grey in her first performance in a legit film.
Carano so far has appeared as herself in the docu "Ring Girls" and the Oxygen reality series "Fight Girls." She also served a stint as Crush on NBC's "American Gladiators," and had a role in the upcoming Michael Jai White action film "Blood and Bone."
Carano is repped by Gersh, manager Scott Karp and attorney Gary Stiffelman, while Soderbergh is repped by manager Michael Sugar at Anonymous Content and attorney Michael Adler.
Harry Brown
13 September, 2009 | By Allan Hunter
Dir. Daniel Barber. UK. 2009. 97 mins
Michael Caine follows in Charles Bronson's footsteps as a vigilante pensioner in Harry Brown, a morally dubious thriller that is uncomfortably torn between social realism and lurid sensationalism. The feature debut of director Daniel Barber is sure to gain media attention for its grim portrait of a lawless Britain, but the graphic violence and often grotesque approach to the subject matter will prove off-putting to many viewers.
There is no mistaking the quality of Caine's performance
Caine retains a loyal following in the UK and positive reviews for his performance should ensure a decent theatrical life for the title when it opens domestically in November. Internationally, it could face a rougher ride.
Harry Brown feels like a film of two halves. The first offers a portrait of a lonely old age to rank alongside Bryan Forbes' The Whisperers (1966). Caine is the consummate professional and gives a performance devoid of vanity as he plays the elderly Harry.
Living in a hellhole of a London housing estate, Harry's life revolves around hospital visits to his ailing wife and games of chess with his old mate Len (David Bradley). Ashen-faced, with rheumy eyes and a shuffling walk, Caine is every inch a man at the end of his days.
When his wife dies and Len is killed, the world closes in around him. And when the police are unable to prosecute the youths who murdered Len, Harry decides to take the law into his own hands. Like Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino, he's a former Marine who is handy with a gun or a knife and he's also merciless in his approach to young offenders.
A film that initially shows an affinity with the social concerns of a Ken Loach feature slowly begins to venture into Michael Winner territory. Harry's brutal encounter with sleazy scumbag Stretch (Sean Harris at his most repellent) tips the balance away from reality towards the more outlandish.
The estate becomes a place overrun with feral young lads, dealing drugs in the local pub, spitting in the face of authority and brandishing guns at the slightest provocation. The police are either well-intentioned but ineffectual like inspector Alice Frampton (Emily Mortimer) or smugly complacent in the case of Superintendent Charles (Iain Glen).
It almost feels as if Barber has pushed the portrait of social decay to Bosch-like extremes as a way of justifying the violence that Harry unleashes and letting the film off the hook. Harry Brown is ultimately a celebration of a vigilante ethos, suggesting that when there's a junkie on every corner and decent folk are too scared to leave their homes, then we need a maverick like Harry to come along and commit mass murder.
Cinematographer Martin Ruhe does an effective job of depicting a Britain in shades of black and grey and Barber has a talent for milking tension from an individual scene although there are enough moments that fail to ring true (including a police raid on the estate) to undermine the film's overall credibility.
But while Harry Brown is a film that leaves the viewer with doubts and misgivings, there is no mistaking the quality of Caine's performance. He is completely believable as the character, whether conveying his frailty or his dead-eyed determination to stand up and be counted. He gives the film a stamp of distinction that it otherwise struggles to deserve.
Harry Brown
(U.K.)
By JOE LEYDON
A Lionsgate (in U.K.)/E1 Entertainment (in Canada) release of a Marv production in association with Prescience, the U.K. Film Council's Premiere Fund and Framestore. (International sales: HanWay Films, London.) Produced by Kris Thykier, Matthew Vaughn, Matthew Brown. Executive producers, Christos Michaels, Reno Antoniades, Tim Smith, Paul Brett, Steve Norris, Tim Haslam. Directed by Daniel Barber. Screenplay, Gary Young.
Harry Brown - Michael Caine
D.I. Frampton - Emily Mortimer
D.S. Hicock - Charlie Creed-Miles
Noel Winters - Ben Drew
Sid Rourke - Liam Cunningham
S.I. Andrew Childs - Iain Glen
Leonard Attwell - David Bradley
Marky Hathaway - Jack O'Connell
It's tempting, and not entirely inaccurate, to describe "Harry Brown" as a geriatric "Death Wish," though many wags more likely will blurb it as Michael Caine's "Gran Torino." Either way you look at it, this bleak, gripping, sporadically exciting drama about a retired soldier who takes aim at young hoodlums (and their not-so-young enablers) in his London public-housing complex could generate respectable theatrical coin and impressive homevid action. Pic should skew toward older auds, though many younger ticketbuyers may be curious to see ass-kicking by the actor they know best as Batman's butler.
Caine is effortlessly and authoritatively credible in the title role, a stoic pensioner who's introduced during his death watch for his hospitalized wife. Resigned to spending his twilight years alone, he tries to ignore the drug-dealing and violent outbursts that are increasing common in his gone-to-seed apartment block. (Pic was filmed in and around the notorious Heygate Estate of London's East End -- ironically, not far from where Caine grew up.)
But when gang members brutally dispatch Harry's friend Leonard (David Bradley), after the old fellow unwisely brandishes a knife while traveling through their "territory," Harry realizes he can't rely on help from a largely impotent police force represented by a well-meaning detective inspector (Emily Mortimer) and her cynical partner (Charlie Creed-Miles).
"Harry Brown" is the work of first-time feature helmer Daniel Barber, a Brit filmmaker who cut his teeth on TV commercials and earned a 2008 Oscar nomination for "The Tonto Woman," a dramatic short based on a Western story by Elmore Leonard. There's a discernible Western flavor to this drama as well, with Harry bearing more than a passing resemblance to the genre archetype of a long-domesticated fellow who must strap on his shootin' irons one more time to face down outlaws. After he begins his one-man crusade, his experience as a Royal Marine comes in very handy while he's gunning down armed miscreants or gaining necessary info through enhanced interrogation techniques.
To their credit, Barber and scripter Gary Young infuse the cliches with a fair degree of conviction. "Harry Brown," like its eponymous hero, is a slow-burner -- Harry doesn't actually hurt anyone until a half-hour into the storyline -- and the filmmakers don't move too fast or push too far while building up to the action sequences. They're especially impressive while ratcheting up suspense during a deliberately paced sequence that shows how Harry manages to acquire firepower before disposing of drug-addled gun dealers.
Barber doesn't shy away from depicting violence, but he doesn't dwell on it to a needlessly off-putting degree. He's also subtle about getting across plot points that help define characters: Without beating viewers over the head, he provides ample explanation for why Harry might interrupt his guerrilla war, and actually risk capture, to aid a young woman near death after a drug overdose.
Although overlaid with a mood of despair that's only partly relieved by a relatively happy ending, "Harry Brown" remains, for all its touches of gritty realism, a revenge fantasy about someone aptly described by another character as "a vigilante pensioner." Still, the supporting cast -- including many first-timers cast as young hoods -- is solid, and the moody lensing by Martin Ruhe ("Control") vividly conveys the no-hope squalor of a contemporary urban wasteland.
More important, Caine neatly balances ferocity and frailty, so that a viewer is never quite certain whether he's up to completing the bloody business at hand. Caine often has evinced an ability to turn on a dime from tearful anguish to fearful rage. But he's rarely had a role, or been in a movie, that required him to put that talent to such frequent use.
Camera (Deluxe color), Martin Ruhe; editor, Joe Walker; music, Martin Phipps, Ruth Barrett; additional music, Pete Tong, Paul Rogers; music supervisor, Matt Biffa; production designer, Kave Quinn; costume designer, Jane Petrie; sound (Dolby Digital), Simon Hayes; assistant director, Richard Styles; Dan Hubbard. Reviewed at Toronto Film Festival (Special Presentations), Sept. 14, 2009. Running time: 102 MIN.
Solitary Man
By JUSTIN CHANG
A Millennium Films presentation of a Nu Image, Paul Schiff production. (International sales: Nu Image, Los Angeles.) Produced by Schiff, Steven Soderbergh, Heidi Jo Markel. Executive producers, Avi Lerner, Danny Dimbort, Boaz Davidson, Trevor Short. Co-producer, Jared Goldman. Directed by Brian Koppelman, David Levien. Screenplay, Koppelman.
With: Michael Douglas, Mary-Louise Parker, Jenna Fischer, Jesse Eisenberg, Imogen Poots, Ben Shenkman, David Costabile, Susan Sarandon, Danny DeVito, Arthur Nascarella, Alex Kaluzhsky, Anjelia Pelay.
For a story about a guy who keeps disappointing the people he loves, "Solitary Man" is a movie of no small generosity: It offers audiences the pleasures of a screenplay whose every acerbic line is firmly rooted in character, and it hands Michael Douglas one of his best roles in years. And the actor more than returns the favor, delivering a dryly funny turn as a bull-spouting, skirt-chasing ex-businessman having a late-in-life family/career meltdown. While it plows familiar coming-of-old-age terrain, this sharply etched ensemble dramedy is an unassuming winner that should parlay cast names into modest arthouse returns.
Pic reps a polished sophomore feature for helmers Brian Koppelman and David Levien eight years after their debut, "Knockaround Guys." The duo's scripting credits include "Rounders," "Runaway Jury" and two films ("Ocean's Thirteen," "The Girlfriend Experience") directed by Steven Soderbergh, credited as a producer here.
A prologue introduces Ben (Douglas), aka "New York's honest car dealer," as he receives some unsettling medical news. Six and a half years later, he's about to turn 60 and still going strong, though much has happened since that fateful doctor's visit. Corporate malfeasance has liquidated his auto business; philandering has ended his marriage to Nancy (Susan Sarandon); and chronic unreliability is threatening his relationships with his daughter (Jenna Fischer) and her young son.
Ben's current g.f. (Mary-Louise Parker) asks him to accompany her college-bound daughter, Allyson (Imogen Poots), to his alma mater so he can pull a few strings with the dean. While on campus, Ben is very much in his element, offering techniques on how to score to nerdy sophomore Cheston (Jesse Eisenberg); visiting an old school chum (Danny DeVito) who's had a less illustrious but more stable life; and sparring verbally with Allyson, a thorny, headstrong type who nonetheless proves receptive to Ben's often provocative advice.
What happens next is at once logical and surprising, and Koppelman spins out the ensuing ramifications in a series of fraught one-on-one conversations between Ben and the characters we've met so far. Through it all, Ben remains a gregarious smooth-talker, boasting of his business savvy and pragmatic approach to relationships, even as his power-player facade begins to crumble and he starts to need money as well as emotional support. Fortunately, Koppelman's bracing script presents Ben's friends, family members and sympathetic strangers as smart, strong-minded individuals in their own right, more than capable of seeing through his blather and calling him on it when necessary.
While their protag's gradual descent is tightly constructed, the helmers make meaningful use of silences, dissolves and occasional downtime, allowing scenes and relationships to breathe even as the noose tightens around Ben's neck. If the last scene bookends the first one a bit too glibly, the filmmakers are honest enough to avoid easy resolutions yet wise enough to extend hope.
Douglas tosses off every self-serving pronouncement and phony promise with silver-tongued relish without chewing the scenery, in a characterization that fits neatly into the actor's gallery of oily corporate rogues ("Wall Street," "Disclosure") even as it serves as something of an implicit rebuke. Although Douglas appears in every scene, he never overpowers his co-stars, and the script, gratifyingly, doesn't let him monopolize the good lines.
British actress Poots ("28 Weeks Later"), who resembles both Kate Winslet and Scarlett Johansson, is a knockout in every sense, and reps Douglas' most satisfying opponent here, with sterling pros DeVito and Sarandon running a close second. Fischer and Eisenberg movingly embody younger types who, because they see Ben as a father figure, are more susceptible to emotional wounds. Olivia Thirlby shines in a late-breaking role as Cheston's g.f.
Alwin Kuchler's cinematography is functional yet elegant, acquiring a darker, moodier cast as Ben's journey dictates. Gotham-shot pic plays the titular Johnny Cash tune over the opening credits.
Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page and Liv Tyler are set to star in "Super," a comedy that takes aim at the superhero genre. James Gunn wrote and will direct, with production set for December.
Pic will be produced by Ted Hope, through his Gotham-based This Is That banner.
Wilson, who last worked with Page in "Juno," plays an average guy who takes on the pseudo-superhero alter ego of the Crimson Bolt, after watching his wife (Tyler) fall under the spell of a charming drug dealer. Lacking super powers, he compensates by swinging a trusty wrench.
Gunn scripted "Dawn of the Dead" and two "Scooby-Doo" films, and made his feature directing debut with the 2006 comic horror film "Slither."
The picture was packaged by UTA and HanWay Films is selling international territories.
HanWay CEO Tim Haslam adds "Super" to a Toronto fest slate that includes the Paul Bettany-Jennifer Connelly starrer "Creation," the Scott Hicks-directed "The Boys Are Back" with Clive Owen and the Michael Caine starrer "Harry Brown."
Hope is partnered in This Is That with Anne Carey. The company most recently produced the Greg Mottola-directed "Adventureland," and are in production on the Anton Corbijn-directed untitled project about Italy, which stars George Clooney.
Youth in Revolt
By PETER DEBRUGE
A Dimension Films release of a David Permut/Shangri-La Entertainment production. Produced by David Permut. Executive producers, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Nan Morales. Co-producers, Steve Longi, Miranda Freiberg. Directed by Miguel Arteta. Screenplay, Gustin Nash, based on the novel "Youth in Revolt: The Journals of Nick Twisp" by C.D. Payne.
Nick Twisp - Michael Cera
Sheeni Saunders - Portia Doubleday
Estelle Twisp - Jean Smart
George Twisp - Steve Buscemi
Jerry - Zach Galifianakis
Lance Wescott - Ray Liotta
An "Arrested Development"-age Michael Cera would have been perfect for "Youth in Revolt," being the firsthand adventures of sex-obsessed 14-year-old Nick Twisp, but sometimes the material is so right for an older star (like Dustin Hoffman in "The Graduate"), you just have to accept the stretch. From "Superbad" to "Juno," Cera's certainly perfected his socially awkward, virginity-averse adolescent shtick, and while "Youth" doesn't echo the deeper themes of those pics, Cera and his gifted comic co-stars elevate the mediocre source material into a semi-iconic coming-of-age story. Oct. 30 Dimension release looks promising, though its R rating excludes the ideal teen aud.
Adapted by Gustin Nash (whose "Charlie Bartlett" reflects a similar adolescent smart-aleck attitude from the opposite end of the economic spectrum), the arc of "Youth in Revolt" ages Twisp two years and encompasses the first three volumes in C.D. Payne's six-book series. The novels, presented as Nick's journals, document the character's oft-recurring erection and ideas on where he'd like to stick it; indeed, the pic opens with a masturbation session vigorous enough to establish the mindset of its libidinous protag.
In Twisp's world, everyone seems to be having sex but him. The unfortunately named teen shares a house with his equally one-track-minded mother (Jean Smart) and her latest live-in boyfriend (Zach Galifianakis), while Twisp's divorced dad (Steve Buscemi) dates women closer to his son's age than his own (his latest tart, Lacey, is played by "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" scene stealer Ari Graynor). But on a family trip to a trailer park in Ukiah, Calif., Nick meets Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday), an aloof non-virgin who shares his hipster tastes and condescending attitude toward adults.
Like Charlie Bartlett, Twisp affects the vocabulary of a more enlightened soul, while his impetuous bad judgment belies his immaturity; Twisp's best dialogue traces back to the books, though some will surely accuse Nash of Diablo Cody-esque embellishment.
When Twisp and Sheeni are separated, he devises an elaborate regimen of rebellion, thinking he can manipulate his mother into banishing him to Ukiah. Twisp's partner in crime is Francois Dillinger, the cigarette-smoking, Jean-Paul Belmondo-inspired manifestation of his id (also played by Cera, with the fetching additions of a pencil moustache and spine), whose suggestions lead him on a path of grand theft auto, arson, drug use and cross-dressing.
Director Miguel Arteta is smart to play up Twisp's outsider status (does any teen actually think he fits in?) before his actions spiral out of control, giving auds an anchor amid the tsunami of transgressive behavior that follows. Through it all, Twisp remains eminently relatable, even admirably proactive in his pursuit of Sheeni, and despite having popped his cherry in at least three previous films, Cera still comes across as asexual enough to excuse the character's carnally motivated misdeeds.
Seducing Sheeni may be his aim, but there's something chivalrous about the lengths to which the lad will go to earn that right, backed by Twisp's quaint determination to marry the poor girl. Obstacles abound, of course. MTV and Fox produced a "Youth in Revolt" pilot a decade earlier, no doubt intending to spread Twisp's many setbacks over a proper season, but the show fell through. In this condensed form, the plot feels episodic, but not in a bad way, with Arteta squeezing an impressive number of setpieces into 90 minutes. Well-placed animated sequences -- a mix of stop-motion and CGI -- keep things moving along at a perky clip.
Whereas the book grows tedious with the constant interruptions of every-seven-seconds sexual thoughts, the pic feels more innocent, focusing instead on Payne's knack for unique detail and keenly observed human behavior. It doesn't hurt that Fred Willard, Ray Liotta, Justin Long and Mary Kay Place are on hand to help make the eccentric ensemble credible. Events transpire in a quasi-retro twilight zone where cell phones don't exist but Ashlee Simpson does, and the kids watch movies on DVD and collect music on vinyl. Michigan doubles for the Golden State, with production design and other departments supplying unobtrusive yet vital support throughout.
Universal has set July 1, 2011, for the release of "Battleship," confirming Peter Berg as helmer of the live-action pic based on Hasbro's naval combat board game.
Deal is part of a two-picture pic pact Berg has made with U, where he'll follow "Battleship" with an Afghan war drama "Lone Survivor."
Universal's date declaration positions "Battleship" to become the second film release from the studio's multiyear deal with Hasbro to turn its classic games into features. The studio previously set an April 11, 2011, release date for "Stretch Armstrong," with Steve Oedekerk about to deliver a script.
"Battleship" is the latest in Universal's strong push toward branded entertainment films, and Hasbro has fast become an increasingly important cog in that campaign.
"This is a powerful brand, and in an era where brands have become the new stars, 'Battleship' is a big opportunity," said U Pictures chairmen Marc Shmuger and David Linde.
Aside from "Battleship" and "Stretch Armstrong," U is separately developing "Clue" with Gore Verbinski, "Monopoly" with Ridley Scott, "Candyland" with director Kevin Lima, and "Ouija" with Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes. As a board game, "Battleship" was launched by Milton Bradley in 1967 and has sold more than 100 million units.
Scott Stuber and his U-based Stuber Pictures will produce "Battleship" alongside Hasbro's Brian Goldner and Bennett Schneir, Berg and his Film 44 partner Sarah Aubrey. Script was written by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber ("Whiteout").
Deal reunites Berg with Stuber, who produced the Berg-helmed "The Kingdom" with Michael Mann. Production on "Battleship" will begin next spring.
For Berg, the picture realizes a passion for ship-bound war stories that he picked up from his naval historian father.
"I've been consumed with doing one of these since I tried to convince Tom Rothman at Fox to make a film about John Paul Jones, the founder of the American Navy," Berg said. "As a kid, I was dragged from Navy museum to museum, and spent so much time on ships, listening to my father talk about the great battles of WWII, I did my high school thesis on the Battle of Midway. When this came up, it didn't take me long to find a take for a film that is filled with raucous action-packed naval battles."
Berg called the pic "a contemporary story of an international five-ship fleet engaged in a very dynamic, violent and intense battle" -- but he would not disclose any details about the enemy force.
The film will be the next directorial assignment for Berg, who last helmed "Hancock."
Berg made something of a quid pro quo pact with the studio to follow "Battleship" with "Lone Survivor," a fact-based story he scripted about a Navy SEAL team that is sent to Afghanistan and is ambushed.
"It was pretty obvious to me they weren't jumping head over heels to make a war film in the Middle East right now," Berg said. "So they said, 'what if you give us 'Battleship' for July 2011, and we guarantee you'll follow with 'Lone Survivor?' I already loved the take we had on 'Battleship,' so that wasn't a hard deal to make.' "
Other projects percolating for Berg, including "Dune" and "Hancock 2," will come later.
"Let the Right One In" helmer Tomas Alfredson will direct Nicole Kidman in true-life sex-change drama "The Danish Girl."
Script is written by Lucinda Coxon, based on David Ebershoff's novel about Danish painter Einar Wegener (Kidman), who in 1931 became the first person to go through a sex-change operation to become a woman.
However, Charlize Theron, who had been attached to play Wegener's wife, Gerda, has left the production.
Pic will be produced by Kidman and Per Saari, head of Kidman's Fox-based Blossom Films shingle, along with Anne Harrison, Gail Mutrix and Linda Reisman.
"We have been in talks for close to a year, and we are soon going into production," Alfredson told Daily Variety.
Alfredson said that he planned to shoot "The Danish Girl" before his previously announced John le Carre adaptation, "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" for Working Title.
In a seven-figure deal, John Logan has been set by Fox 2000 to adapt "The Passage," the Jordan Ainsley vampire novel being developed for Ridley Scott to potentially direct. It marks the first time that Logan and Scott have collaborated since the Oscar-winning "Gladiator."
Fox 2000 acquired the book two years ago, paying seven figures for the three-book series right after its publishing rights sold to Ballantine for $3.75 million (Daily Variety, July 9, 2007). Ainsley -- pseudonym for PEN Hemingway Award-winning author Justin Cronin -- sold the book based on the first 400 pages and an outline, but the film adaptation awaited his completion of the book, which is nearly 1,200 pages.
More than one option
* (Co) Daily Variety
Filmography, Year, Role
* (Co) Daily Variety
In the novel, terminally ill patients become healthy after they are bitten by bats in South America, and the government conducts secret tests on human subjects to see if the virus can cure illness. The result is an apocalyptic unleashing of bloodthirsty vampire test subjects that include death row inmates.
Logan, who scripted "Gladiator" with David Franzoni and William Nicholson, most recently scripted the Gore Verbinski-directed animated Paramount film "Rango," the Juan Carlos Fresnadillo-directed "Bioshock" and "Empire" for Michael Mann. Logan's play "Red," will debut at London's Donmar Warehouse on Dec. 3 and runs through Feb. 6.
He's repped by CAA.
LeBron James will make his feature starring debut, playing himself in "Fantasy Basketball Camp," a Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment comedy.
Brian Grazer is producing. Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel are writing the script.
Pic is a comedy about five guys from different backgrounds who come to Vegas to live out their fantasy by attending the LeBron James Adult Basketball Camp. While it should be enough that these dreamers get to breathe the same oxygen as their hero, the campers drag James into their various life issues, ranging from serious to idiotic.
Grazer said the picture came out of meetings he had with James and his partner Maverick Carter, encounters that left Grazer feeling confident the Cleveland Cavaliers star could make the same easy transition to the screen that Eminem did in his screen debut on "8 Mile," which Grazer also produced.
"I initially sought LeBron out because my 8-year-old son, Thomas, and I were just dying to meet him, but I felt that beyond being one of the world's great superstar athletes, here was someone so relaxed and comfortable with himself that he would have the capability to be that way onscreen," Grazer said. "Later, when I watched him host 'Saturday Night Live,' and saw his advertising work, it was clear he can do this."
James will be executive producer along with Carter and Imagine's Michael Rosenberg and Kim Roth.
The intention is to begin production next summer.
James is also the focus of the documentary "More Than a Game," which explores his high school years in Akron, Ohio. Lionsgate is releasing the doc starting with Oct. 2 openings in Los Angeles and New York.
Micmacs
Micmacs a tire-larigot (France)
By ROB NELSON
A Sony Pictures Classics (in U.S.) release of an Epithete Films, Tapioca Films presentation, in co-production with Warner Bros. Entertainment France, France 2 Cinema, France 3 Cinema, with the support of La Region Ile-de-France, in partnership with CNC, with the participation of Orange Cinema Series-France 2-France 3. (International sales: TF1 Intl., Paris.) Produced by Frederic Brillion, Gilles Legrand, Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Screenplay, Jeunet, Guillaume Laurant.
Bazil - Dany Boon
Nicolas Thibault de
Fenouillet - Andre Dussollier
Remington - Omar Sy
Buster - Dominique Pinon
Elastic Girl - Julie Ferrier
Francois Marconi - Nicolas Marie
Calculator - Marie-Julie Baup
Tiny Pete - Michel Cremades
Mama Chow - Yolande Moreau
Slammer - Jean-Pierre Marielle
Turning the volume of his slapstick surreality down from 11 to 10, Gallic auteur Jean-Pierre Jeunet ("Amelie") hits the sweet spot with "Micmacs." The wacky tale of a brain-injured videostore clerk who brings down a pair of Parisian arms dealers with the help of some highly creative collectors of second-hand goods, "Micmacs" welds Jeunet's hyperactive imagination to the simpler structures of silent comedy and '40s-era studio capers, resulting in the director's most accessible work yet. Following its surefire French release on Oct. 28, this Sony Classics pickup should translate well Stateside, given the paucity of its dialogue and the purity of its gags.
Jeunet, though working again with co-screenwriter Guillaume Laurant, has turned away from the obsession with capital-F Fate that informed "Amelie" and its follow-up, "A Very Long Engagement." Here, the slender plot is set swiftly in motion by a stray bullet that lands in the head of clock-punching Parisian Bazil (Dany Boon) during his umpteenth screening of Howard Hawks' "The Big Sleep." Comatose in the hospital, Bazil doesn't notice when his callous surgeons flip a coin, thereby determining that they'll keep the slug lodged in the patient's skull --this at the risk of his sudden death at any time.
An apparently new sensitivity to visual stimuli allows mild-mannered Bazil to recognize a weapons manufacturing company's logo as identical to that in an old photo taken by his late soldier dad, who hit an explosive land mine years ago while fighting in the Sahara. Acting like his detective hero, Philip Marlowe, Bazil spies on the company's two chiefs, including one Nicolas Thibault de Fenouillet (Andre Dussollier), who absurdly collects the body parts of key historical figures and is currently angling to reel in Mussolini's eye.
Meantime, sleeping along the Seine under a blanket of cardboard, Bazil falls in with a merry band of junkyard tinkerers, each with his or her own eccentric specialty: Slammer (Jean-Pierre Marielle) is an ex-con and expert lock-picker; Remington (Omar Sy) types on an old electric; Buster is an obsessive record-breaker (Dominique Pinon); Calculator (Marie-Julie Baup) does the math; and Elastic Girl (Julie Ferrier) literally bends over backward for the crew.
In the spirit of these ingenious recyclers, Jeunet has charmingly repurposed the 65-year-old "Big Sleep" score along with snippets of other '40s film music, all composed by the great Max Steiner. Just as delightful, if more unique, are the tools of infiltration -- ropes, pulleys, bottomless suitcases, makeshift fishing poles, and other bric-a-brac -- with which Jeunet and Laurant have outfitted the gang.
The movie's zanier scenes are allowed to work so well in part because Jeunet has given them sufficient room to breathe; unlike the director's more aggressively hyperactive work, "Micmacs" carefully apportions its visual jokes rather than bombarding the viewer with them.
In a production of enormous size and minute detail, tech credits are top-caliber, most notably the elaborately funky production design of Aline Bonetto. Though little more than props themselves at times, the actors in Jeunet's fantasia perform capably -- or, in the case of Ferrier's memorably contorting Elastic Girl, limberly.
Camera (color, widescreen), Tetsuo Nagata; music, Raphael Beau; additional music, Max Steiner; production designer, Aline Bonetto; costume designer, Madeline Fontaine; sound (Dolby/DTS), Vincent Arnardi; sound designer, Selim Azzazi; visual effects supervisor, Alain Carsoux; special effects, Duran Duboi; animated sequences, Romain Segaud; stunt coordinators, Patrick Cauderlier, Jean-Claude Lagniez; assistant director, Thierry Mauvoisin; casting, Pierre-Jacques Benichou. Reviewed at Toronto Film Festival (Gala Presentations), Sept. 16, 2009. Running time: 104 MIN.
Trash Humpers
(U.S.-U.K.)
By ROB NELSON
An O'Salvation Cine (U.S.)/Alcove Entertainment (U.K.) production. (International sales: O'Salvation, Nashville.) Produced by Charles-Marie Anthonioz, Amina Dasmal, Robin Fox. Executive producer, Agnes B. Directed, written by Harmony Korine.
With: Rachel Korine, Brian Kotzur, Travis Nicholson, Harmony Korine, Chris Gantry, Kevin Guthery, Paige Spain, Dave Cloud, Chris Crofton, Charlie Ezel.
Pity the festival-going fool who stumbles unawares into Harmony Korine's patently abrasive, deliberately cruddy-looking mock-documentary "Trash Humpers." All others -- that is, those familiar with Korine's anti-bourgeois oeuvre and know what they're in for -- will have a glorious time. Named for a band of cretinous vandals in old-folks masks who favor gyrating against garbage cans (and worse), "Trash Humpers" is a pre-fab underground manifesto to rank beside John Waters' legendarily crass "Pink Flamingos." Theatrical distribution is virtually inconceivable -- though, in part for this reason, any fest devoted to maintaining its rep among cult-film completists will simply beg for it.
Lacking the slightest hint of narrative, the film amounts to a series of scuzzy screwball vignettes in which the masked miscreants and assorted hangers-on (including an incognito Korine) perform for the camera -- bashing TVs with sledgehammers, blasting an empty wheelchair with a self-serve car-wash gun, "killing" various plastic dolls, spanking a trio of women in lingerie, lighting firecrackers, singing, cackling incessantly and other taste-challenged ephemera.
The result, riveting beyond all rationality, is something like "Jackass," except that here the stunts are dangerous only to standards of good taste -- which, of course, is precisely the point.
Rather shrewdly, Korine ("Gummo," "Julien Donkey-Boy") has met the inevitable accusation of garbage-peddling head-on, having characterized the film as one that could've been found on a trash heap. (At the artier extreme, Jean-Luc Godard said exactly the same of his apocalyptic "Weekend" in 1967.)
Shot on low-grade VHS tape, complete with pesky tracking problems and VCR playback info, the pic has been transferred to 35mm in all its milky, degraded glory; the look of the film has no small share of perverse beauty, particularly for those who miss the charming imperfections of videocassettes in this squeaky-clean digital era.
The question of whether "Trash Humpers" would've risen from its cesspool without Korine's hipster celebrity is but one of many that the pic provokes. Another, equally unanswerable, is the extent to which the onscreen mayhem was scripted (even though Korine is credited as writer). So, too, the question of what the eventual presence of dead bodies onscreen has to do with the trash humpers is fairly open to interpretation. Maybe it's an art film after all.
Across the board, tech credits are appalling -- in a good way.
Camera (color, VHS-to-35mm), Korine; editor, Leo Scott; sound, Alex Altman; assistant director, Michael Carter. Reviewed at Toronto Film Festival (Visions), Sept. 12, 2009. Running time: 77 MIN.
Michael Douglas talked to Empire Online about the return of his infamous character Gordon Gekko in "Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps".
"Gordon has done about eight years in jail and got out in about 2001. The picture predominantly focuses on these last couple of years on Wall Street, which nobody anticipated. We shot the first one in 1986 and it was a wild, wild colourful time. And here we have both a train crash and a larger-than-life period leading up to that train crash. It's an exciting time to make a picture about Wall Street" says Douglas who began shooting his scenes this week.
Shia LaBeouf, Frank Langella and director Oliver Stone were spotted filming in NYC's Central Park last week with photos of that up at Accidental Sexiness.
Eamon
(Ireland)
By ALISSA SIMON
A Zanita Films production with the support of the Catalyst Project, Film Base, the Arts Council, FAS Screen Training Ireland, TV3, with the participation of the Irish Film Board. (International sales: Wide Management, Paris.) Produced by Seamus Byrne. Directed, written by Margaret Corkery.
With: Robert Donnelly, Amy Kirwan, Darren Healy, David Martin, Deirdre Monaghan.
A family holiday at the Irish seaside brings the tensions between a little boy with behavioral problems, his selfish mother and his sexually frustrated father to a blackly comic peak in "Eamon." An entertainingly horrific vision of the Oedipus complex in action, this confidently stylized debut feature from writer-helmer Margaret Corkery plays like the offspring of Aki Kaurismaki and Todd Solondz. With further fest cuddling and cult status in ancillary assured, this small but perfectly formed pic might even find specialty playdates offshore.
Angelic-looking 6-year-old demon child Eamon (Robert Donnelly) certainly knows the answer to the question "Who is Mommy's boyfriend?" His self-involved mother, Grace (Amy Kirwan), allows him to share her bed while maintaining a hands-off policy with slavish partner Daniel (Darren Healy).
Always shrilly demanding attention (and going ballistic if he consumes sugar), Eamon is the one who gets to rub tanning lotion onto Grace's fleshy, bikini-clad body while Daniel glowers nearby. After Grace sets her sights on a well-muscled fellow swimmer and Eamon drinks a cola, the dysfunctional family spins out of control.
Corkery's tight script and confident direction create a pitch-perfect combination of comedy and suspense, full of surprising twists and felicitous details that never strain. Among these are the primal parent-child dialogues, which will sound familiar to adults everywhere but are delivered here in a tone that is both unsettling and funny.
Droll thesping is completely in tune with Corkery's comprehensive stylistic concept. The three fine leading players, in particular, bring an intense ferocity to their characterizations.
Filmed on location at the rugged coast of County Wicklow, the outstanding production package is led by David Grennan's clean, sharp lensing and Paki Smith's eye-popping primary-color production design.
Camera (color), David Grennan; editor, Mairead McIvor; music, Colin J. Morris, Miriam Ingram; production designer, Paki Smith; costume designer, Angel Concepcion; sound (Dolby Digital), Karl Merren. Reviewed at Toronto Film Festival (Discovery), Sept. 14, 2009. (Also in Karlovy Vary Film Festival.) Running time: 85 MIN.
Machotaildrop
(U.S. - Canada)
By DENNIS HARVEY
A Fuel TV Experiment (U.S.) presentation, in association with a Friendly Fire Prods., of a Machotaildrop Prods. (Canada) production. (International sales: Machotraildrop, Vancouver.) Produced by Oliver Linsley, Alex Craig, Jared Valentine. Executive producer, Shon Tomlin. Directed, written, edited by Corey Adams, Alex Craig.
With: Anthony Amedori, James Faulkner, Rick McCrank, Lukacs Bicskey, John Mackey, Vanessa Guide, Jeff Halliday, Fred Mortagne, Zsolt Pal, John Rado.
So many indie first features strain for quirkiness in a forced, derivative fashion that it's rather shocking to stumble across something like "Machotaildrop," which really does come out of a left field entirely of its own vivid imagining. Even if this delightful whatsit's charms fade somewhat in the last third, Corey Adams and Alex Craig's writing-helming debut remains a bracingly loopy exercise that lives up to its Toronto fest billing as a skateboarder's "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." Whether such an unclassifiably surreal comic-fantasy jape has commercial prospects is anyone's guess, but adventuresome distribs are urged to find out.
Small-town lad Walter (an innocently blank Anthony Amedori, like many here an offscreen pro boarder) sends his skateboarding highlights video to the titular corporation owned by a wheelchair-bound former tightrope walker, the Baron (James Faulkner). Walter's soon whisked by private plane to Machotraildrop's lavish island HQ, where he's marketed as its new global idol -- much to the chagrin of his predecessor, injury-sidelined Blair (Rick McCrank).
But there's a sinister underside to the company's athletic salesmanship, as Walter finds out. His eventual, disillusioned escape coincides with a raid by a gang of lunatic skateboarding thugz who refuse to be co-opted into the Baron's vision of a genially exploitative theme park.
Once that comparatively conventional collapse-of-mad-genius'-lair climax begins revving up, the pic loses a bit -- but not too much -- of its initial, unpredictable appeal. Shot on novel locations around the world, from Carlsbad-type caverns to palatial Hungarian estates, pic is a fable as goofy as they come.
If the midnight-movie circuit were still extant, "Machotaildrop" would immediately assume a privileged place: Its temperament and aesthetic rep an ideal halfway between "Eraserhead" and "Harold and Maude." You can sense the joy various contributors felt in working on something so unfettered, notably production designer Jeffery Halliday, costume designer Melinda Doman and music supervisor John Katovsich. Pic looks like a million bucks and then some, though it was actually made for less.
Camera (color, HD), Craig Trudeau, James Liston, Peter Hagge; music, Stefan Udell; music supervisor, John Katovsich; production designer, Jeffery Halliday; costume designer, Melinda Doman; sound, Eric Paul; assistant director, Andras Szucs. Reviewed at Toronto Film Festival (Canada First), Sept. 12, 2009. Running time: 92 MIN.
The Blood and the Rain
(Colombia-Argentina)
By LESLIE FELPERIN
A Efe-X, E-Nnovva/RCN Films, Pato Feo Films (Columbia)/LagartoCine (Argentina) production, with support of the Hubert Bals Fund, the Sundance Institute, FDC. (International sales: Rezo Films, Paris.) Produced by Jorge Navas. Executive producers, Julian Giraldo, Wilson Gomez, Carolina Barrera, Hugo Castro Fau. Directed by Jorge Navas. Screenplay, Navas, Carlos Henao, Alize Le Maout.
With: Gloria Montoya, Quique Mendoza, Hernan Mendez, Julio Cesar Valencia, Weimar Delgado, Juan Miguel Silva. Spanish dialogue.
A cracking slice of genre filmmaking that nods to vintage Michael Mann and Martin Scorsese as well as the new generation of Latin American filmmakers, "The Blood and the Rain" unfolds over one night on the mean streets of Bogota, Colombia. Tale of a cabbie and a good-time girl caught up in a gang war starts out steady but quickly accelerates to produce a tense, wham-bam climax. Handled right, the pic could have slender, shapely legs offshore, and at very least rep an impressive calling card for Colombian writer-helmer Jorge Navas, who's made docus, commercials and musicvids.
Grieving for his dead brother and thinking of revenge, taxi driver Jorge (Quique Mendoza) picks up coke-addled barfly Angela (Gloria Montoya) but has an accident just after dropping her off. Angela takes Jorge to the hospital and ends up tagging along as he investigates his brother's murder and prepares to meet the probable killers later that night. Compelling pace and strong perfs help gloss over the script's minor faultlines. Strong sense of Bogota as a place reps a major plus, even though the plot is eminently remake-friendly. Tech credits are solid throughout.
Camera (color, widescreen), Juan Carlos Gil; editor, Sebastian Hernandez; music, Sebastian Escofet; art director, Jaime Luna. Reviewed at Venice Film Festival (Venice Days), Sept. 11, 2009. Running time: 109 MIN.
Forever Waiting
Hoy no se fia, manana si (Spain)
By RONNIE SCHEIB
An Izaba Films, Muxika production, in co-production with Fair Films, ETB. (International sales: Izaba Films/Muxika, Madrid.) Produced by Elisabeth Perello-Santandreu, Francisco Avizanda. Directed, written by Francisco Avizanda.
With: Carolina Bona, Jesus Noguero, Albert Prat, Alfonso Torregrosa, Jose Maria Asin, Carmen Leon, Carmen San Esteban.
(Spanish dialogue)
Francisco Avizanda's brilliant debut feature, "Forever Waiting," set in 1953 Spain, explores the vast network of spies and informers deployed under Franco to stifle any shadow of dissent. Unlike "The Lives of Others," which centered on a professional information-gatherer, "Waiting" zeroes in on an amateur -- a pretty young secretary at a radio station, one of thousands who betrayed fellow citizens for God, country, advancement or simple survival. As played by a chillingly opaque Caroline Bona, Gilda reps the ultimate offspring of the fascist state. Austere pic would require strong critical support to reach wider auds.
An orphan raised by church and state to obey unquestioningly, if cynically, Gilda spends her spare time listening at doors and noting what people let slip in conversation, ever ready to sneak names to her "uncle" (Jesus Noguero), the chief of police. (The hints at childhood sexual abuse by cops and cardinals register as less horrific than Gilda's jaded acceptance of it.)
Gilda's ambition is simple, and she clings to it with the obstinacy of the dispossessed: to get a job as an announcer at the propaganda-spewing Catholic radio station where she toils as a secretary.
Avizanda often films his heroine in closeup, but her lovely mask of a face -- Bressonian, but without the soul -- is beyond interpretation, less because she adeptly hides her feelings than because she appears to lack any inner life. It is hard to empathize with her even when she is being exploited, since she displays no empathy toward others.
Avizanda's genius lies in his ability to portray Gilda (the reference to the Rita Hayworth noir is deliberate) as both monster and victim. The myriad exchanges she brokers with others become power games with varying stakes and styles. Her concierge's chummy complicity proves no match for Gilda's dispassionate blackmail, and even Franco's master manipulator ultimately underestimates the ruthlessness of his pretty pawn.
Jon D. Dominguez's lensing of Madrid's massive, drably grandiose architecture is an apt fit for the impenetrable Gilda. On the soundtrack, march-like pasadobles, popular at the time, musically mark out the beat of joyless collectivity. Nevertheless, Avizanda's overall vision of Franco's Spain never quite equals his sure-handed grasp of his unforgettable main character.
Camera (color), Jon D. Dominguez; editor, Santos Salinas; music, Goran Kajfes, David Osterberg; art director, Idoia Esteban; costume designer, Juana Buendia; sound (Dolby digital), Imanol Lopez, Ivan Mayoral; sound designer, Pedro Barbadillo. Reviewed at Montreal World Film Festival (competing), Sept. 2, 2009. Running time: 122 MIN.
Kieran and Michele Mulroney ("Justice League: Mortal," "Paper Man") are attached to pen a sequel to the upcoming action-heavy take on "Sherlock Holmes" for Warner Bros. Pictures says the trades.
Guy Ritchie helms the film which stars Downey as the title character, Jude Law as his protege Watson, and Rachel McAdams as love interest Irene Adler. Most if not all are expected to return for the follow-up.
Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, Lionel Wigram and Simon Kinberg all worked on the first film's script which is set in the world created by Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle but doesn't use a specific mystery of his. It's unsure whether the sequel will use a similar approach or more closely follow one of the more notable adventures such as 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' or 'The Final Problem'.
Brad Pitt has also had discussions with producers to star as Holmes' nemesis Moriarty, but no deal is in place for him to take the part.
A Moriarty cameo in the first film is scripted and was apparently shot, but according to the script you don't see his face. The filmmakers are expected to use a trick similar to James Bond's nemesis Blofeld in the early Sean Connery-era films such as "Thunderball" where the character's face remained in shadow and obscured.
"Prison Break" hunk Wentworth Miller and "Heroes" babe Ali Larter have joined the cast of "Resident Evil: Afterlife", the fourth film in the franchise says Blackfilm.
Cast member Boris Kodjoe told the site the news whilst doing promotion for his work in this week's sci-fi thriller "Surrogates". In the film, Kodjoe says "I play the leader of the survivors in Los Angeles. Milla Jovovich's character, Alice, is roaming the world looking for survivors and she's wound up in LA, which has been burning for three years. She comes across an LA jail surrounded be these half-dead with a couple of survivors trapped inside. She lands on top of the roof and partners up with me to fight the guys that are coming after them. We're trying to get all of the survivors out of the jail to safety."
Miller plays one of the trapped people whom they lock up in a cell as they aren't sure if he's succumbed to the virus or not. He becomes a key element of their eventual escape. Larter reprises her role of Claire Redfield from the previous film "Resident Evil: Extinction".
Shooting kicks off this week in Toronto under the helm of returning first film director Paul W.S. Anderson.
Summit hires Justin Lin to direct and Neal Moritz to produce Highlander
23 September, 2009 | By Jeremy Kay
Summit Entertainment has hired Fast & Furious director Justin Lin and producer Neal H Moritz to the reimagining of Highlander.
As previously announced, Iron Man screenwriters Art Marcum and Matt Holloway are writing the script and longtime Highlander series producer Peter Davis will produce.
Summit acquired the rights to remake the cult classic from Davis-Panzer Productions in May 2008.
The new version will develop the core mythology of immortals battling on Earth and is being eyed by Summit as a potential franchise.
"We are privileged to have this amazing opportunity to reinvent one of the great franchises," Summit Entertainment co-chairman Patrick Wachsberger said. "Neal and Justin have proven more than once that they can deliver an entertaining and exciting blockbuster."
Lin and Moritz are represented by CAA.
Dwayne Johnson, Samuel L. Jackson and Steve Coogan have joined the cast of the comedy "The Other Guys" for Sony Pictures says Variety.
Johnson and Jackson will play an elite cop tandem whose exploits are the envy of the department and the second-tier fellow cops played by Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg.
Coogan is set as the villain. Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton and Damon Wayans Jr. also star.
Adam McKay ("Anchorman") directs from a script by Chris Henchy and McKay.
Diablo Cody's heading back to high school, signing on to write and produce an adaptation of the "Sweet Valley High" book series for Universal. Mason Novick, Adam Siegel and Marc Platt are also producing.
U agreed to a deal with Cody and her manager Novick, outbidding Fox for the project. It's in talks to acquire the film rights to the book series created by Francine Pascal and published by Random House.
The "Sweet Valley" novels followed the lives of identical twins with dissimilar personalities -- the sensitive and practical Elizabeth and the flighty and boy-crazy Jessica -- in the fictional town of Sweet Valley. There were more than 150 books in the series between 1983 and 2003 and a TV series with 88 episodes between 1994 and 1997.
U put out the word last week that it's not spending money for the rest of this year to advance development projects -- unless they're being fast-tracked or greenlit (Daily Variety, Sept. 18). Deal comes on the heels of a tepid opening for "Jennifer's Body," which Cody scripted.
Cody's also attached to produce "Breathers: A Zombie's Lament" for Fox Searchlight.
Promising that "I'm going back to doing what I do best," Bob Weinstein is revving up franchises and genre films for Dimension, with familiar faces onboard (e.g., Neve Campbell has just signed for "Scream 4") and a new emphasis on 3D.
"Scream 4" will start production in April or May as the first of a new trilogy, and the company is talking to Wes Craven to direct, Weinstein reports. In addition to Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette will return to the "Scream" franchise.
Robert Rodriguez is writing "Spy Kids 4," which he will direct in 3D. The movie will be made in partnership with Disney and will start shooting in March, Weinstein said. In addition, the company wants to shoot "Halloween III" in 3D, aiming to release it in October 2010. Dimension also is remaking the cult classic "Children of the Corn."
Scream4_FLEMING
"I'm heading back to my franchise films," Weinstein said, citing plans to shoot sequels to "Hellraiser" and "Scanners" in 3D. Also on the slate are remakes of "Short Circuit" and "An American Werewolf in London." "These films are our strength, and we are committed to doing them in style."
The first two "Scream" pictures grossed more than $100 million each, while "Scream 3" grossed $89 million in the U.S.
Weinstein also said that "The Road" will open wide Nov. 25 in some 800 theaters.
In response to a query, Weinstein said, "There is no question that financing is readily available to produce and market these films." He added: "I am eager to expand our scope in the 3D business."
A planned adaptation of "The Diary of Anne Frank" for Disney Pictures has been put into turnaround because it is "too dark" says The Wrap.
The article says provocateur playwright and filmmaker David Mamet ("Heist," "Spartan") was hired to pen the adaptation, but the script he turned in was not a retelling of the famous Holocaust drama taken from the diaries of Frank,
Instead Mamet delivered the story of a contemporary Jewish girl who goes to Israel and learns about the traumas of suicide bombing. The script apparently delivers a pro-Israeli exploration of modern anti-Semitism.
"It's very intense, and dark and scary. It's not a film version of 'The Diary of Anne Frank.' The story evolved into something more intense" says one insider, indicating the subject matter is too difficult for Disney to produce or distribute.
In the wake of chairman Dick Cook's sudden departure, the studio is unlikely to give the go-ahead on any projects in development until new management has been sorted out and settled.
Sam Raimi is set to produce the supernatural horror film "Refuge" for Mandate Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter
The story takes place in a remote town that is terrorized by a Yeti, the mythological creature native to the mountains of the Himalayas.
Tom De Ville penned the script while British director Corin Hardy will helm.
CBS Films has acquired Anthony Jaswinski's fast-paced thriller spec "Sleeper Spy" reports Variety.
The story centers around the plot to assassinate a political figure.
Jeff Wadlow ("Never Back Down") is set to direct. Arnold and Anne Kopelson will produce.
The Human Centipede: First Sequence
(Netherlands)
By PETER DEBRUGE
A Six Entertainment production. Produced by Ilona Six, Tom Six. Executive producer, Ilona Six. Directed, written by Tom Six.
With: Dieter Laser, Ashley C. Williams, Ashlynn Yennie, Akihiro Kitamura, Andreas Leupold.
(English, German, Japanese dialogue)
What has 12 legs, three heads and a single digestive tract? The disagreeable creation at the center of Tom Six's "The Human Centipede: First Sequence," a beyond-twisted body horror experiment in which a mad surgeon, renowned for separating Siamese twins, kidnaps and conjoins three unlucky tourists mouth-to-anus for no reason other than to satisfy his own sadistic whims (and the morbid curiosity of a certain type of moviegoer). Only real payoff is seeing the monstrosity assembled, and though that will surely earn the Dutch writer-director a cult reputation on the genre circuit, "going there" does not a movie make.
Though Six's execution proves far less graphic than the mutilation depicted in so-called "torture porn," at least those controversial pics offer social commentary of some kind. By contrast, "Human Centipede" can't be bothered to expand upon its unpleasant premise, inviting auds to revel in its sick humor by favoring Dr. Heiter (Dieter Laser, doing his best Udo Kier) and characterizing the victims as shallow expendables (reduced to acting with their eyes). Camera, sound and gore work meet today's horror standards, sure to impress those for whom empathy is no concern.
Camera (color, HD), Goof de Koning; music, Patrick Savage, Holeg Spies. Reviewed on DVD, Los Angeles, Sept. 29, 2009. (In Fantastic Fest, Austin.) Running time: 90 MIN.
The Human Centipede: First Sequence
(Netherlands)
By PETER DEBRUGE
A Six Entertainment production. Produced by Ilona Six, Tom Six. Executive producer, Ilona Six. Directed, written by Tom Six.
With: Dieter Laser, Ashley C. Williams, Ashlynn Yennie, Akihiro Kitamura, Andreas Leupold.
(English, German, Japanese dialogue)
What has 12 legs, three heads and a single digestive tract? The disagreeable creation at the center of Tom Six's "The Human Centipede: First Sequence," a beyond-twisted body horror experiment in which a mad surgeon, renowned for separating Siamese twins, kidnaps and conjoins three unlucky tourists mouth-to-anus for no reason other than to satisfy his own sadistic whims (and the morbid curiosity of a certain type of moviegoer). Only real payoff is seeing the monstrosity assembled, and though that will surely earn the Dutch writer-director a cult reputation on the genre circuit, "going there" does not a movie make.
Though Six's execution proves far less graphic than the mutilation depicted in so-called "torture porn," at least those controversial pics offer social commentary of some kind. By contrast, "Human Centipede" can't be bothered to expand upon its unpleasant premise, inviting auds to revel in its sick humor by favoring Dr. Heiter (Dieter Laser, doing his best Udo Kier) and characterizing the victims as shallow expendables (reduced to acting with their eyes). Camera, sound and gore work meet today's horror standards, sure to impress those for whom empathy is no concern.
Camera (color, HD), Goof de Koning; music, Patrick Savage, Holeg Spies. Reviewed on DVD, Los Angeles, Sept. 29, 2009. (In Fantastic Fest, Austin.) Running time: 90 MIN.
The Miracle
Chudo (Russia)
By RUSSELL EDWARDS
A Central Partnership presentation of an Amkart Studio production in association with the Russian Ministry of Culture. (International sales: Central Partnership, Moscow.) Produced by Ruben Dishdishyan, Aram Movsesyan, Sergey Danielyan, Yury Moroz. Directed by Alexander Proshkin. Screenplay, Yury Arabov.
With: Konstantin Khabensky, Polina Kutepova, Sergey Makovetsky, Maria Burova, Vitaly Kischenko, Anna Ukolova, Viktor Shamirov.
A question of faith prompts an existential and political crisis for Soviet bureaucrats in the evocative if occasionally sluggish Russian drama "The Miracle," from vet helmer Alexander Proshkin. Based on a real event that exists somewhere between conspiracy theory and urban myth, the story of a woman paralyzed by a religious icon is well known among Russian citizens of all ages and will appeal to a local arthouse niche. Abroad, the pic will appeal to fests slots with a Euro slant.
Set in 1956, in the fictional provincial city of Grechansk (the real event allegedly happened in Samara)the yarn unfolds during Nikita Khrushchev's reign, as the Soviet Union emerged from its most totalitarian and paranoid phase. At a latenight party, drunken reveler Zoya (Maria Burova) is stood up by her fiance; to compensate, she grabs an icon from the wall and dances with it. Without explanation, the still-breathing woman is frozen to the spot. Attempts to move Zoya from her house or to remove the icon from her grasp are made, to no avail.
Cynical Moscow journalist Nikolai Artemyev (an excellent Konstantin Khabensky of "Nightwatch" and "Daywatch") is sent by his editor to investigate. Though he's given the runaround by local bureaucrats, Artemyev realizes the rumored event is being suppressed by the Soviet government because the atheist state fears a religious revival.
The opening 45 minutes, which follow Artemyev's investigation, pack a strong sense of intrigue. When the journalist returns home to Moscow, other characters -- a priest (Viktor Shamirov) and a religious official (Proshkin regular Sergey Makovetsky, haunting) -- come to the fore. But then the film enters a sort of narrative limbo, as if waiting for Artemyev to reappear. He never does, and the pic never fully recovers. Both Shamirov and Makovetsky take turns at becoming the film's central focus, but neither emerges from the shadow of Khabensky's riveting perf.
While Russian auds will be familiar with the story, the disclosure that the pic is based on a true story is withheld until the end; revealing this at the film's outset would be more beneficial for international auds.
The film's dry wit is typified by a shot of a goldfish "watching" a TV broadcasting Khrushchev's "secret speech" denouncing the personality cult around Stalin. Helming by Proshkin ("Live and Remember," "The Captain's Daughter") is solid but hampered by some of the script's less convincing inventions, such as a coincidence linking the journalist and the frozen girl.
Lensing by father-son cinematography team Gennady and Alexander Karyuk catches the drab atmosphere of the times. Other tech credits meet Russian commercial standards.
Camera (color), Gennady Karyuk, Alexander Karyuk; art director, Ekaterina Tatarskaya; sound (Dolby Digital), Evgeny Slivchenko. Reviewed at Vladivostok Film Festival (opener), Sept. 19, 2009. (Also in Pusan Film Festival -- World Cinema; Moscow Film Festival.) Running time: 110 MIN.
06 October 2009
Wahlberg For Reykjivik-Rotterdam
Remake of Icelandic thriller
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mark Walhberg has signed up to star in a remake of an Icelandic film we haven't even seen yet, Reykjavik-Rotterdam, a thriller that's Iceland's submission to this year's Oscars. The remake's expected to relocate the action elsewhere, so be prepared for a possible title change there when this one becomes geographically misleading.
The film centres on Christopher (well, Kristófer really), a former alcohol smuggler (what with the price of booze in Iceland being crazy-high) turned security guard who is lured back into the business by a dubious friend after he gets himself into a financial pickle. But of course it's not that easy: cue involvement with a violent drug dealer and danger for Christopher's family as well as himself.
The original was directed by Óskar Jónasson, but this version will be directed by the star of the original, Baltasar Kormákur. Prisoners writer Aaron Guzikowski is on scripting duties, and will presumably be trying to figure out what else one can smuggle these days.
Helen O'Hara
DreamWorks is revving up again on "Motorcade," setting as director Jon Cassar, best known as co-executive producer and a prolific helmer of the Fox TV drama "24."
The studio hopes to get the picture into production by late summer or early fall 2010, and DreamWorks is eyeing Ryan Reynolds to play the disgraced Secret Service agent who happens to be in the wrong place at the right time when the U.S. president is kidnapped in New York.
Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald are producing.
Billy Ray continues to work on a script that was originated by Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell.
The drama has been a priority for DreamWorks and was one of the projects Tom Cruise seriously considered when "Live Free or Die Hard" helmer Len Wiseman was attached.
Reynolds, who will next star in the Martin Campbell-directed "Green Lantern" for Warner Bros. next spring, has not signed on at this point.
Though Cassar will be making his first big studio feature after a TV directing career, he's a strong match for the material. He directed 59 episodes of "24" and the spinoff telepic "24: Redemption" but left the show to pursue a feature career.
Paradigm reps Cassar.
MORELIA, Mexico -- With the press tour for "Inglourious Basterds" winding down, star Eli Roth is switching gears as he readies the push for Louisiana exorcism pic "Cotton" and hammers out the script for his first sci-fi venture -- "Endangered Species."
Speaking at Mexico's Morelia Film Festival, Roth said he will be showing "Cotton" to Sundance in "a couple of weeks" with hopes of preeming it there in January. Roth produced pic with Strike Entertainment and director Daniel Stamm.
With plans to finish the script for "Species" in October, the no-holds-barred horror helmer is also penning "Thanksgiving," a film whose faux trailer appeared in Quentin Tarantino's "Grindhouse."
Ideally, Roth would like to shoot both back to back.
At the moment, however, "Endangered Species" comes first. As writer, director and producer, Roth is keeping the plot of "Species" hush- hush for now. Roth stressed that he does not plan on reusing actors and that the only thing in common for the two will be his "sick sense of humor."
"I haven't been this excited about an idea since the first 'Hostel,' " said Roth, referring to his breakout hit as director.
However, he added that he ran the script by Tarantino for notes. "Quentin is the greatest story editor you could have, and I trust him implicitly," he said.
Roth is making "Species" with Eric Newman ("Children of Men") and their shingle Arcade.
Newman and Roth are also developing a script with hip-hopper RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan for the rapper's first foray into cinema -- kung fu pic "The Man With the Iron Fist."
"He's been studying directing under Quentin pretty intensely," he added. "He's definitely ready."
Noting "a lot of interest" in the project, Roth said he's waiting for the script to be "100%" before shopping it around.
The scary movie man also noted that while a third "Hostel" pic is underway, he is not involved in any way.
"I'll be as surprised by it as everyone else," said Roth.
Warner Bros. has set RZA to star alongside Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis in "Due Date," the Todd Phillips-directed comedy.
RZA joins a cast that also includes Michelle Monaghan and Jamie Foxx in the story of a man with a mismatched travel companion who races home in hopes of arriving before his wife delivers their first child.
Phillips is producing through his Green Hat banner with Daniel Goldberg. Scott Budnick is exec producer. WB is partnered with Legendary Pictures on the film, and Susan Downey is exec producing.
RZA's also attached to Paul Haggis' "The Next Three Days" for Lionsgate and is scoring producer Robbie Brenner's film "Warriors Way" for Relativity Media. Feature credits include "Funny People" and "American Gangster"; he's also the creator-producer of the Wu-Tang Clan and has scored music for films by Ridley Scott, Jim Jarmusch and Quentin Tarantino.
In a surprise, Adrien Brody has been set by 20th Century Fox to play the heroic mercenary who battles alien hunters in "Predators," the reinvention of the "Predator" franchise that is being creatively spearheaded by Robert Rodriguez.
Brody will star with Alice Braga, Danny Trejo, Walton Goggins, Oleg Taktarov, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali and Louiz Ozawa.
Nimrod Antal is directing the film, production of which is about to get under way on location in Hawaii and at Rodriguez's Troublemaker Studios in Austin, Texas. Fox has set "Predators" for release on July 9, 2010.
Though best known for his Oscar-winning turn in the Roman Polanski-directed "The Pianist," Brody is playing a character close to the one that Arnold Schwarzenegger did in the 1987 original. He's a mercenary who tries to keep his team alive when its members are hunted by the aliens.
Fox has high hopes to spring a new franchise, and Brody has signed options to return for future installments, sources said.
Brody and his Paradigm reps lobbied hard for the role, which is his first action hero turn.
Former Aussie soap actress Isla Fisher ("Confessions of a Shopaholic," "Wedding Crashers") is getting two films turned into star vehicles for her at Universal Pictures says Variety.
The first is "Life Coach", a comedy about a young woman who consults a life coach who turns out to be messed up. Liz Cackowski and Maggie Carey are writing the script. Fisher will also produce.
The second is an untitled romantic comedy based on a French script called "Un Jour mes princes viendront" (One Day My Princes Will Come). Audrey Wells ("Under the Tuscan Sun") will adapt that script.
New Line is going on a "Vacation."
The Warner Bros. division is developing a sequel of sorts to the 1983 comedy classic, with David Dobkin attached to produce and possibly direct.
New Line is meeting with writers to write the script but the take is already developed: the story focuses on Rusty Griswold, the son of Clark Griswold, the protagonist of the initial movies and portrayed by Chevy Chase. The younger Griswold is now a father in his own right and takes his family on a road trip vacation.
The characters would acknowledge that first trip, making the movie more of a sequel than a reboot. Chase and Beverly D'Angelo, who played the mom in the original movies, will have room to make appearances as grandparents, providing a sense of continuity, though no deals are in place.
The original "Vacation" is a Warner Bros. property but as soon as New Line became part of the studio, exec Sam Brown began sifting through the parent company's titles to see what was available in terms of rights. He eventually found "Vacation," a movie he has watched more than any other in his life, and brought it to New Line president Toby Emmerich and production president Richard Brener, who jumped at the possibilities. The duo asked Warner brass if it had any plans with the title. It did not and the New Line execs persuaded the brass to let them take a crack at it. Brown is shepherding for New Line.
National Lampoon is not involved at this stage, as Warners controls the characters and the title.
New Line is taking meetings with writers this week, hoping to make a movie that skews more towards "Planes Trains and Automobiles" or "Little Miss Sunshine" than "RV" or "Are We There Yet?"
"Vacation" brings CAA-repped Dobkin back in business with New Line, for whom he directed and produced "Wedding Crashers."
Marlon Wayans is in advanced talks to play comedy icon Richard Pryor in "Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said?" for Happy Madison Productions and Sony Pictures reports Entertainment Weekly.
The $20 million production depicts Pryor's controversial brand of comedy and his battle with drugs.
Wayans beat out Eddie Murphy who was originally attached to star. "Dreamgirls" and "Gods & Monsters" writer/director Bill Condon will pen the script and direct.
Chris Rock, Jennifer Lee Pryor and Mark Gordon will produce.
David Tennant (TV's "Doctor Who") and Simon Pegg ("Star Trek," 'Shaun of the Dead") are teaming for the lead roles in the period comedy "Burke and Hare" for Ealing Studios according to an announcement at the Spooky Empire convention this weekend in Florida reports Bloody Disgusting.
Based on the true story about the famous graverobbers, 'Burke And Hare' follows the hapless exploits of two men (Pegg as Burke, Tennant as Hare) as they fall into the highly profitable business of providing cadavers for the medical fraternity in 19th Century Edinburgh, then the centre of medical learning which was always short of bodies.
In real life the case became known as the West Port murders. Hare's wife ran a lodging house where Burke stayed and whenever a patron looked to be on their death bed they would accelerate the process.
Legendary "An American Werewolf in London," "Animal House" and "Coming to America" Director John Landis will helm the project, his first narrative feature film since 1998's "Susan's Plan".
"St. Trinian's" scribes Piers Ashworth and Nick Moorcroft penned the script, Tennant himself just wrapped his first post-'Who' role as the villain in the "St. Trinian's" sequel which the pair also penned.
Pegg appeared on "Doctor Who" in the first year of its relaunch in 2005 when Christopher Eccleston played the titular Time Lord. Tennant's stint in the role didn't begin until later that year.
Vern kaže da je WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE masterpiece: http://www.aintitcool.com/node/42677 (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/42677)
Vernov problem je u tome što pada na imena iz art-house establišmenta. Koliko god bio super u reafirmaciji B-likova, toliko je konvencionalan kad je reč o "eliti"...
Ali za razliku od ostatka AICN ekipe i sl. ume to uvek lepo da argumentuje, složio se sa njim ili ne...
Pa da, ali je problem što svoju sposobnost argumentacije koristi za nešto u šta ne može da me ubedi. Ne govorim konkretno o WHERE THE WILD THINGS, nego mi je prosto neverovatno da neko sa tako istančanim DTV ukusom istovremeno ima tako strejt ukus kad je "ozbiljan" film u pitanju.
In a deal valued close to $2 million, Paramount has acquired an untitled feature pitch from scribes Aline Brosh McKenna and Simon Kinberg.
J.J. Abrams will produce with Bryan Burk through their Bad Robot banner.
Par's pricey purchase comes at a time when most other studios have shut down development spending for the rest of the year. Paramount got first crack at the material through its first-look deal with Bad Robot, which honed the pitch with the scribes.
Paramount Film Group prexy Adam Goodman and exec veep Marc Evans took it off the table in a deal that closed Friday evening. Sherryl Clark, Bad Robot's film chief, will exec produce. Lindsay Paulson is an associate producer.
Neither Par nor Bad Robot would disclose the plot, or how the different sensibilities of the writers will mesh.
McKenna is known for female-driven fare including "The Devil Wears Prada," "27 Dresses" and the upcoming Bad Robot-produced "Morning Glory." Kinberg has an action-drama sensibility evident in the upcoming "Sherlock Holmes" and such pics as "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" and "X-Men: The Last Stand."
"These two writers couldn't be more different, the genres they write seem almost diametrically opposed,' said Abrams. "But they came to Bad Robot with a pitch that thrilled us. We feel extremely lucky to get to work with this amazing team."
The two scribes are friends who recently worked together on a production rewrite of Fox's "Date Night," starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey.
Bad Robot continues to develop into an increasingly important supplier of pictures for Paramount. Aside from the Roger Michell-directed "Morning Glory" -- which stars Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton -- Abrams, Burke and Tom Cruise are producing a fourth installment of "Mission: Impossible" that the studio hopes to put into production next year.
The Playlist reports that before he gets to work on the script for the "Spider-Man" spin-off feature "Venom", director Gary Ross is tackling a different kind of hero - swinging spy Matt Helm for Paramount Pictures.
Paul Attanasio ("Donnie Brasco") penned the latest draft of the script which Steven Spielberg considered directing but opted instead for the "Harvey" remake. Paramount is keen to have a Bond/Bourne style spy franchise of their own and have reportedly set Ross to direct the project.
Donald Hamilton penned the book series beginning in 1960 which wasn't about a spy but rather a spyhunter, a man with the primary job of assassinating enemy agents.
The properties were previously adapted into three movies in the mid-to-late 1960s starring Dean Martin that bared little relation to the novels, serving more as a satire of the then immensely popular and still young James Bond film series.
Gus Van Sant and author Bret Easton Ellis will team to write a feature about the double suicide of artists Theresa Duncan and Jeremy Blake.
PalmStar Entertainment, Celluloid Dreams and K5 Film have acquired screen rights to "The Golden Suicides," a Vanity Fair article written by Nancy Jo Sales.
Van Sant, who helmed "Milk" and is prepping the Columbia Pictures drama "Restless," is involved only as writer at this point.
Ithaka Entertainment's Braxton Pope will produce with PalmStar's Kevin Frakes and Celluloid Dreams' Hengameh Panahi.
Duncan and Blake formed a popular couple on the downtown New York and Venice, Calif., art scenes. She was one of the first videogame designers for girls, and his "digital paintings" -- kaleidoscopic images shown on plasma screens -- established him as a rising star on the circuit.
The couple descended into a paranoid spiral when the artists developed a consuming belief that government and religious organizations were conspiring against them. She killed herself in 2007. Blake found her body on the floor of their bedroom, and walked into the Atlantic Ocean a week later, ending his life.
Patrick Siaretta, Oliver Simon and Daniel Baur will be exec producers, and Courtney Andrialis is co-producer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhHL3lhBn5A (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhHL3lhBn5A)
David Schwimmer will direct Clive Owen and Catherine Keener in "Trust," a dark drama about the damaging effects an online sexual predator has on a family. Millennium Films will produce and finance.
Schwimmer, who previously directed the laffer "Run Fat Boy Run" and co-directed HBO's "Little Britain USA" series, wrote the story for the drama, and Andy Bellin wrote the script.
Owen and Keener will play the parents of a 14-year-old girl who are stunned to discover she has been victimized by an adult who gained her trust posing as a teenager on a chat room. Newcomer Liana Liberato will play the daughter.
Millennium's Avi Lerner will produce with Heidi Jo Markel and Bob Greenhut. Exec producers are Danny Dimbort, Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson, Schwimmer and Tom Hodges.
Shooting begins Nov. 9 in Michigan.
Owen just opened in "The Boys Are Back" and Keener's latest, "Where the Wild Things Are," opens Friday.
Boogie The Movie ( Boogie el aceitoso ) po stripu argentinskog autora Roberta Fontanarose
A cold blooded and and ruthless hit-man. Always on the run. Boogie follows his own rules. A violent, chauvinist and sadistic character starring in a film that features a story line, music and images targeted to teen and adult audience. Women, alcohol and bullets it has it all.
Trailer
Boogie The Movie - Based on the work of the great Fontanarrosa - (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SLQwyEZ7Ps#ws-normal)
Oficijelna strana
http://www.boogielapelicula.com/eng/index_eng.html (http://www.boogielapelicula.com/eng/index_eng.html)
Premijera je danas u Buenos Airesu. Cim prije idem da pogledam ovaj film koji obecava nasilje na nivou najkrvavijih anime ostvarenja.
Reynoldsflem1_real In the third big money pitch deal this week, Working Title paid high six figures against seven figures for an untitled concept comedy that Allan Loeb will write as a star vehicle for Ryan Reynolds.
Working Title bought the project out of its discretionary fund, in a bidding battle with several companies that included Neal Moritz's Original Film and New Regency. All used discretionary fund money, which is likely to fuel most of the sales through year's end, as studios cut back on project spends.
Pic is described as a dude-in-drag romantic comedy, with Reynolds playing a jilted lover who must disguise himself as a woman and befriend his ex in order to win her back.
Working Title partners Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan will produce along with Jonathon Komack Martin (Reynolds' partner in Dark Trick Films) and Steven Pearl (Loeb's partner in Scarlett Fire). Working Title has a first look deal with Universal.
Liza Chasin will be executive producer along with Reynolds and Loeb.
This follows Disney's $900,000 against $1.6 million for "What's He Got?," a Kevin Bisch-scripted comedy that has Josh Duhamel attached to star and Walt Becker to direct. Paramount paid around $2 million for an untitled pitch that "The Devil Wears Prada" scribe Aline Brosh McKenna and "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" scribe Simon Kinberg will write, with J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot banner producing.
Reynolds, who had a strong summer with "Wolverine" and "The Proposal," next stars in the Martin Campbell-directed "Green Lantern" for Warner Bros. Loeb's most recent script work is "Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps," and the Jennifer Aniston-starrer "The Baster."
Reynolds is repped by UTA, Loeb by CAA.
Mike Mitchell ("Sky High," "Surviving Christmas") is set to direct the supernatural action comedy "Monster Squad" for Warner Bros. Pictures says the trades.
Despite the title, this is not a remake of the classic 1987 family film but the new name for Brian Lynch's 2000 spec script "Nightcrawlers".
Brad Copeland ("Yogi Bear") penned the most recent draft which centers on a neurotic father who must turn to a childhood tormentor to face his lifelong fear of the dark and the monsters who have haunted him.
Filming kicks off next Summer. Chris Bender, J.C. Spink, Jonathan Shestack and Donald De Line are producing.
"The Lives of Others" Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck is tipped to direct the upcoming thriller "The Tourist" for Spyglass Entertainment and StudioCanal says Variety.
A remake of 2005 French thriller "Anthony Zimmer", the story follows an American tourist (Sam Worthington) finds his life in danger when a female Interpol agent (Angelina Jolie) uses him as a dupe to flush out an elusive criminal with whom she once had an affair.
Julian Fellowes penned the adaptation which was polished by Christopher McQuarrie. Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum and Jonathan Glickman are producing.
Filming kicks off in February for release in 2011.
Američki glumac Sem Šepard i njegov španski kolega Eduardo Norijega igraće u vesternu "Blackthorn" čije će snimanje početi iduće godine u Boliviji
Film je priča o američkom uzgajivaču konja koji se iz Bolivije (Šepard) vraća u SAD. Na putu ka domovini sprijateljuje se sa mladim španskim inženjerom optuženim za pljačku rudnika (Norijega).
"Blackthorn" će režirati španski reditelj i scenarista Mateo Gil, koji je autor scenarija za film "Agora" Alehandra Amenabara.
Beta
Ridley Scott is in discussions with Angelina Jolie for a femme fatale role in "Gucci," a drama about murder and decadence in the Gucci fashion dynasty.
Fox 2000 is fashioning a 2010 start date for the film, and Scott is talking with Jolie to play Patrizia Reggiano, who was sentenced to 29 years in jail for plotting the murder of her ex-husband, Maurizio Gucci.
Pic is a priority for Fox 2000's Elizabeth Gabler and Carla Hacken, with Scott Free and Giannina Facio producing.
The studio is about to hire a scribe to rewrite the drama that recaptures the glamorous days of the Gucci family dynasty in the 1970s and '80s, when the family was selling $500 million in product annually. Squabbles hobbled the clan until Maurizio, the grandson of founder Guccio Gucci, came out on top of a power struggle to run the family business. Just when he was about to reestablish the brand name by debuting a line designed by newcomer -- and now film director -- Tom Ford, Maurizio was gunned down in front of his Milan apartment in 1995.
There are moving pieces in the film, as the script is still being developed and Scott needs to lock down an actor to play Maurizio. The director has approached his "Body of Lies" star Leonardo DiCaprio, but he is not attached at this point.
"Gucci" becomes the second big project at Fox 2000 for Jolie. The studio is developing the Patricia Cornwell novel series about medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta for Jolie to play the lead role in a film produced by Mark Gordon and Geyer Kosinski.
As for Jolie, she is likely to next star with Sam Worthington in "The Tourist," the Spyglass thriller that has Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck in line to direct. Pending a deal with the director, the hope is to begin production early next year.
Scott is in post-production with the Russell Crowe-Cate Blanchett starrer "Robin Hood" for Universal Pictures and Imagine.
Vancouver
Ninja Assassin
By ROB NELSON
A Warner Bros. release, presented in association with Legendary Pictures, Dark Castle Entertainment, of a Silver Pictures production, in association with Anarchos Prods. Produced by Joel Silver, Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski, Grant Hill. Executive producers, Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, Steve Richards. Directed by James McTeigue. Screenplay, Matthew Sand, J. Michael Straczynski, from a story by Sand.
Raizo - Rain
Mika Coretti - Naomie Harris
Ryan Maslow - Ben Miles
Takeshi - Rick Yune
Lord Ozunu - Sho Kosugi
Europol Agent - Guido Foehrweisser
Kingpin - Stephen Marcus
Aleksei Sabatin - Wladimir Tarasjanz
Tattoo Master - Randall Duk Kim
Hollywood - Sung Kang
Seemingly made to capitalize on a dubious CG innovation -- namely, the slicing of bodies in half by whizzing five-pointed stars -- "Ninja Assassin" has little else to recommend it, not even laughs. Working again with the Wachowski brothers as producers, director James McTeigue delivers a lower-brow, somewhat livelier work than the team's "V for Vendetta." But unless the viewer is easily delighted by ultraviolence for its own sake, this thinly plotted movie about a young ninja's revenge against his cruel trainers will disappoint. Warner Bros.' Nov. 25 release should nonetheless prove effective as holiday-season counterprogramming, at least in the short term.
Korean pop star Rain conjures only a mild drizzle as Raizo, a limber bone-snapper trained from a young age by a secret society of child-abducting killer-for-hire ninjas. Early flashbacks reveal Raizo to have been taken in as an orphan by the Ozunu Clan, which he defies by running away in the wake of his sweetheart's murder by cold-blooded Lord Ozunu (Sho Kosugi).
The pic's present-day action, set in Berlin, revolves around Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris), a gorgeous Europol agent whose latenight sleuthing uncovers a financial connection between recent political assassinations and the Ozunu. Naturally, the agent herself is targeted for assassination, as chief Ozunu baddie Takeshi (Rick Yune) and his blade-tossing ninja comrades come West to forcibly halt the investigation. As if possessed of psychic powers, Raizo, hiding out in Europe, senses a chance to save a lovely lady where he had failed in the same task years before.
Eventually the film leads to a Europol-led shootout and a pair of unmemorably acrobatic duels between Raizo and his two archrivals -- "older brother" Takeshi and raspy-voiced "father" Ozunu.
Though "Ninja Assassin" is implausible on countless levels, Raizo's training to feel nothing at least gels with Rain's ability to emote nothing. Harris, a strong presence in Michael Mann's "Miami Vice" feature, acquits herself capably here, reacting believably to the incessant carnage around her.
Of course, the film's raison d'etre is precisely its blood-soaked combination of physical stunts and digital trickery, the latter favored to a fault. While not remotely on par with the Wachowskis' "bullet time" f/x in "The Matrix," the ridiculous torrent of flying blades and flayed flesh here does appear unique in technological terms, and certainly pushes the pic's R rating to its limits.
Indeed, such is the film's level of insinuated gore that the frustratingly dark texture of many fight-scene shots can perhaps be explained by a post-production bid to avoid an NC-17. Whatever the case, the shadowy action is too often incomprehensible, except in the general sense that heads, limbs and torsos are being severed in massive numbers.
If there's a sick joke to be had from this sort of human meat-carving, it isn't found by McTeigue and his key collaborators, including conventionally quick-cutting editors Gian Ganziano and Joseph Jett Sally.
Where the pic does excel is in its immersive sound design, as swords, chains and myriad other weapons seem to sail around the theater, at times helping to clarify the dimly lit action.
Camera (color/B&W, widescreen), Karl Walter Lindenlaub; editors, Gian Ganziano, Joseph Jett Sally; music, Ilan Eshkeri; production designer, Graham "Grace" Walker; supervising art director, Sebastian T. Krawinkel; set decorator, Peter Walpole; costume designer, Carlo Poggioli; sound (Dolby/DTS/SDDS), Ivan Sharrock; supervising sound editor, Eric Lindemann; visual effects supervisors, Chas Jarrett, Dan Glass, Jeppe N. Christensen, Bjorn Mayer, Matt McDonald, Christopher Townsend; special effects supervisor, Uli Nefzer; stunt coordinators, Chad Stahelski, Noon Orsatti; fight choreographers, Jon Valera, Peng Zhang; assistant director, Terry Needham; casting, Lucinda Syson. MPAA rating: R. Reviewed at Vancouver Film Festival (Special Presentations), Oct. 13, 2009. (Also in Fantastic Fest, Austin.) MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 99 MIN.
Headhunter
20 October, 2009 | By Fionnuala Halligan
Dir/scr. Rumle Hammerich. Denmark, 2009. 100 mins.
Stylish, noirish, Danish: this slickly atmospheric corporate thriller features a taut performance from Lars Mikkelsen – older brother, by a year, of Mads – as an investigative-reporter-turned-headhunter out of his depth in the high-stakes world of boardroom intrigue. A hit at home in Denmark with $2.2m in eight weeks, this would shout 'remake' if Michael Clayton hadn't gotten there first, but there's enough to recommend this smart genre effort as it stands.
Hammerich has created two challenging men who want to cut their "weak" offspring loose
It's Hammerich's moody visualisation of his own screenplay that marks Headhunter out; the plot is deft enough but holds little new for genre fans. Mikkelsen's watchable turn, a jazzy score, a watery Copenhagen lensed in icy blues and grays: in this company, 100 minutes trips by very nicely. It may not be deep enough for the art-house crowd, but there's nothing to stop Headhunter emerging as a more commercial 'discovery'. Crime sophisticates, well used by now to trickery and sexed-up shocks-that-aren't, could respond well to this old-fashioned thriller. And how can you resist a fight entirely staged and shot inside a wardrobe?
In docklands Copenhagen, Marten Vinge (Mikkelson) is a former reporter now working as a headhunter for major multi-nationals. He's all sharp corners and smooth façade, sleeping with a former, married colleague and trying to give his desperately-ill son Jakob up for adoption. He's a hollow soul, in other words, ripe for the picking by the head of Denmark's Sieger Group – "bigger than Microsoft" – who is looking to oust his own son in a bitter boardroom battle.
"I need someone who knows the new morality," says old man Niels Sieger (Henning Moritzen), dismissing his son Daniel's (Flemming Enevold) chances in the succession battle a week before a vital board meeting.
Fired up by the challenge, Marten starts to source candidates at the same time as his son is suddenly, miraculously, being considered for revolutionary new surgery. He has compromised himself, and it doesn't take long for the screw to be turned.
Hammerich has created two challenging men who want to cut their "weak" offspring loose, an interesting interplay on the "fathers and sons" theme which he largely sustains throughout.
Production standards are high for what cannot have been a generously-budgeted film; Hammerich masters his team to deliver a mood of stylish angst set in bare boardrooms and sparsely decorated homes. Water follows our principal wherever he goes, from Sieger Headquarters, where he is given office space, to the country house of Old Man Sieger, where he is an unwelcome guest. It's a chilly world, against a deliciously jazzy score.
Mikkelsen appears in almost every scene, and is more than capable throughout. Whether it's waxy-faced shock or barely-lidded emotion, his is a face to watch. It evidently runs in the family.
LONDON -- Protagonist Pictures has acquired international rights to British helmer Jonathan Lynn's laffer "Wild Target."
Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt, Rupert Grint and Rupert Everett all star in the project, about a beautiful con artist who finds herself pursued by a top assassin after scamming a gangster.
Pic is a remake of Gallic helmer Pierre Salvadori's "Cible emouvante."
Martin Pope and Michael Rose of Magic Light Pictures are producing, with Lucinda Coxon penning the script.
Cinetic is handling sales of the North American rights.
Bronson kao novi Mad Max?
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/42804 (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/42804)
Kejdž i njegova perika ponovo u akciji!
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/42802 (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/42802)
Bilo bi zaista strašno da Hardy bude MAX. Nadam se da ovaj film neće biti ni snimljen ili da će se bar Miller predomisliti...
I Come With the Rain
(France-Spain-Hong Kong-Ireland)
By DEREK ELLEY
A Central Films presentation of a TF1 Intl., Lumiere Intl., Studio Canal (France)/Morena Films (Spain)/Better Wide (Hong Kong)/LeBrocquy Fraser Prods. (Ireland) production. (International sales: TF1 Intl., Paris.) Produced by Fernando Sulichin, Jean Cazes, Jean-Pierre Marois. Executive producers, Simon Fawcett, Alvaro Longoria, Julie le Brocquy. Directed, written by Tran Anh Hung.
With: Josh Hartnett, Tran Nu Yenkhe, Lee Byung-hun, Takuya Kimura, Shawn Yue, Elias Koteas, David Tang, Eusebio Poncela, William Chow, Tze Ho, Ricky Chan, Sam Lee.
(English dialogue)
Shot two years ago, largely in the Philippines and Hong Kong, and finally preemed in Japan this summer, Josh Hartnett starrer "I Come With the Rain" staggers onto the screen looking as bloody and bruised as many of its protags. Frequently incoherent and often repulsively violent drama, centered on an American private investigator on the trail of a wacko gone AWOL in the Far East, reps a career misstep by Hartnett in his first international production. Luckily for him, the English-lingo pic is virtually unreleasable in major western territories, except as a DVD curio.
On the strength of thesp Takuya Kimura's name, the film did so-so biz in Japan in June, but even with the popularity of co-star Lee Byung-hun ("G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," "The Good the Bad the Weird"), the pic opened softly in South Korea Oct. 15. At the Pusan fest screening caught, even some violence-inured Korean auds headed for the exit midway through.
"Rain" is the first feature in nine years by Paris-based, Vietnamese-born auteur Tran Anh Hung, responsible for such delicate fare as "The Scent of Green Papaya" and "The Vertical Ray of the Sun." Tran surprised everyone more than a decade ago with "Cyclo," a violent descent into criminal hell by a Saigon bicycle-taxi driver; "Rain" has the same theme and ambience, but this time injected into a story with no redeeming artistry or even basic storytelling smarts.
Pic opens with a sequence of L.A. cop Kline (Hartnett) hunting down a sick serial killer, Hasford (Elias Koteas), that's expanded in memory flashes throughout the movie. Cut to two years later, and the still-traumatized Kline, now a PI, is hired by a pharmaceuticals billionaire to find his son, Shitao (Kimura), who's disappeared in Mindanao, Philippines.
In Mindanao, Kline is told by Vargas (Eusebio Poncela), an investigator previously hired by the billionaire, that Shitao may now be in Hong Kong. Hotfooting it to Kowloon, Kline looks up cop pal Meng Zi (Shawn Yue) for help.
Already rife with coincidences, the storyline becomes particularly fuzzy as Shitao is shown living in a grass hut where he performs miracles on tortured souls, bleeding from stigmata as he absorbs their pain. Turns out Shitao has even more pain in store when Lili (Tran Nu Yenkhe, the helmer's wife, who has appeared in all his pics), the druggie g.f. of psycho gangster Su Dongpo (Lee), ends up in his hut.
With all its imagery of physical pain, mental scarring and Christ-like suffering and crucifixion, the pic makes for deeply unpleasant viewing, to little conceivable point. (One chaotic montage sequence halfway through plays like some kind of retro LSD trip.) Second half is almost impossible to follow logically, and not helped by laughable cameos, including Hong Kong thesp Sam Lee as a mad evangelist.
Coda, which returns to the story of Kline and the crazed Hasford, piles on the sick psycho-horror to numbing effect.
With the flashiest role, Lee steals the movie as the sadistic Su, though it's a perf the South Korean thesp can almost phone in nowadays. Clean-cut Hartnett simply looks bemused, and Koteas comes close to hamming.
Widescreen lensing by Basque-born d.p. Juan Ruiz-Anchia is soaked in saturated colors but lacks any visual consistency.
Camera (color, Panavision widescreen, DV-to-35mm), Juan Ruiz-Anchia; editor, Mario Battistel; consulting editor, Lynzee Klingman; music, Gustavo Santaolalla; production designer, Benoit Barouh; art director, Devi Tirouvanziam; costume designer, Judy Shrewsbury; sound (Dolby Digital), Antonio Bloch, Gabriel Gutierrez; visual effects supervisor, Jordi San Agustin; special effects makeup, Olivier Afonso; stunt coordinator, Bruce Law; assistant directors, George Every, Johnnie Kong. Reviewed at Pusan Film Festival (Gala Presentations), Oct. 13, 2009. Running time: 115 MIN.
DreamWorks has tapped scribe Laeta Kalogridis to adapt the Japanese manga property "Ghost in the Shell."
DreamWorks is making the futuristic police thriller as a 3D live-action film.
Avi Arad, Ari Arad and Steven Paul of Seaside Entertainment are attached to produce and originally brought the project to DreamWorks.
Created by Masamune Shirow, "Ghost in the Shell" was first published in 1989. It went on to generate two more manga editions, three anime film adaptations and an anime TV series. The second anime film, "Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence," was released in the U.S. by DreamWorks in 2004.
Jamie Moss was the original writer hired when DreamWorks bought the property last year.
Kalogridis wrote and exec produced Martin Scorsese's upcoming thriller "Shutter Island," which stars Leonardo DiCaprio.
Uuuu, Laeta je takav treshmajster (u najnegativnijem smislu) da ovo takoreci nema shanse da uspe.
Pogotovo jer su Anime adaptacije GITS (Bioskopske, ne one serijalne) bile jako arty. Slutim da će ovo biti više.. akciono.
On the eve of the AFM, ContentFilm International has taken worldwide sales rights to action thriller The Fallout to be directed by Xavier Gens (Hitman). The film is due is due to start principal photography in Feb 2010 in Eastern Europe.
The Fallout, set in a post-apocalyptic New York, is produced by Ross Dinerstein (The Killing Room, Powder Blue, Unknown), Darryn Welch (Goal! The Dream Begins,The Bang Bang Club, Stag Night), and Tony Krantz (24, Mulholland Drive) and was written by Karl Mueller and Eron Sheean who will also co produce.It is billed as "a thriller that combines elements of'Assault on Precinct 13 with Lord of the Flies in a story of survival."
'"Xavier's vision for this film is extraordinary. He brings a visual edge to this fascinating exploration of the human condition," commented producer Ross Dinerstein.
"With a collective of 'End of the World' movies hitting the theatres presently, this film will undoubtedly stand out like a ravenous Pit bull in a school playground... brace yourselves cause this film has a serious bite to it!" said Producer Darryn Welch.
CFI's Carmichael added: 'Xavier is a super talented, commercial filmmaker and he's a perfect match for this terrifying material. It's going to be a very stylish genre film and we're extremely excited to be working with him, Ross and Darryn.'
Yoga
(South Korea)
By DEREK ELLEY
Go Fandango!
A Sidus release of a United Pictures presentation of an Opus Pictures production. (International sales: United Pictures, Seoul.) Produced by Lee Tae-hyeon. Executive producers, Lee, Shim Bo-gyeong, Eugene Lee. Directed, written by Yoon Jae-yeon.
With: Eugene, Cha Su-yeon, Jo Eun-ji, Park Han-byeol, Kim Hye-na, Lee Yeong-jin, Hwang Seung-eon, Lee Hye-sang, Daniel Choi.
A creepy private institute for physical meditation becomes a ghostly slaughterhouse in "Yoga." Second feature by writer-director Yoon Jae-yeon delivers the goods much more effectively than her 2003 "Wishing Stairs" (the weakest of the "Whispering Corridors" quintet), though the script is equally wobbly. Still, fantasy fests will sign up, as well as some offshore DVD labels.
In a South Korean context, the pic plays as a genre take on the country's obsession with perfect looks -- as did Kim Ki-duk's artier "Time." Ambitious home-shopping TV hostess Hyo-jeong (Eugene, aka Yu Jin), replaced by a younger presenter, joins a yoga school run by a coldly beautiful ex-actress (Lee Hye-sang) that promises, per weirdo course leader Na-ni (Cha Su-yeon), immortal beauty to the survivor. Also on hand are a scatty pop singer (Park Han-byeol), a divorcee with a nose job (Kim Hye-na), a food obsessive (Jo Eun-ji) and a quiet mouse (Hwang Seung-eon). Soon, the women are dying in horrible ways. Shot in musty, dank colors, the pic keeps the scares coming, though working out the plot (which hangs on a film-studio death 30 years earlier) will tax auds worried about logic.
Camera (color, widescreen), Seong Sung-baek; editor, Lee Do-hyeon; music, Choi Sung-hyeon; art director, Lee Ha-jun. Reviewed on DVD, London, Oct. 23, 2009. (In Pusan Film Festival -- market.) Original title: Yoga hakweon. Running time: 97 MIN.
Possessed
Bulshin jiok (South Korea)
By DEREK ELLEY
A Showbox/Mediaplex release of a Sovik Venture Capital, DCG Plus presentation of an Achim Pictures production, in association with Tiger Pictures. (International sales: Showbox, Seoul.) Produced by Kim Sang-ho. Executive producers, Jo Cheol-hyeon, Jeong Seung-hye, Lee Jeong-se. Directed, written by Lee Yong-ju.
With: Nam Sang-mi, Ryu Seung-ryong, Kim Bo-yeon, Shim Eun-gyeong, Mun Heui-gyeong, Jang Yeong-nam, Lee Chang-jin, Oh Ji-eun, Shin Eun-jeong, Kim Yu-jeong.
Though still identifiably K-horror in feel and in its social themes, "Possessed" plays withthe genre in a refreshing way. Low-key drama of a young woman trying to solve the disappearance of her younger sister, who appears to have been taken over by dark forces, surprisingly showed up at no summer or fall fests, and tanked locally in August despite positive reviews. A natural for fantasy events, this has offshore cable and ancillary potential, despite its no-name cast and modest production values.
Pic notably avoids almost every embedded cliche of Korean horror, such as girls' school settings and demonic gazes through long hair. Though it has some well-judged shocks, especially one in the second reel, it doesn't rely on either moody lensing or outre violence for effect.
Frosh writer-director Lee Yong-ju was an assistant director on Bong Joon-ho's "Memories of Murder," and there's some of the same feeling of quotidian horror in "Possessed." A closer European parallel would be Hans-Christian Schmid's "Requiem," which also didn't provide neat answers, qualifying more as drama than genre exercise.
The movie's freshness partly stems from its mingling of evangelical Christianity, shamanism and even atheism, and the way it shows how these beliefs (or non-beliefs) become blurred when confronted with the same problem. The pic works especially well in its South Korean setting, as evangelical Christianity is particularly strong there.
Nam Sang-mi, previously just a pretty support in comedies like "Spy Girl" and "She's on Duty," is considerably deglammed as Kang Heui-jin, who's suddenly called by her mother (Kim Bo-yeon) with the news that her 13-year-old sister, So-jin (Shim Eun-gyeong), has vanished. Mom, who thinks hell is just around the corner for nonbelievers like Heui-jin, is half-coherent at best, so Heui-jin, still weak from a fever she can't shake, visits the family apartment (bedecked with crosses) to help out.
While there, she's visited by a gruff cop, Tae-hwan (Ryu Seung-ryong), who tries to shrug off the case until Heui-jin rails at his uselessness. As the two question others on the block -- including a shaman (Mun Heui-gyeong) and a nutty security guard (Lee Chang-jin) -- a weird community of differing persuasions is revealed, as well as a backstory involving multiple deaths, starting with So-jin's friend, Jeong-mi (Oh Ji-eun).
The mystery of So-jin's disappearance becomes less important than the clashes of faith as the pic progresses, with everyone having taken advantage of So-jin for their own ends. As Heui-jin becomes progressively more spooked out, the cop comes to rep the voice of practicality and reason, though even he is prone to superstition.
Lee's script is a bit fuzzy at the edges and tends to throw ideas at the viewer rather than mold them into a dramatic unity. The finale doesn't have quite the power it should, as it essentially repeats ideas already spelled out earlier, but overall, the film has a moody, slow-burning quality that's involving.
For a movie more about Heui-jin than her absent sister, Nam is almost too subdued, though she and Ryu have an effective chemistry. Shim, seen in flashbacks, is very good as a rag doll tossed around by her mother's madness.
Atmospheric score -- more a collection of sounds than regular music -- is a big help in maintaining mood. Other credits are modest but do the job. Original Korean title means "The Hell of Non-Believers"; the pic was also known earlier as "Living Death."
Camera (color), Jo Sang-yun; editors, Kim Sang-beom, Kim Jae-beom; music, Kim Hong-jib; production designer, Kim Shi-yeong; sound (Dolby Digital), Eun Heui-su. Reviewed on DVD, London, Oct. 22, 2009. Running time: 104 MIN.
The most talked about scene for Sylvester Stallone's upcoming "The Expendables" film finally got filmed this past Saturday morning in Los Angeles.
Ethelmae's Blog reports that Stallone, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger all showed up at the Hollywood Presbyterian Church to shoot "a pivotal scene that sets up the whole movie" according to publicist Maria Lascala, a scene that has the three action stars playing off of each other.
The scene was shot in an empty church without extras and minimal set decorations while the tone was a blend of "tension and humor". Lascala added that things went super smoothly - "we got through the scene quickly without compromise. In 6 hours we did wide shots, close-ups, turned around ... the whole nine yards"
We'll see the results for ourselves when the film opens next August.
January Jones and Diane Kruger have joined the thriller "Unknown White Male" for Dark Castle and Warner Bros. Pictures reports Variety.
Liam Neeson plays a doctor who, while visiting Berlin with his wife, is in a car accident that leaves him in a coma. He awakens to find that he seemingly has been replaced by another man, one with sinister intentions, leading the good doctor on a frantic quest to uncover the truth.
Jones will play Neeson's wife, who gets caught up in a conspiracy regarding her husband. Kruger will play a Berlin taxi driver and Neeson's unexpected ally.
Jaume Collet-Serra ("House of Wax," "Orphan") will direct from a screenplay by Oliver Butcher, Stephen Cornwell and Karl Gajdusek.
Joel Silver, Leonard Goldberg and Andrew Rona are producing. Shooting aims to begin late January in Berlin.
Adam Sandler is climbing up the hill for Columbia Pictures.
The actor will next star in the romantic comedy "Jack and Jill" and produce via his Happy Madison shingle. Sandler will play Jack as well as twin sister Jill.
Project was brought to Happy Madison by Todd Garner ("Paul Blart: Mall Cop"), who will also produce alongside Sandler's partner Jack Giarraputo. Steve Koren, whose relationship with Sandler dates back to their "Saturday Night Live" days, penned the screenplay.
"Jack and Jill" is scheduled to begin lensing early next year and will be released by Sony in early 2011.
Sandler, who starred in Universal's Judd Apatow-helmed "Funny People," will next be seen in Sony's high school reunion comedy "Grown Ups" and will also lend his voice for MGM/Sony comedy "Zookeeper."
He is repped by WME and Brillstein Entertainment.
Milla Jovovich will star in writer-director Julien Magnat's psychological thriller "Faces in the Crowd" for Forecast Pictures, Radar Films and Minds Eye Entertainment.
Scott Mednick ("Where the Wild Things Are") is producing alongside Jean-Charles Levy, Clement Miserez and Kevin DeWalt.
Sylvain White, who directed "Stomp the Yard," is also onboard to produce and mentor Magnat, who is making his English-language helming debut with the project, which he also penned.
Story centers on a woman who barely survives an attack by a serial killer and wakes up in hospital with a head injury that leaves her "face-blind." No longer able to recognize faces, she must navigate a world in which facial features change each time she loses sight of them. All the while the killer is closing in, determined to eliminate the potential witness.
"Julien has written a breathtaking thriller that is truly original, and I was hooked from the first read," Mednick said of the screenplay that deals with the real-life neurological disorder called prosopagnosia.
Lensing will begin in March. International sales will be handled at next week's American Film Market by Voltage Pictures.
Jovovich, who toplined the "Resident Evil" franchise, is currently shooting the fourth installment. Her upcoming credits also include the Robert De Niro-Edward Norton starrer "Stone."
She is repped by WME.
Ambush Entertainment's Matthew Leutwyler and Miranda Bailey have formed a partnership with Woo-ping Yuen's Hong Kong-based FilmCan Production on "Garnet on the Golden Sand," a martial-arts film that the action master will direct.
Jun Tan penned the original script. Story follows a 17th century European merchant and two Chinese swordsmen who are recruited by the leader of a prosperous trade town on the Silk Road to fight off a notorious desert raider.
Pic will shoot in China next summer.
"Miranda and I have been looking for the right project to take our first step into the Asian market, and after meeting with Master Yuen to discuss Jun's script, we knew we had found the perfect match," Leutwyler said.
Yuen has directed films dating back to "Drunken Master" and "Iron Monkey" and done the fight choreography on pics including "Kung Fu Hustle," "Kill Bill" and "The Matrix" series.
L.A.-based Ambush, which previously produced "The Squid and the Whale," has teamed with its financing arm, Cold Iron Pictures, on several recently completed projects. They include the Richard Levine-directed "Every Day," with Helen Hunt and Liev Schreiber; the Matthew Broderick-Sanaa Lathan starrer "Wonderful World," which will be released by Magnolia; and "Against the Current," which stars Joseph Fiennes, Mary Tyler Moore and Justin Kirk and will be released via IFC Festival Direct, the movies-on-demand platform from IFC Films.
"Mad Men" star January Jones has signed on for her second bigscreen role in a week.
The actress will star opposite Nicolas Cage in the dramatic thriller "Hungry Rabbit Jumps" for Endgame Entertainment. Roger Donaldson ("The Bank Job") is directing.
Story centers on a man (Cage) who becomes entangled with an underground vigilante organization after his wife (Jones) is the victim of a brutal crime.
Endgame picked up Robert Tannen's spec in 2008 for Tobey Maguire to topline. Maguire is producing the $30 million-budgeted film alongside Endgame's James Stern, Maguire Entertainment's Jenno Topping and indie producer Ram Bergman.
Shooting is scheduled to begin in January in New Orleans.
Last week, Jones pacted to star opposite Liam Neeson and Diane Kruger in Dark Castle's "Unknown White Male."
She is repped by ICM and Mosaic.
Tony Scott has become attached to direct a film about the rise and fall of Steve Banerjee, the man responsible for creating Chippendales, who was consumed by excess and competition when the male strip clubs became a phenomenon in the 1980s.
Scott and his Scott Free banner will produce with David Permut's Permut Presentations and Firoz Nadiadwala.
Script will be written by Lisa Schrager, who penned the Heidi Fleiss story "Pay the Girl" for Nicole Kidman at Paramount and "Gangsta Bitches" at Universal. She will adapt a manuscript written by Rodney Sheldon.
Pic is being financed from a private equity fund raised out of India by Permut.
With a tone similar to the Scott-directed "True Romance," pic will follow the improbable rise and fall of Banerjee, who went from pumping gas in Culver City to running a high-end nightclub that evolved into Chippendales. After hiring a New York choreographer to polish the all-male dance troupe, Banerjee became wildly rich, as well as unreasonably competitive and paranoid. Banerjee hired a hitman to murder the choreographer when negotiations went sour. After being arrested, Banerjee died in jail awaiting trial.
Scott is currently directing the Denzel Washington-Chris Pine starrer "Unstoppable" for 20th Century Fox.
Permut produced "Youth in Revolt," the Michael Cera-Zach Galifianakis comedy that Dimension opens early next year.
Peter Saphier will be executive producer and Steve Longi will be co-producer.
Morgan Freeman is attached to star in an untitled comedy for Warner Bros. Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
Josh Cagan and Greg Coolidge's script revolves around an aging playboy who finally meets the love of his life and his best friend and wingman for the past 40 years (Freeman) who does everything to break up the new couple.
The aim is for a "Wedding Crashers" and "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" style tone and the producers hope to re-team with Jack Nicholson on the project.
Peter Segal ("Get Smart") is being eyed as a potential director. The film previously had the working title "Dirty Old Men."
Abel Ferrara has departed the action feature "Game of Death" for Sony Pictures reports Moviehole.
Wesley Snipes stars as a diplomat's bodyguard who is injured in a botched assassination attempt. The bodyguard and his company all taken to the same hospital, where the former teams up with a nurse (Zoe Bell) to protect the diplomat from a team of ruthless assassins led by Zander (Gary Daniels).
Snipes and Ferrara previously worked together on 1990's "King of New York". Reasons for Ferrara's departure are unspecified, but Georgio Serafini is set to replace him.
Filming is currently underway in New York.
Patrick Dempsey has joined the cast of an untitled bank-heist comedy for Foresight Unlimited says The Hollywood Reporter.
Jon Lucas and Scott Moore ("The Hangover") are penning the script about a man caught in the middle of two different robberies at the same bank who tries to protect a bank teller with whom he's secretly in love.
Paul McGuigan ("Lucky Number Slevin") is set to direct while Dempsey, Peter Safran and Mark Damon are producing. Filming kicks off in April.
Pierre Morel ("Taken," "From Paris With Love") has signed to direct the paranoia thriller "Signals" for Media Rights Capital says The Hollywood Reporter.
Richard Potter and Matthew Stravitz penned the script and while the storyline is being kept underwraps, the tone is similar to classic 70's Robert Redford conspiracy thriller "Three Days of the Condor".
The film is being fast tracked which means it'll likely head into production before Morel's other commitments to "Pursuit" at Universal and a Tokyo-set thriller at Paramount.
Joel Schumacher's new film Twelve is proving a hot seller for Gaumont based on a promo reel being screened in Santa Monica.
In the first two days of the market, Tobis has taken Germany, Svensk has taken Scandinavia, Dutch Filmworks has taken Benelux and Keowon has taken Korea on the drama.
These acquisitions follow deals negotiated in the run-up to AFM - IPA took Thailand, Monopole-Pathe took the film for Switzerland, Odeon took Greece, Four Star took Middle East, Europa took Brazil and Telexcel bought the rest of Latin America.
Twelve, which is expected to be ready for Sundance/Berlin next year, is based on the novel by seventeen year-old Nick McDonnell. The cast is led by Gossip Girl star Chace Crawford, Emma Roberts, Rory Culkin, Ellen Barkin and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson.
Set on Manhattan's Upper East Side, the film follows White Mike, a dropout drug dealer to the privileged. As he grieves over his mother's recent death and struggles with his inability to express his love, his cousin is brutally murdered and his best friend is arrested for the crime. Everything comes to a violent end at an 18th birthday party.
"The Hangover" star Bradley Cooper has signed on to star in Relativity Media suspense thriller "Dark Fields."
Neil Burger ("The Illusionist") is onboard to direct.
Project is described as a what-if story about a designer drug that can make you rich and powerful. Eddie (Cooper) is a down-and-out New York writer until he possesses a pill that gives him the ability to access the full capacity of his brain. He soon realizes that his newfound intelligence and success come at a hefty price as mysterious forces begin to pursue him.
Film, which will begin lensing in late spring 2010, is based on a novel by Alan Glynn. Leslie Dixon ("Hairspray") adapted the screenplay.
Dixon and Scott Kroopf ("Breach") are producing alongside Relativity's Ryan Kavanaugh. Relativity's Tucker Tooley is exec producing.
Universal will distribute through Relativity's Rogue Pictures.
Cooper can be seen onscreen in "New York, I Love You." His upcoming credits include the Garry Marshall-helmed "Valentine's Day" and 20th Century Fox's "The A-Team.
Justin Timberlake, Anna Faris and Dan Aykroyd are in talks to star in the "Yogi Bear" feature film for Warner Bros. Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon, Faris will play a nature documentarian who follows the antics of a bear in fictional Jellystone Park.
Aykroyd will voice Yogi, and Timberlake is in talks to play either Ranger Smith or the voice of Yogi's companion, Boo Boo. The project will fuse live-action and CG animation ala "Alvin and the Chipmunks" and "Garfield".
Eric Brevig directs from a script polished by Brad Copeland, while Donald De Line and Karen Rosenfelt are producing. Filming kicks off in New Zealand in December.
Director Ken Loach ("Looking for Eric," "The Wind That Shakes the Barley") and cinematographer Chris Menges ("Poor Cow," "Kes") are re-teaming on "Route Irish" for Sixteen Films Why Not Prods. and Wild Bunch says The Hollywood Reporter.
Paul Laverty penned the script which follows two men who make their living as private security contractors in Iraq who risk their lives in a city awash with violence and greed.
When Frankie gets killed on "Route Irish" -- the road that links Baghdad airport to the Green Zone -- Fergus, unable to overcome his grief and guilt, doesn't accept the official explanation and sets about investigating the truth of his friend's death.
Mark Womack, Andrea Lowe, John Bishop, Trevor Williams and Talib Hamafraj star.
Universal Pictures is lining up the comedy "Desperados" as a potential starring vehicle for Isla Fisher says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story is set in motion when a woman sends an indignant e-mail to her new beau, who's gone silent after they have sex.
When she discovers he's comatose in a Mexican hospital, she races south of the border with her friends in tow to intercept the e-mail before he recovers.
Ellen Rapoport penned the script. Mark Gordon and Jason Blum are producing.
J.J. Abrams ("Star Trek," TV's "Lost") is in talks to produce "Micronauts", a film version of the Japanese Microman toy line reports The Wall Street Journal.
The toys, first released in 1974 and later in 1976 in the US under the 'Micronauts' name, were a mix of 3.75-inch tall action figures, vehicles, robots, play sets, and accessories. All used a universal, five millimeter inter-connective design allowing people to swap around various parts.
Palisades Toys bought the rights to reproduce Micronauts in 2002. Marvel Comics published a tie-in comic book line starting in 1979.
Gwyneth Paltrow has joined the cast of transsexual artist drama "The Danish Girl" for Pretty Pictures, Harrison Productions and Blossom Films reports Variety.
Based on the non-fiction novel by David Ebershoff, Paltrow plays Greta Wegener, a portrait painter in 1920s Copenhagen who asked her husband Einar to stand in for an absent female model.
Slipping on a dress, stockings and woman's shoes began a metamorphosis into Lili. When the photos became wildly popular, Greta encouraged her husband to do more.
The harmless game evolved into something deeper - the landmark 1931 first sex-change operation that shocked the world and threatened their marriage. Greta finally let go when she realized the man she married no lnger exists.
Nicole Kidman had already been attached to play Einar. Thomas Alfredson ("Let the Right One In") is directing from a script by Lucinda Coxon.
Kidman, Gail Mutrux, Per Saari, Anne Harrison and Linda Reisman are producing.
Kathy Morgan International has picked up Liberace, Steven Soderbergh's upcoming project.
The film stars Michael Douglas as the flamboyant late entertainer and Matt Damon as his bodyguard, driver and alleged live-in lover Scott Thorson.
Richard LaGravenese, who earned an Oscar nomination for The Fisher King and wrote The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, is writing the screenplay chronicling Liberace's life and times.
Producer Jerry Weintraub said he was forecasting a June 2010 start once Soderbergh had completed duties on the spy thriller Knockout for Relativity and Lionsgate.
In 1982, five years before Liberace's death due to complications from AIDS, Thorson sued the jewel-encrusted entertainer for $113m for palimony following a nasty break-up. Liberace continued to publicly deny his homosexuality and the parties settled out of court.
Cinema Management Group has signed with Liddell Entertainment to represent international sales rights to Chris Rock's docu "Good Hair." Icon Entertainment Intl. has picked up domestic and most foreign rights to "The Way," directed by Emilio Estevez and toplining Martin Sheen. IEI Deal excludes Spain and Portugal, where Filmax has all rights.
Arclight Films has made multiple pre-sales in major territories for shark thriller "Bait 3D." Pic shoots in Queensland in April.
Helmer Russell Mulcahy said the film "will be the first Australia horror-genre thriller to be shot in 3D."
Territories sold include Australia (Paramount), Spain (Arena), Italy (Medusa), Brazil (Paris), Benelux (Dutch Film Works), Portugal (Lusomundo), South Africa (Videovision), Mexico (Gussi), Turkey (Aqua Pinema), Indonesia (Amero Mitra), Philippines (Pioneer), Thailand, India, Vietnam (Soundspace), Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay (Alfa), Colombia (Cine Colombia), Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador (Delta), Middle East (Ballistic), Eastern Europe (Modus Vivendi), and ex-Yugoslavia (Arena).
Visit Films closed deals on several titles. U.S. and Canadian rights to South African drama "Shirley Adams" sold to the Global Film Initiative. Fashion docu "Picture Me" sold to France (Eurozoom) and Australia/New Zealand (Vendetta). U.S. and Canadian rights to North Korean human rights docu "Kimjongilia" sold to Lorber HT Digital; docu also made deals in South Korea (Peter Pen) and a TV pact in Poland with TVP. Cannes' Directors' Fortnight title "Here" closed in France (Floris). The Duplass brothers' "Baghead" sold to Accent for Australia/New Zealand.
We Distribution inked deals on Cinema Popular's $23 million action thriller "Bodyguards and Assassins." Pic sold to U.K. and Canada (E1 Entertainment), South Korea (CJ Entertainment) and Middle East (Gulf Films). Pic, directed by Teddy Chen, will be released across Asia in December: in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan (Applause Entertainment), Singapore (MediaCorp Raintree Pictures and Festive Films), Malaysia (RAM Entertainment), Thailand (United Home Entertainment and UIP), Indonesia (PT Teguh Bakti) and Vietnam (Parkit Films).
SEOUL -- Korean action fantasy "Woochi" has been pre-sold to several territories at AFM.
Set to be released nationwide at Christmas, pic has been picked up by Viscom Suraya for Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei and by Splendid for Germany and Benelux.
Deals were jointly handled by United Pictures and M-Line Distribution, with an exclusive five-minute promo, which was unveiled for the first time.
Locally distributed by CJ Entertainment, the film is helmed by Choi Dong-hoon ("Tazza") and produced by Eugene Lee's Zip Cinema. Kim Yoon-suk ("The Chaser") and Lim Soo-jung ("I'm a Cyborg but That's OK") are attached to the fantasy actioner.
SEOUL -- Korean box office hit "Take Off" has been sold to Amuse Soft Entertainment for Japan and to several other Asian territories.
Pic's sales representative, Showbox, announced that the film was picked up by One Dollar Distribution for China, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Showbox also sealed deals with Taiwan's Catchplay and Turkey's Horizon Intl.
Starring Ha Jung-woo ("The Chaser"), movie has grossed $60 million on 8.5 million admissions since its local release July 30.
Showbox also sealed deals for its horror title "Possessed," a critically acclaimed debut feature.
It was picked up by Innoform Media for Singapore, Hwa Yea for Malaysia and Catchplay for Taiwan.
Image Entertainment has acquired North American rights to "Accidents Happen," starring Geena Davis.
Director Andrew Lancaster's dark comedy about a mother and son bowed at the Tribeca Film Festival in April.
Harrison Gilbertson ("What's Wrong With Virginia") co-stars.
Anthony Anderson ("Somersault") produced via his Red Carpet Prods.
A U.S. theatrical release is slated for the first quarter next year.
The deal was announced at the American Film Market, where CMG will be licensing the film.
Docu about hairstyles in the African-American community has cumed $3.6 million domestically.
CMG is headed by sales and distribution exec Edward Noeltner.
Madmen Entertainment will handle rights in Australia and New Zealand.
Liddell and Roadside Attractions are in charge of U.S. distribution.
Indie distrib Artist View Entertainment will handle worldwide distribution for thriller "31 North 62 East," starring John Rhys-Davies, as well as "Chicago Overcoat" and "The Other Side of the Tracks."
Todd Slater, who launched his Slater Brothers Entertainment shingle this year, serves as exec producer.
Pics will screen during AFM.
Film, which is presently lensing in Spain and across the Pyrenees, follows a Californian ophthalmologist who travels to France to reclaim the body of his estranged son, who died in a storm in the Pyrenees.
Canadian thesp Deborah Kara Unger ("88 Minutes," "Crash") and the U.K.'s James Nesbitt ("Bloody Sunday," "Match Point") also star. Other thesps include Spain's Angela Molina ("Broken Embraces"), Simon Andreu ("The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian"), Eusebio Lazaro ("Pan's Labyrinth") and Carlos Leal ("Broken Embraces").
"The Way," Estevez's fourth feature as a writer-director, is produced by Filmax chairman Julio Fernandez, Estevez and Elixir Films' David Alexanian.
Gallic minimajor StudioCanal has taken worldwide rights outside Spain to Daniel Benmayor's "Bruc."
A pioneering historical actioner, a genre rarely explored in Spain, "Bruc," now in post, is one of the most-awaited productions coming out of Barcelona.
Set in the early 19th century and described by producer Edmon Roch as "a Napoleonic 'First Blood,' " "Bruc" begins with Napoleon's hussars chasing a Catalan drummer boy to the high sierra. There the hunted becomes the hunter. And, almost singlehandedly, the drummer boy gives Napoleon's army its first taste of defeat.
A pickup, "Bruc" looks likely to be put through some or all of StudioCanal's direct distribution operations in the U.K. (Optimum Releasing), Germany (Kinowelt) and France (StudioCanal).
Meanwhile, StudioCanal is ramping up its production ops in Europe. boosted by the appointment of former Pathe exec Leonard Glowinski to the newly created position of StudioCanal head of co-productions and acquisitions for France and Europe, reporting to StudioCanal chief operating officer Camille Trumer.
With healthy financials -- an operating profit margin of 14% in 2008 off $594 million in revenues -- StudioCanal has the muscle to produce local films with international potential at $15 million-$30 million, a budgetary range that Hollywood is increasingly forsaking.
At AFM, Harold van Lier, StudioCanal's exec VP of international sales, is introducing buyers to "Attack the Block," the directorial debut of Joe Cornish, co-writer of Steven Spielberg's upcoming "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn." Pic is first fruit of a three-pic co-financing and co-production deal just inked between Optimum and U.K. production house Big Talk Prods., ("Shaun of the Dead").
StudioCanal is also pre-selling helmer Rowan Joffe's $10 million-$12 million adaptation of Graham Greene's novel "Brighton Rock," starring Sam Riley and Helen Mirren and produced by Paul Webster and Will Clarke at Optimum.
In France, StudioCanal and Eric Heumann's Paradis Films are co-producing Bertrand Tavernier's "The Princess of Montpensier," a 17th-century political-come-love story, based on true events.
In advanced production, the $19.5 million costume drama boasts a strong young ensemble cast in Lambert Wilson, Melanie Thierry, Gaspard Ulliel, Louis Garrel and Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet.
The tale of three Algerian brothers who immigrate to France during the Algerian war of independence, Rachid Bouchareb's "Outlaw," is in post.
Budgeted at $30 million, "Outlaw" is co-produced with Jean Brehat's Tessallit and reprises key cast from Bouchareb's hit "Days of Glory" -- Jamel Debbouze, Roschdy Zem, Sami Bouajila, and Bernard Blancan.
French mini-major Gaumont has taken domestic distribution and international sales rights to "De Force," an $11.5 million crime thriller helmed by ex-con-turned-filmmaker Frank Henry. Pic stars French thesp and helmer Olivier Marchal ("36 Quai des Ofevres"), Isabelle Adjani ("Skirt Day") and Simon Abkarian ("The Army of Crime"). Pic is produced by Frank Chorot's Marilyn Productions and co-produced by Gaumont. Canal Plus has pre-bought TV rights. esla
The Paris-set film centers on an inmate, played by Marchal, who's forced to collaborate with the French organized crime divisionto dismantle a high-profile gang network. "De Force" will start shooting in Feb. for eight weeks.
Henry, a former member of a notorious French gang who spent 21 years behind bars, penned various episodes of Marchal's crime skein "Braquo," which was a hit of Gallic paybox Canal Plus. This film marks his directorial debut.
Gaumont has also nabbed domestic distrib and international sales to "Jo's Son" an $12-million drama set in world of rugby. Starring Gerard Lanvin ("Public Enemy Number One") and Marchal, the film is produced by LGM Productions and directed by first-time helmer and former rugby player Philippe Guillard. TV rights have been pre-bought by Canal Plus, TF1, TPS.
At AFM, Gaumont is unspooling Marion Cotillard-starrer "The Last Flight," a Sahara-set romance. The Gallic company is also showing a promo of Joel Schumacher's "Twelve," which stars Emma Roberts and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson.
Brazilian director Heitor Dhalia ("Adrfit," "Nina," "Drained") is set to direct the espionage thriller "April 23" for Lakeshore Entertainment reports Variety.
Based on Erje Ayden's book "Sadness at Leaving" which itself is based on a true account, the story follows a deep-cover KGB assassin sent to Manhattan amid the tumult of the 1960s with the mission of acquiring all the attributes of an American life until the time he is called upon to assassinate a defector.
He's then faced with the choice between family and country after he marries an American woman and becomes a father.
Hanna Weg is adapting the screenplay. Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Jeffrey Silver and Weg will produce.
Dominic Cooper ("Mamma Mia," "The Duchess") will star in the action thriller true story "The Devil's Double" for Paradigm Motion Picture Finance Group says Screen Daily.
Cooper plays Latif Yahia, a dead ringer for Saddam Hussein's sadistic and widely despised son Uday who was forced against his will to stand in for Uday in potentially dangerous situations.
Through his role, Yahia gained access to Hussein's inner sanctum and witnessed corruption, violence and debauchery.
Ludivine Sagnier is also in talks to star in the project which begins shooting in January in Malta.
Lee Tamahori ("Die Another Day," "XXX: State Of The Union") will direct from a script that Michael Thomas adapted.
Russian director Fedor Bondarchuk ("The Inhabited Island") will replace "Total Recall" and "Basic Instinct" helmer Paul Verhoeven at the helm of "Winter Queen" for Seven Arts Pictures says Screen Daily.
Bondarchuk makes his English language debut on the project based on the novel by Boris Akunin. Milla Jovovich remains attached to star as the female lead in the story of murder and high level conspiracy set against the backdrop of 19th century Russia.
Filming takes place in Budapest and St Petersburg in March and April, nearly two years after the project was originally slated to begin filming.
Bondarchuk will immediately follow that up with a $30 million epic about the infamous Battle of Stalingrad during the Second World War for Art Pictures Studio.
That project will be readied for release in 2012, the 70th anniversary of the battle which claimed an estimated two million.
Sons of Cuba
(Documentary -- U.K.)
By BOYD VAN HOEIJ
A Windfall Films, Sons of Cuba production, in association with ITVS, WNET.org. (International sales: Roco Films, Sausalito, Calif.) Produced by Andrew Lang, Francine Heywood, Laura Giles, Mandy Chang. Executive producer, David Dugan. Directed by Andrew Lang.
With: Cristian Martinez, Santos Urguelles, Junior Menendez, Yosvani Bonachea.
Pint-sized pugilists dream of a triumphant future for themselves and their fatherland in "Sons of Cuba," a knockout docu about a Cuban boarding school that trains future boxing champs ages 12 and under. Young Brit helmer Andrew Lang's surefire crowd-pleaser is equal parts coming-of-age tale and sports drama, though its real gut punch comes from its matter-of-fact observations of the wider sociopolitical context. Pic bagged the docu prize at the recent Rome fest and should have no problems cornering further fest attention prior to strong niche play, including Stateside.
Each year at the Havana Boxing Academy, some 25 new recruits, ages 9 to 11, are groomed for success in the ring. As noted onscreen, Cuba has dominated boxing at the Olympics for the past 25 years -- in part because it starts putting its potential future stars through a grueling training program before they've even entered puberty.
Pic was shot in 2006 with a largely local crew that had extraordinary access to the institution and country. It focuses on the eight-month run-up to Cuba's national under-12 boxing championships, won the previous year by a rival academy from Matanzas. Cristian "the Old Man" Martinez is the young ("but with an old soul") star athlete of Havana, but lost that crucial final fight against Matanzas last year. He's determined not to let that happen again.
Besides Martinez and stern coach Yosvani Bonachea (frequently his replacement dad), two other hopefuls are spotlighted. Santos "the Singer" Urguelles is a young fighter and foodie who lost his mother at an early age, loves songwriting, and has to fight not only his teammates but also the pounds. His teammate, Junior "the Dalmatian" Menendez, is a former ballet dancer who transferred to the academy at age 9 and fears he may be too "compassionate" for boxing.
On top of regular schoolwork, the boys have an intense physical training program that starts each morning at 4 a.m. Daily routine provides plenty of blood, sweat and tears, but the 2006 setting also provides drama: In July, Fidel Castro was hospitalized and his powers were transferred to his brother, Raul.
One of the film's genuinely shocking moments sees the tiny swaggerers state with utter conviction that they're ready to fight off a rumored U.S. invasion. Though Lang shows admirable restraint throughout and keeps the focus tightly on his protags, it is in these glimpses of the wider world surrounding the kids that the docu will pack a real wallop for Western auds.
Though only in his 20s, helmer Lang juggles the energetic, if occasionally blurry, camerawork --he lensed much of the pic himself -- and punchy sound effects like a well-seasoned pro. The locally flavored score and precision cutting keep things peppy.
Camera (color, HD), Lang, Domingo Triana Machin; editor, Simon Rose; music, Jack Ketch; sound (Dolby), Sergio Munoz Torres; associate producers, Dania Ilisastigui Aviles, Guillermo Drake. Reviewed at Rome Film Festival (Extra -- competing), Oct. 22, 2009. Running time: 90 MIN.
David Koepp, one of Hollywood's highest-paid screenwriters, has set up his next helming project at Sony.
Koepp, who most recently directed the Ricky Gervais starrer "Ghost Town" for DreamWorks, will helm "Premium Rush" for Columbia Pictures from a screenplay he penned with his frequent collaborator John Kamps.
Gavin Polone ("Zombieland") is producing, marking the fifth project on which he has worked with Koepp.
Story centers on a twentysomething New York City
bike messenger who picks up an envelope at Columbia U. A dirty cop is desperate to get his hands on the envelope and chases the bike messenger throughout the city.
Unlike the modestly budgeted "Ghost Town" -- a $20 million pic -- "Premium Rush" is being conceived as a big-budget actioner, much like the films Koepp is known for penning, and will feature the kind of elaborate chases associated with a William Friedkin pic.
Sony is fast-tracking "Premium Rush" and is looking to cast a leading man soon.
As a scribe, Koepp is known for working on some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters, including "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and "Spider-Man."
Emmett/Furla Films and Cheetah Vision Films have partnered with Georgia-based entrepreneur Richard Jackson to produce and co-finance three to five pictures per year.
Jackson has formed Action Jackson Films and kicks off the partnership with a commitment to fully fund "The Gun," a drama scripted by Cheetah Vision partner Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson (no relation to Richard Jackson), who will star with Val Kilmer. Jesse Terro is set to direct the picture, which begins production next month.
Emmett/Furla partners Randall Emmett
and George Furla are producing with Curtis Jackson and Richard Jackson.
Richard Jackson is described as an entrepreneur with investments in companies involved in health care and finance.
Emmett, who is partnered with Furla in Emmett/Furla Films banner and with 50 Cent in Cheetah Vision, said that he met Richard Jackson during a "high stakes card game in Las Vegas." They formed a friendship that led Jackson to ante up for the film venture.
In "The Gun," Curtis Jackson and Kilmer play friends whose loyalties are tested when they get caught up in the world of illegal gun dealing. Pic will shoot in Grand Rapids, Mich., and Hannibal Pictures is handling foreign sales. Chris Lighty, Justin Holochek and Richard Rhionda are executive producers.
The script grew out of the rapper-actor's curiosity about how guns go from being manufactured and shipped for legal use to somehow "falling into the hands of the wrong people," Curtis Jackson said. "It's a socially conscious theme that people aren't paying attention to."
Jackson said his goal in forming Cheetah Vision with Emmett was to create star vehicles -- and get the chance to produce and write. This is the first of three feature scripts Curtis Jackson has written, and he feels he is getting the hang of a form much different than songwriting.
"When you write a song, you need to say it in three minutes or it is overkill, but I like creating stories and going in depth with characters," he said.
Jackson will follow "The Gun" with the Cheetah Vision-produced drama "Jekyll and Hyde," starring with Forest Whitaker in the Abel Ferrara-directed film, which Warner Bros. will distribute domestically.
Emmett said the link to financier Richard Jackson will boost both production companies. EFF maintains its first-look deal with Millennium Films.
"Joining forces with Action Jackson Films will allow EFF and Cheetah Vision to expand our slates enormously," Emmett said. "Our combined passion for films, and the business acumen Rich Jackson offers, should translate into solid success."
Emmett/Furla Films is a producer on the Werner Herzog-directed "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," which stars Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes and Kilmer. Pic opened at Toronto and hits theaters Nov. 20.
Newmarket Films has acquired U.S. rights to Alejandro Amenabar's "Agora" and will release historical epic during the first half of next year.
It's the first acquisition for Newmarket -- best known for handling "The Passion of the Christ" -- since the company was bought earlier this month by Exclusive Media Group.
"Agora," which had its North American premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, has become a hit in Spain with $30 million after a month. It grossed $7.9 million in its first three days and has stayed in first place in the Spanish box office for four weeks.
The pic, directed by Amenabar ("The Sea Inside") from a script he co-wrote with Mateo Gil, stars Rachel Weisz, Oscar Isaac and Max Minghella. "Agora" was produced by MOD Prods., Himenoptero and Telecinco Cinema, with the participation of Canal Plus Spain.
Set in ancient Egypt under Roman rule, English-language "Agora" follows a female astronomer who leads a group of disciples fighting to save the wisdom of the ancient world, as violent religious upheaval spills into the streets of Alexandria.
Newmarket, which also handled "Memento," "Whale Rider," and "Downfall," recently acquired Jon Amiel's "Creation," starring Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany and focuses on Charles Darwin's struggle to reconcile his love for his religious wife with his own growing belief in evolution. Newmarket will release "Creation" in January.
Aussie hunk Sam Worthington ("Avatar," "Terminator Salvation") is set to star in an adaptation of "The Last Days of American Crime" reports Mania.
Set in a near future where, as a final response to terrorism and crime, the U.S. government plans in secret to broadcast a signal making it impossible for anyone to knowingly commit unlawful acts.
To keep this from the public, the government creates a distraction, installing a new currency system using digital charge cards.
A not particularly successful career criminal intends to steal one of the charging stations, skip the country and live off unlimited funds for the rest of his life.
The media however has leaked news of the anti-crime signal one week before it was to go live...and now Graham and his team have just a few days to turn the crime of the century into the last crime in American history.
Rick Remender will adapt his own property, no word as yet on a director.
Eddie Murphy is attached to produce and potentially star in the buddy comedy "The Misadventures of Fluffy" at Paramount Pictures says Risky Biz Blog.
The story is a road trip film through New York featuring talking animals, however unlike Murphy's more recent fare this is said to be very much an R-rated feature.
Sam Pitman and Adam Cole-Kelly will pen the script. Paramount is still developing a fourth "Beverly Hills Cop" for Murphy to star in.
Sve je to lepo, ali se ne radujem dok ne chujem ko rezhira...
t's a potent combination: Steven + Stephen.
Steven Spielberg and Stephen King are joining forces to develop a limited series based on King's just-released supernatural thriller "Under the Dome." DreamWorks TV has optioned the book and is looking to set it up as an event series, likely for cable.
DreamWorks principal Stacey Snider was key in bringing the project to the company. Spielberg, King and Snider will exec produce along with DreamWorks TV chiefs Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey.Book, which has earned strong reviews as a return to form for the prolific author, revolves around the drama that unfolds after an invisible force field suddenly descends on a small vacation town in Maine. As the locals fight for their survival, the town descends into warring factions led by enigmatic characters.
DreamWorks is starting to meet with writers for the project. The plan is to set a writer before shopping the skein to prospective buyers.
Spielberg and King have worked together in the past, developing a screen adaptation of King's 1984 novel "The Talisman," on which Spielberg has had the option for more than 20 years. That project has been developed as a feature, and it came close to being done as a mini for TNT a few years ago until it was tabled for budgetary reasons.
The "Dome" deal continues a burst of activity on the smallscreen side for Spielberg and DreamWorks TV. Among the high-profile projects in the works is a series about the development of a fictional Broadway tuner for Showtime. Another Showtime contender is a costume-drama revolving around the Borgia clan, penned by Neil Jordan and with Robert Zemeckis also producing.
DreamWorks TV also produces the pay cabler's dramedy "United States of Tara," for which star Toni Collette won the lead comedy actress Emmy in September. "Tara" bows its sophomore season in March.
Aziz Ansari and Jason Woliner, who previously worked together on sketch comedy series "Human Giant", have sold three comedy pitches to Judd Apatow and Universal Pictures reports Variety.
First up is "Let's Do This", a road movie about two guys who work for a motivational speaking company.
Then comes an untitled project about a disgraced cosmonaut (Ansari) who is forced to return to outer space to clear his name.
The last somehow ties in with Ansari's supporting role in Apatow's "Funny People".
Ansari and Woliner will write at least one of the projects together with Woliner attached to direct and Ansari to appear in all three.
Anthony Peckham ("Sherlock Holmes," "Invictus") will rewrite the thriller "Deep Sea Cowboys" for DreamWorks Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
An adaptation of a Wired article, the real-time actioneer follows a tightknit salvage crew racing against the clock trying to save a capsized Japanese cargo ship and claiming its reward.
David Ayer ("Training Day") penned the previous draft. Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci will produce.
TOKYO -- Secretive Japanese helmer Takeshi Kitano has finally unveiled details of his latest gangster pic -- his first in nine years.
"Outrage" depicts power struggles among Tokyo gangsters. Kitano not only helms and scripts, but also plays the lead -- a low-ranking gang boss charged with doing the dirty work of his superiors.
The cast also includes Tomokazu Miura, Kippei Shiina, Ryo Kase, Jun Kunimura, Tetta Sugimoto, Renji Ishibashi, Fumiyo Kohinata and Takashi Tsukamoto.
Shooting started in August, with Warner Japan and Office Kitano skedded to release next year.
Kitano made his international breakthrough in 1993 playing a gang boss in "Sonatine," and became known for his extreme depictions of on-screen violence in such pics as "Boiling Point" (1990), "Hana-Bi" (1997) and "Brother" (2000), but has adopted a more peaceful on-screen persona in recent years.
"Tron Legacy" director Joseph Kosinski and producer Sean Bailey are planning a remake/reboot of Disney 1979 sci-fi epic "The Black Hole" for Disney and Idealogy says Heat Vision Blog.
The original followed a group of space explorers aboard the USS Palomino who come across a lost ship, the USS Cygnus, hovering outside a black hole.
Inside the Cygnus, the explorers meet a scientist, commanding an army of faceless robots, who explains his crew deserted him as he planned to go through the black hole.
The explorers soon discover that the robots are the remnants of the former crew and that the scientist has no intention of letting them leave.
'Hole' was famous at the time for being both the company's first PG-rated production and what was then the most expensive film the studio ever produced at $26 million.
Travis Beacham ("Killing on Carnival Row," "Clash of the Titans") will pen the script for the new film which will include the red robot Maximilian and be much more grounded in real science about black holes. Other details are being kept secret.
Mabrouk el Mechri ("JCVD") is attached to direct "The Insiders", a film adaptation of the Belgian spy thriller comic book reports Pajiba.
Director/producer Robert Rodriguez and actress Jessica Alba optioned the film rights to the series a few months ago. Rodriguez will produce and Alba will star in the film which follows Columbian spy/assassin Najah Cruz who has infiltrated a criminal organization composed of businessmen and politicians where she has become the bodyguard of the organization's leader.
Alba next appears in Michael Winterbottom's "The Killer Inside Me" as an abused prostitute, and a film adaptation of Aimee Bender's "An Invisible Sign of My Own".
Summit Entertainment has picked up Ben Magid's "Cloverfield"-esque sci-fi spec script "Invasion" reports STYD.
The story follows the survivors of a subway accident under Los Angeles. Climbing out the tunnels, they emerge into a ruined city littered in some kind of snow, bodies, panic-fueled mobs and a strange goo with acidic properties.
Eli Roth and Eric Newman will produce. Magid was one of several writers who adapted the comic "Hack/Slash" into a film script for Rogue Pictures.
Those underwhelmed by the "Alien vs. Predator" films should be in for a "very pleasant surprise" says director Nimród Antal about the upcoming franchise reboot "Predators".
Talking with Coming Soon, Antal says that despite Robert Rodriguez's penchant for computer animation they both recognised that the practical 'guy in a suit' works much better for the subject.
A month of shooting took place in jungles on the Hawaiian Islands and Antal says "we are trying to stay with the original as far as the monster and the atmosphere and the tone of the film, but we are trying to do something new and contemporary and feels fresh".
Just as importantly is that the film is being shot as an R-rated feature.
Out doing promotion for his latest film "Brothers", Irish director Jim Sheridan sat down with us and updated us on the status of the many projects he's been linked to in recent months - some correctly, others not so much. The full interview with Sheridan about "Brothers" can be found in the interviews section.
Dreamhouse
The Daniel Craig-led psychological thriller about a family who move to a house with a dark past in a small New England town.
Sheridan says: "That's a definite. That's happening right now, with Daniel Craig". Anyone else cast? "Not yet, but we're looking at a few people, but I'll know it in a week" he says, and hopes to begin shooting in February.
Asked if he is comfortable taking on such an American genre film, he replied "I think a lot of the time when I was in the past, kind of thinking, "Will I do that kind of movie?" I didn't because of fear. Fear of failure and whatever, but now I'm a little bit less concerned about that, and just go – okay, let's just do it"
I, Claudius
A film remake of Robert Graves' classic 1934 novel set in Ancient Rome about the stuttering Claudius who played up his disability to survive his murderous, imperial family. The BBC's ten part mini-series based on the book and its sequel in 1976 remains the signature adaptation.
Sheridan confirms he's on the project "I've adapted the script, I just need to fix it, and then find Claudius". Casting wise he said if Claudius is played by a British actor, "you'd have to go all British, I think" and he later joked "It could be Daniel [Craig] and you could cast Colin Farrell as Caligula (laughter)... but there could be a lot of different things".
The project's expense isn't an issue either - "There are some scenes that are outside, but a lot of it is like, a palace revolution with the Senate and the palace , so you can almost do 90 percent of it in there."
What concerns him is the nature of the lead character - "Claudius is at home on TV, he's a non-proactive character, so you can stick with him over weeks and get to know him, But in a movie, it's hard to get to know somebody like that, so, I kind of need to make him a bit more proactive"
Black Mass
The story of the Boston gangster Whitey Bulger who built up the Winter Hill Gang into a mob that did everything from sell drugs to procure guns for the Irish Republican Army out of Boston. Sheridan says "That's something we're working on... It's kind of an Irish movie, about Irish gangsters".
Sheriff Street
Sheridan's "dream project" that he wrote years ago about growing up in Ireland. He hopes to get it off the ground soon, but "it's difficult, because a movie is a movie, and it cost money and I found it very difficult to raise enough to make it, Or I have to re-conceive how I make it."
Emerald City
Deals with Irish organized crime in New York's Hell's Kitchen. Sheridan says "That's something I kind of have chilled out on, so that's not hot right now"
Ikiru
"No, not happening" says Sheridan about the remake of the Kurosawa classic.
Uruguayan filmmaker Fede Alvarez has signed a million dollar deal to make his directing debut on an alien invasion film for Ghost House Pictures reports Variety.
Alvarez helmed "Panic Attack" ("Ataque de panic"), a sub-$500 five-minute short about an apocalyptic robot attack which became an online video hit and was linked on Kanye West's official blog.
He then pitched the alien invasion idea to Sam Raimi who's Ghost House Pictures signed him up for a holding deal. A high-end screenwriter is being hired to turn the idea into a feature that if greenly, Alvarez will direct and Raimi will produce.
Director David Yates tells USA Today the upcoming first part of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" will be "a road movie" that is much more grounded in reality than the previous "Harry Potter" movies.
"It's going to feel very real. We're going for a vérité approach. Being away from Hogwarts, they're like these three refugees on the run. They're out in the big bad world, facing real danger, unguarded by those wonderful benign wizards at Hogwarts. They don't have a home to go to. We're kind of pulling away from the magic a bit and bringing more reality to it" said Yates.
One thing that may be surprising is nudity. Readers will remember 'The Silver Doe' chapter from the book in which Harry strips down to his undies to retrieve a sword from the bottom of a lake.
If Radcliffe in wet tighty-whities isn't enough to get the girls screaming, Yates indicates he may have no kit on at all as Ron sees nightmarish visions produced by a horcrux trying to defend itself and Yates tells Video Business (via Coming Soon) that one "shows Hermione and Harry embracing and kissing. It's something intriguing and sensual for Rupert to react to, and Dan will be bare for that."
Kurbaan
(India)
By DEREK ELLEY
A UTV Motion Pictures release of a Karan Johar presentation of a Dharma Prods. production. Produced by Hiroo Yash Johar, Karan Johar. Executive producer, Marijke Desouza. Directed by Rensil D'Silva. Screenplay, D'Silva, Anurag Kashyap, Niranjan Iyengar; story, Karan Johar.
(Hindi, English dialogue)
After scripting envelope-pushing nationalist drama "Rang de basanti" (2006), writer Rensil D'Silva goes for an equally ambitious mix of politics and Bollywood formulae with his first helming outing, Muslim terrorist thriller "Kurbaan." Yarn about a bunch of bombers planning nasty things in Gotham is basically mainstream fare, but gussied up with surprisingly objective portraits of Muslims. Solidly entertaining result makes this one of the juicier Bollywood outings of the year, though the Nov. 20 release did only OK biz in its first weekend, despite the lead casting of hot real-life couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor.
Terrorist dramas are nothing new in Hindi cinema, though in the past they've tended to focus on Indo-Pakistani tensions, especially in the Rajasthan region, and serve as an excuse for star heroics. With more and more Bollywood films now set Stateside, partly to tap the nonresident Indian market, it seemed only a matter of time before a movie like "Kurbaan" (Urdu for "sacrifice") appeared. Kabir Khan's "New York" put a toe in the water this summer with a tale of Muslims harassed post-9/11, to the point where one goes postal; "Kurbaan" goes whole hog with planned terrorist outrages.
The movie starts like a regular Bollywood romance, with college lecturer Ehsaan Khan (Saif Ali Khan) coming on strong to psychology prof Avantika Ahuja (Kareena Kapoor) when she visits Delhi after her father (Akash Khurana) has had a heart attack. When Avantika is asked to return to her New York college for a semester, the two marry and Ehsaan accompanies her, their union having been reluctantly blessed by her dad, who would have preferred she wed a fellow Hindu.
The couple settle in a comfy upstate 'burb largely populated by Indians, and before you can say "fundamentalism," they're invited to dinner by a conservative Muslim family headed by Naseer and his wife, Nasreen (vets Om Puri, Kirron Kher). Thereon, things get very "Arlington Road" as Avantika suspects dark goings-on across the street, especially when young neighbor Salma (Nauheed Cyrusi) claims her life is in danger and asks Avantika to contact an Indian-American reporter, Rehania (Dia Mirza).
The twists -- both obvious and unexpected -- keep coming after the first hour, to the point where Avantika feels herself helpless to prevent the inevitable. Meanwhile, Rehania's colleague/b.f., Riyaaz (Vivek Oberoi), infiltrates Naseer's group and discovers exactly what it's planning for Gotham.
Film's gradually darker tone is pursued in the post-intermission section. This is largely taken up with a gripping half-hour finale set in New York's subway system, but also fits in some passionate defenses of the Islamic fundamentalist perspective, notably by Riyaaz (to establish his credentials) and Nasreen (as a dyed-in-the-wool enemy of the U.S. and its allies). While not exactly excusing terrorism, the pic certainly makes out a case for its existence.
The pic's bilateralist approach is echoed in Avantika's confused emotional situation, and especially in the split role of Ehsaan. Khan, who's become a major star playing romantic-comedy leads, just about manages the difficult task of remaining sympathetic even as his character becomes darker and darker.
Kapoor is strong in the early going, but her performance is the least convincing as the movie becomes grittier, partly due to an underwritten role. Oberoi (in one of his best perfs to date), Puri and Kher are all very good.
Technical package is topnotch, especially the textured widescreen lensing by Hemant Chaturvedi ("Company," "Maqbool") of warm India and wintry New York, and Salim-Sulaiman's propulsive background score. (Though a choreographer is credited on the print, the few songs are soundtrack-only.) Gothamites won't be convinced by Philly's transit system substituting for their own, but D'Silva manages to keep the tension high with clever camerawork that includes New York street-level locations and disguises the film's less-than-adequate budget for its big finale.
Camera (color,widescreen), Hemant Chaturvedi; editor, Asif Ali Shaikh; associate editor, Gaus Kazi; background/song music, Salim-Sulaiman; lyrics, Iyengar, Irfan Siddique; production designer, Indrani Pillai; costume designer, Aki Narula; sound (Dolby Digital/DTS Digital), Nakul Kamte, Ajay Kumar; choreographer, Vaibhavi Merchant; action director, Parvez Khan; visual effects, Redchillies.vfx; associate producer, Apoorva Mehta; assistant director, Rahul Dandavate; casting, Shanoo Sharma. Reviewed at Cineworld Shaftesbury Avenue 6, London, Nov. 23, 2009. Running time: 161 MIN. (I: 84 MIN.; II: 77 MIN.)
Director Paul Greengrass has walked away from the fourth film in the Jason Bourne film franchise currently in development at Universal Pictures says The Playlist.
Two separate scripts were being penned concurrently by two different writers - George Nolfi, who co-wrote "The Bourne Ultimatum" and upcoming Matt Damon thriller "The Adjustment Bureau", and Josh Zemuter whose has several scripts in development including "The Infiltrator" and the "Dune" remake.
Part of the problem is that Greengrass wasn't consulted about Zemuter's hiring so is unhappy with that, while Nolfi's script is generally being dismissed.
Another part is "Green Zone", the Iraq-set thriller re-teaming Greengrass and Damon. Originally slated to be a small 'between Bourne' project, the budget has been blown out by numerous reshoots and delays to a rumored $150 million (not good considering the poor performance of Iraq-themed films).
Then of course there's the two 'Bourne' sequels that Greengrass did. 'Ultimatum' cost quite a penny for Universal and saw similar reshoots and budget overspending due to Greengrass' style of starting without a finished screenplay and 'finding the film' in the editing room. Critics swooned and domestically it was a major hit, but globally the films don't do anywhere near as well as the rival James Bond franchise.
In a cash strapped environment, the studio is understandably skittish about proceeding without a locked down script and budgetary limitations, while Greengrass is more than happy with his style of filming and doesn't feel a need to change it - especially considering how successful he's made the Bourne franchise for the studio.
Greengrass and Matt Damon are also tightly connected, thus Damon's involvement is also in question now. The site however freely admits that this 'walk off' could be a negotiating tactic and the man could be back on the project in a few months. In the meantime don't be surprised if several other names pop up as potential replacements.
After yesterday's story break about director Paul Greengrass leaving the franchise, there was quite a bit of speculation as to why. Universal confirmed his departure to Variety and released the following statement from the director:
"I will always be grateful to have been the caretaker to Jason Bourne over the course of The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. I'm very proud of those films and feel they express everything I most passionately believe about the possibility of making quality movies in the mainstream.
My decision to not return a third time as director is simply about feeling the call for a different challenge. There's been no disagreement with Universal Pictures. The opportunity to work with the Bourne family again is a difficult thing to pass up, but we have discussed this together and they have been incredibly understanding and supportive.
I've been lucky enough to have made four films for Universal, and our relationship continues. Jason Bourne existed before me and will continue, and I hope to remain involved in some capacity as the series moves on."
The article also cites two 'Bourne' scribes as potential replacements - Tony Gilroy ("Michael Clayton," "Duplicity") and George Nolfi who is currently directing "The Adjustment Bureau" with 'Bourne' star Matt Damon.
Bennett Miller ("Capote") is set to direct the Brad Pitt-led baseball feature "Moneyball" for Sony Pictures reports Variety.
Based on Michael Lewis' nonfiction bestseller, the story follows Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane who assembled a contending baseball club on a shoestring budget by employing a sophisticated computer-based analysis to draft players.
Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin wrote the script based on an earlier draft by Stan Chervin. Steven Soderbergh had been attached to direct the film but famously exited the project five days before it began shooting due to Sony being unhappy with his script rewrites.
Michael Chait penned the story and will direct the action-adventure film "War Birds" for TMU Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter
The story follows an Air Force veteran-turned-reckless airshow re-enactment pilot as he gets pulled into the underground culture of illegal, real-life aerial combat.
Josh Staman and Bryan Binder wrote the screenplay which Richard Jefferies ("Tron Legacy") is polishing. Chair, Jeffries and J. Todd Harris will produce.
Filming kicks off this summer in Michigan and will use all real airplanes and aerial sequences.
A photo from Arianna Huffington's Twitter feed is causing a small online stir as the feed claims it's from a film shoot she just did in Chicago with "The Matrix" and "Speed Racer" directors the Wachoskis.
The story? "Iraq from the perspective of the future". Is this a whole new project we've never heard of? Not really. CHUD reports that the shoot is part of a few days of camera tests the pair are doing for a new project which is still a while off.
So what is the project? That's unconfirmed though Cinematical speculates that is an adaptation of David Mitchell's 2004 novel "Cloud Atlas" which the pair bought the rights to earlier this year. At last report "The International" and "Run Lola Run" writer/director Tom Tykwer was working on the screenplay.
Slashfilm has reported that Adventureland director Greg Mottola has seen an early cut of the film, and has raved about it over on Twitter.
Be very jealous of me. I've seen an entire cut of SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD. Edgar Wright has made a classic (again)! It's amazing. ... I would say that Scott Pilgrim is the wittiest action movie you'll ever see, but that's just the half of it. ... Needless to say, Michael Cera is perfect. In fact, every single performance is incredible. You've got something special to look forward to. ... The filmmaking is so insanely good, I retired halfway through the movie. (looking forward to the pension checks, tho)
Ovo ce garantovano interesovati brojne forumase.
Porno glumica Kayden Kross gostovala je kod Howarda Sterna u cetvrtak i najavila da snima film TIGER'S WOOD, gdje ona glumi Tajgerovu zenu, onu plavu Svedjanku.
Ako neko zna ima li slicnih vijesti i o Davidu Lettermanu, neka se ne stidi nego neka brze-bolje prijavi i taj projekat.
Director Todd Phillips says that editing is underway on "Due Date", his first project since the massive success of "The Hangover" reports Coming Soon.
Robert Downey Jr. and 'Hangover' scene-stealer Zach Galifianakis star in the comedy and apparently the crew were "all in awe of Zach... he's totally different (in 'Due Date') than he is in 'The Hangover'".
At present the film runs at lengthy 125 minutes which he plans to cut down to an even 100 - "I always subscribe to: it should be 100 minutes. So, that's always around where it lands... Editing you have to be ruthless on yourself" says Phillips.
The director also says he's currently working on the script for "The Hangover" sequel which plans to start shooting this Summer for a Memorial Day 2011 release. Don't expect a return to Vegas though.
"What's really ultimately appealing about 'The Hangover' is these four guys and their interaction. It's not even Vegas. It's not so much the device as it is the characters... you can take those guys and put them somewhere else and go through a new set of situations and circumstances and hopefully it's just as interesting" said Phillips.
The Film Stage reports that the Warners exhibitor's website has revealed that the likely new name for Kevin Smith's upcoming Bruce Willis/Tracy Morgan comedy "A Couple of Dicks" will be "Cop Out".
Smith has been tweeting for days about how unfortunately "A Couple of Dicks" cannot be used due to lack of marketing approvals but a new title had been selected that would be better than the previously considered "A Couple of Cops". On that front he was right, but 'Dicks' would've been best.
The trailer for the film will premiere with "Sherlock Holmes" alongside a new trailer for Christopher Nolan's "Inception".
"The Office" star Steve Carell and "30 Rock" star/creator Tina Fey are loosely attached to star in the comedy "Mail-Order Groom" for Warner Bros. Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story follows a naive single woman who can't find love and ends up with a husband from Eastern Europe, bringing him home to the States.
Robert Carlock and Scott Silveri penned the script based on an idea by Fey's husband Jeff Richmond, while "Bad Santa" scribes Glenn Ficarra and John Requa have come onboard to do a polish.
Fey and Carell will be seen starring opposite each other in "Date Night" which opens in the Spring.
Peter Segal ("Get Smart") is in negotiations to direct the comedy "Neighborhood Watch" for 20th Century Fox says Variety.
Jared Stern's script focuses on a newcomer to a community who joins the neighborhood watch and discovers supernatural elements are afoot. Previously David Dobkin was attached to direct and Will Ferrell to star but that pairing fell apart over the Summer.
Segal was developing the sequel to "Get Smart" until the film was delayed again by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Laurence Fishburne has been cast in the pivotal role of 'Noland' on the upcoming "Predators" reports STYD.
Story details are beking kept under wraps but the film is said to act as a direct sequel to the original Arnold Schwarzenegger hit and will ignore the events of the "Alien vs. Predator" films. Adrien Brody, Topher Grace and Danny Trejo star.
Nimrod Antal ("Armored") helms the film and Robert Rodriguez is producing. Fishburne began work on the film this week in Austin, Texas.
"Lord of the Rings" and "The Lovely Bones" director Peter Jackson is secretly working on an adaptation of "Mortal Engines", the award-winning first book of Philip Reeve's four-volume sci-fi novel series reports The Dominion Post.
The story is set in a post-apocalyptic world where cities have become giant vehicles and must consume each other to survive. Weta Workshops believed to be working on designs for the giant mobile cities.
Asked for comment, a Jackson spokesman didn't deny the project but said "any comment should come from Peter". Jackson has apparently held the rights to the books for some time.
http://www.repomenarecoming.com/ (http://www.repomenarecoming.com/)
Evo ga trejler za REPO MEN. Za razliku od gothic-mjuzikla iz prošle godine u ovoj verziji nema pevanja, a po trejleru sve jako podseća na Equilibrium, ali sa manje pucanja i više klanja...
The King's Speech
Opens: 2010
Cast: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Michael Gambon
Director: Tom Hooper
Summary: The story of King George VI, the father of Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George reluctantly assumes the throne and with the help of an unorthodox speech therapist, he's able to find his voice and boldly lead the country into war.
Analysis: The most obvious chance for Oscar glory next year for the Weinstein Company, this British/Australian co-production has a simply superb pedigree of talent involved combined with a story rarely heard about that should ensure something hopefully remarkable.
The teaming of Rush and Firth in any film is exciting enough, but with supporting talent in historical roles like Guy Pearce as the abdicating Edward VIII, Helena Bonham Carter as a young Elizabeth II, Timothy Spall as Winston Churchill, not to mention greats like Derek Jacobi and Michael Gambon - it's downright pants-wetting.
David Seidler ("Tucker: The Man and His Dream") penned the multi-nominated Blacklist screenplay, while director Tom Hooper is coming off multiple award wins for the TV movie "Longford", the mini-series "John Adams", and the Michael Sheen film "The Damned United". The only downside is the concept of a guy essentially learning to publicly speak is going to be a tough sell to the masses, no matter how many 'overcoming adversity' platitudes it is cased in.
Legendary filmmaker-scriptwriter Paul Schrader, now in Mumbai for his crossover potboiler Xtreme City, has said that his film will have at least five songs and dance routines following the typical Bollywood formula.
"My film will not be a shanty film. Not like Slumdog Millionaire at all, thank you."
Schrader, known for his "dark" and "brooding" films like Taxi Driver and The Last Temptation of Christ, said Hyderabad in India, Dubai and New York are the other locations where the film will be shot.
"I have scoured Mumbai and have looked at locations. But unlike Slumdog, my focus will not be shanties. Slumdog was too British...and too one-sided. Danny Boyle's film, well...It seems that India is boiling with poverty all the time. That is the way the West wants to see it. But my film will be different."
"Between any two buildings, there is bound to be some space for somebody to live in, a shanty, may be. That is not my primary concern. Xtreme City will show Mumbai at its colourful best."
Sources close to Schrader said, "Indian superstar Priyanka Chopra fits the bill for the heroine's role while the Indian hero's cast is yet to be given a thought." said.
"All talk of Indian number 1 Shah Rukh Khan having confirmed as the Indian hero is mere imagination."
"For the American hero, the names of Brad Pitt and Leonardo Dicaprio are being actively pursued."
"Shooting for the film will begin early next year."
Schrader, speaking exclusively from his Mumbai hotel room recently, said, "There will be at least five songs and dances in the film, typically Indian stuff. This will attempt to be the first crossover potboiler."
"A Bollywood potboiler used to have a dozen songs earlier, a comedy had around eight...I think now it can be five and we are safe," he said.
The man behind American Gigolo, said, "I would love A.R. Rehman to score the music. He is the Everest of Indian music." Rehman won the Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire earlier this year.
"I intend to make a real pop cultural hybrid. There will be commerce at its best. The film will show a city where contradictions live side by side."
"In other films, my goal was art...this time, my goal is commerce and I am clear about that."
" The only film of mine with which I can compare the script of Xtreme City is Yakuzo directed by Sydney Pollack in 1976." Co-producer Mushtaq Sheikh and co-writer said, "Other films show India's pimples...we will show the dimples. Slumdog Millioanire cannot be the end point of all matters Mumbai. This "White man, please save me,' syndrome is disgusting. We are not going to allow milking this city dry because the West wants to live in that myth."
Me likes it!
Inače, malo mi je blesavo da pod Šrederovim filmovima navode Taksistu i Posljednje Hristovo iskušenje, koje je režirao Skorsezi, a preskaču npr. Cat People i Light Sleeper.
Never Let Me Go
Opens: 2010
Cast: Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, Charlotte Rampling, Sally Hawkins
Director: Mark Romanek
Summary: A woman reunites with her two friends to face the dark secrets buried in their communal past at a private school in the English countryside. With no knowledge of the outside world during those years at the school, they must prepare for the haunting reality that awaits them.
Analysis: Part English period drama, part sci-fi dystopian thriller - "The Remains of the Day" author Kazuo Ishiguro was shortlisted for the 2005 Booker Prize for this work about the touching friendship and romance between a trio of clones made to provide donor organs for transplant. Though the concept is sci-fi, the tone and text avoids the genre and its cliches as much as possible - keeping the focus almost entirely on the relationship of the main trio and the historical setting in an alternate but essentially same version of the 1990's.
"The Beach" author and "28 Days Later" scribe Alex Garland adapted the work in a script that made the 2008 British equivalent of the Blacklist, while "One Hour Photo" director Mark Romanek came onboard right after being let go from the troubled "The Wolfman" remake. Added to that is a stellar cast, most notably the older version of the trio themselves and the various teachers at the school.
If Romanek manages to pull it off with aplomb, what you have here could be something along "Children of Men" lines in terms of major critical acclaim and cinematic impact. A special screening of the film took place in October, but that was apparently a rough cut with further changes likely to be made before a worldwide release sometime in 2010. Fox Searchlight has the rights to distribute this States-side so if the reviews are strong we might see a potential awards push.
If the producers behind a new planned biopic of Ian Fleming have their way, James McAvoy will be playing the man who created James Bond. His name? Fleming. Ian Fleming.
Palmstar Entertainment and Animus Films have been busy developing the project, according to Pajiba's sources, based on Andrew Lycett's book Ian Fleming: The Man Behind James Bond.
McAvoy is attached, and it's certainly a solid role to tackle - Fleming lived largely in the shadow of his politician father and more notable siblings, living the life of a wayward playboy before World War Two changed his life and gave him the inspiration for Britain's best secret Agent - and the film itself could likely slot into his schedule between the likes of I'm With Cancer and the still nebulous sequel to Wanted.
First, however, it'll need a director...
James White
Back in the day Walter Hill was one of the heaviest hitters in Hollywood. Starting as an AD on Bullitt and the original Thomas Crown Affair, Hill would go on to produce films like Alien, while writing and directing the likes of Streets of Fire, 48 Hours, Red Heat and The Warriors. A string of duds dropped Hill right out of the A-list, his most recent gig as writer or director coming with 2002's Undisputed, which he also produced.
In the middle of his A-list run, though, Hill directed a flop by the title of Johnny Handsome, a film headlined by Mickey Rourke which also feature Forest Whitaker in the cast. And with everything old in Hollywood becoming new again, the Hill / Rourke / Whitaker trio are getting back together and bringing a few interesting names with them.
That Rourke is set to headline Hill's upcoming St Vincent is not new, word of that began to circulate in early 2009. He'll be playing an aging hitman having a crisis of conscience after taking the confession of his intended target, a premise that is certainly an interesting one. Making it even more interesting are the recent cast additions of Forest Whitaker, Ray Winstone and Gong Li.
Hitman Vincent Novena (Mickey Rourke) goes deep undercover portraying a priest to get close enough to kill his gangland traitor target. He soon discovers that playing the part of a good man is more dangerous than being a mob killer ever was. No good deed goes unpunished. The more Vincent opens up, the more vulnerable he becomes ...
MEXICO CITY -- Families of inmates are protesting against Mel Gibson's upcoming project "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" outside the prison in the Mexican state of Veracruz where shooting is set to begin in March.
Gibson will topline the action drama, based on a screenplay he penned.
In comments made in early December, Veracruz Governor Fidel Herrera indicated that inmates would be transferred to an undisclosed location for the duration of the shoot. In Mexico, inmates' families are their only source of food and clean clothing, and a move would require many families to relocate to the new location as well.
Around 300 protestors, mostly women, began camping outside of the prison Sunday after what appeared to be police or military officials were seen filming or taking photographs around the building.
Fearing that security forces were preparing to move the prisoners ahead of the holiday weekend, demonstrators held up signs reading, "Mel Gibson, it's your fault they are moving our family members" and "Don't take them away, they aren't animals."
The film, which is set in San Diego and Veracruz, tells the story of a career criminal who is thrown into prison for trafficking drugs, where he meets a 9-year-old boy who helps him adjust to life there.
Platiće im pa će se smire...
Focus Features has confirmed Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan will reunite with Atonement director Joe Wright in the lead role in Hanna.
Shooting is scheduled to take place around Europe later this year on the story of a 14-year-old raised by her ex-military father in the Swedish wilderness who battles US intelligence agencies across Europe to be reunited with her father.
David Farr and Seth Lochhead wrote the screenplay and Leslie Holleran, Scott Nemes and Marty Adelstein are producing.
Further casting will be announced in due course. Focus Features holds worldwide rights.
The Door
Die Tuer (Germany)
By DEREK ELLEYRead other reviews about this film
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A Senator Film Verleih release of a Wueste Film production, in association with Wueste Film Ost, Senator Film Produktion. (International sales: Telepool, Munich.) Produced by Ralph Schwingel, Stefan Schubert. Co-producer, Christoph Mueller. Directed by Anno Saul. Screenplay, Jan Berger, based on the 2001 novel "Die Damalstuer" by Akif Pirincci.
With: Mads Mikkelsen, Jessica Schwarz, Valeria Eisenbart, Thomas Thieme, Heike Makatsch, Tim Seyfi, Stephan Kampwirth, Suzan Anbeh, Nele Trebs, Thomas Arnold, Karsten Dahlem, Rene Lay, Christof Duero, Sabine Berg, Patrick Heinrich.
A nifty little fantasy-thriller that could be even better in the English-lingo remake it cries out for, "The Door" builds some credible drama from its central idea of a deadbeat given a second chance at life following a tragic accident. Moodily directed by Anno Saul ("Kebab Connection"), this genre item is let down by an overly blank performance from Danish thesp Mads Mikkelsen ("Casino Royale"), here dubbed into German, and a finale that doesn't quite deliver dramatically. But the strong supporting cast and clever plot twists make this worth a look for genre aficionados and fantasy fests. "Door" opened mildly in Deutschland in late November.
David Andernach (Mikkelsen) is a successful painter with a nice house in the 'burbs, an attractive wife, Maja (Jessica Schwarz), and a cute young daughter, Leonie (Valeria Eisenbart). But one bright summer's day, when he should have been hunting butterflies with Leonie, David is busy servicing his horny mistress, Gia (Heike Makatsch, in a cameo), around the corner -- and comes back to find that Leonie has drowned after tripping into the family pool.
Five years later, in winter, Max is a scruffy wreck and Maja has divorced him. But after trying to kill himself in the self-same pool, he's led by a butterfly to a hidden tunnel that opens onto ... the very day Leonie died.
Script by Jan Berger ("Kebab Connection," "FC Venus"), from a 2001 novel by Akif Pirincci -- dubbed Germany's Stephen King -- delivers some nice ironies early on, as David sees his original self heading off to see Gia and realizes he has a chance to rescue Leonie if he runs fast. This he does, but not without attracting the attention of his earlier self, and soon enough David's life is starting to unravel all over again, albeit in a different way.
As the time-bending (and brain-bending) twists pile up, the pic isn't quite slick enough to sustain the suspension of disbelief needed to make it work as a pure genre item. Helmer Saul and the cast are better at capturing the small behavioral niceties, particularly Maja's and Leonie's suspicions that everything isn't quite right.
Both Schwarz ("The Red Cockatoo") and Eisenbart (10 at the time) are very good in these roles, though they get little help from Mikkelsen's cold, unengaging perf. Thomas Thieme, as a jovial neighbor, adds some dramatic heft as the plot pulls its final switcheroo, but the subsequent finale lacks a satisfyingly physical punch.
Technical package is fine, with flavorsome summer/winter widescreen lensing by Bella Halben in Potsdam and Hamburg, and some atmospheric scoring by Fabian Roemer.
Camera (color, widescreen), Bella Halben; editor, Andreas Radtke; music, Fabian Roemer; music supervisor, Pia Hoffmann; production designer, Boerries Hahn-Hoffmann; costume designer, Katrin Aschendorf; sound (Dolby Digital), Joerg Krieger, Richard Borowski; sound designer, Kai Storck; assistant director, Thomas Brueck; casting, Deborah Congia. (In Pusan Film Festival -- Midnight Passion.) Reviewed at Kino in der KulturBrauerei 4, Berlin, Dec. 9, 2009. Running time: 102 MIN.
Tomorrow, When the War Began
Opens: 2010
Cast: Rachel Hurd-Wood, Phoebe Tonkin, Lincoln Lewis, Caitlin Stasey, Matthew Dale
Director: Stuart Beattie
Summary: When their country is invaded and their families are taken, eight unlikely Australian high school teenagers band together to fight.
Analysis: On the surface sounding like "Red Dawn" set in a small Australian town, John Marsden's seven book 'coming-of-age in a war zone' series was sold on the pitch of it being one of the most popular Australian series ever published. As someone who has lived in Sydney almost all my life, I'd never heard even a mention of it until the film announcement - and I read a lot. However the series didn't start until the late 90's, after my time at school, so its fanbase is very much the teenagers and early twenty-somethings of today.
Screen Australia and Paramount Vantage are teaming for this purely Aussie production that hopes to be the first in a trilogy and is helped immensely by a big fat tax break for keeping its shoot local. Stuart Beattie, best known for his scripts for the likes of "Australia," "Collateral" and "G.I. Joe", is adapting and directing the film which hopes to be the first fully Australian commercial action movie since the "Mad Max" films. Certainly its budget, around $54 million U.S. dollars, is quite considerable for a 'purely local' film.
The cast is made up of a few soap stars (Lewis, Stasey) and some young unknowns aside from British actress Rachel Hurd-Wood who worked Down Under before on 2003's "Peter Pan". Tone wise don't expect the seriousness of "Red Dawn", Beattie saying if 'Dawn' is "Striptease", then 'Tomorrow' is more like "The Full Monty" - similar premise, completely different approaches. Shot around the Hunter Region in New South Wales over October and November last year, the film is already in post.
Several questions come up here. First is tone, the books are apparently quite realistic and dark which makes the film's rating likely to be higher but could alienate the core audience of young teenagers. Second is the enemy troops whose country of origin goes unnamed in the books, an idea that simply doesn't work on film - how will that be handled? Finally there's appeal - can a story like this cross over with international audiences. We'll know more around the end of the year.
Možda od ovog Joe Wrighta i bude čovek?
Saoirse Ronan ("The Lovely Bones") is in negotiations to reteam with her "Atonement" director Joe Wright in "Hanna" for Focus Features says Heat Vision Blog.
The story follows a 14-year-old Eastern European girl (Ronan) who has been raised by her father to be a cold-blooded killing machine. She connects with a French family, forms a friendship with their daughter and goes through the pangs of adolescence.
When the girl is dragged back to her father's world and discovers that she was bred as a killing machine in a CIA prison camp, she must fight her way to a free life.
Seth Lochhead and David Farr penned the script with Leslie Holleran. Marty Adelstein and Scott Nemes are producing.
After.Life
Opens: 2010
Cast: Christina Ricci, Liam Neeson, Alfred Molina, Justin Long, Josh Charles
Director: Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo
Summary: A young woman is caught between life and death and a funeral director, who appears to have the gift of transitioning the dead, might just be intent on burying her alive.
Analysis: Though it hasn't scored an American distributor yet, this very strange take on both life and death did manage to get quite a bit of buzz surrounding it when it was on offer at the AFM back in November (and not just for a mostly naked Ricci). Wojtowicz-Vosloo's first feature, the psychological thriller features some top notch talent with Neeson's unsettling performance as the funeral director said to be the highlight.
Ricci's character and the writing were criticised, mainly for being not that clear, but the visuals and smarts of the film were praised even with its obvious budgetary limitations. Expect a quick theatrical release before a healthy life on DVD later in the year.
Buried
Opens: 2010
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Ivan Mino, Anne Lockhart, Jose Maria Yazpik
Director: Rodrigo Cortes
Summary: Paul is a U.S. contractor working in Iraq. After an attack by a group of Iraqis he wakes to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter and a cell phone it's a race against time to escape this claustrophobic death trap.
Analysis: The Spanish indie thriller from director Rodrigo Cortes ("15 Days," "The Contestant") scores a midnight world premiere at Sundance in January where reviews will have a big impact on its release plans. Script reviews paint this as a very dark feature, a film that piles one tragedy on top of another with a believable sense of realism and a fair albeit shocking end - one daring enough that it might be toned down to be more wide appealing.
Though there have been plenty of films and series featuring scenes of someone buried alive from the original "The Vanishing" to Tarantino's "Kill Bill Volume Two" and "CSI" episode, few spend over an hour trapped in a confined space with most of the dialogue taking place over the phone. Joel Schumacher's "Phone Booth" did it several years ago and the result was a very strong and enjoyable thriller, can we hope for the same here?
Carlos the Jackal
Opens: Spring 2010
Cast: Edgar Ramirez, Alexander Beyer, Anna Thalbach, Susanne Wuest, Julia Hummer
Director: Olivier Assayas
Summary: The story of Venezuelan revolutionary, Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, who founded a worldwide terrorist organization and raided the OPEC headquarters in 1975 before being caught by the French police in 1994. For twenty years he was known to the world by a different name, the assassin Carlos the Jackal.
Analysis: It's funny to think that despite being one of the most famous assassins to have ever lived, there hasn't really been an accurate biopic about Carlos even as his moniker has been used numerous times in film and fiction with little care for the real life facts. The closest I can recall, aside from Barbet Schroder's 2007 documentary "Terror's Advocate" about Carlos' lawyer, was 1997's little seen but enjoyable "The Assignment" which still ended up being only very loosely based on true events. Certainly that film was a lot better than the odious Bruce Willis-led "The Jackal" which opened the same year.
Now, along comes director Olivier Assayas ("Summer Hours," "Alice et Martin") delivering his first biopic which traces the life of Carlos from his first operation in London in 1974 to his capture and arrest by the Sudanese and French authorities in Khartoum in 1994. Edgar Ramirez ("Che," "The Bourne Ultimatum") stars as Carlos in the project which will include events such as the 1975 OPEC hostage-taking in Vienna. The possibilities here are rich considering Carlos had dealings with all sorts of different regimes throughout the Cold War including the PLO, the Soviets, the East German Stasi, the Japanese Red Army, Iraq under Saddam, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.
In interviews, Assayas said he had an incredible level of freedom for the project and could essentially do what he wanted with a rather sizeable budget. Blending Super 16 and 35mm film photography, the film's language is around half-English, the rest in mostly Spanish or French. Shot during the first half of 2009 in Austria, France, Germany, Hungary and Morocco, the project will be released in two different versions. A 120-minute theatrical cut will be screened internationally in the Spring after a three-part 270-minute mini-series version airs on French cable television next month. IFC Films will release the shorter cut States-side in theatres and on VOD, the longer cut will probably have to be imported on DVD later in the year.
The Hungry Rabbit Jumps
Opens: 2010
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Guy Pearce, January Jones, Harold Perrineau
Director: Roger Donaldson
Summary: When his wife is the victim of a brutal crime, a man subsequently becomes entangled with an underground vigilante organization in an effort to get revenge. He soon finds himself in too far over his head.
Analysis: Coming off "The Bank Job", one of my favourite films of 2008 and amongst its more critically acclaimed entries, Australian director Roger Donaldson helms this $30 million thriller which sounds like it'll hopefully explore the downside of a genre that has seen a resurgence in popularity lately - the vigilante movie. From "Taken" to the upcoming "Edge of Darkness", revenge thrillers have become kind of tedious lately and often avoid the truly dark costs that come with seeking one's own form of justice.
Reviews of Robert Tannen's script however paint this as something more along conspiracy thriller lines - with a secret society having dealt with his wife's attacker, they now require a favour from Cage's character which puts him in the position of either acquiescing, fleeing or attempting to expose them. It sounds like direct-to-video nonsense, but the story is apparently a fun little surface-level diversion with strong pacing that was good enough to make last year's Blacklist. Currently filming in the US, expect a potential Fall release.
BTW, svi smo videli da je Raimi odustao od pravljenja četvrtog Spajdermena i da će sledeći Spajdi biti ribut? (http://movies.ign.com/articles/106/1060055p1.html)
QuoteJanuary 11, 2010 - Damn, Sam Raimi, you've made us proud. As much as we're sorry to see you go, we respect the fact that you've stuck to your guns and told Sony to stick their webs where the sun don't shine.
That's right, folks. Sam Raimi has left the Spider-Man franchise, which essentially means that Spider-Man 4 is no more and the wallcrawler is now getting a from-scratch reboot from the studio instead. Tobey Maguire is also done with the red and blue suit, and in fact Sony is saying (via Twitter) that the reboot will go back to high school with the character and be released in 2012.
Deadline Hollywood's Nikki Finke had the story first, saying that "Mike Fleming and I have just confirmed that Sony Pictures decided today to reboot the Spider-Man franchise after franchise director Sam Raimi pulled out of Spider-Man 4 because he felt he couldn't make its summer release date and keep the film's creative integrity. This means that Raimi and the cast including star Tobey Maguire are out. There will be no Spider-Man 4. Instead, Mike Fleming is told, the studio will focus on a reboot script by Jamie Vanderbilt with a new director and a new cast. All this took place ... at [a] meeting on the lot today."
DH goes on to say that Raimi insisted he couldn't make Sony's date or "go forward creatively. And, so, once he said 'That's it,' Sony Pictures co-chairman [Amy] Pascal and Columbia Pictures' Matt Tolmach decided they didn't want to replace him and instead chose to reboot the franchise." Points to Sony for making the smart choice here.
We've got a call in to Sony right now and we'll update here as soon as we hear back from them! But, dang, this is a big one.
UPDATED: Here is Sony's official statement on the reboot: "Peter Parker is going back to high school when the next Spider-Man hits theaters in the summer of 2012. Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios announced today they are moving forward with a film based on a script by James Vanderbilt that focuses on a teenager dealing with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises. The new chapter in the Spider-Man franchise produced by Columbia, Marvel Studios and Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin, will have a new cast and filmmaking team. Spider-Man 4 was to have been released in 2011, but had not yet gone into production.
"A decade ago we set out on this journey with Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire and together we made three Spider-Man films that set a new bar for the genre. When we began, no one ever imagined that we would make history at the box-office and now we have a rare opportunity to make history once again with this franchise. Peter Parker as an ordinary young adult grappling with extraordinary powers has always been the foundation that has made this character so timeless and compelling for generations of fans. We're very excited about the creative possibilities that come from returning to Peter's roots and we look forward to working once again with Marvel Studios, Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin on this new beginning," said Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
"Working on the Spider-Man movies was the experience of a lifetime for me. While we were looking forward to doing a fourth one together, the studio and Marvel have a unique opportunity to take the franchise in a new direction, and I know they will do a terrific job," said Sam Raimi.
"We have had a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration and friendship with Sam and Tobey and they have given us their best for the better part of the last decade.This is a bittersweet moment for us because while it is hard to imagine Spider-Man in anyone else's hands, I know that this was a day that was inevitable," said Matt Tolmach, president of Columbia Pictures, who has served as the studio's chief production executive since the beginning of the franchise. "Now everything begins anew, and that's got us all tremendously excited about what comes next. Under the continuing supervision of Avi and Laura, we have a clear vision for the future of Spider-Man and can't wait to share this exciting new direction with audiences in 2012."
"Spider-Man will always be an important franchise for Sony Pictures and a fresh start like this is a responsibility that we all take very seriously," said Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures. "We have always believed that story comes first and story guides the direction of these films. As we move onto the next chapter, we will stay true to that principle and will do so with the highest respect for the source material and the fans and moviegoers who deserve nothing but the best when it comes to bringing these stories and characters to life on the big screen."
The studio will have more news about Spider-Man in 2012 in the coming weeks as it prepares for production of the film.
A evo i privjua za Kick-Ass
Kick-Ass Preview (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwolZSpwbwg#normal)
Stephen Norrington ("Blade," "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen") will write and direct supernatural action thriller "The Lost Patrol" for Legendary Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
Set against the backdrop of World War II, story details are being kept scarce. Andrew Hilton and Matt Cirulnick penned the original script.
Norrington says the project is a mix of "hardware, heroes, grime, insane monsters." Rick Porras and Steven Boyd are producing.
"The Lives of Others" helmer Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck has returned to direct the spy thriller "The Tourist" for Sony Pictures says Variety.
Johhny Depp will play an American tourist drawn into a web of intrigue by a female Interpol agent (Angelina Jolie) who is attempting to locate a criminal who was once her lover.
Julian Fellowes wrote the original script while Christopher McQuarrie and Jeffrey Nachmanoff did rewrites. The film is a remake of the 2005 French thriller "Anthony Zimmer "
Donnersmarck exited the project last Fall over creative differences. Shooting will now kick off in the Spring.
Michelle Monaghan is set and Vera Farmiga is in negotiations to join time-travel thriller "Source Code" for Summit Entertainment reports Heat Vision.
The story centers on a soldier (Jake Gyllenhaal) who, as part of an experimental government program to investigate a terrorist incident, finds himself in the body of an unknown commuter living and reliving a harrowing train bombing until he can find out who is responsible for it.
Monaghan is a woman on the train with whom the man is involved romantically. Farmiga will play a hands-on communications officer controlling Gyllenhaal as he travels through time and space.
"Moon" director Duncan Jones helms the project which begins filming in March. Mark Gordon, Philippe Rousselet and Jordan Wynn are producing.
Antoine Fuqua ("King Arthur," "Training Day") is set to direct the spy thriller "Consent to Kill" for CBS Films reports Variety.
An adaptation of the Vince Flynn novel, the story centers on counterterrorism agent Mitch Rapp who battles a vengeful Saudi billionaire, an ex-East German Stasi spy and a husband-and-wife team of assassins -- all while dealing with a knee injury.
Jonathan Lemkin adapted the script while Lorenzo DiBonaventura and Nick Wechsler are producing.
Robert Zemeckis has announced his voice & motion capture cast line-up for his remake of cartoon Beatles musical "Yellow Submarine" reports Empire Magazine.
Dean Lennox Kelly, who has appeared on a lot of British television lately from "Shameless" to guesting as Shakespeare on "Doctor Who" and a werewolf on "Being Human", will play John Lennon.
Comedian Peter Serafinowicz, who voiced Darth Maul in 'The Phantom Menace', has previously showed off a brilliant Paul McCartney impression and will do just that as McCartney in the film.
Film and TV veteran Cary Elwes will be George Harrison, while "Date Movie" and "Harper's Island" Brit actor Adam Campbell is Ringo Starr.
The quartet won't sing though, rather tribute band Fab 4 will be playing the actual Beatles tracks.
Quote from: crippled_avenger on 13-01-2010, 12:51:53
Stephen Norrington ("Blade," "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen") will write and direct supernatural action thriller "The Lost Patrol" for Legendary Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
Set against the backdrop of World War II, story details are being kept scarce. Andrew Hilton and Matt Cirulnick penned the original script.
Norrington says the project is a mix of "hardware, heroes, grime, insane monsters." Rick Porras and Steven Boyd are producing.
:!: xjap :!:
Tek sad ovo vidjeh. OK, ovo je definitivno postao najočekivaniji film još od
Avatara.
GIVE 'EM HELL, STEVE!
:| :D :|
Pazi, Steve se vraća i što je još važnje, on ima dobar relationship sa Legendaryjem, prvobitno je on trebalo da režira CLASH OF THE TITANS.
"The Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan has finally spoken about his upcoming mind-bending thriller "Inception", granting his first interview on the film to The Los Angeles Times.
The film is the biggest challenge Nolan's ever faced, saying "We're trying to tell a story on a massive scale, a true blockbuster scale - the biggest I've ever been involved with. We tried to make a very large-scale film with 'The Dark Knight' and with this one we wanted to push that even further."
Story wise expect a hell of a lot of scope - "I grew up watching James Bond films and loving those and watching spy movies with their globetrotting sensibility.... We get to do that here, not just geographically but also in time and dimensions of reality as well. We get to make a movie that's expansive, I suppose you'd say, in four dimensions."
Emma Thomas, Nolan's wife and the film's producer, says the film is something they've been talking about on and off for seven or eight years, and the size of the project was just incidental. "Coming off of the 'The Dark Knight,' the only thing we really knew is that we wanted to do something more personal. It seemed like the right time to do this. The fact that it's really just an enormous movie -- that wasn't ever really a factor in the decision. This story lends itself to a movie of this size" says Thomas.
Quote from: crippled_avenger on 14-01-2010, 12:52:30
Pazi, Steve se vraća i što je još važnje, on ima dobar relationship sa Legendaryjem, prvobitno je on trebalo da režira CLASH OF THE TITANS.
Drago mi je što je odustao od filma za koji nije bio zagrijan. Naravno, rimjek
Clash of the Titans je top priority, pogotovu nakon najboljeg trailera ikada.
Nakon ove vijesti, ja od Norringtona očekujem čuda, jer ga smatram najvećim rediteljem koji se pojavio u 90-tim.
Quote from: Will-O'-The-Wisp on 14-01-2010, 19:39:27
Drago mi je što je odustao od filma za koji nije bio zagrijan. Naravno, rimjek Clash of the Titans je top priority, pogotovu nakon najboljeg trailera ikada.
Nakon ove vijesti, ja od Norringtona očekujem čuda, jer ga smatram najvećim rediteljem koji se pojavio u 90-tim.
Pazi, Norrington je ogromna faca. U izvesnom smislu on je i jedan od najznačajnijih, s tim što su Wachowski pokupili kajmak.
116 907 gledalaca u Srbiji. Koliko god neverovatno zvučalo, imao je skok od 7%.
Bill Murray will replace British thespian Toby Kebbell as a murderous mobster in "Passion Play" reports Production Weekly.
The dramatic thriller is set in 1950s Los Angeles and follows a down on his luck trumpet player who finds redemption from an angel stuck under the thumb of ruthless gangster Happy Shannon (Murray).
Mickey Rourke is the player, Megan Fox the freak. Kelly Lynch also stars. Mitch Glazer penned and is directing the production which is currently filming in New Mexico.
"Twilight" hunk Kellan Lutz and "Stargate Atlantis" co-star Jason Momoa are both being considered to play Conan the Barbarian in the upcoming remake at Nu Image/Millenium reports Deadline Hollywood.
The pair, along with a third and more-established but unnamed actor, are all being considered before they decide on the role.
Marcus Nispel helms the project which kicks off filming March 15th in Bulgaria.
"Superbad" and "Funny People" actor Jonah Hill tells Coming Soon that they hope to shoot the film adaptation of classic 80's TV series "21 Jump Street" this year.
Though the film will keep the same basic premise as the series, rookie cops who go undercover as students in a high school, the tone will not be the parody many are expecting.
"It's a comedy with really cool action. We're not doing something serious like 'Miami Vice.' But it's not a parody. It's a funny movie with a lot of great action and a real story. I've been saying that it's like a John Hughes movie with 'Bad Boys' style action" says Hill.
At present the script is being tweaked to fit in with the vision of recently hired directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller ("Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"). No further cast is currently lined up.
Way back in February, MTV News interviewed Danny Boyle about the projects he was considering post-Slumdog Millionaire, and one of the scripts he was mulling over was a movie called, The Texas Killing Fields.
Texas Killing Fields' was a fantastic script, really special script, but it was just so dark it would never get made. You'd have to have half a dozen super megastars for a studio to even consider making it," Boyle said of the project. "It's by an ex-cop from Galveston and visually would have been extraordinary, but I don't think that's going to happen.
Well, it looks like they may have found their super mega-stars. Unfortunately, according to our inside source, The Hollywood Cog, Danny Boyle is no longer attached to the project.
instead, the project — which is being produced by Michael Mann, who was once himself attached to direct — has fallen into the lap of Ami Mann, Michael's daughter. whose only notable experience was as the second unit director on Heat and a long in-development and probably dead, Racing the Monsoon (which at one time had Michael Douglas attached).
Ami Mann's inexperience is noteworthy here, I would think, because of the two stars now attached to the project, two of the biggest actors in Hollywood this year: The Hangover's Bradley Cooper and Avatar's Sam Worthington. It's not quite half-a-dozen megastars, but it's a pretty solid star, and certainly enough to make me interested in the project.
Little is known about the script, except that it's about two cops who realize that the latest murder in their jurisdiction connects their case to the notorious killing fields murders. The killing field murders concern four bodies that were found in the same place in Texas — along Interstate 45 near Calder Road in League City. Two of the bodies are still unidentified, and all four murders remain unsolved. I suspect the script is a fictional account inspired by those murders, and it certainly does sound dark. But with Cooper and Worthington attached, it should have no problem moving ahead.
Sam Raimi's producing partner Robert Tapert says that despite the rumors, the former "Spider-Man" film series director has yet to make a decision about his next project.
"I don't want to speak on Sam's behalf, because the 'Spider-Man' thing happened so recently. I think he's getting his feet under him and trying to decide. He might want to do a teeny, tiny small film, but I don't know what he wants to do. I know he had a great time doing 'Drag Me to Hell'" Tapert told iF Magazine.
What about the "Warcraft" movie he's linked to over at Blizzard Entertainment and Legendary Pictures? Tapert says "It's in development. We're in the outline/story/script phase". It was confirmed late last year that Robert Rodat ("Saving Private Ryan") is penning the screenplay.
Hey folks, Harry here... and sometimes I feel it is the very reason AICN exists to take a story that has been online via Variety and then translate it into frank film geek speak for the rest of us.
Martin Scorsese... possibly our most brilliant living director... Has chosen as his next project, a 533 page Children's Picture Book called THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET to make as his very next film, shooting this June.
Well, this book is about an orphan child,whose father was working to fix a Mechanical Man (ROBOT) when he died. The boy, HUGO, is hanging out in a 1930's Parisian train station where he is attempting to complete his father's work.
The other night on CONAN O'BRIEN's TONIGHT SHOW - I watch Scorsese talk about his daughter and there was something about the way he spoke, that made me actually wonder if we were going to see the maestro turn his craft to a children's tale.
With this project, I expect that we will receive our very first live action equivalent to a Miyazaki animated film. I am so excited for this movie. How thrilling. This will be magic.
PIRATI S KARIBA 4!!!
Snimiće se nastavak trilogije, Džoni Dep i Džefri Raš su tu, a najljepša vijest je - Kira i Orlando se neće pojavljivati u filmu!!!
http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/movie-talk-pirates-4.html (http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/movie-talk-pirates-4.html)
Mali peh je promjena režisera, umjesto Verbinskog sad je tu Rob Maršal koji baš i ne uliva povjerenje, ali nadajmo se da će sve biti dobro.
Quote from: Harvester on 23-01-2010, 14:13:57umjesto Verbinskog sad je tu Rob Maršal koji baš i ne uliva povjerenje, ali nadajmo se da će sve biti dobro.
mora da su džim vajnorski, dejvid dekoto i fred olen rej bili prezauzeti, a šotra ne zna engleski.
ali, harv se i dalje nada da će sve biti dobro.
oće.
biće super.
Pa dođavola, valjda je isti producentski tim, valjda su sposobni da vide ako lik umjesto avanture počne da pravi neku limunadu-mjuzikl i da otpuste budalu.
Sem toga, ni Verbinski nije baš imao neki PRETJERANO sjajan pedigre prije prvih Pirata - jedna fina komedijica, jedan uspješan ali manjkav horor i jedna užasno grozna dramurda.
I nemoj da mi vrijeđaš Vinorskog i Freda Olena Reja trpajući ih u isti koš sa onim gej-analfabetom!
Isla Fisher ("Wedding Crashers," "Confessions of a Shopaholic") and Tom Wilkinson ("Michael Clayton," "Duplicity") have joined the horror comedy "Burke and Hare" says Heat Vision Blog.
The film is based on the true story a pair of the U.K.'s earliest serial killers, William Burke (Simon Pegg) and William Hare (Andy Serkis), gravediggers who lucratively sold the corpses of their victims to a medical college for dissection.
Fisher will play Pegg's girlfriend, an actress looking for a patron who might or might not be an accomplice to the murders. Wilkinson will play Dr. Robert Knox, an anatomy lecturer looking for fresh corpses.
John Landis directs from a script by Piers Ashworth and Nick Moorcroft. Filming kicks off January 31st in Edinburgh and London.
Splice
24 January, 2010 | By David D'Arcy
Dir. Vincenzo Natali, France/Canada, 2009, 100 minutes
With Splice, Vincenzo Natali has updated the Frankenstein story and placed it at science's cutting edge, in the field of gene-splicing. The perils of genetic manipulation are addressed, horror-style, and a hybrid species character redefines conception and copulation. Natali's experiment works.
Adrian Brody and Sarah Polley in the cast should help Splice go beyond the existing techno-horror audience – the prospect of each in intimate contact with a hybrid species could bring in armies of the curious. English-speaking territories should be strongest for the film, yet stylish effects and deft cinematography will give it international appeal. Home video should also be strong.
Clive (Brody) and Elsa (Polley) are hip scientists probing the frontiers of gene-splicing, battling corporate investors as they take wild risks. The whiz kids' breakthrough is a human/animal hybrid that grows alarmingly fast into a female humanoid, the sexy and willful Dren (Delphine Chaneac). Created with Elsa's DNA (an unethical trick by Elsa), Dren also develops a lust for Clive.
With echoes of Canadian compatriot David Cronenberg and exec producer Guillermo Del Toro (and a touch of Eve from the Species series), Natali directs this story of an out-of-control experiment with a sense of the vast new powers in the hands of scientists who toy with genetic pairings. The spliced monsters seem to emerge from the test tube, rather than from the CGI studio, enhancing the eeriness.
Brody and Polley take dramatic risks as lovers who lose the balance between affection and ambition. Delphine Chaneac plays their bald marble-white concoction with a vulnerability and a volatile libido.
Aussie hunk Sam Worthington ("Avatar," "Clash of the Titans") is the apparent frontrunner to star in Alex Proyas' epic "Dracula Year Zero" for Universal Pictures reports Latino Review.
Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless penned this strange fusion of historical fact and literary fiction that centres around the life of the young Transylvanian Prince Vlad, better known as Vlad the Impaler whom inspired Bram Stoker's vampire tale.
This spin on the story has the young prince leading the charge to fend off the Ottoman Empire's attempts to use Romania as a foothold to conquer the rest of Europe.
In a moment of desperation, he ascends a mountain where a dark magical power resides in the hope of finding something to keep the Turkish hordes at bay. That power helps him defeat the Turks, but comes at the price of him changing into a creature of the night.
Michael De Luca is producing.
Buried
(Spain)
By ROB NELSON
A Lionsgate release of a Versus Entertainment presentation, in association with the Safran Co. and Dark Trick Films. Produced by Adrian Guerra, Peter Safran. Executive producers, Alejandro Miranda, Rodrigo Cortes. Directed, edited by Rodrigo Cortes. Screenplay, Chris Sparling.
Paul Conroy - Ryan Reynolds
Voices:
Dan Brenner - Robert Paterson
Jabir - Jose Luis Garcia-Perez
Alan Davenport - Stephen Tobolowsky
Linda Conroy - Samantha Mathis
Donna Mitchell/ Maryanne Conroy - Warner Loughlin
Pamela Lutti - Ivana Mino
Special Agent Harris - Erik Palladino
Likely to be the highest-grossing "underground" film ever made, "Buried" takes place entirely in a coffin but shrewdly finds the space to wriggle its way from horror to melodrama and even action. Lionsgate's claustrophobic Sundance pickup about a U.S. truck driver in Iraq kidnapped and held for ransom in a pine box opens itself up creatively via a cell phone that its only onscreen character (Ryan Reynolds) uses to reach the outside world. Produced in Spain, the English-lingo pic translates easily to any number of territories, where its wartime tale of an arguably innocent American could even spark debate.
In purely cinematic terms, "Buried," set in late 2006, is an ingenious exercise in sustained tension that would make Alfred Hitchcock turn over in his grave. Shooting in widescreen, believe it or not, director Rodrigo Cortes starts in total darkness, using the sounds of breathing, a cough or two, some thumps and the scratching against wood to establish that his film is beginning where "The Vanishing" left off.
The flame of a Zippo eventually illuminates the sweaty face of Reynolds's 30-year-old family man Paul Conroy, whose frantic kicks can't compete with those of Uma Thurman's martially artful escape artist in "Kill Bill Vol. 2." All our hero has at the outset is that lighter, a pen, a pocket knife and, crucially, a fully charged phone.
Through Conroy's darkly funny long-distance calls to 911 and elsewhere, we learn that the civilian driver's convoy was ambushed by Iraqi insurgents en route to delivering kitchen supplies to a community center. Evidently unconvinced of his humanitarianism, an Iraqi man (voiced by Jose Luis Garcia-Perez) calls Conroy to demand the wire transfer of $5 million within two hours.
The suggestion that an ordinary American would have to pay for his country's involvement in an ugly war is as brilliant (and scary) as anything in Chris Sparling's suitably tight screenplay.
Reaching the State Dept. along with the Hostage Working Group's Dan Brenner (voice of Robert Paterson), Conroy is told that the U.S. doesn't negotiate with terrorists -- which can't stop him from momentarily obliging his captor by uploading a cell-shot video of his desperate plea for funds. Later, talking to a cold-hearted representative of his employer (voice of Stephen Tobolowsky), the working stiff discovers that in this economy, one doesn't have to be above ground in order to get downsized.
Capably acting his way out of a tight situation, Reynolds channels a measure of Bruce Willis' "Die Hard" hero John McClane, as the isolated Conroy, longing for his family and struggling to keep his cool, is forced to develop trusting relationships with those he can't see. As if being buried alive isn't compromising enough, the character's vulnerability is enhanced further by the fact that, even under better circumstances, he suffers from clinical anxiety. Running dangerously low on air, Conroy is at least able to reach into his pocket and pop a few Xanax.
Employing their own limited tools effectively, the "Buried" crew, from sound designer James Munoz to d.p. Eduard Grau, adds immeasurably to the pic's nightmarish proportions. Cortes (who also edited) manages myriad technical challenges with wit and aplomb, zooming back when necessary and even staging a close-quarters action scene that's too much fun to give away.
Speaking of "Buried" spoilers: The biggest trick for Lionsgate will be to keep the lid on.
Camera (color, widescreen), Eduard Grau; music, Victor Reyes; art directors, Maria de la Camara, Gabriel Pare; costume designer, Elisa de Andres; sound (Dolby Digital), Urko Garai; sound designer, James Munoz; re-recording mixer, Marc Orts; visual effects supervisor, Alex Villagrasa; line producer, Oriol Maymo; assistant director, Manel Martinez; casting, Luci Lenox. Reviewed at Sundance Film Festival (Park City at Midnight), Jan. 24, 2010. Running time: 93 MIN.
"I Love You Phillip Morris" and "Bad Santa" helmers John Requa and Glenn Ficarra are set to direct an untitled Steve Carell comedy reports Variety.
The story revolves around a father who struggles to balance his failing marriage and balance his relationship with his children.
Dan Fogleman wrote the script while Denise Di Novi will produce. Requa and Ficarra are still attached to direct "Pharm Girl".
From Paris With Love
(France)
By ANDREW BARKER
A Lionsgate (in U.S.) release of a EuropaCorp, M6 Films, Grive Prods. and Apipoulai Prods. co-production, with the participation of Canal Plus, TPS Star and M6. Produced by India Osborne. Executive producer, Virginie Besson-Silla. Co-executive producers, Anson Downes, Linda Rae Favila. Directed by Pierre Morel. Screenplay, Adi Hasak, based on a story by Luc Besson.
Charlie Wax - John Travolta
James Reese - Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Caroline - Kasia Smutniak
Ambassador Bennington - Richard Durden
Wong - Bing Yin
Nichole - Amber Rose Revah
Foreign Minister - Eric Godon
Rashid - Chems Eddine Dahmani
Presumably pitched as a fusion of "Training Day" and "Crank 2" -- but ultimately nowhere near as fun as that premise probably sounds -- "From Paris With Love" practically strains itself to avoid doing anything the slightest bit innovative or clever. Provided the notion of a jive-talking John Travolta decked out like Rob Halford doesn't prove too large a deterrent, a number of undiscriminating action fans will likely fill the seats for this effort from "Taken" director Pierre Morel, again called upon to salvage one of the slower weekends on the release calendar.
"From Paris With Love" reps another example of the ways in which action films increasingly mimic videogames. In particular, a long shootout that takes place through the innards of a Chinese restaurant is strikingly similar to a setpiece in "Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned" -- although unlike the film, the game shows a degree of wit and an appreciable sense of space.
Pic features a somnolent Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Reese, an assistant at the American embassy in Paris who lives a dull double-life as a low-ranking errand boy for the CIA. Soon enough, he's called upon for his first real-life espionage mission -- and paired with trigger-happy Charlie Wax (Travolta), introduced trying to sneak a suitcase full of energy drinks through customs, and five minutes later seen running in super-slow motion while yelling and firing two Uzis at the same time. (Whether he also endorses Axe Body Spray and Mountain Dew is left unsaid.)
The script makes little attempt to explain the conspiracy the pair are tasked with unraveling -- midway through, the pic's villains turn from Chinese coke dealers to Pakistani suicide bombers without explanation -- instead hustling them from bordello to banlieue to the top of the Eiffel Tower. There are certainly moments of intentional humor here -- Reese carries around a large vase filled with cocaine for a quarter of the movie -- but they clash awkwardly with the pic's penchant for deadening violence; toward the end, one especially brutal moment hardly even registers as a jolt, much less a joke.
To his credit, Travolta hams it up with the kind of laissez-faire irony that might have made the film a tongue-in-cheek pleasure, had his attitude extended to the filmmakers.
Production values are schizophrenic, alternating between stylish compositions and grainy, washed-out B-reel, while the uber-bombastic score generates a fair amount of unintended humor on its own.
Camera (color), Michel Abramowicz; editor, Frederic Thoraval; music, David Buckley; production designer, Jacques Bufnoir; set decorator, Veronique Melery; costume designers, Olivier Beriot, Corinne Bruand; sound (Dolby), Lucien Balibar, Frederic Dubois, Francois-Joseph Hors; stunt supervisor, Philippe Guegan; special effects supervisor, Philippe Hubin; visual effects supervisor, Roxane Fechner; visual effects, Eclair VFX; assistant director, Stephane Moreno Carpio; casting, Swan Pham. Reviewed at Raleigh Studios, Los Angeles, Jan. 27, 2010. MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 92 MIN.
Guy Pearce and Mary-Louise Parker will star in the psychological thriller "The Well" for Cooper's Town Productions reports Variety.
The story revolves around a well-to-do Manhattan couple whose obsessive pursuit of salvation ultimately leads to destruction.
Tim Guinee penned the script and makes his feature directorial debut on the project. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Emily Ziff will produce.
Paramount Pictures and Plan B have picked up film rights to Michael Lewis' non-fiction tome "The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine" says Variety.
The story chronicles the recent free fall of the American economy (in particular the crippled housing market), seen through the eyes of a large group of characters.
Brad Pitt is producing. No cast has been added, and no production date has been set.
Actor/comedian Danny McBride ("Tropic Thunder," "Land of the Lost") and director Jody Hill are re-teaming for the comedy "L.A.P.I." for Rough House Pictures says Screen Daily.
McBride is expected to play an over the hill, hardboiled private investigator though other plot details are unknown. Michael Diliberti and Matthew Sullivan penned the script.
McBride and Hill previously teamed on "The Foot Fist Way", "Observe and Report" and the TV series "Eastbound & Down".
Anchor Bay Films has acquired U.S. distribution rights to "Solitary Man," starring Michael Douglas, Susan Sarandon, Mary-Louise Parker and Danny DeVito.
Directed by Brian Koppelman, pic tells the story of a car magnate (Douglas) whose life goes into a tailspin because of business and romantic indiscretions.
Pic preemed in September at the Toronto Film Festival, where it played alongside the Coen brothers' "A Serious Man" and Tom Ford's "A Single Man."
"'Solitary Man' features Michael Douglas at his finest," said Anchor Bay prexy Bill Clark.
Deal was negotiated by Clark, senior VP of acquisitions Kevin Kasha annd Richard Turner of Anchor Bay. Avi Lerner and David Sobieraj for Nu Image also took part in the acquisition.
Recent releases for the distrib have included "Spread," starring Ashton Kutcher, Jeff Bridges starrer "The Open Road" and "Frozen," which bowed at Sundance and opened in limited release on Friday.
Aussie hunk Sam Worthington ("Avatar," "Clash of the Titans") has signed on to star in Ami Canaan Mann's very dark thriller "The Fields" reports Production Weekly.
Based on a true story, Worthington would play a homicide detective from Texas investigating a strong of unsolved murders amidst the oil refineries in the state's south-east with the help of a peer from New York.
Mann's father, Michael Mann, is set to produce alongside Michael Jaffe. Don Ferrarone, a former DEA agent, penned the script.
Filming kicks off in early April in Louisiana.
Kathryn Bigelow, Robert Rodriguez, and Tomas Alfredson have all apparently declined offers to direct Fox's "Caesar", their proposed upcoming reboot of the "Planet of the Apes" franchise reports Vulture.
The article indicates producer Peter Chernin has been having difficulty getting top-tier directors interested in the property. Yet with the studio intent on making the project, offers are still out.
The latest batch of candidates are somewhat less high-brow including Albert and Allen Hughes ("From Hell," "The Book of Eli"), Pierre Morel ("Taken, "From Paris with Love"), James McTeigue ("V for Vendetta," "Ninja Assassin"), Dennis Illiadis ("The Last House on the Left") and Scott Stewart ("Legion").
William Fichtner ("Armageddon," "Contact") and Amber Heard ("The Stepfather," "Zombieland") are in talks to star in "Drive Angry 3D" reports Bloody Disgusting and Collider.
Nicolas Cage plays a man on a vendetta to kill the people responsible for his daughter's murder and granddaughter's kidnapping. His pursuit leaves bodies in his wake as his quest for vengeance comes closer to realisation.
Patrick Lussier directs from a script he co-wrote with Todd Farmer, the pair serving in essentially the same capacities they did on last year's "My Bloody Valentine".
Filming kicks off in Shreveport, Louisiana in March for release next February.
Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Marion Cotillard are all close to joining Steven Soderbergh's viral outbreak thriller "Contagion" reports The Playlist.
Much like the helmer's "Traffic", the story follows numerous characters in multiple storylines across several continents with a global viral pandemic being the common element.
Scott Z. Burns ("The Bourne Ultimatum") penned the action thriller currently being shopped to studios. Filming kicks off in the Fall once Soderbergh finishes work on the ensemble spy thriller "Knockout".
Amber Tamblyn is set to play the love interest of James Franco's Aron Ralston character in "127 Hours" for Fox Searchlight reports Deadline Hollywood.
Based on a true story, Ralston is a mountaineer who spent five days with his right forearm pinned under a boulder during a climb in May 2003 and had to use a dull knife to amputate the limb before scaling a wall and seeking rescue.
Tamblyn will appear as his girlfriend in flashbacks that inspire him to keep going. Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire") directs from a script by Simon Beaufoy. Filming kicking off next month in Utah.
Sam Worthington has signed to star in "The Fields."
The "Avatar" star will play a Texas homicide detective who joins with a New York detective to investigate unsolved murders in the Texas bayous.
Ami Canaan Mann is set to direct the feature, to be produced by her father Michael Mann and Michael Jaffe for QED and Forward Pass Inc.
Don Ferrarone has written the screenplay, based on a true story.
QED founder Bill Block will be selling international rights at the upcoming European Film Market in Berlin.
CAA, which represents Michael Mann and Worthington, set up the project with QED, which is financing. QED and CAA are co-representing domestic rights.
Pre-production has already begun in Louisiana, with the project scheduled to start shooting in early April.
J.J. Abrams will produce but NOT direct the upcoming fourth "Mission Impossible" according to a press release from Paramount Pictures.
The announcement confirms that Tom Cruise will return as star and producer on M:I-4 which will target a Memorial Day 2011 release. Bad Robot Productions and Skydance Productions will co-finance and produce.
Cruise and Abrams are currently in the process of selecting a director. Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec, who served as showrunners on the final few seasons of Abrams' "Alias" and the short-lived American "Life on Mars" remake, are attached to pen the script.
Scribe Peter Briggs ("Hellboy") and producer Gary Kurtz ("Star Wars," "The Dark Crystal") are teaming for the supernatural war thriller "Panzer 88" reports Screen Daily.
Filming kicks off later this year in Eastern Europe and the story is described as a a creature feature set around a group of blue-collar fighters in the German tank regiments in October 1944.
Briggs is directing from a script he co-wrote with Aaron Mason and James Cowan. Some concept art and an interview with Briggs about the film is up at Bloody Disgusting.
Briggs is also attached to direct "Mortis Rex" which Jim Jacks is producing. That film is currently in pre-production for shooting to kick off in the Spring.
New Line Cinema is quickly moving forward with plans to remake John Carpenter's 1981 dystopian action classic Escape From New York, thanks to a rewrite from Allan Loeb, the man who rescued the Wall Street sequel from development limbo over at Fox. A big reason for the fast track was creative: Loeb nailed the humor in Plissken without slipping into camp, and he changed Snake's rescue-mission target from a president to a female senator, thereby upping the banter quotient. But just as big a factor was economic: They found a much cheaper way to turn Manhattan into a giant prison.
In the original, set at the end of World War III, New York City was a husk of itself after being turned into a giant prison, but that kind of destruction gets pricey.* So in Escape 2.0, the Big Apple that the as-yet-uncast Snake Plissken is dropped into will be geographically undesirable, but intact: This Manhattan was evacuated and turned into a privately run penal colony after the detonation of a crude radioactive dirty bomb on the outskirts of the city. "It is not a disaster movie," says a source close to the project. "It is an exposé of an ecosystem, if you put a huge wall around Manhattan and then dropped in the most fucked-up, dangerous criminals on Earth." This means New York will still be recognizable to audiences, à la I Am Legend, rather than an entirely new Armageddon Island. (Previous scribe David Kajganich, who wrote The Invasion, is credited with this solution.)
Much like in the original movie, the authorities have set up shop in the Statue of Liberty (though this time it's not the police, it's a private, KBR-like security company)*, and now new prisoners are being processed through Ellis Island. And more importantly, good ol' Snake remains largely the same. Legally, he has to be. We learned that in order to land the rights, New Line had to sign a contract with John Carpenter stipulating, among other things, that Plissken "must be called 'Snake'"; "must wear an eye patch"; and that he would — and we're not making this up — "always be a 'bad-ass.'"; So, if you ever catch the new Snake watching Grey's Anatomy or complaining that the senator isn't "emotionally available," just know that somewhere, some poor development exec is about to be carted off to jail.
David Kajganić? Really?! :)
Enivej, kako god, ne radujem se ovom rimejku...
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1738734/ (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1738734/)
Brit helmer Mike Newell is attached to write and direct an untitled feature about the mysterious death of former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko.
Project is set at Warner Bros and is being overseen by London-based Warner VP of production Ollie Madden.
Newell, who most recently directed "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" for Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, is developing the pic with scriptwriter David Scarpa.
No talent is attached yet to the project, which is said to be in an advanced stage of development.
Project is based on the book "The Terminal Spy" by New York Times' London bureau chief Alan Cowell.
The film rights deal for the book was Madden's firstacquisition when he joined Warner Bros. in January 2007.
Litvinenko's death remains shrouded in intrigue. The ex-Russian spy, who was poisoned in 2006 by polonium-210, personally accused then-Russian President Vladimir Putin of being behind his murder as he lay dying in a London hospital bed.
Story became one of the most mysterious and perplexing crimes of the post-Cold War era, triggering an international investigation and diplomatic tension between British and Russian officials.
Initially, authorities thought Litvinenko was poisoned at a sushi restaurant, but alternative theories have since emerged.
Cowell's book, published by Doubleday in the U.S., has been translated into numerous languages.
Helmer Michael Mann was also developing a rival Litvinenko project with Litvinenko's wife Maria at Sony, though that appears to have stalled in recent months.
The Ghost Writer (aka The Ghost)
12 February, 2010 | By Fionnuala Halligan
Dir: Roman Polanski. Fr-Ger-UK. 2009. 128mins.
A stylish, precise salute to Hitchcock's thrillers but still bearing all the hallmarks of Roman Polanski's distinctive style, The Ghost Writer is an effortless take on Robert Harris' best-selling novel and a film lover's delight.
Ewan McGregor is a rediscovery in the title role of the Ghost and thankfully Pierce Brosnan doesn't deliver an impersonation of Tony Blair
After the very disparate The Pianist (2002) and Oliver Twist (2005), The Ghost Writer marks a move back to Polanski's pacy terrain of Frantic (1998) or even The Ninth Gate (2000), all peppered through with Alexandre Desplat's entrancing retro score and even some breezy comic moments.
While fans of the troubled auteur will come away sated, however, Polanski may need all his notoriety to muster the might of the domestic multiplex for this low-tech political thriller — Frantic took $17m in the US, with The Ninth Gate only returning $18.6m, despite Harrison Ford and Johnny Depp respectively leading the charge. Wider audiences in the US could remain elusive.
Internationally, the outlook is brighter. While the book — about a former UK prime minister and his wife who cosied up to a warmongering US regime — was interpreted as a thinly veiled attack on the Blairs, Polanski, working with Harris on the screenplay, has extracted any whiff of Tony and Cherie from his film, to its immense benefit.
A Blair-weary UK public should respond enthusiastically, as will co-production territories France and Germany (despite the film's setting — an island styled after Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket — The Ghost Writer was shot entirely at Studio Babelsberg and on location in Germany).
Ewan McGregor gives his best performance in years as the titular 'Ghost', hired at the last minute to script the memoirs of former British prime minister Adam Lang (Brosnan) after the original author, the PM's former press secretary, suddenly commits suicide.
Polanski's operatic opening, on a car ferry, is an immediate attention-grabber. Ensuing sequences in a rain-soaked London witness the Ghost auditioning for the job at a powerful publishing house and introduce a subdued Timothy Hutton as the Langs' personal lawyer. However grey London is, it is outshadowed by the former prime minister's steely grey windswept retreat — a glass-walled bunker on "an island off the Eastern seaboard".
En route to start his job — with the prerequisite impossible timeframe in which to complete the memoirs — the Ghost discovers that Adam Lang may be indicted for crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court over state-sanctioned torture during his tenure as PM.
At the seaside house in the decidedly off-season, the Ghost is introduced first to the icy Ruth Lang (Williams) and later to a preoccupied Adam by his suspiciously close PA, the Hitchcockian blonde Amelia (Cattrall).
The plot suitably thickens until our beleaguered, fairly ordinary hero (his last book was a magician's memoirs called I Came, I Sawed, I Conquered) finds himself in the middle of a maelstrom in which a car's satnav must play a decisive role.
The locations — inauthentic as they may be — and the elements are almost as central to The Ghost Writer as the events which take place on screen, and Polanski has mastered his forces here in an orchestral manner. The austere camerawork from DoP Pawel Edelman, who has worked with Polanski since The Pianist, complements Albrecht Conrad's design, and Desplat's score is a delicious through line.
McGregor is a rediscovery in the role of the Ghost, while it is an enormous relief to witness Brosnan delivering the book's cipher and not another tedious impersonation of Tony Blair.
A difficulty, though, is Olivia Williams' performance as Ruth Lang; she is convincingly angry, but it is a furious, one-note performance. The Ghost is required to be initially attracted to the former PM's wife, not terrified by her — or at least, not wholly.
As a final note, locations and set design are notably more convincing than the accents of the supporting cast. It may be a small world, but a US secretary of state with a European accent still seems some way in the future, despite Governor Schwarzenegger's inroads in California.
A Warner Brothers release (in the U.K.) of a Pathe Prods. presentation, in association with the U.K. Film Council, of a Celador Films, Cloud Eight Films production. (International sales: Pathe, London.) Produced by Christian Colson, Robert Jones. Executive producers, Paul Smith, Cameron McCracken, Francois Ivernel. Directed, written by Neil Marshall.
Centurion Quintus Dias - Michael Fassbender
General Titus Virilus - Dominic West
Thax - J.J. Feild
Septus - Lee Ross
Bothos - David Morrissey
Gorlacon - Ulrich Thomsen
Gorlacon's son - Ryan Atkinson
Governor Agricola - Paul Freeman
Etain - Olga Kurylenko
Brick - Liam Cunningham
Macros - Noel Clarke
Leonidas - Dimitri Leonidas
Tarak - Riz Ahmed
Arianne - Imogen Poots
A raggedy band of second-century Roman soldiers scramble to escape revenge-bent Pict warriors in ancient Blighty in the rousing if slightly predictable chase drama "Centurion." Working with a heftier budget than he had for his last, "Doomsday," horror-trained British helmer Neil Marshall flexes strong action muscles and carves copious flesh here, creating the sort of broadsword-based bedlam that will thrill fans of ancient martial movies. Nevertheless, macho pic may lack the sort of cross-quadrant appeal that made Marshall's second, all-femme, ensemble "The Descent," a sleeper hit. Good word-of-mouth will be needed to build an empire of followers.
After a flashforward preamble that sees protagonist Quintus Dias (played by a chiselled Michael Fassbender) stumbling half-naked through the snow, it's established that action unfolds in 117 AD, on the very edge of the Roman Empire, in what's now Scotland. Like many a superpower that would follow in Rome's footsteps, the would-be continental conquerors are finding it hard work vanquishing the local barbarian horde, in this instance the Picts. Using guerrilla tactics, these fierce warriors bedevil the Roman legions with constant raids on the Romans' forts, one of which wipes out Quintus' cohort.
For unexplained reasons, Quintus can speak Pictish (per pic's press notes, subtitled dialogue for these scenes is actually Scots Gaelic since little is known about the real Pictish language), so he's taken prisoner instead of merely slain. While being marched across country by a small band of Pict guards, a skirmish with the Roman Army's Ninth Legion liberates Quintus. He joins forces with his countryman, who are led by roistering man-of-the-people General Titus Virilus (Dominic West, who's character name here is just a bit too on the nose, recalling the joke pseudo-Latin monikers used in Monty Python's "Life of Brian" and the Asterix comics).
As a guide to find Gorlacon (Danish thesp Ulrich Thomsen), the leader of the Picts, the Ninth are using mute Pict woman Etain (Olga Kurylenko, from "Quantum of Solace"). But she turns out to be a double agent who leads the Ninth into a trap (an impressive sequence featuring literal balls of fire and sword thrusts every quarter second), resulting in the near-total slaughter of the legion and Virilus' capture.
Only Quintus and a handful of men survive, including sturdy Bothos (David Morrissey), cheeky Thax (J.J. Field), middle-aged Brick (Liam Cunningham) who was -- naturally -- just about to retire, fleet-footed African Macros (Noel Clarke), killer-shot Greek Leonidas (Dimitri Leonidas), and cook Tarak (Riz Ahmed) from the Hindu Kush. The band tries unsuccessfully to rescue Virilus, and during their raid Thax kills Gorlacon's young son (Ryan Atkinson), which sets the horde after them for vengeance.
From this point on, plot adheres to a standard chase/horror movie template as the Romans are picked off by the Pict hunters. Since the preamble has already suggested only Quintus will survive, suspense resides only in waiting to see how each man gets offed. Thankfully, Marshall is inventive when it comes to killing characters, deploying just about every weapon in the ancient-world arsenal as well as wolves. Only a few stopoffs for bantering and backstory revelations, and an interlude at the home of an ostracized Pict woman (Imogen Poots) provide breathers from the relentless, sharply cut action sequences.
As popcorn entertainment, pic delivers well enough, and thesps rise more than adequately to the demands of their roles, apart from Kurylenko, who looks too spindly to convince as the ferocious woman warrior she's meant to be. An extra dimension or two in the script would have done no harm, and while "Centurion" serves well as an old-school thrill ride, it lacks the poignancy of "Gladiator" or the CGI dazzle of "300." However accurate the costumes and production design details might be here, "Centurion" never quite evokes a sense of antiquity; its core plot could be happening at any time. It will be interesting to see what the more cerebral helmer Kevin Macdonald ("The Last King of Scotland") does with "The Eagle of the Ninth," which also explores the fate of the Roman Ninth Legion.
Craft contributions are strong, especially lenser Sam McCurdy's high-speed interludes and color-drained palette that makes the copious quantities of blood look practically inky. Helicopter shots show off the exquisitely austere Scottish landscapes used to their best advantage. Pace and running time are just right.
Camera (Kodak color, widescreen), Sam McCurdy; editor, Chris Gill; music, Ilan Eshkeri; production designer, Simon Bowles; supervising art director, Jason Knox-Johnston; art director, Andy Thomson; set decorator, Zoe Smith; costume designer, Keith Madden; sound (Dolby Digital), John Hayes; sound design, sound supervisor, Matt Collinge; re-recording mixers, Jamie Roden, Mark Paterson; visual effects supervisor, Jacob Otterstrom; visual effects, Filmgate; special effects supervisor, Chris Reynolds; special prosthetic makeup effects supervisor, Paul Hyett; stunt coordinator, Paul Herbert; assistant directors, Phil Booth, Simon Aguirre, Dan Winch; second unit director, Ian D. Fleming, second unit camera, Rodrigo Gutierrez; casting, Debbie McWilliams; associate producers, Diarmuid McKeown, Ivana Mackinnon. Reviewed at Berlin Film Festival (market), Feb. 12, 2010. Running time: 97 MIN.
English, Gaelic dialogue.
HBO has acquired US television rights to Adrian Grenier's crowd pleasing documentary Teenage Paparazzo, which has been drawing heavy interest from international buyers at the EFM.
The broadcaster beat out multiple bids from other domestic distributors who pursued Teenage Paparazzoimmediately after last month's sell-out world premiere at Sundance.
WME Global was handling North American rights but did not return calls. It sold international rights in Park City to T & C Pictures International chief David Jourdan, who has just closed deals with Madman in Australia and Klockworx in Japan.
The film charts the budding friendship between the actor and a young paparazzo whom he spots plying his trade among the typically older crowd of celebrity photographers.
Matt Damon, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan are among the famous faces who weigh in with their views on celebrity culture.
Grenier has a longstanding relationship with HBO through his starring role in the hit series Entourage and is understood to harbour strong directorial ambitions.
A steady flow of international sales will only serve to bolster his creditability in this area and Jourdan expects to announce further deals in the days ahead.
(France-Germany-U.K.) A Pathe (in France)/Kinowelt (in Germany)/Contender (in U.K.)/Summit Entertainment (in U.S.) release of an RP Films, France 2 Cinema (France)/Elfte Babelsberg Film (Germany)/Runteam III (U.K.) production, with participation of Pathe Distribution, Canal Plus, StudioCanal, France Televisions. (International sales: Summit Entertainment, L.A.) Produced by Roman Polanski, Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde. Co-producers, Timothy Burrill, Carl L. Woebcken, Christoph Fisser. Executive producer, Henning Molfenter. Directed by Roman Polanski. Screenplay, Robert Harris, Polanski, from Harris' 2007 novel "The Ghost."
The Ghost - Ewan McGregor
Adam Lang - Pierce Brosnan
Amelia Bly - Kim Cattrall
Ruth Lang - Olivia Williams
Paul Emmett - Tom Wilkinson
Sidney Kroll - Timothy Hutton
John Maddox - James Belushi
Richard Rycart - Robert Pugh
Old man - Eli Wallach
Rick Riccardelli - Jon Berthal
The best thing that can be said about Roman Polanski's pic version of Robert Harris' bestseller "The Ghost" is that auds won't need to read the original novel. With a few exceptions, and necessary tightening, it's pretty much all up on the screen -- page by page of plot, line by line of dialogue -- in one of the most literal adaptations (by the British journo-turned-novelist himself) since the Harry Potter series. Low on sustained tension, and with a weak central perf by Ewan McGregor in the titular role, "The Ghost Writer" looks set for moderate biz at best in Europe, with much briefer haunting of North American salles.
Pic's literalism is also its biggest handicap. Eight years since his last major success, "The Pianist," the 76-old-helmer brings not a jot of his own directorial personality or quirks to a political pulp thriller whose weaknesses (let alone lack of any real action or thrills) are laid bare when brought to the screen is such a workmanlike, anonymous way.
With Polanski himself unable to travel Stateside or to Blighty, the largely New England-set story was entirely shot in Germany -- and sometimes looks like it. Despite the abundance of art direction and props to convince viewers that the locations are in wintry Martha's Vineyard and not Sylt, northern Germany, interiors -- especially of the central house -- look unmistakably modern-Teuton in their clean lines and small details.
Some second-unit work was done in the U.K. and France, and post-production finished while the helmer was under house arrest in Gstaad, Switzerland -- probably the first such instance of remote direction since imprisoned Turkish director Yilmaz Guney in the '70s.
Sans any front-end titles, story gets right down to business as the body of Michael McAra washes up on the shores of Martha's Vineyard. McAra had just finished ghost-writing the memoirs of former Brit prime minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), to whom he was an old friend-cum-political advisor, and the publishers, who've ponied up $10 million for the tome, urgently need another ghost to jazz up the tedious manuscript.
Repped by his young American agent, Rick (Jon Berthal), a successful British ghost writer (McGregor) -- unnamed both here and in the novel -- is interviewed by U.S. publishing exec John Maddox (James Belushi, in a ripe but brief cameo) and Lang's Washington attorney, Sidney Kroll (Timothy Hutton). The Brit is hired on the spot for a month's work for $250k, and flown to a luxurious private house in Martha's Vineyard, where Lang is based during a U.S. lecture tour.
But the ghost is already suspicious of what he's getting into, after being mugged in a London street immediately after the meeting. At the New England coastal retreat, McAra's manuscript and Lang himself are guarded around the clock in a security operation run by Lang's (very) personal assistant, blonde iceberg Amelia Bly (Kim Cattrall, with an almost flawless cut-glass Brit accent). Mooning around, with her claws mostly sheathed, is Lang's wife, Ruth (Olivia Williams).
Harris' novel made headlines at the time for its barely disguised similarities between Lang and former Brit p.m. Tony Blair, as well as between Ruth and Cherie Blair. But Brosnan is much more movie-star Brosnan than a Blair stand-in (was Michael Sheen unavailable?), though Williams, in the pic's best performance, adopts subtle hints of Cherie in her wardrobe and tart manner.
As the ghost starts interviewing Lang for color and juicy tidbits, the heat is turned up when Lang's onetime foreign minister, Richard Rycart (Robert Pugh), demands Lang be brought to trial for war crimes. Rycart claims Lang colluded in the kidnapping of four alleged Pakistani terrorists and their handover to the CIA for torture, during which one died. When the ghost learns that McAra had also uncovered a deeply buried truth about Lang's political past, he begins to fear for his own life as well.
All the ingredients are here for a rip-roaring political thriller, with corruption in the highest places and a cast of sexy and/or suspicious characters, but for the first hour there's little accumulated atmosphere or any sense of a bigger story hiding in the wings. Polanski simply transfers Harris' undistinguished prose direct to the screen and, though the pace picks up marginally in the second half, there's little wow factor in the revelations as they appear.
With McGregor a sappy lead and Brosnan hardly believable as a British ex-politician, it's Williams who provides the most pleasure in a gradually evolving role that at one point takes on a calculated sexiness. Tom Wilkinson hints at what the movie could have been in a beautifully played scene with McGregor that's packed with polite menace, and 94-year-old vet Eli Wallach pops up in a strongly delivered cameo.
More music by Alexandre Desplat, whose score is notably absent during the initial first hour, could have helped a little. Widescreen lensing by Polish d.p. Pawel Edelman ("Oliver Twist," "The Pianist") is fine at capturing the bleak wintry exteriors and cool, geometrical interiors. But what the picture most needed was a complete cinematic rethink and, yes, even some action to move it along.
Camera (color, Panavision widescreen), Pawel Edelman; editor, Hurve de Luze; music, Alexandre Desplat; production designer, Albrecht Konrad; supervising art director, David Scheunemann; art directors, Cornelia Ott, Steve Summersgill; set designer, Michael Fissneider; costume designer, Dinah Collin; set decorator, Bernhard Henrich; sound (Dolby Digital/DTS Digital), Jean-Marie Blondel; visual effects designer, Frederic Moreau; assistant director, Ralph Remstedt; casting, Fiona Weir. Reviewed at Berlin Film Festival (competing), Feb. 12, 2010. Running time: 126 MIN. The Ghost tabmarker Ewan McGregor Adam Lang tabmarker Pierce Brosnan Amelia Bly tabmarker Kim Cattrall Ruth Lang tabmarker Olivia Williams Paul Emmett tabmarker Tom Wilkinson Sidney Kroll tabmarker Timothy Hutton John Maddox tabmarker James Belushi Richard Rycart tabmarker Robert Pugh Old man tabmarker Eli Wallach Rick Riccardelli tabmarker Jon Berthal With: Tim Faraday, Marianne Graffam, Kate Copeland, Soogi Kang. (English dialogue)
With: Tim Faraday, Marianne Graffam, Kate Copeland, Soogi Kang. (English dialogue)
The Illusionist
16 February, 2010 | By Lisa Nesselson
Dir: Sylvain Chomet. UK-Fr. 2010. 80mins.
An aging French magician who is a dead ringer for Jacques Tati uses sleight-of-hand to give a clueless Scottish girl a poetic assist toward adulthood in The Illusionist. Five years in the making, master animator Sylvain Chomet's follow-up to The Triplets Of Belleville deploys superb hand-drawn imagery to bring to life an unproduced screenplay the late Tati finished in 1959. Told with no dialogue but carried along by deeply evocative sound design, this visually rewarding film's timeless, near-universal appeal should translate to widespread critical praise and art house play.
Chomet's film is bathed in self-aware melancholy, lightened by slow-burn humour and a sensibility rooted in silent-era film-making
Set in Paris, London and Edinburgh in the late 1950s as the last vestiges of variety entertainment gave way to youth-oriented rock 'n' roll, The Illusionist is a delightfully bittersweet valentine to the music hall tradition. Aiming for the heart as well as the funny bone, Chomet - whose sardonic Oscar-nominated short The Old Lady and the Pigeons preceded 2003's zanily off-kilter Triplets ($15 million worldwide) - proves himself the perfect creative choice to resuscitate Tati's long-dormant script.
Viewers whose heart strings resonated at the sight of WALL-E enjoying his ancient cassette tape of Hello, Dolly! will almost certainly appreciate the beautifully crafted nostalgia that permeates The Illusionist. The film is bathed in self-aware melancholy, lightened by slow-burn humour and a sensibility rooted in silent-era filmmaking. Its 2D imagery (with a smattering of 3D props) simply couldn't be better – there is always plenty to look at, all of it magnificently rendered.
Working solo, except for an ornery rabbit whose pit bull-like personality is a consistently incongruous source of surprise and amusement, the magician sees his engagements dwindle to nearly none. (The entertainer's name on posters is Tatischeff, the genuine name the comic and film-maker behind Mon Oncle and Mr Hulot's Holiday shortened to Tati.)
Man, rabbit and suitcase travel to wherever the work takes them. On a far flung Scottish isle whose residents are celebrating the long overdue arrival of electricity, local lass Alice believes Tatischeff to be truly magical. Since he can make coins and other objects appear out of thin air, she naively concludes that his conjuring tricks are real. From this misunderstanding springs an unasked-for father-daughter relationship when Alice follows the magician back to the mainland. The magician takes on extra work to which he is ill-suited in order to make the money to satisfy his penniless charge's culinary and sartorial whims.
The imagery excels at depicting less-harried times: as a train chugs over a trestle bridge in the country, its reflection in the water below is as stunning as the changing light over Edinburgh. And somehow the animated rain seems more real than the wet stuff in live-action films.
The deceptively simple story (which bears some scattered similarities to Chaplin's Limelight) is anchored in nostalgia for bygone traditions. And yet the theme of dedicated craftsmen (a clown, a ventriloquist, a magician) made obsolete by changing tastes (not to mention age making way for youth) remains relevant.
Tati's (1907-1982) own live-action endeavors (Jour De Fete, Mon Oncle, Mr Hulot's Holiday, PlayTime) were leisurely affairs, punctuated with meticulously calibrated physical humour. The additional factor here is a strong emotional component as the film explores self-reliance in a cruel world, making the best of increasingly dire uncertainty and striving to please without bursting anyone's bubble.
A scene in which the magician returns to his hotel drunk is dazzling - as the protagonist struggles to maintain his balance, one would swear Tati's hand-drawn stand-in has a functioning inner ear.
The musical score (composed by Chomet) and inchoate mumbles that mimic dialogue are spot-on.
The script could easily never have come to light. Its existence emerged when Chomet approached Sophie Tatischeff for permission to use a clip of her father on his bicycle from Jour De Fete in Triplets. Pleased with Chomet's storytelling approach and visual style, Sophie mentioned the script her father wrote from 1956-59. She died four months after giving her blessing to the project.
StudioCanal has enjoyed a bumper EFM. Since selling The Last Exorcism (formerly known as Cotton) to Lionsgate for the US last week, the French major has racked up multiple major deals on its eclectic slate.
The Last Exorcism has also gone to Australia (Hopscotch), Russia (Film Depot), Korea (Daisy), Canada (Alliance).
Meanwhile, StudioCanal's new collaboration with Eli Roth and Strike Entertainment, The Other Woman, has gone to Italy (Eagle) and Mexico (Gussi). These deals were negotiated on the pitch alone.
The EFM was the first market at which footage of Brighton Rock was shown. Further deals on the Graham Greene adaptation have been closed with Greece (Village), LatinAmerica (Imagem), Portugal (Lusomundo) and the Middle East (Front Row.) US offers are also in the works.
Olivier Assayas' Carlos The Jackal, which is being made as a three-part mini-series and a feature film, has gone to Madman in Australia, Mongrel in Canada and Gulf in the Middle East. Carlos was already pre-sold to the US to IFC and the Sundance Channel.
And Soon The Darkness has gone to Brazil (PlayArte.) Jean Becker's My Afternoons with Margauerite has gone to Spain (Golem).There is also strong buyer and festival interest in Bertrand Tavernier's The Princess of Montpensier and Rachid Bouchareb's Outside The Law.
"We had a very good Berlin. We did overall roughly 40% more sales than we did last year," international sales director at StudioCanal, Harold van Lier, commented of the EFM.
Fortissimo Films have completed several major deals on their EFM slate titles. John Woo produced Reign Of Assassins has gone to Lionsgate for UK distribution here at the EFM.
Sundance hit Winter's Bone Doris Dörrie's Hairdresser and TIFF hit Road, Movie have all been snapped up by numerous territories.
Reign Of Assassins has also been sold to Film Depot /Volga Films for Russia and the Baltics and United King for Israel.
Winter's Bone, picked up for US distribution in Sundance by Road Side, has been acquired by Paradiso for Benelux, Pretty Pictures for France, Look Now for Switzerland, Lusomundo for Portugal, and Vivarto for Poland with deals currently being finalised for Scandinavian distribution.
Hairdresser which received its world premiere here as part of the Official Selection as a Berlinale Special has been sold to Paradiso for Benelux, United King for Israel and Vivarto for Poland plus multiple offers for Korea.
Road, Movie, screening in Generations has been acquired by Senator Film for Germany, Madman for Australia and New Zealand, Paradiso for Benelux, United King for Israel, with a deal for North America currently being finalised.
Shock Labyrinth: Extreme 3D was sold to Cathay for Singapore and Queen Cinema for Indonesia.
Amanda Bynes has joined the cast of the Farrelly Brothers comedy "Hall Pass" for New Line and Warner Bros. Pictures says Variety.
The story revolves around two couples with both wives giving their husbands permission to engage in extramarital encounters. When the wives begin exercising the same privilege for themselves, things get complicated.
Owen Wilson, Jenna Fischer and Jason Sudeikis star in the project which Bobby and Peter Farrelly will direct and co-wrote with Kevin Barnett and Pete Jones.
Gwyneth Paltrow is apparently joining the cast of the Steven Soderbergh-directed Contagion which Participant Media will co-finance reports Deadline Hollywood.
The $60 million project stars Kate Winslet, Matt Damon, Marion Cotillard and Jude Law in the story of a global attempt to contain a deadly viral outbreak.
Scott Z. Burns penned the script and the project is currently on offer with several bidders offering greenlight commitments.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan ("Watchmen," "P.S. I Love You") has joined the cast of Ami Canaan Mann's dark murder mystery thriller "The Fields" for Forward Pass says Bloody Disgusting.
Based on a true story, the story follows a pair of cops - one from Texas (Worthington) the other from New York (Morgan), investigating a string of nearly sixty unsolved murders over two decades amidst the oil refineries and industrial wastelands of in the south-east Gulf Coast region of Texas.
Donald F. Ferrarone penned the script and filming kicks off in April in Louisiana. Michael Mann and Michael Jaffe will produce.
"The Descent" and "Doomsday" director Neil Marshall will executive produce the thriller "Ghost of Slaughterford" for Intandem Films says The Hollywood Reporter.
Ian D. Fleming directs the project about a recently widowed novelist who begins work on a new book at a rented mansion in a remote village. The local residents warn her to stay away, but soon they become more of a threat than the apparent ghost that resides in the house.
Filming is expected to kick off in June. Fleming was Marshall's second-unit director on the upcoming auctioneer "Centurion."
Scott Kosar ("The Crazies," "The Machinist") is set to perform re-writes on the young Dracula project "Vlad" at Summit Entertainment and Plan B says The Hollywood Reporter.
"Sons of Anarchy" star Charlie Hunnam penned the script which centers on the young prince Vlad the Impaler, the man behind the Dracula myth.
Anthony Mandler will direct the project which Brad Pitt and Dede Gardner will produce. The project is not to be confused with a similar project about Vlad the Impaler that Alex Proyas is directing and is setup at Universal Pictures.
Best-selling American author Harlan Coben is getting another of his books adapted by the French reports Variety.
Gaumont has acquired rights to the France-set novel "Long Lost" about a sports agent who stumbles on a terrorist plot while searching for the long-lost daughter of an ex-girlfriend.
Coben's murder mystery novel "Tell No One" was adapted by actor turned filmmaker Guillaume Canet into an acclaimed French-language feature in 2006 starring François Cluzet and Kristin Scott Thomas. The film scored stellar reviews, making many critics Top Ten lists, and scored a $33.4 million global gross.
Nick Wechsler ("The Road," "We Own the Night") will produce 'Lost' which will be shot in English.
Henrik Ruben Genz's dark comedy "Terribly Happy", this year's Danish entry for the foreign language Oscar, is getting a $10-15 million budget English language remake reports Screen Daily.
The story is based on Erling Jepsen's novel about a troubled police officer dispatched to a mysterious community on a swampy peninsula. Howard Rodman ("Savage Grace") will adapt the script for the remake.
Director Genz and his producer Thomas Gammeltoft will re-team in the same capacities on the new version which has three times the budget and will allow them to approach the material from a new point of view.
"I felt I wasn't finished with the material and wanted to explore it further. When the opportunity for a remake came up I felt I couldn't let go of this curiosity and energy that bound me to the material" says Genz.
Gammeltoft says the new version will allow them to get the story out to a wider audience, and give them the money to do things they couldn't do in the original which hit US theatres in limited release last week.
"The Hurt Locker" star Jeremy Renner has already set his next two projects and is heavily considering a top secret third one.
Reuters reports that first off the block is "Raven", an indie period thinner co-starring Ewan McGregor which he'll begin work on shortly.
The story is a fictional spin on acclaimed author Edgar Allan Poe's final five days when he joins a hunt for a serial killer who has been inspired by his macabre stories.
After that he's in talks to star in Peter Berg's film adaptation of the classic board game "Battleship" for Universal Pictures. That film goes into production this Summer for a May 2012 release.
He's also had around half a dozen meetings for another project but declined to reveal what that would be, other than it will also be shooting over the Summer and he may have to choose between it and "Battleship".
"The Hurt Locker" star Jeremy Renner has already set his next two projects and is heavily considering a top secret third one.
Reuters reports that first off the block is "Raven", an indie period thinner co-starring Ewan McGregor which he'll begin work on shortly.
The story is a fictional spin on acclaimed author Edgar Allan Poe's final five days when he joins a hunt for a serial killer who has been inspired by his macabre stories.
After that he's in talks to star in Peter Berg's film adaptation of the classic board game "Battleship" for Universal Pictures. That film goes into production this Summer for a May 2012 release.
He's also had around half a dozen meetings for another project but declined to reveal what that would be, other than it will also be shooting over the Summer and he may have to choose between it and "Battleship".
Mania has been on the inside with every move regarding Relativity Media' redo of The Crow, which will eventually be directed by Stephen Norrington. A quick update from Norrington reveals that the new adaptation is moving towards a greenlight from the studio. "The producer and visual effects people are crunching numbers," Norrington said. "We've opened discussions with major cast but nothing is final yet." He also explains that he hopes to shoot it before Patrol, with a first draft screenplay to be delivered this month. As for the continuing adventures of James O'Barr's avatar of revenge, Norrington said he hopes to, "shoot in the summer, but nothing's certain," he said, adding, "Is it ever?" You're telling me. Give me something solid!
Julian McMahon is set to headline the thriller "Faces in the Crowd" for Forecast Pictures, Minds Eye Entertainment and Radar Films says Variety.
The story revolves around a female murder witness (Milla Jovovich) who awakens from an accident with prosopagnosia (aka. face blindness), an impairment in the recognition of faces.
McMahon plays the woman's love interest who is also a detective. Julien Magnat will direct from his own script.
"Cube" director Vincenzo Natali is set to helm the film adaptation of best-selling children's novel series "Tunnels" for Relativity Media.
Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams penned the book about a 14-year-old boy whose archaeologist father disappears. He soon finds himself drawn into the world of a secret subterranean civilization dominated by the sinister, vicious Styx. Two further books in the series have already been penned.
Simon Sandquist and Joel Bergvall are adapting the script while Ryan Kavanaugh, Mark Canton, Danny Davids and Neil Canton will produce.
Natali's most recent film, "Splice", premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last month.
Fresh into production, Edgar Wright cohort Joe Cornish's feature debut Attack The Block is surely one of the more anticipated titles coming out of the UK in 2010. Details have been scarce so far but we've got the first concept art - above - and the first detailed synopsis - below - for your reading pleasure.
Attack The Block is a fast, funny, frightening action adventure movie that pits a teen gang against an invasion of savage alien monsters. It turns a housing estate into a SCI-FI PLAYGROUND. A tower block into a fortress under siege. And weapon wielding teenage thugs into heroes. Think ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 only with monsters and a tower block. Or LA HAINE crossed with ALIENS. It's inner city versus outer space.
Trainee nurse Sam is walking home to her flat in a scary South London tower block when she's robbed by a gang of masked, hooded youths. She's saved when the gang are distracted by a bright meteorite, which falls from the sky and hits a nearby parked car. Sam flees, just before the gang are attacked by a small alien creature that leaps from the wreckage. The gang chase the creature and kill it, dragging its ghoulish carcass to the top of the block, with they treat as their territory.
While Sam and the police hunt for the gang, a second wave of meteors fall. Confident of victory against such feeble invaders, the gang grab weapons, mount bikes and mopeds, and set out to defend their turf. But this time the creatures are bigger. Much bigger. Savage, shadowy and bestial, they are hunting their fallen comrade and nothing will stand in their way. THE ESTATE IS ABOUT TO BECOME A BATTLEGROUND. And the bunch of no-hope kids who just attacked Sam are about to become her, and the block's, only hope.
Leonardo DiCaprio is apparently keen on starring in "Prisoners" for Alcon Entertainment and Warner Bros. Pictures says Deadline Hollywood.
Aaron Guzikowski's Black List script centers on a small-town carpenter whose young daughter and best friend are kidnapped. After the cops fail to find them, the man turns vigilante and starts an investigation of his own.
Directors like Antoine Fuqua and Bryan Singer, and actors like Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman and Mark Wahlberg have all been circling or attached at one point in the past few years. All have since dropped out for various reasons.
DiCaprio's involvement will depend on who is directing and his schedule, whatever the case it's certainly not his next project. Andrew Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Kira Davis and Adam Kolbrenner will produce.
Kevin James and Vince Vaughn are teaming up for Ron Howard's untitled comedy at Universal Pictures says Deadline Hollywood.
The pair play best friends and business partners. Vaughn witnesses James' wife seemingly cheating on her husband, forcing him into the difficult position of deciding whether to tell him.
Allan Loeb penned the script with Howard directing. Both Vaughn and Brian Grazer will produce.
Shooting kicks off in Chicago in the Spring.
David Tennant, Thandie Newton and Jason Isaacs have joined the cast of the psychological thriller "Retreat" for Magnet Films says Screen Daily.
Newton and Isaacs play an estranged couple who head to a remote island getaway in an effort to rebuild their relationship. Tennant plays a dying military officer who arrives on their doorstep with news of a viral pandemic killing millions on the mainland.
Producer Gary Sinyor likens the film to "Dead Calm" with its three sole cast members, remote locale, sexual tension and psychological battle of wits.
Carl Tibbetts will direct from a script he co-wrote with Janice Hallett. Shooting kicks off this May in Canada.
The cast for Steven Soderbergh's virus outbreak thriller, "Contagion," penned by Scott Z. Burns ("The Informant!," "The Bourne Ultimatum") keeps growing.
Kate Winslet, Matt Damon, Marion Cotillard, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow are all already attached to star and now Laurence Fishburne is in talks to take on what is being described to us as a "major role" if his scheduling can be worked out.
Note, Fishburne's role is said to be as big as all the other actors announced thus far. Most of them will play an international team of doctors and scientists brought in by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) once the sickness outbreak starts. The vibe of the picture will be "ultra realistic" and apparently many of them will be jumping on planes to assist elsewhere; as we first reported, the film will be played out on four different continents. That might superficially make it sound from the outside like it's a superstar team ala the "Ocean's series," but again the tone will be radically different.
Yesterday, Warner Bros. picked up this $60 million dollar project, but it should be noted there were several good deals offered for "Contagion," but Soderbergh has a strong relationship with Sue Kroll at WB and feels she is the ideal person to sell this film (Kroll is the President of Worldwide Marketing WB).
Fishburne has been doing a lot of TV work recently (the lead role in "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" which is likely where the scheduling conflict could come into play), but also snagged what is mostly a cameo role in Nimród Antal's "Predators" film produced by Robert Rodriguez (though it should be a memorable appearance in the picture).
Meanwhile, scheduling doesn't always work. You'll remember that Dennis Quaid was supposed to appear in Soderbergh's "Knockout" as the protagonist, Gina Carano's father, but instead he's now in Hawaii on the set of, "Soul Surfer" apparently asking himself, "what am I doing here?"
Matt Damon is attached to star in the Robert F. Kennedy biopic setup at New Regency says Deadline Hollywood.
Based on Evan Thomas' 'His Life' biography, the story will follow how the younger brother of JFK went from being in the shadow of his sibling to rising up as a strong national leader in his own right before his assassination in 1968.
It's expected to include some interesting and potentially controversial looks at the extent of his involvement in such things as the Cuban Missile Crisis and two presidential campaigns.
Steven Knight, who is adapting Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol" into a film, will pen the script and Gary Ross will direct.
In an interesting bit of timing, filming has just wrapped on Jim Loach's "Oranges and Sunshine", a film about the true story of Nottingham social worker Margaret Humphreys.
Humphreys uncovered an international scandal involving the organized deportation of children from across the United Kingdom to Australia. Emily Watson, David Wenham and Hugo Weaving star in the film which was shot in both the UK and Australia.
The wrap comes as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown this week made a historic apology in the House of Commons to the child migrants who were sent to Australia and other parts of the British Commonwealth as part of the organised migration programme. Due to the move, many suffered abuse and were forced to live in institutions or work as child labour.
Icon Films will release 'Oranges' in both territories later this year.
Brian De Palma To Direct PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2!?!?
Beaks here...
There are many ways to look at this, and not all of them make me want to cry.
On one hand, I'm impressed with Paramount's willingness to replace the yanked-away director of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2, Kevin Greutert, with one of three immensely talented filmmakers. Undeterred by Lionsgate's colossal "fuck you" (reminder: the LG gang exercised an option on Greutert, which forced him off PA2 and back into the SAW fold for the franchise's big 3-D sendoff), Paramount seems determined to make a film that will be, if nothing else, classier than any of the SAW sequels (or the initial movie itself).
But do I need to see a "classy" PARANORMAL ACTIVITY?
Depends on the script, and whether the studio is willing to make a crazy, go-for-broke ghost flick like THE ENTITY. Because if Paramount is literally ready to unleash hell, then I want nothing more than to see Brian De Palma make his first full-on horror movie since THE FURY. And unlike Steven Zeitchick of the L.A. Times, I'm not worried about the quick turnaround; De Palma replaced Gore Verbinski at the last second on MISSION TO MARS, and still managed to deliver a visually stunning picture. Since most of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 will (I'm gussing) be set in one location, De Palma probably won't need more than a week of preproduction to cook up a number of bravura set pieces. This is what he does best, and it'd be a blast to see him do it again after a too-long layoff.
And yet the thought of Brian De Palma making a sequel to a gimmicky (if effective) low-budget horror movie depresses me a little. The man will turn seventy this year, and is one of the most respected directors living today (in the eyes of his peers, if not the critics). He should be doing whatever the fuck he wants. This is the kind of project you entrust to a rising talent, not the heir to Alfred Hitchcock.
But if this is what he has to do to (once again) earn his filmmaking freedom, then... please, Paramount, choose De Palma over the very capable Brad Anderson and Greg McLean. After three years of development futility (a good deal of which was centered on THE BOSTON STRANGLERS), I just want to see one of my heroes shoot a movie again. Let right be done. (And don't be shy about lobbying for your boy, Spielberg!)
The "Wanted" sequel has apparently been cancelled after Angelina Jolie pulled out of the project reports Vulture.
According to the column, Universal decided to pull the plug on the film instead of recasting the role. The first film's helmer Timur Bekmambetov was set to direct and James McAvoy was going to return as Wesley Gibson in the film which was to shoot later this year.
Instead Jolie is now expected to star in the space thriller "Gravity" which Alfonso Cuarón ("Children of Men") is helming for Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures.
Jolie would play the sole survivor of a space mission gone wrong who desperately tries to return to Earth and see her daughter again
David Heyman, who worked with Cuaron on "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", will produce. Cuaron co-wrote the script with his son Jonás.
Jolie is currently shooting the Johnny Depp-led thriller "The Tourist" in Paris.
Nicole Kidman has joined the cast of the Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy "Just Go With It" for Sony Pictures reports Variety.
The story has Sandler's character hiring a single mother (Aniston) and her kids to pretend to be his estranged wife and fake family. Allan Loeb, Tim Dowling, Tim Herlihy and Sandler co-wrote the script.
Details on Kidman's role are undisclosed but it is said to be a small but vital comedic supporting role along the lines of Tom Cruise's turn in "Tropic Thunder".
Sports Illustrated 2010 swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker will play Sandler's love interest. Dave Matthews also has a small role.
Dennis Dugan directs and shooting kicks off next month in Los Angeles.
Dean Parisot ("Fun with Dick and Jane") will direct the comedy "Central Intelligence" for Universal Pictures says Variety.
The "Chuck"-esque scenario has Ed Helms plays an accountant whose reconnecting with an old friend through Facebook throws him head first into the world of international espionage. Helms' long-lost friend is still being cast.
Ike Barinholtz and Dave Stassen penned the script while Peter Principato and Paul Young are producing.
"Gossip Girl" star Leighton Meester is teaming with "House" star Hugh Laurie in the dramedy "The Oranges" says Variety.
Jay Reiss and Ian Helfer's script follows a man who gets into a relationship with the daughter of a family friend. Catherine Keener also stars.
Julian Farino directs and shooting kicks off this April in New York City.
Filming kicks off any day now on Danny Boyle's "127 Hours" —the follow-up to his Oscar winning smash "Slumdog Millionaire" — and the new print issue of the ever-excellent Empire Magazine (it's not online though) has a lengthy interview with the director, who reveals plenty of new details on the project. The project stars James Franco as Aron Ralston, a American mountain climber whose arm became trapped under a boulder while in Blue John Canyon in Utah. After being trapped there for six days, before cutting off his own arm with a penknife, rappelling down a 20 metre wall and hiking eight miles down the canyon, Ralston finally made his way to safety (a family he came across who gave him food and water).
It's an extraordinary story, but one that presents any number of problems in terms of putting it on screen, as Boyle admits, laughing, "If you're lucky enough to be in a position where you can do this, there should be a part of you that doesn't know what you're doing." As a film mostly set in one location, with one man standing still, with no one to talk to, it's not obviously the most dynamic cinematic experience. But Boyle has a plan in place.
"We've got this idea that because there are so few characters in it, we'll use two cinematographers: Anthony Dod Mantle, who did "28 Days Later", and Enrique Chediak, who did "28 Weeks Later." One is from Northern Europe and the other is South American. They'll bring different things to it. Like in a conventional film you'd have a comic character and a villain." It's a fascinating idea, and one we can't wait to see realized.
And the question of dialogue? The film features Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara in its supporting cast, so it's clear that at some point, other characters will appear (likely in the very beginning), but how will Boyle cope with his lone protagonist, short of giving him a volleyball to talk to? At one point he said he the first half of the film would have no dialogue (which some people took as an hour and half of no dialogue at all for some reason). But that seems to be slightly overstated. But what Boyle meant is dialogue literally, a back and forth. What seems very clear is that there will be monologue too.
"There is dialogue at the beginning, and at the end, obviously, but for most of the film he doesn't have anyone to talk to," Boyle said, but explained the first-person POV dialogue that will appear. "But what came to light is that he had a video camera with him, and he recorded six or seven messages, for those he thinks are going to grieve for him, basically saying goodbye. We've seen the messages, he doesn't tend to show them... So if you like, that is the dialogue, with a future he thinks he is not going to have."
Considering the fact that main character has to cut off his own arm, it's apparently a pretty gruesome film in parts and the idea of the self-mutilation made Fox Searchlight fairly squeamish at first Boyle said. But there's a lot less blood then you'd expect.
"Listen, it took him 44 minutes to cut his arm off. The blood loss would have been phenomenal... [however] that's one of the weird things: he had deteriorated by then, the blood had thickened, the arm was effectively dead. This is one of the reasons he survived (because the blood had congealed, the arm had clotted and therefore the loss was minor)."
It's a bold, challenging project and not something most directors would follow-up an Best Picture winner with (but a similar one-man show idea apparently worked at Sundance for "Buried"). In fact after his Oscar domination, Boyle had his pick of the litter when it came to projects. "Yeah, big stuff," he says hinting at all the offers he was given, but gentlemanly enough not to name any of them.
Empire has much more from Boyle, so as ever, pick up the latest issue for more. The project's already one of our most anticipated of the year, and between the director's smart approach to the subject matter, and what we imagine is a sure-fire Oscar lock for the overdue Franco (how did Josh Brolin get a nod for "Milk" above Franco's performance in that film?), we're only going to get more excited as the release gets closer.
Posted by Oli Lyttelton at 10:31 AM
Labels: Anthony Dod Mantle, Aron Ralston, Danny Boyle
Dueling 'Three Musketeers' projects sharpen their blades
February 24, 2010 | 6:27 pm
The Devil Wears Tunics? Mr. and Mrs. Milady ?
A pair of "Three Musketeers" projects are picking up momentum in Hollywood -- and attracting some rather unlikely elements.
With "Sherlock Holmes" fast turning into one of the most important properties in its stable, Warner Bros. is forging ahead on its adaptation of another pop-minded work of classic literature, "The Three Musketeers."
After confirming earlier this month that it was developing a new version with "Holmes" producer Lionel Wigram, the studio is making headway in hiring a director. It has compiled a wish list of those who it wants to get behind the camera to tell the swashbuckling story. But the names aren't necessarily the ones you'd expect.
One filmmaker whom producers and studio executives are talking to: David Frankel, the director of "Marley & Me" and "The Devil Wears Prada." While the latter tells the story of a ruler colder and more villainous than Cardinal Richelieu, that pedigree may not be the kind one associates with high-stakes swordplay in period France.
But Frankel does have some genre experience -- and at Warners no less -- which last summer signed him to develop and potentially direct the adaptation of the children's series "Septimus Heap: Magyk." Not coincidentally, the series has been compared to Harry Potter, on which Wigram is also a driving force.
The second director in a top position to get the gig is Doug Liman, best known for "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" as well as the first movie in the Jason Bourne franchise. Liman's action pedigree gives him more credentials for "Musketeers" (though how he handled his last action film, "Jumper," may hurt those credentials).
Meanwhile, an independently-financed 3D project, based on the classic trilogy, from "Resident Evil" filmmaker Paul W.S. Anderson has over the last week stirred the talk that producers had wanted Taylor Lautner for a lead role, likely of D'Artagnan. But those with knowledge of the young actor's career said he would not star in the project.
Both scripts are being developed with an urgency -- "The Men Who Stare at Goats" writer Peter Straughan is a co-writer on the Warners one, while Anderson is co-writing the script with "The Tailor of Panama" screenwriter Andrew Davies.
There is no more perfect a pairing than the visually stimulating duo Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) to take on the bizarre combination of Abraham Lincoln and vampires. The two filmmakers, who previously came together to produce the animated feature 9, will re-team to make the big-screen adaptation of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, the newly released novel by Seth Grahame-Smith. Grahame-Smith, who also wrote Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, will adapt the screenplay. Jim Lemley will also produce.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter turns history on its head, telling the story of the 16th president's secret battle with the undead–a battle that began during Lincoln's childhood as a way to avenge his mother's murder. With a Lincoln story this cool on the development track, will Steven Spielberg finally lay to rest his long-gestating plans for a Lincoln biopic? Hmmm.
Oscar-winning scribe Dustin Lance Black ("Milk") is set to pen "Hoover", a biopic on the life of J. Edgar Hoover for Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment reports Pajiba.
The story will follow the career of Hoover from his founding of the F.B.I. in 1935 where he remained as director until his death in 1972. It's expected to be a warts-and-all look at the man from his success efforts in the gangland wars of the 30's, his paranoid concern about "subversives", his links with the Mafia and Freemasons, rumors of him being a deeply repressed gay man, and the often dirty and illegal methods he sanctioned to bring down people and organisations he considered threats.
Black is currently in post-production on the Jennifer Connelly and Ed Harris drama "What's Wrong with Virginia" which he wrote and directed.
Benecio Del Toro has signed on to star in "Making Jack Falcone" reports Deadline Hollywood Daily.
The project is based on the true story of retired Cuban-born FBI agent Jack Garcia who infiltrated the New York mafia with such success that they were about to make him a "made man." His work led to the arrest of 39 members of the New York mafia.
The project marks a reunion of sorts with three key personnel behind 2008's "Che" - del Toro, director Steven Soderbergh and writer Peter Buchman. Buchman will pen the script but unlike "Che", Soderbergh is only expected to produce rather than direct.
"30 Days of Night" director David Slade, who also helmed this Summer's "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse", is being targeted to direct the new film adaptation of "The Shadow" at 20th Century Fox reports Latino Review.
Previously set up at Sony Pictures, the reboot will go back to the comic book and radio serial roots of the character. Sam Raimi was linked as producer, with this move to Fox I understand that's still the case. Universal released the previous film adaptation in 1994 starring Alec Baldwin.
Slade himself meanwhile has hit an issue with the aforementioned third "Twilight" feature. Entertainment Weekly reports that Art Jones, the editor who has worked with Slade on this and two previous films, has been replaced by Nancy Richardson.
Seems that Jones delivered a cut that the studio found "very good" but they wanted a "stronger edit". Richardson edited Catherine Hardwicke's original "Twilight" and was brought in because she's apparently better at balancing the action and emotional elements of the story. Will Jones' rough edit ever see the light of day sometime?
Francis Lawrence ("I Am Legend," "Constantine) will direct a feature about Marco Polo for Warner Bros. Pictures reports Variety.
More fantasy/adventure epic than serious biopic drama, the film will be most set in "the Orient of our imagination" according to scribes Adam Cooper and Bill Collage who are penning the script.
Polo, a 13th century Venetian merchant, who essentially introduced Europeans to Central Asia and China after his father and uncle travelled through Asia and met Kublai Khan. The trio set of on extensive travels throughout Asia on behalf of the Khan for twenty-four years.
Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell may be teaming up for an untitled comedy that "Bad Santa" and "I Love You Phillip Morris" filmmakers John Requa and Glenn Ficarra will direct says LaineyGossip (via The Playlist).
Gosling has apparently signed on to the film about a "father whose life unravels as he faces a marital crisis and tries to manage his relationship with his children". Gosling will play the father's best friend.
Dan Fogelman ("Bolt," "Fred Claus") penned the script. Denise Di Novi and Carell are producing.
Catherine Hardwicke ("Twilight") is apparently considering directing "Dot War" for Paramount Pictures says Pajiba.
Laura Harrington's script follows a video-game programmer who becomes trained by the government to use virtual technology to fight terrorism.
Hardwicke is waiting on a rewrite of the script, if it goes well she will then determine if she will direct the film. Hardwicke is also attached to "The Girl With the Red Riding Hood".
Guy Ritchie ("Snatch," "Rocknrolla") is apparently looking into directing a new take on the King Arthur legend "Excalibur" for Warner Bros. Pictures reports Pajiba.
The project is not to be confused with the remake of John Boorman's 1981 King Arthur epic "Excalibur" also in development at the studio and which Bryan Singer has been attached to. That project is still in very early development and without a script or writer attached.
This "Excalibur" is based on a rather wild treatment by comic author Warren Ellis which is said to be "more in the tone of Star Wars". Unlike other Arthurian adaptations, this one is "very specifically about the gathering of the Knights". A writer is being sought to turn Ellis' treatment into a full script.
The project will likely go forward after Ritchie finishes work on the "Sherlock Holmes" sequel.
After success with "1408", scribe Matthew Greenberg is adapting another Stephen King property, the "Pet Sematary" remake at Paramount Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
This long-gestating new adaptation of King's 1983 novel follows a family who move to a small Maine town along a highway often used by high-speed trucks. Nearby lies a pet cemetery and further beyond that an ancient indian burial ground which can resurrect the dead, but those who come back aren't quite right. When the toddler son is killed in an auto accident, the grieving father uses that power - but at the cost of several lives and his own sanity.
Paramount previously adapted the book in 1989 starring Dale Midkiff, Denise Crosby and Fred Gwynne. George Clooney at one time was apparently circling this remake.
Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Steven Schneider are producing the new version.
New Regency and Summit Entertainment are teaming for the thriller "The Darkest Hour" says Deadline New York.
A more sci-fi spin on "28 Days Later" in tone, the story follows a group of kids struggling to survive somewhere in Russia after an alien invasion.
Chris Gorak ("Right at Your Door") directs from a script by Les Bohem and Jon Spaihts he re-wrote.
Timur Bekmambetov and Tom Jacobson will produce with filming kicking off in Russia in June.
Jonah Hill ("Superbad") has apparently replaced Demetri Martin ("Taking Woodstock") in the latest attempt at getting the baseball-themed "Moneyball" off the ground reports ESPN.
Author Michael Lewis, who wrote the book on which Aaron Sorkin's script is based, apparently delivered the news that Hill will take over the role of ex-football player Paul DePodesta.
Brad Pitt is apparently still attached to play the lead role of Billy Beane and shooting kicks off in June under the helm of Bennett Miller ("Capote").
Šokantna vest!
Variety: This thumb's for you
By
Roger Ebert
on March 9, 2010 12:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Left_thumbs_down.jpgI flew home from the Oscars to find half a dozen e-mails awaiting with the same unbelievable message: Variety had fired its chief film critic, Todd McCarthy. Its spokesman was hopeful Todd and its chief theater critic, David Rooney, who was also fired, could continue to review for the paper on a free lance basis. In other words, Variety was hopeful that without a regular pay check, McCarthy would put his life on hold to do a full-time job on a piecemeal basis.
Todd McCarthy reviewed films for Variety for 31 years. He was the ideal critic for the paper -- better, we now realize, than it deserved. His reviews and the reviews of Kirk Honeycutt at the Hollywood Reporter were frequently the first reviews of a new film to see print. Honeycutt fortunately continues.
Films are traditionally screened for the "trades" before anyone else. Historically, when independent theater owners around the world booked their own theaters, they depended on Variety's advance reviews to plan their bookings. These days theaters are booked by accountants in Hollywood, often before a film has been completed. Now that it's "product," it doesn't matter so much if it's any good or not.
Todd was always mindful that his review might be the first objective opinion a film received after emerging fresh from the lab. The first notice for a new director or star. The bellwether of a film's future. His reviews and all Variety reviews contain some judgment about a film's box office potential. In his recent review of the forthcoming "Remember Me," he predicted it "should enjoy a short but sweet B.O. life." That's about right. Todd was level-headed and fair. I am searching for a word. He was judicious.
He knows everybody. He is known throughout the film world. He was Variety's ambassador at film festivals, always the best-known Variety person there. He stood for Variety. We now discover it did not stand from him.
I met him so long ago. When I was new in my job at the Chicago Sun-Times, I got a letter one day from a high school kid who said he loved the movies and wanted to have a talk with me about them. The letter struck a note. I met Todd and his friend Charles Flynn at Andy's, a place with pretty good hamburgers, outside the back door of the Sun-Times.
They knew everything about the movies. They had seen them all, debated them all, written about half of them. They became for me examples of a species I thought of as "Doc Films Kids," named after Doc Films at the University of Chicago, the nation's oldest film society. Other Doc Films Kids included Dave Kehr, now at the New York Times. They'd seen so many movies I didn't see how it was possible in such brief lifetimes. Once at O'Rourke's, Flynn was telling me how much Otto Preminger hated over-the-shoulder shots, and I nodded wisely while asking myself, how in the hell does he know that?
McCarthy and Flynn later edited Kings of the Bs (1975), a landmark anthology of writings and memoirs about auteurs of B movies past and present. Copies now sell online for as much as $186. In 2000, Todd wrote Howard Hawks: The Grey Fox of Hollywood.
I ran into Todd in the early 1970s at the Sunset Marquis, the legendary hotel half a block down from Sunset near La Cienega. Elaine May had been in seclusion there for months, editing her "Mikey and Nicky." As I recall, the problem was that she had photographed the entire film in master shots, and it was a challenge to assemble. Todd was her assistant. We logged time at poolside, but he spoke only in prudent terms of Elaine May's project; he betrayed no confidences. He follows that sort of code.
In the 31 years he wrote for Variety, I saw Todd countless times at film festivals. Every year at Cannes, Toronto, Sundance, Telluride. Those were just the ones I went to. How he produced such volumes of high-quality copy, I do not know; I was running as fast as I could, but he lapped me.
Todd is tall, looks grave except when he smiles, is handsome in a Clint Eastwood way. He always has information to share about a last-minute screening or who has just arrived in town. He was the master of festival logistics. Quick, Todd! What in God's name is a "VIP screening room" at Toronto's Varsity? "Up that little ramp."
Todd directed four documentaries inspired by his love of film. The first three were "Visions of Light" (1992), the most intelligent film I've seen about cinematography; "Claudia Jennings" (1995), about the Playmate of the Year and B movie actress, tragically killed by a car on Pacific Coast Highway, who I believe Todd went to high school with; and "Forever Hollywood" (1999), described by Variety itself as "a valentine to both the movies and the town with which they've become synonymous," and intended to play daily to welcome visitors to the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles.
Then there was "Man of Cinema: Pierre Rissient" (2007), an extraordinary film about an extraordinary man (at left above at Telluride, with John Simon and Todd). I have written much about the film and its subject, and the links are below. Todd made this film as a labor love about a man who has tirelessly campaigned for the films and directors he loves (and often discovered) among a circle that apparently includes, for example, at least half of the directors, festival programmers, exhibitors and critics at Cannes. Pierre very often wears a T-shirt, and Todd liked to wear one quoting Pierre: "It is not enough to like a film. You have to like it for the right reasons."
Todd always had reasons behind his reviews. They were clear and potentially helpful to filmmakers. His prose was considered. It began in the closing days of slangy Varietyese and evolved into a style fresh and witty. He didn't miss a thing.
What I'm saying is that Todd McCarthy is not a man Variety should have lightly dismissed. He is the longest-serving and best-known member of the paper's staff, and if they made such a drastic decision, we are invited to wonder if Variety itself will long survive.
Variety used to cover everything. I remember a magical night in Rome in 1967, when I sat late at night on the Via Veneto and gawked at the last remnants of la dole vita. A held a copy of Weekly Variety, all black and white on newsprint and easily more that 100 pages thick. I became fascinated by the back pages, the items two paragraphs long about cabaret performers in Boston, dancers in Miami, magicians in Philadelphia, lounge acts in Las Vegas, jazz clubs in London. Variety got its name from variety artists, and for decades they lived off a favorable notice in its pages. The paper then truly was "the showbiz Bible."
Well, those days over with. The glory days of the famous Variety critics are finished. I knew one of them, Gene Moskowitz, who signed his reviews Mosk., and was the Paris bureau chief who directed coverage at Cannes. In the 1970s, dying of cancer, he came to what he knew was his last Cannes, bringing along his wife and the young son he was so proud of. Under an umbrella on the beach, he looked toward the old Palais and said, "I saw a lot of good movies there." Another man of the cinema, another lover of T shirts.
About Todd McCarthy I am not very worried. He's one of a kind. I can think of no better candidate as the director of a major film festival. Or as a professor, or of course as a film critic. What I lament is the carelessness with which his 31 years of dedication were discarded. Oh, the paper cites its reasons. "It's economic reality," Variety President Neil Stiles said of the move. Some "downsizing" is necessary cost-cutting. Some symbolizes the abandonment of a mission. If Variety no longer requires its chief film critic, it no longer requires me as a reader.
Chris Evans and Anna Faris will team for the R-rated comedy "What's Your Number?" at New Regency and 20th Century Fox says Variety.
Based on Karyn Bosnak's book "20 Times a Lady," the story follows a woman (Faris) who thought she'd find her perfect guy by the time she'd slept with a maximum of twenty men.
Waking up after a drunken night in her boss's bed, she realises she's reached that limit but hasn't achieved it. Rather than increasing the number or staying celibate, she tracks down all her ex-partners in an attempt to make things work with one of them.
Bosnak adapted her own work which Jennifer Crittenden and Gabrielle Allan polished. Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson are producing.
Mark Mylod ("Entourage") is directing with shooting to kick off in May.
Juno Temple ("Year One," "Wild Child") has joined Bradley Rust Gray's indie lycan lesbian drama "Jack & Diane" says Bloody Disgusting.
The story follows two teenage girls in New York City - the charmingly innocent Diane (Temple) whose affection manages to pierce the heart of the tough and closed off Jack (Olivia Thirlby).
About to leave the country, Diane struggles to keep their love alive but hides the fact her newly awakened sexual desire has given her werewolf-like visions.
Temple replaces previously attached stars Ellen Page and later Allison Pill. Filming kicks off this May in New York.
Out doing press for "Repo Men", actor Jude Law tells Coming Soon that we can expect the "Sherlock Holmes" sequel with relative speed.
"I think we are probably going to make another one. I haven't been given the absolute... it's not like next week but I think it's sometime this year is what I get" said Law who seemingly had a ball doing the first one..
Law also talked about his role in Steven Soderbergh's pandemic thriller "Contagion". The actor says the film looks at a worldwide infection from the perspective of all sorts of different people, and he plays "someone online, a blogger, who is kind of a fearmonger".
He adds that his role in the ensemble only requires ten days of shooting, likely in San Francisco, which he'll do at the end of the year.
Following on from "A History of Violence" and "Eastern Promises", Viggo Mortensen and David Cronenberg will re-team for a third time on "The Talking Cure" says Deadline Hollywood.
Based on the play by Christopher Hampton, the story revolves around famed psychoanalyst Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender), his relationship with a young Russian girl (Keira Knightley) driven mad by her past, and Jung's esteemed mentor and father of modern psychology Sigmund Freud (Mortensen).
Mortensen will replace Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz who opted out to star in "Water for Elephants" instead. Filming on 'Cure' kicks off on May 17th.
Kevin Macdonald ("State of Play," "The Last King of Scotland") will direct the rather blatantly titled "Murder Mystery" for Tower Hill Entertainment and ContraFilm reports Variety.
The story revolves around an American couple on their honeymoon in Europe who witness a murder, become suspects and end up caught in a conspiracy of international intrigue.
Filming will take place on-location in Europe with casting now underway. James Vanderbilt ("Zodiac," "The Rundown") penned the script and will produce along with Beau Flynn, A.J. Dix, William Shively and Tripp Vinson are producing.
Trailer de Treme, nouvelle série d'HBO écrite par David Simon, papa de The Wire.
Treme - Trailer - HBO (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc4Lbj-KMe4#normal)
Gravity Draws In Downey Jr
Alfonso Cuaron's space flick nabs a star
Source: Deadline Hollywood
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It was beginning to look like Alfonso Cuaron's 3D space thriller Gravity was having real problems leaving the launch pad, given all the back and forth around Angelina Jolie allegedly starring and then not. But now it appears to be back on track with word that Robert Downey Jr is ready to dock with the film.
Gravity, which was written by Cuaron with son Jonas, plans to feature Dosney Jr as the commander of a team working at a remote space station. Tragedy strikes when he and a female colleague are working outside the structure, and debris from a destroyed satellite kills most of their crewmates.
With time running out, the isolated pair must find a way to get back to Earth.
If all the deals work out, RDJ will shoot the film in London this summer, before sticking around to crank out another Sherlock Holmes with Guy Ritchie.
Ti 3D filmovi postaju baš hit. Negde sam pročitao neki članak u kome pišše da će za 10 godina or so 3D biti standard, da će se svi filmovi tako raditi.
verovatno u politikinom zabavniku.
THE EXPENDABLES
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1320253/ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1320253/)
Stalone, Svarecneger, Vilis, Stetam, Treho, Lundgren, ... u jednom filmu!
PLOT: A team of mercenaries head to South America on a mission to overthrow a dictator.
Avgust 2010.
Da citiram Seanbabyja:
Sylvester Stallone is making an action movie called The Expendables. It stars himself, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Mickey Rourke and Danny Trejo as mercenaries in South America. Hold on, my spell checker just told me that the last sentence should actually be spelled, "Impossible eyeball orgasm."
David Fincher Eyes Dragon Tattoo
Carey Mulligan for Lisbeth Salander?
Source: New York Magazine
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The books are still flying out of the bookstores, and the Swedish film trilogy has just begun its UK release. But lest we forget, Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest, has also caught Hollywood's attention.
After some difficult rights negotiations with the still-in-flux Larsson estate, Sony inked a deal for the English-language versions late last year, with Scott Rudin producing and Steve Zaillian having a crack at the first screenplay. And now, according to NY Magazine's Vulture, David Fincher is circling the project. Having delighted the Sony brass with his Facebook founders story The Social Network, it sounds as if Dragon Tattoo is his for the asking.
Also mentioned in Vulture's piece, connected to the heroine role of snarky Asperger's hacker genius Lisbeth Salander is current hot ticket Carey Mulligan, said to be top of the producers' wish list (although it's pointed out that practically every young actress in Hollywood and the UK would kill for the role).
Like Let Me In, this sounds at the moment like a bit of a redundant exercise, following so hot on the heels of a lauded and widely seen original version. But the source material is super-strong, and the involvement of Fincher, back on the crime territory he made his own with Seven and Zodiac, makes this something to look out for regardless.
The Swedish The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, directed by Niels Arden Oplev and starring Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace, is out now (click here for Empire's five star review). The paperback of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is published in the UK on April 1st.
But that's not the only project he's got vying for his attention. According to Variety, the busy director is also attached to Sony's press drama Pawn Sacrifice.
Charting the life of American chess champ and cultural icon Bobby Fischer, Pawn will follow the period up to his historic world championship victory against Boris Spassky.
And if that wasn't enough, there's also word that he's still trying to get his new, CG-flavoured version of sexy/violent sci-fi 'toon Heavy Metal back up and running. Kindly make up your own "chess pawn or 'toon porn?" joke here.
Owen Williams
Mike Fleming followed up his scoop with news that Chloe Moretz (Hitgirl from Kick-Ass, and leads the upcoming Let The Right One In remake) and Brit Asa Butterfield (The Boy With The Striped Pjama's) have joined Scorsese's adventure movie.
Moretz, who has considerable Kick-Ass buzz, will play the lead. As Fleming says, so strange to see Scorsese handle a kids movie when there probably isn't one of his features you would ever show to a kid.
So Sir. Ben Kingsley (as silent filmmaker George Melies in a major role) and Sacha Baron Cohen (as a train inspector) are the first two names cast in Martin Scorsese's next picture, a children's fantasy adventure based on Brian Selznick's book The Invention of Hugo Cabaret.
Great, no complaints here.
Selznick's illustrated novel centers on a 12 year orphan who lives within the walls of a Paris train station in 1930, which by my account makes it Scorsese's first ever family orientated motion picture.
With the novel celebrating gorgeous black-and-white images reminiscent of the silent movie era, and because of the setting; classic French movies – do we expect Scorsese; the walking film encyclopedia to reference these genres in Cabaret as much as he did Val Lewton and film noir with Shutter Island?
The movie based on John Logan's screenplay (Sweeney Todd, The Aviator) films in Paris on June 1st.
Busy finishing up post-production on Seth Rogen vehicle The Green Hornet, director Michael Gondry has chatted about what we can expect from him in the next few years.
First up, The We And The I is an experimental project based on his book, You'll Like This Film Because You're In It. Says Gondry: "When I wrote this book, I always wrote 'I did this,' or 'we did that,' and my publisher said, 'We have to do something for the we and the I.'"
Okay. So what's it about? "It's about the group effect, how people in groups transform when the group is dislocated, because everyone jumps out of the bus at different times, there is a smaller group and how the relationships evolve."
"It's kids on a bus, it's more like a social thing. It's not [well-known] actors, it's going to be kids from a school in the Bronx. I love kids and just [regular] people too because they are not polluted by the medium. They come as they are and they have beautiful stories to tell, so I want to show that."
So far so typically odd. But Gondry is never one to stay in the same place too long, so he's got another idea in the making, this one an untitled time travel flick that he wants Ellen Page to star in.
Talking to MTV, Gondry says:
"I'm developing a screenplay with a writer right now about kids who travel [into] the future by mistake and a machine [that] keeps people younger... ehhh, it's complicated to explain."
"Ellen Page is supposed to be the main character. She'd play Nancy... a young woman who participates in the discovery and changes the world."
So, Back To The Future meets Cocoon? Knowing Gondry, it won't be quite so clean-cut as all that.
Showtime's announcement of an exclusive output deal with Disney that includes up to 35 DreamWorks films through 2015 begs the question: will Steven Spielberg get behind the camera and deliver one before that deal is up? A flirtation with Paramount to do Matt Helm with Jon Hamm cratered, as did an attempt to do Harvey with Robert Downey Jr. at Fox 2000. Since then, guessing Spielberg's next move has become a parlor game at the agencies.
The latest title gaining steam among speculators is Robopocalypse, now that Cloverfield screenwriter Drew Goddard has been hired to adapt the Daniel H Wilson epic about the human race's attempt to survive an apocalyptic robot uprising. Wilson hasn't finished the book yet, but word is Goddard has gotten underway and that it's a serious candidate. Let's face it, a big ticket Spielberg-directed tent pole would be a smashing way to start DreamWorks' new partnership with Reliance. There continues to be a lot of chatter about War Horse, which started when Spielberg traveled to London recently to see the stage adaptation of the Michael Morpugo novel . DreamWorks acquired the book last year and hired Lee Hall to write the script. Fading on the speculation meter is Gershwin, which had way more buzz a month ago when Deadline revealed Zachary Quinto--the Star Trek and Heroes star--would play the composer. Studio insiders say Spielberg hasn't chosen, and candidates like The 39 Clues, and the Lincoln Civil War project should not be dismissed. "We're all waiting, we'd all love to know," said the source.
The Spielberg-directed The Adventures of Tin Tin: The Secret of the Unicorn won't be part of the Showtime deal, because the film was financed by Paramount and Sony. Because Paramount has domestic distribution, Tin Tin will be an Epix title. The first DreamWorks film in the new Showtime contract will be Real Steel, with Hugh Jackman starring and Shawn Levy directing.
German director Christian Alvart ("Case 39," "Pandorum") will adapt Edmond Hamilton's 1940's pulp sci-fi magazine serial and later 1970's anime series "Captain Future" into a feature film reports Quiet Earth.
Alvart says he's developing the film as a "big fun space opera for the whole family". The character of Captain Future, aka. Curtis Newton, is a brilliant scientist/adventurer who roams our solar system to help people and take down various villains.
The storyline will essentially be an origin story, following Newton's first adventure. Though Alvart doesn't specify, it will probably deal with the murder of Newton's parents at the hands of criminal scientist Victor Kaslan and his subsequent upbringing under the tutelage of scientist Simon Wright, an intelligent robot and a shapeshifting android.
Alvart says a sequel storyline is being developed concurrently so should the film be a success, they can get started on a follow-up right away. He himself has been pursuing the project for several years and now with the necessary development financing having come together, things are ready to move forward with the script.
In terms of scale he compares it to "The Fifth Element" - "a big budget science-fiction movie developed and produced out of Europe with an international cast". The project marks one of several sci-fi pulp hero properties of similar ilk in development at the moment including "Doc Savage" and "Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future".
Lionsgate has scored the North American rights to the horror feature "Dibbuk Box" which Ghost House Pictures will produce reports Deadline.
A feature film spin on LA Times writer Leslie Gornstein's article "Jinx in a Box", the film follows a woman who mistakenly purchases a cursed relic and must solve the mystery behind it to save her family from evil spirits tied to it.
Juliet Snowden and Stiles White ("Knowing") have penned the script while Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert will produce.
Producers Scott Mednick and David S. Ward are teaming on a feature film about the secret women's space program in 1960 reports Variety.
Based on Margaret A. Weitekamp's acclaimed and very detailed "Right Stuff, Wrong Sex", the story deals with the Mercury 13, a group of women who underwent some of the same physiological screening tests as male astronauts for a privately-funded program.
The action unfolds against the context of the Cold War and the rise of the women's movement in America. Despite passing strenuous physical exams and the Russians beating them to the punch two years later in 1963, it would be another twenty years before an American women was able to fly outside Earth's atmosphere.
The film is also expected to deal with the rivalry between aviation titans Jackie Cochran and Jerrie Cobb. Cochran financed the program while Cobb was the first to be tested and helped recruit it.
Ruben Fleischer ("Zombieland") is tipped to direct the comedy "30 Minutes or Less" which is being developed as a star vehicle for Danny McBride says The Los Angeles Times and Deadline.
Matthew Sullivan & Michael Diliberti's Black List script involves "a pizza delivery man on a strange caper" though story details are being kept secret. Sony Pictures Entertainment is acquiring distribution rights to the film from Media Rights Capital.
Filming could kick off as early as this Summer, though will depend upon McBride's schedule on HBO's "East Bound and Down". Fleischer was also apparently seriously considered to direct the fourth "Mission: Impossible" but he ultimately passed on the project. The same thing has been implied for "Babe in the Woods" which he's previously had conversations about directing.
A change of representation for "The Dark Knight" and "The Prestige" co-writer Jonathan Nolan is being interpreted as a signal as to what Steven Spielberg will choose as his next project.
Vulture reports that Nolan has spent over two years working on the script for "Interstellar", a sci-fi feature originally penned by physicist Kip Thorne. Spielberg has long been attached to direct the film.
With Nolan changing agents, its been seen as a move that could make the project Spielberg's first directorial effort since directing the motion capture sessions for "The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn" in early 2009.
Sony picks up 'Road to Nardo' spec
THR EXCLUSIVE
By Borys Kit
March 18, 2010, 11:00 PM ET
Sony is hitting the "Road to Nardo."
The studio has picked up a comedy spec from Andrew Waller and Mike Gagerman to which Scot Armstrong, the writer of comedies such as "Old School" and "Semi-Pro," is attached to make his directorial debut.
Armstrong also will produce with Neal Moritz and his Original Film banner. Ravi Nandan, Armstrong's producing partner, also is producing. Ori Mamur is overseeing the project at Original and exec producing.
"Nardo" revolves around two guys who go to Mexico to rescue their friend.
Armstrong will spend time developing the project before going to cast.
Waller directed the straight-to-DVD movie "American Pie Presents Beta House." He and Gagerman are high school buds who teamed up to write "Nardo." The duo is repped by APA and Circle of Confusion.
Armstrong is one of the big names in comedy, having also written "Starsky & Hutch," "The Heartbreak Kid" and the upcoming Kevin James comedy "The Zookeeper." The CAA-repped scribe is reteaming with his "Old School" and "Hutch" director Todd Phillips for "The Hangover 2."
Gerard Butler, Colin Farrell and Matthew Fox are apparently the top candidates to star in "Consent to Kill" for CBS Films says Deadline.
An attempt to create another Jack Ryan/Jason Bourne-esque franchise, the film is based on the sixth novel in Vince Flynn's so far ten-book series which follows undercover CIA counter-terrorism agent Mitch Rapp.
In 'Consent', Rapp becomes the target of several assassins seeking to collect a $20 million bounty by a Saudi billionaire out for revenge for his son's apparent death at Rapp's hands. With Rapp's wife and unborn child in danger and Government bureaucrats doing him more harm than help, the character becomes basically a man who goes out and kicks ass.
As of now "300" star Butler is the front-runner, "Lost" star Fox "has pursued the role aggressively", while Farrell is a personal favourite of CBS Films CEO Amy Baer.
Jonathan Lemkin adapted the script and Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day," "King Arthur") is set to direct. Filming aims to begin in the Summer.
Big Talk, Film4, Optimum, StudioCanal and UK Film Council are behind Cornish's debut feature.
Writer/director Joe Cornish has started principal photography on Attack The Block, which stars Jodie Whittaker (St. Trinians, Venus) alongside newcomers John Boyega, Alex Esmail, Franz Drameh, Leeon Jones and Simon Howard. Nick Frost and Luke Treadaway will also appear.
Cornish's directorial debut is an action adventure about a teen gang facing alien monsters. Nira Park (Shaun of the Dead) and James Wilson are producing. Executive producers are Big Talk's Matthew Justice, Film4's Tessa Ross and Optimum Releasing's Will Clarke and Jenny Borgars. StudioCanal and the UK Film Council are also on board, with Studio Canal handling international sales. StudioCanal's distribution partners are Optimum (UK), Kinowelt (Germany) and StudioCanal (France).
Tom Townend (The Unloved) is serving as cinematographer and the team also includes production designer Marcus Rowland, costume designer Rosa Dias, creature effects by Spectral Motion and visual effects by Double Negative.
Fighter pilot-turned space hero Buck Rogers might have successfully journeyed to the 25th Century, but one trip he was having real trouble making was to our cinema screens. Now, according to Deadline New York, Paul WS Anderson thinks he's the man to give him that final push.
Rogers has been in development cryostasis for a while now, ever since Frank Miller announced he was intending to re-invent the character as his follow-up to The Spirit. We all know what happened next, and it wasn't pretty, which might explain while Miller has yet to direct anything else.
But now Anderson and producing partner Jeremy Bolt have successfully convinced rights holders Paradox that they're the men to bring Buck into the 21st century, and, since not a day can officially go by without someone announcing a 3D project, into the stereoscopic format.
Iron Man writers Art Marcum and Matt Holloway will be writing the screenplay, though we don't know which version of the Rogers plot they'll go for – frozen in a cave by gas or stranded in space? With a history that stretches back to the 1920s, the character certainly offers a lot of options.
So, then... Milla Jovovich as Wilma Deering, anyone?
James White
Irish actor Colin O'Donoghue ("The Tudors," "The Clinic") has joined the cast of the exorcism feature "The Rite" for New Line says Variety.
Based on the novel by Matt Baglio, the film follows a young American seminary student who has a crisis of faith but ultimately re-finds it after attending a Vatican exorcism school and encountering demonic forces.
Anthony Hopkins will play a mentor style character, an unorthodox priest and expert in exorcisms.
Mikael Hafstrom directs from a script by Michael Petroni. Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson will produce.
Ruben Fleischer ("Zombieland") is set to direct an untitled action comedy pitch for Dreamworks Pictures says Reuters.
The story is described as a buddy cop comedy but details are being kept under wraps. Dreamworks won the script after a fierce bidding war broke out when after the script hit the market late last week.
Over the weekend it was reported Fleischer would likely helm "30 Minutes or Less", a new Danny McBride-led comedy as his next project. That will likely be put on hold.
Nicholas Stoller and Gavin Polone will produce.
Dante Lam's visceral and exciting cop film Fire of Conscience is a tour-de-force movie experience in terms of top-notch action and thrills. Blending the best of John Woo and Michael Mann, Lam has crafted a cop movie that deserves to be seen outside Hong Kong, plus is ripe for a Hollywood remake.
The film looks terrific, sounds great and is made with real verve and skill.
Fire of Conscience grips right from the opening credits sequence, a stunning montage of freeze-framed black-and-white images, which offer clues to the complex crime story to follow. What follows is a frenetic and at times extremely violent crime tale that occasionally veers towards the daft but always manages to be gripping and provocative.
Previous Dante Lam films such as The Beast Stalker (2008) and Sniper (2009) have traveled well and found at thome in the DVD market, and while this latest film might lack their sense of wit it has enough pulse-pounding thrills to hold an audience. Plus there are a couple of standout action scenes that confirm Lam's reputation as a director to watch.
Grizzled cop Man (Lai, sporting a nifty beard) works the pickpocket beat following the death of his wife, but while investigating the death of a prostitute finds himself drawn into a deadly crime conspiracy, teaming up with former narcotics detective Kee (Jen).
After some of his team are killed in a shootout at a restaurant (an amazingly staged scene very reminiscent of the best action moments from Michael Mann) Man is increasingly determined to get to the bottom of the plot, which involves gunrunning, drugs and explosives.
He gradually comes to suspect that Kee may not be the honest cop he appears, and the pair find themselves heading towards a showdown that sets to outdo the previous scenes of violent mayhem. If you thought Chow Yun-Fat carrying children while blazing away in a hospital in Hard Boiled was hardcore, then wait for Fire of Conscience's 'cop-delivering-baby-in-burning-building-during-shoot-out' sequence. A scene that could really only happen in a Hong Kong action movie.
As usual with this genre the Hong Cops cops tend to be troubled and tormented types, never one step away from a violent outburst or a mole in the ranks. And Fire of Conscience is no exception – but where it does stand out is in its sheer sense of pace and verve. The action scenes are wonderfully staged, while Leon Lai (steely determination) and Richie Jen (smooth and duplicitous) make for a fascinating pair of complex cops.
Sure the story is more than a little preposterous, but the film looks terrific, sounds great and is made with real verve and skill. It is a film buyers should take a good look at – if only for the opening montage and the restaurant shoot-out.
Projects backed in $15m funding round include Joe Wright's thriller Hanna, now shooting at Babelsburg Studios.
New films by Emir Kusturica, Joe Wright, Katja von Garnier and Bille August are among the projects backed with a total of nearly $15m (€11m) by the German Federal Film Board (FFA), MDM Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung and FilmFörderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein at their latest funding sessions.
Kusturica's Cool Water, which will be produced by Hamburg-based Brave New Work Filmproduktion with France's Wild Bunch and Israel's Transfax Films, received $1m (€750,000) from Hamburg and $336,000 (€250,000) from the FFA. The fast-paced comedy by Hamburg-based writer Gabriel Bornstein about two Palestinian brothers wanting to take the body of their late father to Ramallah, will be begin shooting in Hamburg and Palestine from this summer.
Meanwhile, Joe Wright's thriller Hanna, starring Cate Blanchett, Saoirse Ronan and Eric Bana, which began production at the Babelsberg Studios this month, received $270,000 (€200,000) from Hamburg because part of the shooting will also be based in the North German city.
A total of $1.2m (€900,000) was allocated by the FFA and MDM to Katja von Garnier's Hector's Journey, adapted by Maria von Heland from Francois Lelord's bestselling novel, which will begin shooting this summer at locations in Saxony-Anhalt, China, France, and South Africa. The international co-production between Egoli Tossell Film (ETF), Bac Films and Film Afrika will be the first time ETF has Warner Bros. Entertainment Germany onboard one of its projects as a production partner.
Moreover, Malte Grunert's Amusementpark Films – the co-producer last year of David Mackenzie's The Last Word – received $94,000 (€70,000) development support for Bille August's Heaven On Earth (Himmel auf Erden), based on a screenplay by Lone Scherfig about a summer love affair which begins in 1965 between a Danish musician and a girl from East Germany.
German funding was also forthcoming for French filmmaker Stephane Robelin's feature debut To The Moon And Back Around The World which will be co-produced by Berlin-based Rommel Film and reportedly has Jane Fonda, Geraldine Chaplin, Pierre Richard and Daniel Brühl lined up for the cast; Peter Dalle's historical political thriller Waves From Home about how tensions appear in an international polar expedition after the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939; Radoslav Spassov's biopic of the legendary Bulgarian folk and jazz singer Lea Ivanova The Girl from Slaveikov Square, which will be the first fiction feature film from Leipzig-based LE Vision in co-production with Sofia's Menclips Ltd and Sweden's Illusion Film; and Alexander Mindadze's drama That Saturday (Unschuldiger Samstag), set against the Chernobyl tragedy of 1986, which will be produced by Russia's Passenger with Bavaria Pictures.
The American remake of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" is now set to be the next film of David Fincher ("Se7en," "Fight Club") reports The Playlist.
The first in the "Millennium" trilogy based on late Swedish author Stieg Larsson's international bestsellers, the story follows disgraced journalist Mikael Blomqvist and misunderstood rebellious female hacker Lisbeth Salander investigating the 40-year-old disappearance of a industrialist's niece on a remote island. Their investigations uncover religious killings, Nazism, rape, child abuse and murder.
All three books have already been adapted into a Swedish language film trilogy with the first, 'Dragon Tattoo', having hit theaters in the US, UK and Australia in recent weeks to very good reviews and strong sales for a non-English language film. The next two films are scheduled for release later in the year.
Carey Mulligan has been tipped for the Salander role but the actress herself claims no-one has been in contact. Fincher apparently wants an unknown for the very complex Salander character. Scott Rudin will produce and Steve Zaillian ("Schindler's List," "American Gangster") will pen the script with shooting to kick off around October once Fincher wraps press for his upcoming drama "The Social Network".
Earlier this month there was talk Fincher was to helm the 1970s-set chess drama "Pawn Sacrifice" with Tobey Maguire, however its now been revealed Fincher only met with the filmmakers to advise them rather than take on a directorial capacity.
Dean Parisot ("Galaxy Quest," "Fun with Dick and Jane") is in talks to direct the underwater action/fantasy thriller "SEAL Team Seven" for Walden Media reports The Los Angeles Times.
Based on the M. Zachary Sherman-created 2006 graphic novel "SOCOM: SEAL Team Seven", the story follows CIA tactician Douglas Griffin who joins his former SEAL team to investigate the reason behind a submarine's downing in the Persian Gulf.
Their investigation leads to a battle that pits the U.S. Navy against the underwater Kingdom of Atlantis in a full-blown war against humanity's extinction.
Parisot was scheduled to shoot the comedy "Central Intelligence" this Summer but that project has been put on hold.
Curtis Hanson ("Wonder Boys," "L.A. Confidential") is set to direct "Jay Moriarity", a biopic about the surfing wunderkid reports Production Weekly.
The teenage Moriarity surfed the waves of Santa Cruz and developed skills in surfing all kinds of craft, especially the old-fashioned longboards, and became one of the best big wave surfers in the world.
Sean Penn in talks to play his mentor Rick "Frosty" Hesson, a former lifeguard and collegiate swimmer who helped Moriarity in a program of intense mental and physical training to prepare to surf Mavericks, a spot on the California coast where waves five stories tall would come in during the winter swells.
The day before his 23rd birthday, Jay drowned while free-diving alone off the Lohifushi Island resort in the Maldives.
David R. Ellis ("The Final Destination") is set to direct the thriller "Bad Luck" for Entertainment 7 and Amber Entertainment reports Variety.
"The Crow" scribe David J. Schow penned the story about some college friends and ardent sceptics who find themselves becoming believers when various superstitions start interfering in their lives.
Mark Ordesky will produce what aims to be the first in a potential franchise, and filming will kick off in the Fall.
Two werewolf related projects seem to have scored directors today, lets take a look.
First up scribe David Hayter ("X-Men," "Watchmen") will make his directorial debut on the $18 million thriller "Wolves" for TF1 reports Deadline.
Described as a less chaste "Twilight", Hayter's script de-constructs past werewolf films of their mythology and make it a more blunt metaphor for teenage sexual awakening.
The project almost got going once before with Thomas Dekker and Ray Stevenson, but the credit crunch put a stop on that.
In other lycanthropic news, Steve Pink ("Hot Tub Time Machine," "Accepted") is attached to direct the R-rated horror comedy "Werewolves of Reseda" reports Production Weekly.
Brian Frank's script follows a group of guys who live in San Fernando Valley suburbia and gradually turn into werewolves. The changes actually end up being a benefit to their family lives.
Lawrence Grey will apparently produce.
When I interviewed Paul Greengrass last month for GREEN ZONE, he speculated that his next film would be a significant departure from the handheld, rapidly-cut action films on which he made his name. He joked that he was ready to try a romantic comedy. Somehow, that'd seem more likely than taking on the 3D, CGI-heavy remake of FANTASTIC VOYAGE being prepped by producers James Cameron and Jon Landau at 20th Century Fox (utilizing the same technology that made AVATAR a worldwide box-office juggernaut). But here we are.
Based on the 1966 sci-fi hit directed by the sporadically great Richard Fleischer (please watch THE NARROW MARGIN at your earliest convenience), this version will once again find a team of scientists being miniaturized and injected into the imperiled body of an indispensable colleague. There's no word as to whether they're battling another blood clot or something more insidious this time out (personally, I'm hoping they go toe-to-toe with a mutant strain of the swine flu that looks like the titular beast from RAZORBACK).
According to Variety, Greengrass is only "in talks" at the moment, so there's a possibility he could take a peek at the Shane Salerno screenplay, realize it's a Shane Salerno screenplay, and run screaming. Honestly, though, I hope he takes the gig. Greengrass is the kind of skilled and inquisitive filmmaker who could find a completely different way to harness the potential of 3D, and save it from the studios' idiotic insistence on turning every major genre release into a blurry, misshapen mess via the dubious "conversion" process (i.e. avoid the 3D version of CLASH OF THE TITANS at all costs; it is a spectacular waste of your money). That Greengrass is far enough along in the conversation with Cameron for Variety to be reporting on it suggests that he's got a strong take on the material and/or the application of the technology.
FANTASTIC VOYAGE is a fun, but of-its-era movie, so I've no problem with a remake. Let's just hope Warner Bros. isn't inspired to rush a competing INNERSPACE redo into production, 'cuz that'd be sacrilege.
Oliver Stone is doing some investigating for 20th Century Fox.
Director, who helmed Fox's upcoming "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," is coming aboard to develop and possibly direct "Travis McGee," based on the fictional detective created by American author John D. MacDonald.
Leonardo DiCaprio was already set to star as the scrappy detective, a self-described beach bum who resides on a houseboat in Florida, taking on random cases.
Peter Chernin's Fox-based Chernin Entertainment is attached to produce with Amy Robinson and Appian Way's DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson Killoran.
Film would take its storyline from the first of MacDonald's 21 books, "The Deep Blue Goodbye," which has the detective searching for a World War II treasure. Adapted script was penned by Dana Stevens.
Stone's "Wall Street" sequel is likely to make its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. In light of that opportunity, Fox decided to push back the release of "Wall Street" from April 12 to Sept. 24.
Simon Pegg is currently spanning time and space like some kind of acting Tardis. Next up for him is John Landis' 19th century Gothic, Burke And Hare, before he's carried to present day Area 51 in Greg Mottola's Paul. Following that he spins up the warp drive to reprise his role as Scotty in the J.J. Abrams' Star Trek sequel.
Pegg was at the Jameson Empire Awards to collect the Best Sci-fi gong for Star Trek, so what better time to ask for an update on the next Trek instalment? "I bug J.J. on a regular basis and he just fobs me off," he laughed. "But I saw Zoe Saldana recently and she reckons that it's going to be soon. I would imagine it'll be toward the end of the year, but I can't guarantee it."
So there you have it, Trekkers: 'soon-ish' is the word, although with no news yet on when Alex Kurtzman and Rob Orci's script will be delivered, don't expect to reboard the Enterprise until the second half of 2012 at the earliest.
In the meantime, Burke And Hare pairs Pegg with Andy Serkis as notorious Edinburgh corpse-peddlers William Burke and William Hare in John Landis' big screen return. Expect moral ambiguity in spades. "It's about two guys who murder for money but you're encouraged to like them and be on their side," Pegg told us. "It's interesting morally because it challenges the audience's perception of who they are. It's light-hearted but there's a very dark, unsettling truth at the heart of it ."
And what of the body count? "The gore comes more from the medical side, when they hand over the bodies, but yeah, you see to pretty gruesome stuff."
Last but far from least, Pegg confirmed that The World's End, the final part of his and Edgar Wright's Blood and Ice Cream trilogy - aka 'Three Colours: Cornetto' - is still very much on the cards. "At some point when Edgar (Wright) finishes Scott Pilgrim and I'm finished on Paul when we're going to write it." Both he and Wright are their keeping cards close to their chest, but whatever goodness they have in store, colour us excited.
Emir-beg je opasan plejer:
BERLIN — Celebrated French thesp Tahar Rahim is in advanced negotiations to star in Emir Kusturica's Palestinian comedy "Cool Water," which is set to start production in September.
Rahim won a slew of awards for his role as a young inmate who rises to power in a French prison in Jacques Audiard's "A Prophet" and next appears in Kevin Macdonald's historical epic "The Eagle of the Ninth."
In "Cool Water" he would play one of two Palestinian brothers who try to smuggle the body of their recently deceased father from Jerusalem to Ramallah while trying to avoid Israeli police and Russian mobsters.
Penned by Gabrial Bornstein and developed by Hamburg-based Brave New Work Film Prods., "Cool Water" is co-produced by Wild Bunch, which is handling international sales and also distributing the pic in Germany.
The Euros4.5 million ($6 million) production has so far secured more than $1.3 million from regional funder Filmfoerderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein and the Federal Film Board (FFA). Further coin is expected from the Federal Film Fund (DFFF) and Filmstiftung NRW.
Kusturica, who will next star in Olivier Horlait's coming-of-ager "Nicostratos the Pelican," will follow "Cool Water" with "Seven Friends of Pancho Villa and the Woman With Six Fingers," in which Johnny Depp is set to star as the Mexican revolutionary.
Doug Liman ("The Bourne Identity," "Go," "Jumper") is in talks to direct "The Three Musketeers" for Warner Bros. Pictures, one of two adaptations of Alexandre Dumas' classic story currently in the works says Heat Vision Blog.
Peter Straughan ("The Men Who Stare At Goats") adapted the script following the very familiar story of young D'Artagnan enlisting the help of three disgraced veteran musketeers to stop the duplicitous Cardinal Richelieu.
"Sherlock Holmes" producer Lionel Wigram aims to do a period-set but modern sensibility take on the tale, much like the recent Holmes adaptation.
The project is in direct contention with an adaptation that Paul W.S. Anderson is directing over at Summit Entertainment. Both are targeting a release next year and both will likely be in 3D.
David R. Ellis ("The Final Destination") is tipped to direct the horror feature "Shark Night 3D" says Deadline New York.
Jesse Studenberg and Will Hayes' script is being kept under wraps but the $28 million creature feature hopes to become "Jaws for a new generation".
Walt Conti, who created the animatronic creatures in "Snakes on a Plane" and "Deep Blue Sea", will handle the animatronic sharks in this film.
Mike Fleiss, Chris Briggs and Lynette Howell will produce and shooting kicks off this summer in Louisiana for a release in 2012.
Ellis was recently linked to direct the thriller "Bad Luck" which begins shooting this Fall.
Oscar-winning "Precious" scribe Geoffrey Fletcher is tipped to direct a film from his own script "Violet and Daisy" reports Showbiz 411.
Carey Mulligan ("An Education") and Saoirse Ronan ("The Lovely Bones") are seemingly being pursued to star in the project described as a "Thelma and Louise" meets "Superbad" and "Pulp Fiction."
Wendy Finerman ("Forrest Gump") will produce.
Spanish helmer Juan Carlos Fresnadillo ("28 Weeks Later") has signed on to direct and Clive Owen will topline the English-language horror-thriller "Intruders" for Antena 3 and Universal Pictures International.
Based on a script by Jaime Marques and Nico Casariego, story centers on an 11-year-old girl who is forced to confront childhood demons.
European star Daniel Brühl has also boarded the film, which will begin lensing in June in London and Madrid.
Enrique López Lavigne, longtime producing partner to Fresnadillo, is producing through his Madrid-based Apaches Entertainment. Apache's Belen Atienza will also produce. Universal will be distribute internationally.
After.Life
By RONNIE SCHEIB
An Anchor Bay Films release of an Anchor Bay Films and Lleju Prods. presentation of a Plum Pictures production in association with Constellation Entertainment. Produced by Brad Michael Gilbert, William O. Perkins III, Celine Rattray. Executive producers, Cooper Richey, Catherine Kellner, Edwin L. Marshall, James Swisher. Co-producers, Joy Goodwin, Riva Marker. Directed by Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo. Screenplay, Wojtowicz-Vosloo, Paul Vosloo, Jakub Korolczuk.
Anna Taylor - Christina Ricci
Eliot Deacon - Liam Neeson
Paul Coleman - Justin Long
Jack - Chandler Canterbury
Beatrice Taylor - Celia Weston
Tom Peterson - Josh Charles
An elegant exercise in horror, "After.Life" spins a strong visual web around its thesps -- Liam Neeson, magisterially creepy as a self-appointed angel of death, and a pallid Christina Ricci, suitably otherworldly as a woman who awakens after an auto accident, only to be told by Neeson's mortician that she has died. But the potent imagery never meshes with narrative logic in Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo's first feature, promising more than it can deliver. Opening April 9, this uneasy fusion of art-film aesthetics, metaphysical musings and timeworn genre conventions will prove less compelling a draw than Ricci's un-self-conscious nudity.
Eliot Deacon (Neeson), a very special undertaker ensconced in a posh manor/funeral parlor, not only speaks to the dead as he prepares them for burial, but apparently hears them as well. Deacon's meticulous movements and calm demeanor stand in sharp relief to the frantic behavior of his latest "corpse," Anna (Ricci), whom he is ostensibly keeping prisoner for her own good (echoes of Ricci's legendary chained-to-a-radiator role in "Black Snake Moan"), until she can accept the notion she has passed over.
The action then seesaws between Anna's slasher-film-style escape attempts and moments of utter resignation as she submits to Deacon's funeral preparations. Throughout, Wojtowicz-Vosloo deftly contrasts Deacon's precise, ritualized gestures and royal composure with Anna's skittering uncertainty. Meanwhile, Anna's b.f., Paul (Justin Long), races around like a headless chicken, his reactions swinging wildly from paranoia to grief.
Even before she lands on Deacon's slab, there is something strangely frenetic about Anna, oddly mute one minute, hysterical the next. The escalating misunderstanding that leads to her car wreck plays like an overcranked soap opera, complete with thunder-and-lightning accompaniment.
But on a plot level, few of the psychodrama elements make much sense. The psychological profile proffered by the script (co-written by the helmer and her husband, Paul Vosloo) presents a fearful, withdrawn woman terrified of commitment -- or, in Deacon's moral summation, someone more afraid of life than of death. But Anna's survivalist responses suggest the opposite: She stands with knife upraised, waiting for Deacon to turn the corner, or desperately phones for help as he menacingly mounts the stairs.
Pic's relentless pileup of standard-issue red herrings, "gotcha!" reversals and suspenseful cross-cutting seldom prove either titillating or satisfyingly campy; indeed, they seem to weary Anna as much as they do the viewer.
With its inexplicable apparitions and vibrantly hued weirdness, Wojtowicz-Vosloo's style adapts more cozily to the realm of dreams. As rendered by lenser Anastas N. Michos with admirable clarity, vivid portents swirl around Anna well before her car crash -- from the blood-red water spiraling down a drain to the overhead lights inexplicably shutting down as she walks a deserted corridor. Against Ford Wheeler's stark production design, Anna's cherry-red slip speaks more eloquently than any line of dialogue.
Rounding out the cast are Celia Weston as Anna's coldly selfish mom, scooting about in her electric wheelchair like a malevolent spider, and Chandler Canterbury as the solemn little boy who serves as Deacon's necrophiliac disciple.
Camera (color, widescreen), Anastas N. Michos; editor, Niven Howe; music, Paul Haslinger; production designer, Ford Wheeler; costume designer, Luca Mosca; sound (Dolby Digital), Jerry Stein; supervising sound editor, Coll Anderson; re-recording mixers, Dominick Tavella, Anderson; casting, Matthew Lessall. (In 2009 AFI Film Festival, Los Angeles.) Reviewed at Magno Review 2, New York, April 1, 2010. MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 103 MIN.
Taylor Kitsch ("X-Men Origins: Wolverine," "The Covenant") will star in the Hasbro game turned action adventure film "Battleship" for Universal Pictures says Heat Vision.
The story follows a massive Naval adventure across the seas, in the skies and over land as the armed forces of our planet fight for survival against an alien water-bound armada.
Kitsch will play a "wildly spirited" Naval commander named Alex Hopper who is much more a sailor than a politician. Jeremy Renner was previously linked to the role.
Jon and Erich Hoeber penned the script. Peter Berg, who serves as executive producer on the series "Friday Night Lights" in which Kitsch stars, is directing.
Carl Erik Rinsch's latest online short has sparked a bidding war for the feature film rights reports Heat Vision.
Rinsch is a commercials director who became something of an overnight online celebrity not long ago when it was revealed that Ridley Scott was lining him up to make his feature directorial debut on an "Alien" prequel, a film project Scott has since taken over.
Rinsch continued his non-film work and participated in the high-profile Phillips' 21:9 short-film experiment in which five filmmakers created their own short films using the same piece of dialogue.
Rinsch created "The Gift", a Moscow-set sci-fi piece involving a box, a robotic manservant, and a Bourne-esque bike/cop car chase. On the day it came out, Warner Bros. and Fox became amongst the studios in competition for the film rights.
Or are they? /Film has added to the news, saying that the short will actually serve as a prequel to "Small" - a full-on feature film that Rinsch has already written and designed.
The original short in its entirety can be watched below:
Parallel Lines - The Gift, by Carl Erik Rinsch (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOZkLIwbRrw&feature=player_embedded#)
"Gattaca" and "Lord of War" filmmaker Andrew Niccol will pen and direct the sci-fi thriller "I'm.Mortal" which New Regency is in negotiations with Strike Entertainment to pick up reports Heat Vision.
The story is set in the near future where medical science has managed to halt the ageing process. As a result time has become the new currency with the rich essentially able to become immortal.
The action follows a poor young man who inherits a fortune of time, but too late to stop his mother from dying. He soon ends up on the run from a corrupt police force called the 'time keepers'.
Marc Abraham and Eric Newman will produce. Filming kicks off this Summer in Los Angeles.
Zvuči ok...
to se nikol opet ugleda na bredberija? mislim da je bila epizoda okvirno slične tematike kada se svojedobno ray bradbury theater prikazivao na pinku... kada neki klinac diluje vremenske kartice i tako sebi gomila godine i profit na konto očajnika koji bi sve dali za još par minuta bivstvovanja. a bila je čini mi se i jedna o bobu dilanu. :?:
"District 9" star Sharlto Copley is in talks to join the sci-fi novel adaptation "I Am Number Four" for DreamWorks Pictures says Heat Vision.
Based on the novel series by James Frey and Jobie Hughes, the story follows nine aliens who flee to Earth disguised as teenagers. The main character (Alex Pettyfer) soon learns the enemy alien race that caused them to abandon their home planet are still hunting them.
Copley plays a former member of the alien world's serving class who has become the adult guardian and mentor to the titular No. 4.
D.J. Caruso directs from a script by Al Gough and Miles Millar. Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg are producing.
Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson will re-team on "Lunatic at Large", a film based on a story by novelist Jim Thompson ("The Killer Inside Me") says Production Weekly.
Set in mid 50's New York City, the story follows an aggressive ex-carnival worker and the shy but attractive woman he picks up in a bar. Their night soon has some strange elements to it including a spooky mountain lodge, a car chase, and various portents of doom. A nighttime carnival sequence becomes a big set piece.
Thompson penned a treatment of the film for filmmaker Stanley Kubrick back in the 50's with whom he had worked twice before on "The Killing" and "Paths of Glory". That treatment wasn't discovered until after Kubrick's death in 1999.
Scribe Stephen Clarke has penned the script which expands on that treatment while Chris Palmer will direct. Rockwell and Johansson both star in the upcoming "Iron Man" sequel.
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118017840.html?categoryid=1237&cs=1 (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118017840.html?categoryid=1237&cs=1)
Ken F. Levin has fingers 'Crossed'
Producer independently financing horror comicbook adaptation
By MARC GRASER
"Kick-Ass" is turning into a model for producers to get comicbook pics on the bigscreen.
Ken F. Levin has enlisted Michael De Luca, Jason Netter and Kevin Spacey's Trigger Street Prods to help independently finance and produce an adaptation of Garth Ennis' apocalyptic horror comicbook series "Crossed" before shopping it to distributors.
"Crossed," published by Avatar Press and drawn by Jacen Burrows, revolves around a group of survivors in a world where most people have been possessed by evil incarnate and those who haven't hide in order to avoid being murdered.
Ennis has already penned a version of the script that is being shown to directors.
"It turns out Garth writes as well for film as he does for comics, which is saying a great deal indeed," Netter said in a statement. "Garth's screenplay has just knocked all of us out."
Ennis is a high-profile scribe in the comicbook biz who breathed new life into the "Punisher" series for Marvel and created "The Boys," an edgy take on a group of vigilantes who punish superheroes when they misbehave. That property is set up at Sony. He also created "Preacher," for DC Comics label Vertigo, which also is being adapted by Sony.
De Luca will produce through his Sony-based shingle, while Netter will shepherd through Kickstart Comic Art Studios, and Dana Brunetti will oversee for Trigger Street, which will be instrumental in locking down financing.
Levin and Kickstart are also producing "The Boys," "Preacher" and "The Red Star," also based on a graphic novel.
"Kick-Ass" was produced independently by director Matthew Vaughn when studios rejected the $28 million project. It generated heat and quickly landed distribution by Lionsgate when footage was shown off at Comic-Con last summer. It bows this weekend.
"Crossed" has been one of Avatar Press' biggest sellers, according to William Christensen, founder and publisher of the indie label. The series was recently compiled in a trade paperback.
John McNaughton, who made a splash on the horror scene with Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer in the '80s, is in various stages of development on two projects.
He's circling Sweet for Peter Newman Productions. Nicholas Hoult (Clash of the Titans) appears to be the front runner for the role of Steve, an average teenager who happens to get kidnapped and raped by two delusional housewives. Wowzer. Considered more drama than horror (but with a plot like that...), the film was scripted by John Wohlbruck.
Then there's The Harvest for Elephant Eye Films. Said to straddle the line between a horror film and a psychological thriller, this one concerns a young doctor and nurse try to adjust to a new life when their child is born with a debilitating disease. How far are they willing to go in order to save their only son's life? McNaughton's at work on this one with writer Stephen Lancellotti.
No telling which film he'll do next, but we'll let you know when he's locked into something!
Curtis Hanson ("L.A. Confidential," "Wonder Boys") is in talks to direct the story of Bill Anthony Jakob for Fox Searchlight says Deadline New York.
Jakob was a 36-year-old bank security guard who turned up in a small Missouri town posing as a law enforcement officer and led a crackdown that cleaned up a scourge of meth labs.
His duplicity was undone when a reporter did a quick Google search and discovered his true identity. Clark Gregg ("Choke," "What Lies Beneath") will pen the script for the currently untitled project.
Disney has greenlit a second Monsters, Inc film and will release it in North America on November 16, 2012.
Walt Disney Studios chairman Rich Ross made the announcement to an invited audience of reporters on the lot in Burbank last night [22].
Ross presented the upcoming slate in his first appearance in front of the press, adding that the studio expected to greenlight Prom, a high school film reminiscent of the films of John Hughes and Cameron Crowe, and a Muppets film based on a screenplay by Jason Segel and Nick Stoller that would introduce a new character, Walter.
Ross, personable throughout, emphasised the need for focusing on global customer demand and the importance of exploiting properties across multiple platforms.
He referred several times to Disney's high command "dream team" and mentioned Scottish media hotshot MT Carney, who was confirmed this week as Disney's president of marketing, and recently appointed president of production Sean Bailey. Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige, DreamWorks' Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider, and the animation gurus Ed Catmull and John Lasseter also earned praise.
Ross showed a reel of the 2010 tentpoles, led by summer releases The Prince Of Persia out on May 28, Toy Story 3 out June 18 and The Sorcerer's Apprentice out on July 16, as well as the December 17 release of Tron: Legacy, which Bailey is producing.
Pirates Of The Caribbean 4, scheduled to open in summer 2011, will commence shooting in London and Hawaii in about six weeks, and Disney has set a June 15, 2012, release date for Pixar's Brave.
Ross also made time to show an incomplete trailer for the racehorse sports drama Secretariat starring Diane Lane and John Malkovich, which opens in September. "The tentpoles in our business are a very important part," he said, "but they cannot be the only part."
On that note while Ross declined to comment on the Miramax sale, he did say that until it was finalised a small team was working on marketing materials as if in preparation for a release through Disney. These include The Switch starring Jennifer Anniston and Jason Bateman, and the animated fantasy Gnomeo & Juliet, which will go out through the Touchstone label on 2011. Talks are ongoing over who will release Julie Taymor's The Tempest.
Touchstone will handle most of the DreamWorks films and further details on that company's 2011 slate will be forthcoming shortly. The overall plan is to focus on eight to ten live-action releases a year, four tentpoles, and one or two animations. Ross also referred to "targeted tentpoles" like Prom, which did not necessarily have four-quadrant appeal but would engage a specific demographic in a significant way.
He concluded with some broad strokes in response to questions, reaffirming Disney's commitment to internal financing and a lack of interest in collaborating with outside sources. He said Disney was "aggressively" ramping up local productions, and also hinted that the studio would continue to collapse release windows – the cause of near revolt among UK exhibitors over Alice In Wonderland earlier in the year – "when it makes sense for the market."
Philco Films is set to make three films based on scripts by the late legendary film-maker Stanley Kubrick: Civil War drama Downslope; Scarlett Johansson-starrer Lunatic At Large, and a TV series called God Fearing Man about a renowned bank robber.
Downslope will be a massive $100m project set during the American Civil War following the activities of Mosby's Rangers involving spies and hanging on both sides of the war. Kubrick wrote the script based on a short story by renowned historian Shelby Foote.
"We are approaching A-list directors for the project because it is an A-list script," says Steve Lanning, co-founder of Philco Films alongside longtime Kubrick collaborator Philip Hobbs (Kubrick's son-in-law who also was a producer on Full Metal Jacket). "There are a couple of leading roles which we hope will be taken by A-list actors, but we need the director first."
The plan is to shoot the film next year in Europe because Philco has already had a lot of interested from European financiers in the project and because the original US settings for the drama have changed dramatically, so shooting in Europe could work as a replacement.
With Steven Spielberg and Robert Redford's Lincoln projects currently in development, Lanning was convinced now is a good time to work on a period film.
The second project on their slate is Lunatic At Large, based on a treatment written by pulp writer Jim Thompson, which Kubrick commissioned back in the 1950s, but never made after he was sidetracked by the success of Spartacus.
Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson are already attached to star in the project, which will tell the story of an ex-carnival worker and a barfly who strike up a relationship — although there are suspicions that one of them is an escapee from a mental asylum.
"We are debating whether to make it out of the US or Europe at the moment as there is interest from both sides," Lanning tells Screen. British producer Charles Finch (Ghosts, Mutant Chronicles) and US producer Edward R Pressman (Wall Street) were originally attached to produce the project a few years back, but have since dropped out.
Meanwhile, Philco is due to go into production later this year with God Fearing Man, which will be a $12m TV series about the famous safebreaker Herbert Emerson Wilson who stole $16m from banks in the early 20th century.
Philco are looking for a leading director and cast for the project, which they hope to shoot in Europe, most likely Germany due to the tax breaks. They will also look to work with co-producers from Europe and either Canada or Australia.
British writer Stephen R Clarke, son of renowned sitcom writer Roy Clarke, is adapting the scripts for all three projects.
THE LAST AIRBENDER 3rd Official FINAL Movie Trailer in HD 04/23/10 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joqQgyMbpAM#lq-lq2-hq-vhq-hd)
Dobar će biti taj Airbender, ali ne vjerujem da će dostići kvalitet najboljih Shyamalanovih ostvarenja.
For The First Time, Douglas Trumbull Publicly Discusses His Work On Terrence Malick's TREE OF LIFE!
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/44812 (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/44812)
Dwayne Johnson has signed on to star in and Simon West to direct the $35m action thriller Protection for IM Global.
Production is set to begin in New Mexico in autumn. Brandon Noonan's screenplay is about a mercenary Mexico City security operative who must smuggle a high-ranking judge's daughter and top advisor across the border.
Newly arrived IM Global president of sales and distribution Jonathan Deckter and the team will be talking to buyers about the project in Cannes. IM Global and CAA are co-representing North American rights.
IM Global CEO Stuart Ford will produce alongside Robert Lawrence, and Gordon Gray and Marc Ciardi of Mayhem Pictures. Brian Kavanaugh Jones is serving as executive producer.
"Dwayne is poised to consolidate his position as one of the planet's top action stars over the next few years," Ford said. "Meanwhile Simon is a proven commodity when it comes to studio level action pics. Add to that a pulsating storyline, which is very much grounded in current events, and I think we have a potential smash hit movie".
Rose Byrne (TV's "Damages") and Chris O'Dowd ("Pirate Radio," "Dinner for Schmucks") have joined the cast of the Judd Apatow-produced untitled Kristen Wiig project at Universal Pictures reports Variety.
Wiig stars as a maid of honor begrudgingly competing with a bridesmaid (Byrne) for the attention of the bride (Maya Rudolph). O'Dowd will play the male lead.
Paul Feig (TV' s "Arrested Development," "Nurse Jackie") directs from a script by Wiig and Annie Mumolo. The project is scheduled to hit theatres on May 12th 2011.
Summit Entertainment has acquired most worldwide rights to The Impossible, a film that will star Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor, with Juan Antonio Bayona directing a script by Sergio G. Sanchez. The film is based on a true story that took place during the tsunami that hit the coast of Thailand in 2004. Summit acquired all rights but Spain, and those were dealt to Warner Bros.
The Impossible is being co-produced by Spanish production companies Apaches Entertainment and Telecinco Cinema. Production begins in August. It's Summit's second straight acquisition of a film that stars Watts, after the company acquired domestic rights to Fair Game, the Doug Liman film that premieres in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Watts plays outed CIA agent Valerie Plame and Sean Penn plays her husband, Joseph Wilson. Summit will sell foreign on both films at Cannes.
Alice Braga, Ciaran Hinds and Toby Jones have joined the cast of the exorcism drama "The Rite" for New Line reports Screen Daily.
Based on the novel by Matt Baglio, the film follows a young American seminary student (Colin O'Donoghue) who has a crisis of faith but ultimately re-finds it after attending a Vatican exorcism school and encountering demonic forces.
Anthony Hopkins will play a mentor style character, an unorthodox priest and expert in exorcisms.
Mikael Hafstrom ("1408") directs from a script by Michael Petroni. Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson will produce.
Swedish director Niels Arden Oplev ("The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo") is set to direct an adaptation of Jennifer Egan's third novel "The Keep" for Rogue Pictures says Empire Online.
Ehren Kruger ("The Ring," "The Brothers Grimm") penned the script back in 2006, a gothic tale about two estranged cousins who reunite after twenty years to renovate a dilapidated old castle in Germany. Their efforts unleash creepy and dangerous consequences for all.
The project is not to be confused with F. Paul Wilson's novel of the same name and Michael Mann's 1983 film adaptation of that property.
Over two decades after their last film together, actor Antonio Banderas and filmmaker Pedro Almodovar will re-team on the "Volver" and "Broken Embraces" director's next project "The Skin I Live In" (La Piel Que Habito) reports The Press Association.
Almodovar told Spanish newspaper El Pais that the film is the "harshest" he's ever done and while it "comes close to the terror genre, something that appeals to me that I've never done, I won't respect any of its rules".
Banderas will play a plastic surgeon bent on revenge. The pair worked together on several of Pedro's earlier efforts including "Matador" and "Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown". Their last collaboration was 1990's "Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down".
Samuel Le Bihan will star in and Eric Stoltz has signed on to direct the French/American/Indian co-production "Racing Patriots" for Oakdale Pictures, Durendal Media Pictures and Cartel Productions says Variety.
Frederic Helmer's script follows three Grand Prix champs who escaped from France in 1940 and were trained by Winston Churchill's Special Operations Unit as spies and saboteurs. They soon help lead the French resistance during the occupation under the noses of the Gestapo and Nazi terrorism experts.
Le Bihan will topline as Robert Benoist, a WWI flying ace and 1927 World Champion. The other two roles - First Monaco Grand Prix winner William Grover-Williams, and 1937 and 1939 Le Mans winner Jean Pierre Wimille - have yet to be announced.
Dana MacDuff, Brandon MacDuff, Patrice Bonneyrat, Laurent Tolleron, Pierre Morel and Jarratt Carson will produce. Shooting kicks off this winter in France, England and the Czech Republic.
Robert De Niro and several Australian actors look to have joined the cast of the action-thriller "The Killer Elite" for Omnilab Media and Inferno Entertainment reports The Herald Sun and Moviehole.
Based on the Ranulph Fiennes novel 'The Feather Man', Clive Owen will play the senior field operative of a secret group of former British special forces members fighting to protect the families of fellow SAS agents.
Jason Statham plays a former Navy SEAL who comes out of retirement in order to lead a team of assassins in pursuit of them. De Niro has been approached but has not yet been confirmed to play Statham's mentor who has been kidnapped and is being used as leverage against him.
Along with De Niro, the cast will include Dominic Purcell ("Prison Break"), Yvonne Strahovski ("Chuck"), Aden Young ("The Starter Wife"), Ben Mendelsohn ("Vertical Limit"), Lachy Hulme ("The Matrix Revolutions") and Firass Dirani ("Underbelly: The Golden Mile").
Irish director Gary McKendry makes his feature film debut on the project which kicked off filming today in Melbourne.
Anthony Hopkins is in final negotiations to play the villain in the 3D action feature "Arabian Nights" for Inferno Entertainment and ROAR says Heat Vision.
The period epic is set in a kingdom which has just been overtaken in a coup which killed the King. Aussie hunk Liam Hemsworth ("The Last Song," "Knowing") plays a young commander who enlists the help of Sinbad, Ali Baba and Aladdin to rescue Queen Scheherazade.
Hopkins plays the evil sorcerer Pharotu who killed Sinbad's mermaid lover and is seeking to increase his magical powers.
Chuck Russell will direct from a script he co-wrote with Barry P. Ambrose. Bill Johnson, Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray will produce. Filming is aiming to kick off late Summer.
Michelle Monaghan and Michael Shannon are joining the cast of the Africa-set true story-inspired "Machine Gun Preacher" for Lionsgate reports Deadline Hollywood.
Marc Forster ("Quantum of Solace," "Monster's Ball") will direct the story of Sam Childers (Gerard Butler), a former drug-dealing biker tough guy who found God and became a crusader for hundreds of Sudanese children who've been kidnapped and pressed into duty as soldiers in the Lord's Resistance Army.
Childers established an orphanage to house 200 children, then formed a militia to protect them, recover other kidnapped kids, and dispense outlaw justice on their captors.
Monaghan will play Childers' wife who struggled to keep their family together in Detroit. Shannon is in talks to play his close friend who stayed with his wife while he was away.
Forster co-wrote the script with Jason Keller based on the memoir "Another Man's War". Robbie Brenner, Brad Simpson, Deborah Giarratana, Gary Safady and Craig Chapman are producing. Filming kicks off this Summer.
Hayden Christensen has joined the cast of the David R. Ellis-directed thriller "The Genesis Code" for Myriad Pictures.
Based on John Case's novel, Christensen plays former national security expert Joe Lassiter who is investigating the murder of his only sister and her young son and learns that a religious sect may be involved.
With the help of his sister's friend, the trail leads to an Italian mountain clinic where a terrifying secret experiment has revealed something so threatening to the foundation of the Church - one they'll do anything to keep secret.
Kevin Bernhardt adapted the script. Tove Christensen, Kirk D'Amico, Michael Mailer and Alvaro Longoria will produce.
0th Century Fox has announced a June 24th 2011 release date for "Rise of the Apes", their planned prequel to the "Planet of the Apes" franchise says the trades.
The cautionary tale is set in San Francisco in which "man's own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy."
Unlike past installments, the apes this time will be CG-animated with WETA Digital handling the effects.
Rupert Wyatt ("The Escapist") directs from a screenplay by Amanda Silver & Rick Jaffa. Both scribes along with Peter Chernin and Dylan Clark will produce.
Having recently been linked to play the main antagonist in DreamWorks' "I Am Number Four", actor Kevin Durand (TV's "Lost," "Robin Hood") is now in negotiations to join "Real Steel" for the same studio reports Variety.
Set in the near future when boxers have been replaced by human-controlled two-ton robots, Hugh Jackman portrays a former boxer-turned-manager who reunites with his estranged son to take his fighter to the championships.
Durand would play the Texan promoter of robot boxing. He and Jackman previously worked together on "X-Men Origins: Wolverine".
The roles would essentially be shot back to back with 'Four' kicking off filming this month and 'Steel' next month. Durand would shoot 'Four' first and then immediately segue into shooting 'Steel'.
Shawn Levy directs the $80 million film which is based on a story by Richard Matheson ("I Am Legend"). Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider will produce.
With a pair of dueling "Three Musketeers" projects headed for fall starts, Paul W.S. Anderson's version has tapped Christoph Waltz, Logan Lerman, Ray Stevenson, Milla Jovovich, Luke Evans and Madds Mikkelsen for key roles.
Anderson is producing and directing a 3D version of the classic tale, with shooting slated to begin in September. Anderson co-wrote the script with Andrew Davies.
Impact Pictures' Jeremy Bolt and Constantin Film's Robert Kulzer are producing with Constantin financing. Summit's distributing domestically and handling foreign sales.
Meanwhile, Warner Bros. signed Doug Liman last week to direct its version of Alexandre Dumas' adventure tale, which is being fast-tracked for a fall production start. "The Three Musketeers" centers on the impetuous D'Artagnan as he joins forces with three veteran musketeers -- Athos, Porthos and Aramis -- to battle the evil Cardinal Richelieu.
Waltz will portray Richelieu and is expected to be shooting on a compressed schedule, as he's also signed for "Water for Elephants." He's also in "The Green Hornet."
Lerman ("Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief") is in talks to portray D'Artagnan. Stevenson ("Rome") has been cast as Porthos and Evans ("Clash of the Titans," "Immortals") as Aramis.
Mikkelsen ("Clash of the Titans") will portray the villainous Comte de Rochefort, and Jovovich will play the spy Milady de Winter.
Mila stupa na prilično opasan teren uzimajući ulogu koju je već igrala Rebeka de Mornej :!:
Colin Farrell and Marion Cotillard are attached to topline David Cronenberg's "Cosmopolis," an adaptation of Don DeLillo's novel.
Gregoire Melin's Paris-based Kinology has picked up international sales rights and is presenting the project to buyers for the first time at the Cannes market.
The $20.5 million film is penned by Cronenberg and produced by Portuguese producer Paulo Branco's Alfama Films and Cronenberg's Toronto-based Antenna, in association with Kinology.
The thriller follows a multimillionaire on a 24-hour odyssey across Manhattan. Farrell will play the asset manager who loses all his wealth over the course of one day. Cotillard will play his wife.
Lensing will take place from March to May in Toronto and New York.
"Cosmopolis" will be Cronenberg's follow-up to "A Dangerous Method," which starts shooting this month in Germany with Keira Knightley and Viggo Mortensen.
DeLillo's acclaimed works include "White Noise" and "Underworld."
Branco last produced "Ashes and Blood," directed by Gallic thesp Fanny Ardant.
At Cannes, Kinology is also launching sales on Finnish fantasy "Rare Exports,"directed by first-timer Jalmari Helander. Melin's sales slate includes Kirsten Dunst-starrer "Upside Down," a $50-million sci-fi romance that is currently shooting in Montreal.
DreamWorks Pictures is pursuing Tim Burton to take a crack at directing a film adaptation of the miniatures game "Monsterpocalypse" says Deadline.
The board game involves battles against a variety of enemy monsters that take place in a metropolis filled with buildings. Game creator Matt Wilson is attached as co-producer.
The project is still in very preliminary stages and is one of several similar projects Dreamworks has on the boil, including the Drew Goddard-penned "Robopocalypse".
Burton meanwhile is committed to other projects with both his long gestating "Dark Shadows" film adaptation and Disney's "Maleficent" on his 'to do' list.
'Universal Soldier IV,' 'Recoil' forge ahead
Shoots on Foresight Unlimited films set for the fall
By Jay A. Fernandez
May 12, 2010, 08:23 AM ET
Updated: May 13, 2010, 05:21 AM ET
CANNES -- Foresight Unlimited is pushing forward with fall shoots for two action thrillers: "Universal Soldier IV" and "Recoil."
"Soldier IV" may reunite Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren, who co-starred in the third installment, "Universal Soldier: Regeneration" in 2009. Only this time they would be unleashing their barrages of fists and lead in 3D. Van Damme's deal is still being negotiated.
John Hyams is also returning to direct the project, which is set to begin filming in October.
"Ghost Rider" and "Daredevil" helmer Mark Steven Johnson will direct "Recoil," a $35 million project about a former FBI sniper dragged back into action when his ex-wife is targeted by a deranged sniper. "Recoil" is set to begin filming in November.
Foresight will be selling "Soldier" and "Recoil" at Cannes along with two other new projects, "Flypaper" and "The Ledge," which just wrapped production.
More Cannes coverage
The suspense drama "The Ledge," written and directed by Matthew Chapman, stars Terrence Howard, Liv Tyler, Patrick Wilson and Charlie Hunnam in the story of a suicidal man and the traumatized detective who tries to talk him down. Foresight will show footage in its Cannes office.
"Flypaper," which stars Patrick Dempsey, is scheduled to begin filming next month in Louisiana. "The Hangover" scribes Jon Lucas and Scott Moore wrote the film, which is about a man caught in the middle of two simultaneous robberies as he tries to protect the teller with whom he's secretly in love.
'Universal Soldier IV,' 'Recoil' forge ahead
Shoots on Foresight Unlimited films set for the fall
By Jay A. Fernandez
May 12, 2010, 08:23 AM ET
Updated: May 13, 2010, 05:21 AM ET
CANNES -- Foresight Unlimited is pushing forward with fall shoots for two action thrillers: "Universal Soldier IV" and "Recoil."
"Soldier IV" may reunite Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren, who co-starred in the third installment, "Universal Soldier: Regeneration" in 2009. Only this time they would be unleashing their barrages of fists and lead in 3D. Van Damme's deal is still being negotiated.
John Hyams is also returning to direct the project, which is set to begin filming in October.
"Ghost Rider" and "Daredevil" helmer Mark Steven Johnson will direct "Recoil," a $35 million project about a former FBI sniper dragged back into action when his ex-wife is targeted by a deranged sniper. "Recoil" is set to begin filming in November.
Foresight will be selling "Soldier" and "Recoil" at Cannes along with two other new projects, "Flypaper" and "The Ledge," which just wrapped production.
More Cannes coverage
The suspense drama "The Ledge," written and directed by Matthew Chapman, stars Terrence Howard, Liv Tyler, Patrick Wilson and Charlie Hunnam in the story of a suicidal man and the traumatized detective who tries to talk him down. Foresight will show footage in its Cannes office.
"Flypaper," which stars Patrick Dempsey, is scheduled to begin filming next month in Louisiana. "The Hangover" scribes Jon Lucas and Scott Moore wrote the film, which is about a man caught in the middle of two simultaneous robberies as he tries to protect the teller with whom he's secretly in love.
CANNES -- Media 8 Entertainment has recruited Kurt Russell to star in its supernatural thriller "Undying."
The neo-noir creeper, penned by "Book of Eli" scribe Gary Whitta and originally titled "Reaper," tells the story of private investigator Virgil Lone, who gets pulled into a surreal underworld when he is hired by the mysterious Delia. Production is scheduled to begin in the fall.
Circle of Confusion ("Saint John of Las Vegas") is producing with Media 8 ("Monster"), which is financing the film along with E-Motion and Queen Nefertari Prods. ("The Inheritance").
Media 8 president Stewart Hall is producing along with Circle of Confusion's David Alpert and Lawrence Mattis and Queen Nefertari's Cynthia Stafford, Lanre Idewu and Jeff Kalligheri. E-Motion principals Karl Richards and Peter Bevan are executive producers.
"Kurt Russell is perfect for this role," Hall said. "He is truly one of the few actors who audiences continually embrace as a real hero."
More Cannes coverage
Media 8 is handling worldwide sales in Cannes, while Gersh's Jay Cohen and CAA are handling sales for North America.
The CAA-repped Russell most recently starred in "Death Proof," "Poseidon" and "Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story."
Whitta, who is repped by UTA and Circle of Confusion, is also writing "The Defenders" for producers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman at DreamWorks Studios.
Media 8 produced "The Upside of Anger" and "Running Scared" and will be premiering its animated film "Jackboots on Whitehall," featuring Ewan McGregor, Tom Wilkinson and Alan Cumming, at Cannes.
Marc Platt will produce alongside Gigi Pritzker of OddLot Entertainment and Michel Litvak of Bold Films, marking the first time the two companies will co-produce and co-finance a project since they launched sales entity Affinity International in late 2009.
Affinity International president of worldwide distribution Brian O'Shea arrives on the Croisette with the marquee commercial title Drive, an action thriller starring Ryan Gosling that Nicolas Winding Refn (Bronson) will direct.
Marc Platt will produce alongside Gigi Pritzker of OddLot Entertainment and Michel Litvak of Bold Films, marking the first time the two companies will co-produce and co-finance a project since they launched sales entity Affinity International in late 2009.
President of Marc Platt Productions Adam Siegel is also producing and David Lancaster, Gary Michael Walters, Bill Lischak and Linda McDonough will serve as executive producers.
Gosling, also starring in Blue Valentine in Cannes Official Selection, will play a loner Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver and lands in hot water when he helps the ex-con boyfriend of his beautiful neighbour.
Hossein Amini, who earned an Academy Award nomination for The Wings Of The Dove, wrote the screenplay based on the James Sallis crime novel of the same name.
Executive vice-president of business affairs Aaron Michiel represented OddLot, attorney Miles Mogulescu negotiated on behalf of Bold Films, and attorney Karl Austen on behalf of Marc Platt.
WME Global chief Graham Taylor and Alexis Garcia brokered the deal and will handle North American sales.
"We are excited to bring such a high calibre project to our buyers in Cannes," O'Shea said. "With the explosive mixture of a highly commercial script, Marc Platt's producing expertise, the powerful direction of Nicolas Refn and Hollywood's best young actor Ryan Gosling, Drive is one of the hottest new titles at this year's market."
"Drive is a muscular movie that hearkens back to the days of Bullitt and The French Connection, movies where the characters were as real as the action," Platt added. "With Nicolas Winding Refn, the world's most visceral director at the helm, and Ryan Gosling in the leading role, we will achieve what many movies try for, but few manage: an authentic, thrilling action film with a real character at the centre."
Film of bestselling novel by David Nicholls is being produced by Nina Jacobson.
Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess have been confirmed as the lead actors in One Day, Lone Scherfig's first film after An Education, which is being backed by Focus Features and sold here by Focus Features International.
The romance is based on the best-selling novel by David Nicholls and has been scripted by Nicholls himself. Former Disney studio chief Nina Jacobson is producing through her Color Force banner. The film was initially optioned and developed by Focus and Random House Films in association with Film4.
Hathaway, who most recently was seen as The White Queen in Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland, and Sturgess, who was recently in Peter Weir's The Way Back, will play play two students who meet on July 15, 1988, on the night of their graduation. She is a working class girl of principle and ambition, he is a wealthy charmer. The two become fast friends and the story follows them every July 15 over the following 20 years as their lives encompass love and loss, heartbreak and success, hopes fulfilled and dreams shattered.
Nicholls' first novel Starter For Ten was previously made into a film in 2006 directed by Tom Vaughan and starring James McAvoy and Rebecca Hall.
Wild Bunch will handle international sales on Blonde, an adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates' imaginary Marilyn Monroe memoir that Andrew Dominik is set to direct.
Wild Bunch will handle international sales on Blonde, an adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates' imaginary Marilyn Monroe memoir that Andrew Dominik is set to direct. Naomi Watts will star as the legendary icon.
Produced by Anthony Bregman, the $20 million film will shoot in January 2011.
Dominik, who last directed The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, explains his desire to make Blonde: "Why is Marilyn Monroe the great female icon of the 20th Century? For men she is an object of sexual desire that is desperately in need of rescue. For women, she embodies all the injustices visited upon the feminine, a sister, a Cinderella, consigned to live among the ashes."
He added, "I want to tell the story of Norma Jean as a central figure in a fairytale; an orphan child lost in the woods of Hollywood, being consumed by that great icon of the twentieth century."
Wild Bunch's Vincent Maraval told Screen, "We are delighted to finally be working with Andrew Dominik who is one of the most talented young directors in world cinema today. We trust his vision to deliver us a Marilyn biopic which will not be a classic one but a modern Raging Bull which will explore one of the most iconic figures of this century. Whilst the tabloid press has grown in popularity by taking advantage of such tragedies, we at Wild Bunch are seduced by the humanity, the emotion and the tragic destiny of such a powerful character."
The revenge saga is being produced by Open Window Productions.
Paul Schrader will direct revenge saga The Jesuit for Open Window Productions, who are in final talks to sign Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaac, Michelle Rodriguez and Paz Vega.
Schrader's screenplay centres on a wrongly imprisoned man who gets out of jail and devises a plan to avenge his wife's murder and rescue his kidnapped sonfrom Mexico.
Jay Cohen of The Gersh Agency packaged the project and will oversee the financing, while Ellen Wander of Film Bridge International is handling worldwide sales.
Open Window Productions' John Morrissey and Santiago Garcia are producing The Jesuit and their next project will be the Spanish language feature Tequila.
Wander's Cannes slate includes the sci-fi thriller UFO to be produced by Hollywood veteran Robert Evans based on the cult ITV series, and the Pierce Brosnan action adventure Ace.
Jonathan Jakubowicz will direct the project about a law enforcement officer who crosses the line.
Inferno Entertainment has boarded international sales on the $20m crime thriller Line Of Fire, which will star Matthew McConaughey and Eva Mendes.
Tommy Lee Jones is in talks to join the story of a law enforcement officer who crosses the line for what he believes to be a noble cause.
His actions lead to his family's abduction, forcing the officer to take on the mafia and his colleagues in order to save his family.
Jonathan Jakubowicz (Secuestro Express) will direct the project, which Inferno and Mandalay Vision are co-financing and is set to begin shooting in New Mexico this autumn.
Rick Schwartz and Mandalay Vision's Celine Rattray are producing and Inferno's Bill Johnson and Jim Siebel serve as executive producers. WME Global is handling North American sales and CAA represents the talent.
Inferno is ramping up for a start of production tomorrow [14] on The Killer Elite starring Jason Statham and Clive Owen, while Anthony Hopkins has joined the cast of the action adventure Arabian Nights.
Inferno International president Kimberly Fox will be looking to complete remaining sales on Joe Carnahan's thriller The Grey and Sundance premiere The Kids Are All Right from Lisa Cholodenko.
Stuart Ford's sales and financing powerhouse is introducing buyers to two hot titles on the Croisette.
Stuart Ford's sales and financing powerhouse IM Global arrives on the Croisette with high-octane duo Safe and The Factory.
The company's new president of sales and distribution Jonathan Deckter will introduce the projects to buyers here. Jason Statham headlines Safe, which is currently in pre-production and centres on a former elite agent who rescues a young Chinese girl and falls foul of the Triads, Russian mafia and corrupt New York authorities when they find a safe-cracking combination.
Boaz Yakin (Remember The Titans) will direct and Lawrence Bender, in town with special screening Countdown To Zero, is producing with Trigger Street Productions.
Completed crime thriller The Factory stars John Cusack as a police officer who abandons all professional restraint after a serial killer hunting streetwalkers mistakenly abducts his teenage daughter.
Warner Bros holds North American rights on the project, which also stars Jennifer Carpenter (Quarantine) and Sonya Walger. Morgan O'Neill directed from a screenplay she co-wrote with Paul A Leyden. Joel Silver produced alongside Susan Downey and David Gambino.
IM Global's Cannes slate of English-language titles includes the $35m Dwayne Johnson action thriller Protection and the $45m Judge Dredd adaptation that is being produced with Reliance BIG.
Walter Hill, the director of the 1979 street classic The Warriors, will begin shooting his new film St. Vincent in Detroit, starting July 12, 2010. Variety is reporting on the impressive cast that Hill has assembled for this new project: Giovani Ribisi (The Gift), Billy Bob Thornton (Sling Blade), Mario Bello (A History of Violence) and Pierce Brosnan (The Ghost Writer) are all on board. Here's the rundown on Hill's new film:
"St. Vincent follows a hitman (Brosnan) who goes undercover as a priest to get close to his target, a gangland traitor (Thornton). The hitman soon discovers that playing the good guy is more dangerous than being a mob killer."
Media 8 is producing alongside LA-based Circle Of Confusion, and financing with Cynthia Stafford's Queen Nefertari Productions, new partner Northern Lights Films, and London/LA-based E-Motion.
Jon Amiel is returning to modern day storytelling following Creation and several stints on The Tudors and will direct the supernatural thriller Undying starring Kurt Russell.
Media 8 has been introducing the project to buyers here and is producing alongside LA-based Circle Of Confusion, and financing with Cynthia Stafford's Queen Nefertari Productions, new partner Northern Lights Films, and London/LA-based E-Motion.
Jay Cohen at Gersh is handling North American rights with CAA. UTA represents both Amiel and screenwriter Gary Whitta.
Production is set to begin in autumn on Undying, a neo-noir in the vein of Blade Runner and Seven about a private investigator drawn into a surreal underworld by a mysterious client.
"The type of magic that occurs when you combine a legendary actor like Kurt Russell with a visionary director like Jon Amiel is what attracted us to the business in the first place," Queen Nefertari Productions COO Lanre Idewu said. "We are in for a real treat."
"When I sat in a room with the two of them, they were instantly in synch in their vision for the material and it was clear they would make a great film together," Media 8 Entertainment president Stewart Hall said. Media 8 holds worldwide rights.
Do we like time travel in these parts? Oh yes we do. This has been why we have been following the development of Rian Johnson's third film, Looper, (after the wonderful Brick and handsome yet spotty The Brothers Bloom.)
Todays update involves the casting of Bruce Willis (hopefully it will be the Pulp Fiction, Fast Food Nation, 12 Monkeys Willis and not the Cop Out, Fifth Element, Mercury Rising Willis) and confirms Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who proved a winning combination with Johnson's sensibility in chic-noir Brick). Either way, according to /Film they are playing the same character at two different ages.
Looper is a time travel movie, set in a near future where time travel doesn't exist but will be invented in a few decades. It's pretty dark in tone, much different from Bloom, and involves a group of killers (called Loopers) who work for a crime syndicate in the future. Their bosses send their targets hogtied and blindfolded back in time to the Loopers, and their job is to simply shoot them in the head and dispose of the body. So the target vanishes from the future and the Loopers dispose of a corpse that doesn't technically exist, a very clean system. Complications set in from there.
Veteran producer Edward R. Pressman and filmmaker David Gordon Green are teaming to produce Adam Bhala Lough's retro slasher film "Splatter Sisters," with Marilyn Manson and Evan Rachel Wood attached to star.
Film, penned by Lough, is the first in a planned franchise and is a sexploitation-serial-killer-slasher-road-movie circa 1989.
Lough ("Bomb the System") reckons "Splatter Sisters" could create a subgenre, which he calls "Skinemax Cinema," based on the direct-to-cable movies of his childhood.
Green ("Pineapple Express," "Your Highness") said while Lough's film is inspired by the horror classics of the 1980s, it has a fresh spin that raises the bar.
"This is a role Marilyn Manson was born to play, and with Evan Rachel Wood bringing dramatic gravity to the ensemble, I have no doubt this will take the horror genre to a new level," Green said.
"Splatter Sisters" was announced in Cannes. Pressman is at the fest for the world preem of 20th Century Fox's "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps." He is one of the producers of helmer Oliver Stone's sequel.
"Lough's unique talent and energy will make 'Splatter Sisters' a very special and markedly commercial film," Pressman said. "I've always been attracted to smart movies about killers made by directors with a real vision,"
Wood last starred on the bigscreen in Woody Allen's "Whatever Works," which was released in 2009.
Mike Fleming at Deadline just broke the news that the Wachowski siblings are currently trying to find a home for a "hard R drama about a homosexual relationship between a United States soldier and an Iraqi." According to Fleming, the duo have completed the script, which is a "cinema verite-style treatment that begins in the near future and then spans back over years that include the current war in Iraq," and have already sent it out to financiers in the hope of making it their next directorial project (their first since Speed Racer, a film I still love despite overwhelming popular opinion to the contrary).
What Fleming doesn't touch upon, however, is that this sounds awfully similar to a mystery project the pair were reportedly working on months ago. Both Arianna Huffington and Jesse Ventura mentioned that they have gone in front of the camera for the Wachowskis to film segments for an unannounced project; a project that Ventura later revealed was a futuristic retrospective on the Iraq war. How that fits into this newly unveiled project is unclear, but I'd find it hard to believe that they have two separate, near-future Iraq war projects going on that are unrelated to each other. Perhaps the Huffington/Ventura footage is part of a proof-of-concept package for investors?
Only those with deep, film-financing pockets know at this point. All I know is that the Wachowskis have built up enough cinematic credit with me that I'll get excited any time they announce a new project. I'm not so sure most people feel the same way, and I'm particularly doubtful that most people will get excited about a gay love story set in the Iraqi war. What do you think?
Uh bre... Imaju li oni zbilja intelekta za tako nešto?
Ko zna... Možda i imaju. Svakako da znaju sve o fegetaciji a pomalo i o transgender akcijama. Što se intelekta tiče, BOUND je bio izvaredan film smešten u milje manjinskih seksualnih opredeljenja...
Director: Adrian Grunberg
Producers: Bruce Davey, Stacy Perskie
Writers: Mel Gibson, Adrian Grunberg, Stacy Perskie
Cast: Mel Gibson
Genre: Action Thriller
Status: In Production
Year of Production 2010
Language: English
Country of Origin: US
The story of Driver, a career criminal who is picked up by the Mexican police as he desperately tries to cross the border in a car stuffed full of stolen cash. The police take the cash and dump him in the infamous El Pueblito prison - a hell on earth where the prison gangs run the show. Driver has no ID or fingerprints but he still gets a visit from a corrupt American Embassy official who has heard about the money. If Driver doesn't find a way of paying him off while he's inside, then he's going to let the authorities know where Driver is. And it won't be long before the guys he stole the money from find him too. Driver knows it is sink or swim. He hooks up with a young boy who shows him how to survive in the prison, but the kid has a terrible secret. He shares a rare blood type with Javi - the criminal who ruthlessly controls the prison and everyone in it. The kid is Javi's life insurance policy and he has doctors on standby to transplant his liver whenever the time comes. But Driver has other ideas and pretty soon he devises an audacious plan to escape with the kid, the kid's mother and the money.
Quote from: crippled_avenger on 16-05-2010, 21:58:10
Ko zna... Možda i imaju. Svakako da znaju sve o fegetaciji a pomalo i o transgender akcijama. Što se intelekta tiče, BOUND je bio izvaredan film smešten u milje manjinskih seksualnih opredeljenja...
Da, ali Bound je bio sjajan žanrovski film. Mogu li oni da se iščupaju iz žanra i ostanu jaki pred sažižućim okom vaskolikog američkog srpstva?
Ali, kako možeš da misliš o Wachowskima kada samo post iznad imaš plot novog Melovog filma, prave katoličke fantazije o prijateljstvu odraslog muškarca i dečaka? :)
Musliman u meni se meškolji.
Warner Bros. has filled out its 2011 release schedule, skedding sequels "Final Destination 5," "Journey to the Center of the Earth 2," Gothic horror story "Red Riding Hood" and ensemble comedy "New Year's Eve."
"Red Riding Hood," starring Amanda Seyfried and directed by Catherine Hardwicke," has been set for April 22. And as for New Line franchises, "Final Destination 5" will open Aug. 26, with "Journey 2" launching Sept. 23 and "New Year's Eve," a spinoff from ensemble comedy "Valentine's Day," slotted for Dec. 9.
New Line has been developing "New Year's Eve" -- with some of the characters from "Valentine's Day" -- as a project set in New York City on New Year's Eve. "Valentine's Day" was a solid performer with $110 million domestically and another $100 million internationally.
Three other New Line titles have also been dated, with exorcism drama "The Rite" set for Jan. 28, marital comedy "Hall Pass" for Feb. 25 and workplace laffer "Horrible Bosses" on July 29. Casting firmed up last week for "Bosses," which will feature Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx.
Stephen Soderbergh's viral outbreak drama "Contagion," with Matt Damon and Kate Winslet, has been set for Oct. 21; Alcon's "Late Bloomer," based on Ken Baker's memoir about delayed adolescence, will open up Aug. 12; Dark Castle's "Unknown White Male," starring Liam Neeson, is set for Jan. 7; and its "Apparition," starring Ashley Greene, opens Sept. 9.
Warner Bros. had announced release dates previously for its 2011 tentpoles -- "The Hangover 2" on May 26, "Green Lantern" on June 17 and the second part of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" on July 15.
Well, looks like David Fincher's schedule is getting busy - albeit with a new job many never expected. Disney is in negotiations with the "Fight Club" and "Zodiac" helmer to direct a new take on the classic Jules Verne story "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" says Heat Vision.
A few months back the studio scrapped a previous $150 million prequel adaptation in development with McG at the helm, making it one of the most visible victims of the post-Dick Cook regime change. Now it seems they're moving forward with the property in a different form - one that they're in talks with Scott Z. Burns ("The Bourne Ultimatum," "The Informant") to write.
According to the site, the resurrection came via Fincher himself who approached the studio with the desire to do a "four-quadrant tentpole movie", a sharp contrast from his resume of mostly dark adult dramas and thrillers. The project was then developed quietly until the last few days when talks with Burns and Fincher became inevitably public, and is being described as an epic on a "Star Wars"-esque level.
Timing wise though it's likely the film won't get into production until well into next year, leaving Fincher time to shoot another film beforehand - most likely "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" remake.
Ethan Hawke has signed on to the sub-$10 million CIA thriller "The Numbers Station" for Content Film International says Variety.
The story follows a disgraced black ops agent tasked with a dead-end job of protecting a young woman in the Nevada desert. The two have to fight to survive when they come under attack.
Kasper Barfoed ("The Candidate") directs from a script by F. Scott Frazier. Hawke, Sean Furst and Bryan Furst will produce and filming kicks off in September.
The studios have been seeking foreign rights to stock up their international pipelines.
Warner Bros and Sony's acquisitions teams have been looking to hoover up foreign rights in Cannes as the studios seek to fill their dwindling international pipelines.
Warner Bros International Film Acquisitions president Camela Galano has struck a five-territory deal with Morgan Creek for the Jim Sheridan thriller Dream House, acquiring rights in the UK, France, Spain, Australia/New Zealand and Latin America.
Galano also closed a deal with Nu Image to buy Conan for Warner Bros in Germany.
Production has just wrapped on Dream House starring Daniel Craig (pictured), Rachel Weisz and Naomi Watts. Danny Diamond and Brian Robinson closed further deals for Morgan Creek with ProSieben in Germany and Medusa in Italy.
Meanwhile Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group has licensed all rights from Focus Features International to Joe Wright's thriller Hanna starring Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett and Eric Bana outside of North America, the UK, Australia/NZ, Greece, Israel, Middle East, and CIS.
Morgan Creek has pre-sold the Keanu Reeves sci-fi romance Passengers To Medusa in Italy and to Telemunchen for Germany. Company founder Jim Robinson and director Gabriele Muccino were in town to introduce the $90m project to buyers.
Robinson described Passengers as an Adam and Eve story set in is the future, Reeves will play a mechanic on a 120-year journey to a colonised planet in another galaxy. On board a massive vessel containing 5,000 pods of humans in suspended animated, he awakens 100 years too soon and decides to wake up a beautiful journalist with whom he has fallen in love. Problems ensue when she learns about his act, and the ship begins to malfunction.
"The response to [Passengers] in Cannes is tremendous," Diamond said. "In addition to the deals we have already closed, we are currently closing deals with other distributors. We expect more significant announcements within the next few days."
Universal holds North American rights to all Morgan Creek productions through 2013.
Clive Owen will star in the action thriller "Medallion" for Parlay Films says Screen Daily.
The story follows a bank robber fresh out of prison who learns that a former accomplice has kidnapped his daughter and stashed her in the trunk of a Manhattan cab.
The robber has six hours to find her, or fork over $50 million in ransom money. David Guggenheim penned the script.
Jesse T Kennedy, McG, James Holt and Matthew Joynes are producing. Filming takes place in New York and Toronto this Fall.
CANNES -- John Landis says he can't get the movies he wants to make bankrolled in Hollywood so he came to the U.K. to find one.
It worked out well for him as he is putting the final touches to "Burke and Hare," starring Simon Pegg, Andy Serkis and Isla Fisher.
Landis said his wife, the Oscar nominated costume designer Deborah Nadoolman, told him to check out British indie production companies, "because they still take risks and make interesting movies."
He was having lunch at Ealing Studios with fellow filmmaker and friend Gurinder Chadha when she suggested he go meet with Ealing chief Barnaby Thompson.
More Cannes coverage
Landis said he was amazed the film's writers -- "St Trinians" scribes Piers Ashworth and Nick Moorcrofthad -- reinvented two down and dirty murdering psychopaths into wannabe rom-com heroes.
It follows the travails of two real life Irish roustabouts William Burke and William Hare who discover there's money to be made in supplying Edinburgh's doctors with fresh bodies for dissection.
"It's like they'd [Ashworth and Moorcroft] turned Charles Manson into Sydney Carton," Landis laughed.
He said he went to more than 40 production companies on the way to finding a script he wanted to do and was greeted the same way in every one. With suspicion. "What do you want with us here," Landis said was a common reaction. "We can't pay you."
He said that while shooting commercials and videos has been an exceptionally lucrative way of working in recent years, he loved making a tightly budgeted, necessarily quick shoot.
Landis and his stars Pegg and Serkis landed in Cannes to help Ealing Studios International flog the movie to buyers.
Pegg and Serkis are both at pains to highlight just how tricky a balancing act it was to portray murderous, nasty killers in a romantic comedy.
"Ah, they're my evil Laurel and Hardy," said Landis, not quite as bothered as the duo.
"Final Destination" helmer James Wong is set to write and direct a remake of Yasuo Inoue's Japanese thriller "The Neighbor Number 13" for Distant Horizon says Indiewire.
The original followed a young boy who becomes psychologically disturbed by an extreme case of schoolyard bullying.
A decade on, he's obsessed with righting that wrong - no matter what dangerous moral ground he treads over along the way.
Anant Singh and Brian Cox will produce. Shooting kicks off later this year for release next Fall.
Fassbender Wanted For "Woman In Black"
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By Garth Franklin Friday May 14th 2010 02:07PM
Fassbender Wanted For "Woman In Black"
Michael Fassbender looks to have emerged as the front runner to star in "The Woman In Black" for Hammer Films and Alliance Films says The Playlist.
Financing is locked for the 3D adaptation of Susan Hill's gothic supernatural horror novel about a young solicitor who takes up a short residence at Eel Marsh House, a desolate and secluded coastal mansion cut off at high tide from the nearby market town.
Alone and sorting out the affairs of the elderly widow owner who recently died, the lawyer is spooked by unexplained noises and visions of a mysterious woman in black. The book has been adapted into a memorable stage play that has been done around the world for over two decades.
It also exists as a hard-to-find 1989 ITV low-budget TV movie which is in such demand that there's a minor black market in illegal copies of the short-lived DVD release. Much like 70's TV movie "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark", the 'Woman' TV movie scores praise for its effective unsettling atmosphere created through premise, sound and suggestion.
Jane Goldman ("Stardust," "Kick Ass") adapted the script while James Watkins ("Eden Lake") will direct. Colin Farrell was previously linked to the role but looks to have bowed out with his recent commitments to "Horrible Bosses" and the "Fright Night" remake.
"The Silent House"
Bottom Line: Your basic haunted house movie, shot in a single take for nonstop tension.
CANNES -- As basic as its title, "The Silent House" is about as classic a horror film as you can get. A young woman and her father spend the night in a remote farmhouse, where a psychopath is on the loose. Shot with three actors and, hats off to Uruguayan director Gustavo Hernandez and his crew, in one single 78-minute take on an HD digital camera, the tension is nonstop. The drawback to this Elle Driver pickup is a one-note story line that is a little too simplistic and guessable for audiences weaned on the flamboyant modernity of Tarantino and sophistication of Amenabar, putting a certain cap on its commercial prospects.
Which is not to knock a meticulously crafted first feature, made on what must have been quite a minimal budget. Hernandez skillfully uses the horror genre to communicate a single emotion, fear, as realistically as possible. Enjoy it those who may.
A man and his late-teen daughter tramp through the fields to an abandoned country house, which the owner, Nestor, has commissioned them to get into shape before he puts it up for sale. They plan to set to work early in the morning. After her father has fallen asleep in a chair, Laura (Florencia Colucci) hears a loud noise coming from overhead. She forces him to investigate, disobeying Nestor�s orders not to go upstairs. A few thumps and bumps later, the father returns a bloody corpse, with his hands tied behind his back.
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Thus begins a nightmarish night for Laura who, shaking with horror and fright, has to go upstairs to retrieve the key to the front door, her only way out of the murderous house. A hand-held camera follows her like a ill-intentioned shadow as she inspects each nook and cranny in search of the key. Young Colucci gives a tour-de-force, Actors Studio-y type of performance which tends to be very high-key but, given the fact there was no chance for retakes, is nonetheless nerve-wracking.
But a screaming, out-of-control girl doing all the most illogical things under emotional strain does not a modern heroine make, and as good as Colucci is at communicating raw fear, her character is just not very appealing. In another film, a wimp like Laura would be earmarked for grisly death in the first act. "The Silent House," however, is based on a real story from the 1940s (which explains the annoying absence of cell phones) and has another agenda. Laura's behavior is ultimately explained in a plot twist that predates "Psycho," which most viewers will spot coming from a very long way off.
Pedro Luque's cinematography takes up the challenge of shooting in near-darkness, playing with that which can barely be perceived, shadowy mirrors, Polaroid instant photos. Also very effective is a restrained sound mix that throws in jarring noises and creepy children�s ditties at just the right time.
Venue: Festival de Cannes -- Directors' Fortnight
Sales: Elle Driver
Production company: Tokio Films
Cast: Florencia Colucci, Abel Tripaldi, Gustavo Alonso, Maria Salazar
Director: Gustavo Hernandez
Screenwriter: Oscar Estevez
Producer: Gustavo Rojo
Director of photography: Pedro Luque
Production designer: Federico Capra
Music: Hernan Gonzalez
Editor: Gustavo Hernandez
No rating, 78 minutes
Bottom Line: Satisfying thriller involving the sinister games people play in life and in video games.
CANNES -- The potential perils of anonymity on the Internet are employed for sinister effect in Gilles Marchand's "Black Heaven" (L'Autre Monde), an intelligent thriller in which the suspense takes its time but pays off well at the end.
The tale of a decent French kid caught up in a dangerously seductive interactive online game, with many scenes set inside the game itself, should prosper in French-speaking territories and is well worth a look for an English-language remake.
Things start off slowly with youthful lovers Gaspard (Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet) and Marion (Pauline Etienne) enjoying the summer by the beach. Finding a lost mobile phone, their curiosity is piqued by images on it of a beautiful blonde and text messages by the man who presumably owns the phone that suggest intrigue and a secret assignation.
As a lark, the youngsters go to the appointed meeting place, spot the couple and follow them into the woods where, to their horror, the pair attempts suicide having tied a pipe to their car's exhaust. The man dies, but Gaspard and Marion save the blonde.
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Gaspard also pockets a video camera placed on the dashboard of the suicidal couple's vehicle. Viewing it alone, he discovers that the blonde, named Sam (Louise Bourgoin), plays an avatar videogame called "Black Hole" and quickly obtains a copy and goes inside.
Through a somewhat contrived coincidence, Gaspard also meets the hot-blooded and tempting blonde in real life. Despite his affection for Marion and a warning from the woman's brother, Vincent (Melvil Poupard), that she is not well and was only just released from hospital, he falls under her spell.
With sequences alternating between real events and the artificiality of the world of the videogame, the picture appears to lose its way in the middle section, but it turns out that director and co-writer Marchand knows what he's doing and where he's going. The twists, when they come, are riveting.
Leprince-Ringuet and Etienne are fresh-faced and appealing as the youngsters and they handle the early innocence and growing alarm with assurance, while Poupard is effective in making Vincent both sympathetic and potentially threatening.
It is Bourgoin that most moviegoers will remember, however, with a peachy sex appeal that she makes electric but also with the capacity to demonstrate great inner turmoil and inconsolable sadness.
Venue: Festival de Cannes -- Out of Competition
Production: Haut et Court
Cast: Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet, Louise Bourgoin, Melvil Poupard, Pauline Etienne
Director: Gilles Marchand
Screenwriter: Gilles Marchand, Dominik Moll
Director of photography: Celine Bozon
Production designer: Jeremie Sfez
Music: Anthony Gonzales
Costume designer: Joana George-Rossi
Editor: Nelly Quettier
Sales: Memento Films International
No rating, 100 minutes
Bottom Line: A dysfunctional cannibal family in Mexico City takes a bite into the quality horror genre.
CANNES -- "We Are What We Are," the soberly told story of a family of hapless cannibals, falls into the category of quality horror that embraces titles like "Let the Right One In" and other modern genre-stretchers. Though less intriguing than the Swedish vampire tale, this Mexican film still has the chops to nibble a small piece out of the over-saturated vampire market. Toying with gruesome violence and sexual taboos, the film is an interesting fusion of horror and psychodrama, buoyed by a striking teen cast filled with brooding hunger.
This first feature, confidently directed by Jorge Michel Grau, is perhaps too dark and relentlessly humorless to find wide international audiences; another limiting factor is the difficulty of identifying with any of the characters, who are played expressively but still remain abstract and alien, distant from the viewer.
A man staggers down a city street and dies in front of a shopping mall. When the autopsy turns up a woman's manicured finger in his stomach, the coroner cynically comments to the police, "You'd be surprised how many people eat each other in this city." Food for thought, indeed.
The deceased, a poor wretch who lived in abject misery, leaves behind a widow and three children, slowly revealed to be a family of cannibals who live on human flesh. With their bread-winner gone, the wild-eyed mother and her handsome adolescent brood are in a quandary: where to find their next meal, which they must consume in an obscure ritual by candlelight, or die.
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Sabina (Paulina Gaitan of "Sin Nombre") decides that her older brother must become the family's new "leader," but Alfredo (Francisco Barreiro) is immature and insecure in the role his sister has chosen for him. He is challenged both by his violent brother Julian (Alan Chavez) and his half-crazed mother (Carmen Beato), the Ma Barker of the clan.
The mother, who seems to have more than a few screws loose, is fixated on "whores," who her late husband was apparently very fond of, and refuses to perform the ritual when Alfredo and Julian bring home a local streetwalker as their first catch. "We're monsters, Julian," she remarks in a lucid moment. Beato's unpredictable reactions add a few tiny touches of humor to the dark proceedings.
When out "hunting," the boys act with impunity, grabbing anyone they chance upon without fear they'll be stopped. Their only nemesis arrives in the form of two cops, neither bright nor honest, who chase after them without realizing what they're up against.
Like young lions out on their first hunts, the brothers are awkward at the game and some prey slips through their fingers. When street kids elude them, they turn to the sex trade for their prey. In desperation, Alfredo picks up a boy in a gay disco. Is Alfredo secretly gay? Or is he just using himself as bait to draw his pickup into a mortal trap? And is there something incestuous going on between Julian and Sabina? These and other questions add a spicy note but remain unsolved in Grau's arty script, and in the end seem immaterial.
Santiago Sanchez's velvety cinematography emphasizes the sordidness of the surroundings, where violence holds the family together.
Venue: Festival de Cannes -- Directors' Fortnight
Production companies: Centro de Capacitacion Cinematografica, Fondo para la Produccion Cinematografica de Calidad Mexico
Cast: Francisco Barreiro, Alan Chavez, Paulina Gaitan, Carmen Beato, Jorge Zarate, Esteban Soberanes
Director: Jorge Michel Grau
Screenwriter: Jorge Michel Grau
Producer: Nicolas Celis
Director of photography: Santiago Sanchez
Production designer: Alejandro Garcia
Music: Enrico Chapela
Editor: Rodrigo Rios
Sales: Wild Bunch
No rating, 89 minutes
James Gray's red-hot adventure project is based on a true story.
Inferno Entertainment has come aboard as international sales agent on James Gray's red-hot adventure project The Lost City Of Z to star Brad Pitt.
Buyers have been flocking to the project, which is being styled in the vein of Lawrence Of Arabia and is based on Gray's adapted screenplay of David Grann's recent bestseller.
The true story takes place in the early twentieth century and charts 30 years in the life of Colonel Percy Harrison Fawcett, a former decorated British soldier turned explorer.
Fawcett developed an obsession for the Amazon and became convinced that an advanced civilisation lived within the interior after several adrenaline-fuelled expeditions where he narrowly escaped death from tribal encounters, deadly animals and devastating diseases.
He eventually lost backing for the trips and self-funded a final trek into the Amazon with his son from which neither returned.
It is understood Pitt's Plan B will produce. Inferno's Bill Johnson and Jim Siebel declined to comment, however they would most likely come aboard as executive producers.
Buyer enthusiasm and the tantalising prospect of such a broadly commercial role for Pitt would indicate that once the key elements come together The Lost City Of Z could commence principal photography after Pitt completes filming on the baseball drama Moneyball.
Inferno has been ramping up its commercial, star-driven slate. The Los Angeles-based company introduced Joe Carnahan's thriller The Grey to buyers in Berlin, while Robert De Niro has joined Jason Statham and Clive Owen on thriller The Killer Elite, now in production, and Anthony Hopkins recently joined the cast of Arabian Nights.
The film will be based on the true story of 1940s serial killers Martha beck and Raymond Fernandez.
Producer Michael Gentile's The Film is prepping the next project from Fabrice du Welz, Alleluia.
The Calvaire and Vinyan director is planning a road movie based on the true story of 1940s serial killers Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez. Du Welz has co-written the script with Vincent Tavier and has cast Beatrice Dalle (pictured), Bouli Lanners and Virginie Efira. He will begin shooting in early 2011.
Also on Gentile's upcoming slate is the Julie Delpy comedy Skylab, which Mars Distribution will release in France, and novelist Frederic Beigbeder's directorial debut, L'Amour Dure Trois Ans.
Beigbeder is adapting from his own book of the same title and will begin shooting in 2011. Guillaume Gallienne stars in the comedy, which poses the idea that romantic relationships can really only last three years.
Gentile is also working on Syngue Sabour: Pierre De Patience, which will be adapted from the book by Atiq Rahimi, who will also direct. The project, about a woman's struggles in Afghanistan, will shoot in Morocco and Kabul. The Film is producing with Studio 37 in as a co-producer. Shooting will start at the end of the year on the Jean-Claude Carriere script
Deals done with Portugal (Ecofilmes), Hungary (Mokep), Czech Republic (North Video), Russia (Art Pictures) and Benelux (Lumiere) with the UK in talks.
Memento Films International has closed deals on gothic suspense thriller The Monk (pictured), the latest picture from Dominik Moll.
The director's fourth film, starring Vincent Cassell, Sergi Lopez, Deborah Francois and Geraldine Chaplin has been picked up in the following territories: Portugal (Ecofilmes), Hungary (Mokep), Czech Republic (North Video), Russia (Art Pictures) and Benelux (Lumiere) with the UK in talks.
BBC Films reveals a raft of new projects and partnerships including its second project with Scottish comedian Armando Iannucci.
BBC Films and In The Loop director Armando Iannucci are to team up again on a new $20m (£13.8m) London-based project Out The Window, scripted by Iannucci with Will Smith and Roger Drew.
Hingeing on voyeurism, the film is about an incident that is witnessed but deeply misinterpreted, setting off a series of events that spiral out of control. BBC Films' creative director Christine Langan said that there will be "significant US casting" on the film. A US partner is expected to board the project soon.
Langan also confirmed that David Linde's new company Lava Bear is partnering with BBC Films on Peter Morgan's new project £6 million Three Sixty; a multi-stranded tale of love and sexual obsession inspired by Arthur Schnitzler's 1900 play, La Ronde.
Meanwhile, Harvey Weinstein is in final negotiations for The Weinstein Company to come on board My Week With Marilyn. Michelle Williams is set to star as Marilyn Monroe in the film, written by Adrian Hodges, directed by Simon Curtis and produced by David Parfitt. "[Weinstein] really gets it. His excitement has been very encouraging," Langan said.
The film is billed as a compassionate comedy about Colin Clark's secret week with the most famous woman on earth, Marilyn Monroe, in 1956. She was in London filming The Prince And The Showgirl with Laurence Olivier.
The BBC is also working on an adaptation of Claire Tomalin's award-winning biography of Nelly Tenan, a young actress who has an affair with Charles Dickens. The Invisible Woman has been scripted by Abi Morgan and is being produced by Stewart Mackinnon at Headline Pictures.
Titles in pre-production include "classic" ghost story The Awakening, starring Rebecca Hall, Imelda Staunton and Dominic West. Stephen Volk has written the screenplay with Nick Murphy, who also directs. David Thompson is producing. Studio Canal is handling international sales.
The UK broadcast is also developing Quartet, Dustin Hoffman's directorial debut, starring Dame Maggie Smith, Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay. It is being sold by HanWay Film. Ronald Harwood has just delivered what Langan described a "strong new draft" of the screenplay.
Stephen Fry is writing a new draft of Hallelujah!, a recreation of the build up to the first performance of Handel's Messiah, the most famous choral work ever created. It will be produced by Gina Carter with Fry directing.
Langan confirmed that former British middle distance runners Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett have "pretty much" given their blessing to Ovett And Coe, the new film about their rivalry that will be ready for the 2012 London Olympics.
Dir: Gustavo Hernandez. Uruguay. 2010. 78mins
Arsty horror gets a new twist in Uruguayan director Gustavo Hernandez' impressive debut. After horror films shot all or in part by the protagonists (The Blair Witch Project,Paranormal Activity) or by a camera crew who are themselves characters ([REC]), we get a classic external camera eye - but one which tracks the action in real time, in a single take. More than just an exercise, this is a stylish, handheld house-of-horrors number, which like the best examples of the genre uses suspense rather than gore to rack up the tension.
It could do well in the intelligent horror niche if carefully targeted.
The film is also pioneering in its use of HD technology. This is only the second feature film in the world, and the first in Latin America, to be shot on a 'still' camera - the Canon EOS 5D Mark II. The resolution looks fine on a big screen even in the low-light conditions that apply for most of the film. With a budget of $6,000, this is a remarkable achievement - and one that opens up all sorts of possibilities for low-budget filmmakers with the right sort of script.
These budgetary and technical feats will no doubt form a part of the film's marketing strategy. US distributors are apparently already circling the film, and it could do well in the intelligent horror niche if carefully targeted. Its darkly dour tone and indie look make breakout success a la Paranormal Activity unlikely, but this could be a steady performer nevertheless, with vigorous auxiliary prospects if fanboy downloading can be contained.
The film opens with a woman - or perhaps an older teenage girl, it's difficult to gauge - following a middle-aged man across an overgrown field towards a neglected, battened up summerhouse. They turn out to be father and daughter, Wilson (Tripaldi) and Laura (Colucci - impressive, especially in view of the single take). An acquaintance, Nestor (Alonso) turns up in an SUV and they chat briefly. The house seems to belong to Nestor, while Laura and her father are there to make it look presentable so that it can be sold. Nestor warns the others not to go upstairs because it's not safe - then he heads off to town to get supplies.
Rays of sunlight filter through the shuttered up windows as Laura's father settles down to sleep, and encourages her to do the same. This day/night puzzle provides the first hint that all is not right, but our doubts are put aside as soon as danger looms, in the form of strange bangings from outside and upstairs. Laura persuades her skeptical father to go upstairs to investigate. When the inevitable happens, she is left alone in a house, which has been locked, on the outside with the invisible threat.
The camera tracks Laura closely; she's illuminated only by the light of the electric torch she carries. When it goes out at one point for several minutes, we're as in the dark as she is - seeing only brief flashes thanks to the Polaroid camera that she's grabbed hold of. The house is tastily designed, menacing with its china animals, dusty photos and old radios, but not over-the-top creepy until two-thirds of the way in when a terrified Laura explores the upstairs rooms. Eerie electro suspense music and a horror sound design that avoids the usual clichés underline the tension.
There's a twist towards the end - backed up by a neat shift in the camera's point of view. To have done this all in one take is impressive; to have done it all in one take on a digital camera is well-nigh miraculous.
Relativity Media has acquired US rights to the sci-fi thriller Skyline in a deal that takes one of the most sophisticated effects-driven independent features off the market.
Ryan Kavanaugh and Tucker Tooley of Relativity will serve as executive producers along with Brett Ratner, who brought the project to the company, and Brian Tyler, who is composing the score.
CAA packaged the film and brokered the deal with Industry Entertainment and Hansen, Jacobsen on behalf of the film-makers.
IM Global pre-sold much of the film in Berlin based on a promo. Rights have gone to Momentum Pictures (UK), SND (France), Eagle (Italy), Wild Bunch (Germany), Hopscotch (Australia), Splendid (Benelux), Nordisk (Scandinavia), CP Media (Russia), Korea Screen (South Korea), and Playarte (Latin America).
Skyline co-directors Greg and Colin Strause previously directed Aliens Vs Predators: Requiemand their Santa Monica-based effects house Hydraulx has created effects on such films as Avatar, Iron Man 2 and the upcoming Gulliver's Travels.
The story takes place in a downtown Los Angeles high-rise where two friends wake up from a party to discoverdiscover an all-out war has started between an unknown alien force and humans. The Brothers Strause produced with Kristian Andresen and co-screenwriter Liam O'Donnell.
Donald Faison, Eric Balfour, David Zayas, Scottie Thompson and Brittney Daniel star. Joshua Cordes and O'Donnell wrote the screenplay.
"The Brothers Strause are the magicians behind so many of today's ground breaking visual effects," Kavanaugh said. "We're excited to partner with them and to help provide the right environment to bring Greg and Colin's vision to the masses. It's unique to find a sci-fi thriller with these kind of epic visuals that actually has a heart."
"Skyline represents the next evolution of our careers," Greg Strause said. "To have it in the hands of Relativity and Brett, who share our pioneering spirit, is simply awesome," Colin Strause added.
Kristen Scott Thomas, Jeremy Irons and Tony Shalhoub have joined the conspiracy thriller "Tangier" according to a posting on the Inferno Distribution website (via The Playlist).
The story follows a young soldier (Emile Hirsch) who goes AWOL in Tangier and gets hired as the minder of a wealthy socialite whose husband appears to be involved in espionage.
Sean Gullette directs and Darren Aronofsky produces through his Protozoa Pictures.
Ewan McGregor has joined the cast of Terry Gilliam's long-delayed and once-aborted passion project "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" says Empire Online.
Gilliam previously tried to adapt the property into a $35 million feature starring Johnny Depp back in 2000, but the film famously fell apart during production. Ten years on, Gilliam is finally having another crack at it, this time with a smaller $20 million budget.
If the story remains the same, McGregor will take over the Depp role of an advertising executive who travels back to 17th century Spain and becomes caught up in the adventures of Don Quixote. Robert Duvall has already been cast as Quixote, a role Jean Rochefort was to play in the original.
Filming on 'Quixote' is scheduled to kick off in September.
John Hurt has joined the cast of controversial director Lars Von Trier's psychological disaster film "Melancholia" says The Hollywood Reporter.
The $7.5 million-budgeted sci-fi feature apparently revolves around another planet entering the Earth's orbit, which threatens to destroy our planet. Worldwide panic ensues.
Kirsten Dunst, Kiefer Sutherland, Stellan Skarsgård, Alexander Skarsgård, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Charlotte Rampling and Udo Kier star.
Filming kicks off in Sweden in July and will likely premiere at the Cannes Film Festival next May - the same place Von Trier's "Antichrist" debuted last year to intense reaction.
Zoe Saldana ("The Losers," "Star Trek") is in early negotiations to join the Luc Besson-produced drama "Columbiana" for EuropaCorp says Heat Vision.
Saldana will play a stone-cold assassin who commits contract killings for her uncle's company by day. On her time off though, she commits vigilante murders in the hope of finding the mobster responsible for her parents' murder which she witnessed as a child in Bogota, Columbia.
Besson and Robert Mark Kamen wrote the script while Olivier Megaton ("Transporter 3") will helm the project which begins filming later this Summer.
Jemaine Clement to be baddie in 'Men in Black 3'
"Flight of the Conchords" star Jemaine Clement is in final negotiations to play one of the villains in Columbia's "Men in Black 3."
Clement_jemaine_200 Will Smith recently signed his deal to return as the alien-chasing government agent, as did returning director Barry Sonnenfeld.
Most of the action is taking place in 1969, with Josh Brolin playing a young Tommy Lee Jones, who will bookend the movie.
Most of the new casting will be the villains, whose identities, look and super-abilities are being kept under lock and key. It is known that Clement is playing a villain named Boris, who is described as being charmy and creepy at the same time. (The name Yaz was used as a filler name, and since the script is still being polished, there is a chance the name may change again.)
The CAA-repped Kiwi made a name for himself as one-half of the comedic singing duo in HBO's "Conchords" and has been slowly making inroads into features. He appeared in the little-seen "Gentlemen Broncos" and has a role in the Steve Carrell-Paul Rudd comedy "Dinner for Schmucks."
Celluloid Nightmares will handle international sales on Thomas Cappelen Malling's action comedy.
Celluloid Nightmares, the genre partnership between Celluloid Dreams and Los Angeles-based XYZ Films, has picked up international sales here on Thomas Cappelen Malling's action comedy Norwegian Ninja.
Buyer response has already been strong and Celluloid founder Hengameh Panahi and Nightmares head of international sales Travis Stevens anticipates brisk business.
Norwegian Ninja is a novel twist on the true story of Arne Treholt, the Cold War Norwegian diplomat charged with spying for the Russians.
The storyline posits that Treholt was in a fact a ninja entrusted by King Olav to lead a secret force of shadow warriors.
The film stars Mads Ousdal, Jon Oigarden and Linn Stokke and is produced by Eric Vogel. Euforia Film will release in Norway on August 13.
XYZ Films founders Nate Bolotin, Aram Tertzakian and Nick Spicer will take the lead in talking to potential US distributors.
5 x Favela: Now By Ourselves -- Film Review
By Ray Bennett, May 18, 2010 09:49 ET
"5 x Favela"
CANNES -- Five short films set in the hillside slums of Rio de Janeiro and directed by young filmmakers who live there make up a film that renews faith in the kind of moviemaking that lives and breathes, and reflects the human spirit in all its colors.
It's the result of a project set up by Brazilian producers Carlos Diegues and Renata De Almeida Magalhaes that involved 200 youngsters in filmmaking workshops and master classes by such directors as Nelson Pereira dos Santos, Ruy Guerra, Fernando Meirelles and Walter Salles.
Made using the same crew, the films reflect the experiences and vision of the youngsters, whose work offers an unblinking view of life in the favelas where poverty rules. Hopes are often dashed there and lives can be short but the talent on display in the mix of grim reality and everyday kindness gives cause for optimism.
The pace of life in the favelas shown in the films combines cheerful camaraderie and fearful suspicion with gangs rampant, police corrupt and neighborhoods protective.
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The first short, titled "Source of Income," directed by Manaira Carneiro and Wagner Moraes, shows a decent young man winning a place at law school only to find that he cannot afford the bus fare, let alone textbooks. Rich classmates automatically assume that living in the favela gives him access to drugs and, to prevent his mother resorting to a loan shark, he decides to start dealing with near catastrophic results.
In "Rice and Beans," directed by Rodrigo Felha and Cacau Amaral, a small boy decides to give his father a rare treat on his birthday by earning enough to buy a chicken for the dinner table. With a buddy, he washes a car and clears horse manure from the street but the car owner says he cannot pay until the next day and local bullies take their other earnings. They decide to steal a chicken but a story related later by the father makes the son decide to make up for his actions.
The harshest tale is "A Violin Concert," directed by Luciano Vidigal, in which three childhood friends end up on opposite sides of the law. One man is now a police officer and the other a gangster who involves his musician girlfriend in a violent gang war. The punishment meted out when rival tribes clash is shockingly brutal and leaves the cop with only one terrible way to keep his friends from suffering.
"Let It Fly," directed by Cadu Barcellos, is reminiscent of "The Kite Runner," with boys flying kites from rooftops. But when one kite is cut and lands in another favela, a boy must risk his life going to retrieve it.
A favela community faces a blazing hot Christmas Day without electricity in "Let There Be Light," directed by Luciana Bezerra. With food to cook, beer to chill, and decorative lights to be plugged in, family and friends are anxious for one frightened lineman to fix things. It doesn't look good until the man decides to break the rules.
The final image of one patch of light on a dark mountain seems to sum up what the project means and suggests that the future of Brazilian filmmaking is in good hands.
Venue: Festival de Cannes -- Out of Competition
Production: Luz Magica
Cast: Silvio Guindane, Gregorio Duvivier, Hugo Carvana; Juan Paiva, Pablo Vinicius, Flavio Bauraqui, Thiago Martins, Cintia Rosa, Samuel De Assis, Feihao,Victor Carvalho, Joyce Lohanne, Luis Fernando, Marcio Vito, Joao Carlos, Dila Guerra
Directors: Manaira Carneiro & Wagner Moraes, Rodrigo Felha & Cacau Amaral, Luciano Vidigal, Cadu Barcellos, Luciana Bezerra
Producers: Carlos Diegues, Renata De Almeida Magalhaes
Director of photography: Alexandre Ramos
Production designers: Pedro Paulo, Rafael Cabeca
Music: Guto Graca Mello
Editor: Quito Ribeiro
Sales: Elle Driver
No rating, 103 minutes
Underground -- Film Review
By Duane Byrge, May 18, 2010 03:37 ET
Bottom Line: A winning slice of new life on tried-and-true horror elements.
CANNES -- "Underground" digs deep into the genre stockpile and splices on a smart new twist on the mad-scientist story. A well-made horror entertainment, "Underground" will appeal to fans of the genre and surely venture above ground in the profits department.
In this topical new spin on an old story, a U.S. government scientist has concocted a ferocious genetic species that should make the fighting man extinct. But, in the grand tradition of mad-scientist tales, the experiment has gone madly awry and the U.S. military has abandoned the crazed doctor and his mutant species. They're now entombed in the underground cavern of a former military base. Alas, the underground military base is now that haunted house into which into which two Iraq veterans (Ross Thomas, Adrian R'Mante) meander after a wild night of partying and drinking.
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After a knock-down drag-out with hothead homeys in a local bar, they find themselves lured into the abandoned bunker. They've also got their womenfolk with them and a couple of gung-ho buddies.
Trapped in the dank, horror-chamber, the group is now the prey of the mutant military warriors, dubbed troglomorphs by their manic creator. The trogs are blood-lusting fiends with superhuman powers.
In this well-wired entertainment, screenwriters Charles Morris, Jr. and Harold Gold have smartly connected horror-plot elements into a riveting entertainment. Rafael Eisenman's kinetic direction maxes the suspense and jeopardy, aided by his skilled technical team. Throughout, "Underground" is energized by director of photography Zoran Popovic's tight shooting and editor Joe Shugart's forceful pacing.
Venue: Festival de Cannes -- Market
Sales: TriCoast Worldwide
Production: Sunrise Media Group
Cast: Ross Thomas, Sofia Pernas, Adrian R'Mante, Jeff D'Agostino, Hayley Knight, Christine Evangelista. Inbar Lavi, Jack Donner
Director: Rafael Eisenman
Screenwriters: Charles Morris, Jr., Harold Gold
Producer: CB Barnett
Executive producers: Ami Artzi, Van Burrows, Strath Hamilton, Marcy Levitas Hamilton, Anthony Gudas, Robert Folk
Director of photography: Zoran Popovic
Production designer: Frank Bollinger
Editor: Joe Shugart
No Rating, 110 minute
Spanish filmmaker Daniel Benmayor ("Paintball," "Bruc") has been hired to direct a sequel to the 2007 video game-based action feature "Hitman" for 20th Century Fox reports Deadline.
Xavier Gens directed the original $30 million film which starred Timothy Olyphant as the bald assassin Agent 47, a film which went on to gross $100 million worldwide. Whether or not Olyphant will return is still unclear but there's an option on him to return.
Story details will borrow from the video game "Hitman 5" in which a beaten Agent 47 must build himself back psychologically and physically to reclaim his mantle as world's most feared assassin.
Daniel Casey has penned the most recent draft of the sequel, taking over scripting duties from Kyle Ward. Adrian Askarieh, Alex Young and Chuck Gordon will return as producers. Shooting could kick off as early as this Fall.
Both Daniel Day-Lewis and Ben Whishaw's names have emerged as apparent contenders to play Victorian-era author Charles Dickens in "The Invisible Woman" for BBC Films reports The Guardian.
Based on Claire Tomalin's novel which Abi Morgan ("Brick Lane") will adapt, the story follows the relationship between a middle-aged Dickens and 18-year-old actress Nelly Ternan, a woman he fell in love with and ultimately left his wife for. The relationship was kept quiet from the public to avoid a scandal.
Anthony Hopkins, Simon Callow, Derek Jacobi, Roy Dotrice and Adrian Rawlins among others have portrayed the character on screen before.
British actress Romola Garai ("Atonement," "Emma") is in negotiations to join the romantic comedy "One Day" for Focus Features says Reuters.
David Nicholls adapts his own novel about two people (Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess) who meet for the first time during their Edinburgh University graduation in 1988 and meet on St. Swithin's day (July 15th) every year for the next two decades.
Over that time the pair lead their lives and have relationships with others until they realise they're meant for each other. Garai will play the woman Sturgess' character marries, and then divorces during those two decades.
Danish filmmaker Lone Scherfig ("An Education") will direct. Nina Jacobson will produce and shooting kicks off this Summer in London.
by Sara Wayland Posted:May 22nd, 2010 at 8:58 pm
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Producer Joel Silver Logans Run Swamp Thing slice
After seeing just one still of the movie in a trade paper, and then being sent the finished film, producer Joel Silver thought it was so effective that he ended up acquiring the rights to the horror feature Splice. Although he was always open to the possibility, acquiring an already-finished product was something he had never done before, under his Dark Castle banner.
While at the press day for the disturbing thriller, which stars Sarah Polley and Adrien Brody, the prolific producer also discussed a long list of other projects that he currently has in various stages, including Unknown White Male, The Apparition, The Factory and Project X. He also talked about the disappointing box office for The Losers, his hopes to get Logan's Run and Forbidden Planet into production, what's holding up Swamp Thing and his thoughts on 3-D, as well as confirming that he is no longer working with The Wachowskis. Check out what he had to say after the jump.
Here's some of the highlight's of the interview in bullet points. Further down is the transcript of the entire interview:
PROJECT X
* Says they start filming July 6
* Calls it a "wild action-comedy"
* For more on the Todd Phillips project, click hereLogans Run movie poster
LOGAN'S RUN
* Says they're working on the script now and the film was almost in production then Bryan Singer went to work on Superman
* Says "ten years ago, there weren't that many young movie stars who could star in a movie like that. But now, there are a lot of young actors who could do that."
* Confirms the new adaptation goes back to the book
WACHOWSKI'S
* "There's nothing right now. They're off on their own path now. I'm not dealing with them now."
SWAMP THING
* They were close to making it and then an issue with the rights came up. He says, "We actually developed a couple of drafts and were close, but then, all of a sudden, it became evident that the motion picture rights were not held by Warner Bros. Even though DC owned the underlying material, the movie that was made by Embassy with Adrienne Barbeau was owned by another company."
THE APPARITION
* Says it's "a really scary haunted house movie with Sebastian Stan and Ashley Greene. They also really are just totally in it with the story. It's like Poltergeist and Paranormal Activity. It's about a little house in a cul-de-sac in the Valley, where a lot of the houses didn't get finished because of the financial crisis. It's not built on a graveyard or anything. It's this really modern world and, into this world, comes a really, really scary story, and they are terrific with it."
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And here's the full interview. Again, Splice opens June 4. You can watch some clips from the movie here.
joel_silverQuestion: How were you made aware of this film?
Joel Silver: I saw one of the stills of the movie in one of the trade papers and it intrigued me. I like the Frankenstein story and I'm a big fan of gothic horror, and I just thought it was an interesting idea and a new way to tell the story. I saw the log line, said that I would like to see the movie, they sent me the movie and I had no idea what I was going to see. I had not read the script. I just watched the movie. When that scene came along, I said, "They're not going to show us that. They can't possibly show that." And then, I said, "I can't deal with this." I just felt it was so effective that people would want to see the movie. Warner Bros. doesn't even have an acquisition department anymore. They don't acquire anything. There are very few acquisition departments left in town. The smaller companies have them, but the bigger studios really don't. And, Dark Castle had the ability to do that, so I showed it to the studio and they said, "Let's go for it."
Is that the first time you've ever done that?
Silver: Yeah. Dark Castle has released 11 films, up to this point. This will be our 12th movie, and I felt that it said my message, and it's the audience that I wanted to go after. I think it will work. I hope it works.
Has this opened up the possibility of more acquisitions?
Silver: I always said, from the beginning of our model, that I would do this, if something came along. And, when this came along, it made sense. Sure. We'll see what happens. If it works and people respond and it does good then, sure, I'll do it. I'm open to it. But, the movie was so special. Vincenzo [Natali] had a hard time making it. He worked on it for eight years. Cube was eight years ago. He really tried to get this together, and the mainstream studios weren't supportive of it, so he had to make it off the grid. When he made it and we saw it, we brought it back into the grid. So, it worked out just fine.
What were the studios turned off by?Splice-movie-poster
Silver: The idea is fresh, but it's not like it's never been done before. There's The Island of Dr. Moreau and Species. There have been movies that have had this type of idea, but I just think maybe the concept was too out there. But, it wasn't for me.
What changes did you make to the film?
Silver: Vincenzo had just rushed to get it done for the festival circuit and he had stuff that he wanted to do, that he had more time to do. There was not an immediate schedule. There was a schedule and we had a date, but he was able to go through it and tweak some things, fix some visual effects, do a new dub and really do what he wanted to do, like work on the main title, and I was supportive in helping him do that. Most people that see the movie, who saw it in Sundance, will probably note even be able to tell what was done. But, he feels better.
This film seems open to a sequel. Is that something you've thought about?
Silver: I always like to make sequels. It's a nice business to be in. It would be nice if this movie can generate that much interest. I'd love to continue the story. It's designed for that. But, the audience has to respond to it. If they do, then we'll take about it, sure.
When you make films like this, do you consider how much to show the creature?
Silver: When I made Predator, I remember that I was so conscious about not showing the creature. I just didn't want to show up because he looked so silly. I just cut off of him. I'd go to him for a minute, and then I'd cut away. I didn't want to let people study what is a big rubber face. But, when Vincenzo made this movie, he hangs on Dren (Delphine Chaneac). You just can't take your eyes off of her. You're looking at her wondering, "What is different about her? What did they do?" You just can't take your eyes off of her. It's just incredible.
What other films do you have in the pipeline, under Dark Castle?
Joel SilverSilver: I just finished shooting a movie called Unknown White Male, directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, who did Orphan. In my mind, Orphan is a very similar idea to Splice, in that it has two great actors – Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard – who committed to this wacky story with this little girl, like Sarah [Polley] and Adrien [Brody] did. They really are in it and they really make you believe it. Unknown White Male is with Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones and Aidan Quinn. It's a Hitchcockian thriller, but it's really smart and really interesting, and I think it's going to be a good movie. I haven't seen it yet because we just finished shooting, but I think it's going to be a very good movie. And, I did a picture called The Apparition, which is a really scary haunted house movie with Sebastian Stan and Ashley Greene. They also really are just totally in it with the story. It's like Poltergeist and Paranormal Activity. It's about a little house in a cul-de-sac in the Valley, where a lot of the houses didn't get finished because of the financial crisis. It's not built on a graveyard or anything. It's this really modern world and, into this world, comes a really, really scary story, and they are terrific with it.
As Liam Neeson gets older, he seems to be getting more and more action roles. What is it about him?
Silver: It's a really thrilling idea. It's a thrilling story. He plays a scientist doctor, who's on his way to a medical conference in Berlin. He arrives at the hotel and realizes that he left his briefcase at the airport. He goes back to the airport to get his briefcase, and there's a horrible car accident on the way. He wakes up, after a few days in a coma, and he doesn't have any ID and nobody knows where he's been. He goes back to see his wife and she doesn't know who he is and she's married to somebody else. It's a pretty strange story that goes in a really good direction. It's pretty fantastic. It's great. And, he plays that character so well. He's this guy who has to figure out what's happening and has to live on his wits. It's good. It's strong. January Jones plays the wife, and Diane Kruger plays this girl that helps him.
Todd_Phillips_image What's going on with The Factory?
Silver: We're still working on that now. It's a pretty disturbing movie too. That's down the line.
How do you do so much? Are you on every set?
Silver: Look, I have a good group. I have good people that work for me, and we just keep hoping that we can keep making movies. We start shooting a movie that's not Dark Castle – it's for Warner Bros. – on July 6th, called Project X, that I'm doing with Todd Phillips. That's a wild action-comedy. We have a good team. We find good things and keep trying to make them.
How do you decide what to keep under Dark Castle and what to do with bigger studios?
Silver: It's generally budget-based. Generally, pictures that we can make for a certain price go to Dark Castle, and the ones that cost more than that go somewhere else. We developed The Book of Eli in Dark Castle, but we couldn't do it at Dark Castle because it became too expensive of a movie. And then, Warner Bros. didn't really want to make it either because they thought it was a little weird, so it went on to Alcon Entertainment. You have more options now, today. But, it just depends on the budget. Project X is a very inexpensive movie, but it was done with Todd, which is a Warner Bros. deal. It's all a serpentine situation. Both Unknown White Male and The Apparition are Warner Bros. pictures. The next Sherlock Holmes film is not a Dark Castle movie either. It just depends on the picture.
What's Project X about?
Silver: That's something I really can't get into.
What do you think about Adrien Brody doing Predators?Joel Silver image - producer
Silver: I don't really know that much about it, but I'm sure it's going to be an interesting picture. I've been there and done that, though.
Is there a movie that you think should never be done again?
Silver: I'm told they're going to make Commando again. That was one that I felt was not an effective picture. Maybe they can do a better job. I liked the movie, but it was very simplistic when we made it, and kind of silly. I'm always interested in seeing these pictures and seeing what they do with them. I hear they're doing an Exorcist type movie being made again. They've always been remaking movies, since the beginning of time. They've always made sequels. Someone once said to me, "Didn't you invent sequels?," and I said, "No, Francis the talking mule invented sequels." There's always been things happening, and sometimes movies come out better than others. People want to see them, and they keep making them. We'll see what happens. How many times have they made Sherlock Holmes? And, we did a good movie.
What do you think about 3-D? Do you think it's just a gimmick, or do you think it will be around for awhile?
Silver: It's real. Anytime you can sell a $20 ticket, it's going to be real.
How far are you with Logan's Run?
Silver: It's going to happen. We're working on it. I believe in that. We're trying to get that made. I've always wanted to make that.
What is the most important element for you to get that going?logans_run_movie_image__1_
Silver: We're writing a script now. What people don't understand is that movies are sometimes like fruit. They're perishable. They can go on the shelf and, if you don't eat them by a certain time, they're gone. But sometimes, they can come back. You can put them in a can and bring them out again. But, we got really close with that, a couple years ago. Bryan Singer wanted to make the movie and we got really close. We has a script that we were developing, and we were practically in production on the movie, and then he left to do Superman and it went down, and we couldn't really get it up again. The thing about it now is that there are really a lot of young people. Ten years ago, there weren't that many young movie stars who could star in a movie like that. But now, there are a lot of young actors who could do that. The idea of a youth-based society that you live in for a certain time and then you no longer live anymore is an interesting idea for a movie, but you need young people that people want to go see. And, there are people out there now that I think people would be intrigued with seeing, so it's a realistic thing again. So, we're trying to do it. I'd say to you that I think we're going to get there this time, but who knows? But, I think we will.
Does your take on it go back to the book?
Silver: Yes, it goes back to the book. The book was a trilogy. There were three books about a society of 21-year-old people, who if they don't accept it, get chased by a runner. All that stuff is there. It's all in the story. It's pretty cool. Michael York was probably in his 40's when he was playing that part, but there are a lot of people that could do it now. It's still that notion about sanctuary, and all the stuff that's in that book is there. This was all pre-Matrix, about a computer type entity that controlled the society. A lot of movies were influenced by Logan's Run, like Minority Report. A lot of films have those elements in them. But, I think that we can get it made today.
Will you do another project with The Wachowskis?
Silver: There's nothing right now. They're off on their own path now. I'm not dealing with them now.
After doing The Losers, are you looking to pursue more comic book films?
Silver: Sure, of course. I've always wanted to make Swamp Thing. I like Swamp Thing. I think it's a good idea, and I thought it would be a good venue for a 3-D movie, but there were rights issues with Swamp Thing. We were developing a script. We actually developed a couple of drafts and were close, but then, all of a sudden, it became evident that the motion picture rights were not held by Warner Bros. Even though DC owned the underlying material, the movie that was made by Embassy with Adrienne Barbeau was owned by another company. It's complicated. So, we're trying to work it out. Forbidden Planet was the same thing. I really want to make that movie, and it was very hard to clear the rights. It took years to get the rights cleared for that, but we finally cleared it, so I'd like to make that. I like that story. It's The Tempest, but I like the way it evolved into that movie, so I'd like to make that one day.
How do you feel about how The Losers performed at the box office?
Silver: It didn't work. I liked the movie. Looking at The A-Team and The Expendables, and they're much more expensive films than The Losers was. It was a very inexpensive movie. And, we all went down there hoping to pull it off. I liked it, but either it wasn't fresh enough, it wasn't unique enough or it didn't draw an audience enough.
What would you do differently, if you could do it again?
Silver: I don't know. The Losers of the comic book is what we made. That's what it was. We did what it was. I don't know if having a lot of bigger names in it would have made a difference. Warner Bros. tried to make it 10 years ago, and maybe that's when it should have been made.
Do you think that there just isn't the interest, if it's not Batman, Spider-Man, Superman or Iron Man?
Silver: Iron Man was not a prevalent, important character. He wasn't. Downey wanted the role desperately, at the beginning, and they didn't really want to go with him. He didn't even really know about Iron Man. Yes, he was on television in the morning, but it wasn't like Batman, Spider-Man and Superman. But, that movie is the single most saleable character that Marvel owns now – more than Spider-Man, and more than anything – because of those movies. Men in Black was a weird, off-the-grid comic book. It depends on how the movie is. And, when Downey made Iron Man, he wasn't Will Smith. It's just that that movie did create a lot of interest in the character and in those comic books, in general. And, they're making a third Men in Black now. The reality is that each movie has got to be seen in its own light. Warner Bros. tried to make a Justice League movie for years and then they shut it down. Now, The Avengers will be the first superhero team movie. With Downey and Chris Evans, who is in The Losers, and all these guys, it could be a huge movie. We'll see.
Director quits 'Hobbit' film over production delay (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100531/ap_on_en_mo/as_film_new_zealand_hobbit_delay)
QuoteWELLINGTON, New Zealand – Hollywood director Guillermo del Toro said Monday that production delays have forced him to quit the planned film version of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit," a two-part prequel to New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson's blockbuster trilogy "Lord of the Rings."
"In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming The Hobbit, I am faced with the hardest decision of my life," del Toro told a "Lord of the Rings" fan website.
"After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien's Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures," he said, noting the film still hadn't been given the green light by MGM, the struggling Hollywood studio.
Matt Dravitzki, a spokesman for "Hobbit" producer and "Lord Of The Rings" director Jackson, said del Toro would not be speaking to reporters Monday.
The announcement by del Toro reflected Jackson and del Toro's "full sentiments at this time," he said.
Del Toro would continue to co-write the screenplays with Jackson and his wife, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens.
Jackson reached a deal in late 2007 to make two films of "The Hobbit." He is serving as joint executive producer with Walsh.
Last week, del Toro, who directed "Pan's Labyrinth," "Blade" and the two "Hellboy" movies, told journalists the "Hobbit" films, which have been plagued by delays, still hadn't been given the go ahead.
"There cannot be any start dates until the MGM situation gets resolved," del Toro said. "They do hold a considerable portion of the rights."
Reports emerged late last year that MGM was teetering on bankruptcy and del Toro said those issues had caught the "Hobbit" films in a "tangled negotiation."
"We have designed all the creatures. We've designed the sets and the wardrobe. We have done animatics and planned battles sequences ... We are very, very prepared for when it is finally triggered," he said.
Jackson told http://www.TheOneRing.net (http://www.theonering.net): "We feel very sad to see Guillermo leave The Hobbit, but he has kept us fully in the loop and we understand how the protracted development time on these two films, due to reasons beyond anyone's control, has compromised his commitment to other long term projects.
"The bottom line is that Guillermo just didn't feel he could commit six years to living in New Zealand, exclusively making these films, when his original commitment was for three years. Guillermo is one of the most remarkable creative spirits I've ever encountered and it has been a complete joy working with him."
He would discuss options for a new director with MGM this week, Jackson told the website.
"We do not anticipate any delay or disruption to ongoing preproduction work," he said.
Last month, Jackson dismissed rumors that the "Hobbit" movies have been delayed by production problems, insisting the project was still in its early stages.
He told Moviefone.com, "Well, it's not really been delayed, because we've never announced the date. I mean it's sort of interesting because the studio has never greenlit The Hobbit, so therefore The Hobbit has never been officially announced as a 'go' project, nor have we ever announced a date."
Producer Walter Parkes is lining up a remake of the 1948 Graham Greene-penned feature "The Fallen Idol" which his production company and Studio Canal will develop together reports Deadline.
The Carol Reed-directed original follows Phillipe, a diplomat's young son who idolises the family butler Baines. In reality Baines is stuck in a loveless marriage and is seeing a younger woman.
After an argument, Baines' wife accidentally falls from a landing to her death. Phillipe mistakenly believes he has seen Baines deliberately murder her and Phillipe's attempts to protect Baines only makes matters worse with the police.
The award-winning and Oscar-nominated project is based on Greene's short story "The Basement Room". Reed and Green teamed up again a year later to film the more well-known cinematic classic "The Third Man".
David Farr ("Hanna," TV's "Spooks") is penning the screenplay of the new version which moves the action to modern-day India and follows an 11-year-old American boy whose family will live in a large colonial mansion run by an English couple.
The shift allows them to explore both the sexual awakening themes and the class issues of the short story to better effect, and makes the world outside the house both more alluring and dangerous than the original's post-war London setting.
Parkes plans to have a script, director, cast and budget in place before going out to financiers.
Chris Columbus' 1492 Pictures and South Korean CJ Entertainment are teaming up to finance and produce three major features reports Heat Vision.
The first is an adaptation of Neil Gaiman's young-adult novel "The Graveyard Book." Neil Jordan is writing the script and directing the story which centers on a young boy raised in a graveyard and educated by ghosts.
The second is the coming-of-age comedy "Killer Pizza" based on the Greg Taylor novel. Adam Green ("Hatchet") is set to write the project about a 14-year-old boy who lands a summer job at pizza parlour which turns out to be a front for a monster-hunting organisation.
The third is "Carpe Demon", an adaptation of Julie Kenner's novel about a stay-at-home mother who is charged with cleaning up her demon-ridden small town. Columbus will pen a new draft of the screenplay.
Bruce Willis is in early talks to join the prison escape drama "The Tomb" for Summit Entertainment reports Deadline.
Willis would play Ray Breslin, a world-famous structural engineer and security expert who designs escape-proof prisons.
He soon finds himself framed and incarcerated in a master prison he designed and must find a way to escape and track down the person responsible.
Antoine Fuqua ("King Arthur," "Training Day") is circling to potentially direct the project which Miles Chapman and Jason Keller are penning.
Robbie Brenner and Mark Canton are producing.
Travis Beacham ("Clash of the Titans") has sold the sci-fi epic treatment "Pacific Rim" to Legendary Pictures reports The Wrap.
The story is set on a future Earth under attack from malevolent creatures, so the people of the world must band together and use highly advanced technology to thwart the growing menace.
Beacham has only written a very detailed twenty-five page treatment thus far, but Legendary is rushing forward to have the film ready as a Summer 2013 tentpole.
Oscar-nominated actor Ken Watanabe ("The Last Samurai," "Batman Begins") is rumoured to be in early talks to make his directorial debut reports Pajiba.
Entitled "442nd", the independently produced period drama is based on the true story of an American-Japanese military unit assembled during World War II and sent on virtual suicide missions in the European theatre.
The unit was so successful in the fight against the Nazis they became the most decorated unit in American military history. Bill Gerber ("Gran Torino") is producing alongside management company Roar which represents Watanabe.
Through his deal at Reliance, Brad Pitt's Plan B has scored the film rights to Tom Rachman's journalism-themed novel "The Imperfectionists" reports Deadline New York.
Set around an English-language newspaper in Rome, the novel explores the professional and personal lives of a group of oddball journos working against the odds and without modern technology.
Rachman, a former Associated Press writer in Rome, based the book off his own experiences and covers the topics of both the collision of professional and personal lives, and the decline in daily print publications.
Plan B's also hired Alfonso Gomez-Rejon to both adapt and direct a film version of the Jonathan Lethem novel "The Fortress Of Solitude" about two teenage friends, one black and one white, who discover a magic ring. Spanning the 70's to the 90's, it explores issues of race, gentrification, self-discovery, and music.
Gomez-Rejon has served as second unit director on numerous films in recent years including "State of Play," "Babel," "Julie and Julia" and the upcoming "Eat Pray Love" and "The Eagle of the Ninth".
Though his Christian Bale-led frontier feature "The Revenant" is probably his next film, The Playlist reports that Aussie director John Hillcoat ("The Road," "The Proposition") will likely move on to a remake of a neo-noir classic after that.
That film? Jean-Pierre Melville's 1970 effort "Le Cercle Rouge (The Red Circle) about a freshly released aristocratic thief, an escaped murderer and an ex-police sniper teaming for a jewel heist while a revenge-seeking mob boss, a nightclub owner and a pimp try trap them.
The project was originally setup with John Woo directing back in 2004 at Paramount Pictures and later Johnnie To came onboard while the likes of Liam Neeson, Tim Roth and Orlando Bloom were attached to star.
Now, a Production Weekly posting indicates an offer is out to Hillcoat to direct the film, something Hillcoat hinted at this past week saying the post-Revenant project is a "contemporary....crime thriller, set in Hong Kong and Macao" which matches the description.
Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan, Arthur Sarkissian, Brett Ratner and Jay Stern will apparently produce.
Legendary horror helmer John Carpenter has signed on to direct Hilary Swank in Fangland.
The flick, which will be an adaptation of John Marks' 2008 novel of the same name, is the fourth project that Carpenter has been linked to this year. The man who brought us the original Halloween has also signed on to The Ward, L.A. Gothic and The Prince.
It marks a return to features for Carpenter, who hasn't directed a movie since 2001's critical flop Ghosts Of Mars. He has, however, kept his skills sharp by helming two episodes of TV series Masters Of Horror.
Fangland will star Swank as Evangeline Harker, the producer of a 60 Minutes-style TV news magazine.
Fangland Hilary Swank John Carpenter
If the film follows the book, Harker will be sent on an assignment to Transylvania while odd emails, coffins and a strange man named Torgu pitch up at the New York office.
Here's hoping Fangland is a better horror effort for Swank than her last stab at the genre with 2007's misfire The Reaping.
Carpenter's The Ward, starring Amber Heard as a young woman who is haunted by a ghost in an asylum, is out this summer.
Brad Pitt's Plan B production company has optioned film rights to Tom Rachman's debut novel The Imperfectionists, the author confirmed to ScreenDaily.
While he refrained to speak about any financial or negotiations details, Rachman did say the producers from Plan B contacted his agent, Susan Golomb, to forge the deal. "I am elated, it's marvelous. One of the things with this book is that a lot of people who read it said it would make a great film, and I was delighted that Plan B felt similarly," Rachman told ScreenDaily in a phone interview from London.
The Pitt deal came just weeks after an extremely positive review by novelist Christopher Buckley landed on the front page of the Sunday Book Review of the New York Times. Buckley compared the narrative to a Rubik's Cube and said the book "is so good I had to read it twice to figure out how he pulled it off."
Rachman's debut has actually been going strong since its completion when the title nabbed a six-figure publisher's advance at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2008 from Dial Press, part of Random House – in a deal which was already long shot for any writer in the current economy.
"Many publishers were interested at the auction and we went with Dial," he said. "It all happened in a manner of days. It was one of the most thrilling weeks of life, I went from being another aspiring would-be novelist to having enough [money] to write on. It was one of the most joyous moments in my life."
The Imperfectionists is about a struggling English-language newspaper in Rome founded in the 1950s by an American businessman named Cyrus Ott, run today by his grandson Oliver. Characters include the ego-driven reporter, willing to betray his own kid as a source, the resident lonely heart and of course, the "grammar cop" as well as one reader.
"It has tragic and comic parts to it," says Rachman of the story.
While some have said the newsroom in The Imperfectionists is thinly veiled as the International Herald Tribune offices in Paris, where Rachman worked editing stints as he wrote the novel Rachman denies this. Rachman also worked as an AP correspondent in Rome for several years.
"People who know either or both places acknowledge it's not like those places, it's not depiction of where I worked. You wouldn't recognize the people" [from those newsrooms], Rachman says.
Rachman, who was born in London and raised in Canada, studied Film Theory at the University of Toronto before going on to work for the AP in New York. In addition to Rome, he has been on assignment to Turkey, Japan, South Korea and Egypt. He has also reported from India and Sri Lanka.
The author, age 35, now resides in Rome where he is working on his second novel, which he says is top secret.
Former "Doctor Who" star David Tennant and rising young these Christopher Mintz-Plasse ("Superbad," "Kick-Ass") have joined the cast of the "Fright Night" remake for Dreamworks Pictures says Reuters.
The original 1985 cult film followed Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale), a young man who is convinced his new neighbor Jerry Dandrige (Chris Sarandon) is a vampire and seeks the help of his girlfriend (Amanda Bearse), his nerdy and condescending friend Evil Ed (Stephen Geoffreys) and ageing horror actor turned late night TV host Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall) to help him.
The new film, scripted by Marti Noxon and directed by Craig Gillespie, moves the action to Las Vegas. Tennant will take on the Peter Vincent role which has been reimagined as a Las Vegas magician and self-proclaimed vampire expert whose show revolves around horror-movie imagery. When Charley (Anton Yelchin) tries to enlist his help however, he's less than helpful.
Mintz-Plasse will play the Evil Ed role, the nerdy friend who ends up joining Dandrige (Colin Farrell). Toni Collette has already been cast as the teen's disbelieving mom who falls under the vampire's spell. That character essentially takes over the plot threads of Charley's girlfriend in the original.
Filming kicks off in July.
Three heist movies in development scored announcements today, one of which actually sounds like it has potential.
The first marks another collaboration of "Valhalla Rising" director Nicholas Winding Refn and star Mads Mikkelsen reports The Playlist.
Plot details on that film are being kept under wraps, though "Pirates of the Caribbean" director Gore Verbinski is slated to produce the film which likely won't go into production until both Refn and Mikkelsen get through several other separate projects first.
The second heist film is "Now You See Me", a heist spec script by Boaz Yakin and Edward Ricourt ("Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time") that Summit Entertainment recently picked up says The Hollywood Reporter.
"Star Trek" and "Transformers" scribes Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman will produce the story about several very talented illusionists who pull off a series of daring bank heists during their performances.
The third and most mysterious is an "internationally set heist movie" from "The Shield" writer and story editor John Hlavin reports Reuters. The action thriller has been picked up by Dreamworks Pictures, while no producers are yet attached.
Max Minghella ("Agora," "Bee Season") is set to join the $40 million sci-fi thriller "The Darkest Hour" for New Regency and Summit Entertainment reports Variety.
The story follows a group of kids struggling to survive in Moscow after an alien invasion. Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Rachael Taylor and Joel Kinnaman also star.
Chris Gorak ("Right at Your Door") directs from a script by Les Bohem and Jon Spaihts he re-wrote. Timur Bekmambetov and Tom Jacobson will produce with filming kicking off in Russia this Summer.
If nothing else, David Ellis knows how to make a fun film - "Snakes on a Plane" is the proof in the puddin' there.
But that film, says the amiable filmmaker, should've and could've been better.
''I think we relied on the Buzz too much and did not market the movie correctly'', Ellis, who I first met a few years back at San Diego Comic-Con over brewskies and baseball, told me this morning.
It was a lesson learnt, and since then Ellis has made sure a meter of film isn't rolled until the films are definitely ready to go.
Ellis, who's as crazy about surfing as he is shooting (movies), has a fairly busy couple of years ahead of him.
First up is another 3D movie for Ellis, who's last movie, 2009's "The Final Destination", also took advantage of the in-your-face gimmick.
"Shark Night is going to be killer and shoots this summer in Shreveport LA", Ellis says of a project that's set up over at Incentive.
That film, like "Final Destination", lends itself perfectly to 3D, says the filmmaker.
"I love the depth of a 3D movie - it's how we view life, and I also love the interactive experience."
After "Shark Night", Ellis is booked to do "War Monkeys", based on the comic of the same name, a thriller with "Star Wars" actor Hayden Christensen, and something 'fun' with Milla Jovovich.
''War Monkeys is a fun script and, I guess you'd say, has a Snakes on a Plane-vibe about it. People haven't seen Monkeys with guns!", he says. "I also have a great script called Genesis Code with Hayden Christensen and another titled Bad Luck with Milla Jovovich. And there's several others."
"Genesis Code", written by Kevin Bernhardt, tells of a former national security expert (Christensen) who, while investigating the murder of his only sister and her young son, discovers that a religious sect called The Shadow of the Cross may be involved. With the help of his sister's friend Ana, they follow the clues to a clinic in the mountains of Italy, where a terrifying secret experiment has been conducted - successfully. The results are so threatening to the foundation of the Church that they will do anything to keep it from being revealed.
The $30 million dollar horror "Bad Luck", headlined by "Resident Evil" star Jovovich, tells of a group of friends find their lives changed when the superstitions they don't believe in begin to come true.
Ellis still hopes to make "Humpty Dumpty", based on the script by Billy Majestic about a half-human, half-alien creature embarks on a murderous rampage after his alien mother is abused by two rednecks in the Deep South, sometime too. But for the moment, it's on hold.
"Humpty Dumpty is still a work in progress, but one that I would love to do", says Ellis.
Ellis says he's having the time of his life at the moment.
"I am blessed to have great projects with great producers and actors"
Now this is surprising. Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures are not only moving forward with plans for a sequel to this year's "Clash of the Titans" remake, the studio seems to have made it a major priority.
In fact, The Los Angeles Times reports that the pair are planning to begin shooting the sequel as early as January with Jonathan Liebesman ("Battle: Los Angeles," "Darkness Falls") the top contender to direct. He would replace Louis Leterrier.
Despite weak reviews, 'Titans' is one of the year's biggest earners with a $486.8 million worldwide haul thus far from a relatively modest $125 million budget.
The plan for the sequel is properly shoot in 3D, and part of the reason for the hurry is to lock in star Sam Worthington. The Aussie actor gets to work on the "Avatar" sequel which will likely shoot sometime in the second half of 2011.
"The Hangover" scene stealer Zach Galifianakis is apparently in talks with producers to take on the title role in the long-gestating remake of "The Incredible Mr. Limpet" over at Warner Bros. Pictures reports The Los Angeles Times.
Don Knotts starred in the studio's 1964 original, which centered on the title character, an otherwise bland man who transforms into a talking fish. He soon becomes a World War II hero when he helps spot and thwart enemy warships for the Allies.
The picture was a live action-animated hybrid (ala segments of "Mary Poppins" and "Bedknobs and Broomsticks"), while this new version will likely utilise CG animation alongside the live-action. Robin Williams and Jim Carrey were among the stars who've been previously attached to the project.
Kevin Lima ("Enchanted") was hired around this time last year to direct. Akiva Goldsman, Bill Gerber, Paula Weinstein and James Lassiter are producing.
The Irish Times - Friday, June 18, 2010
Jolie to carry on up the Nile?
It always seemed inevitable that somebody would eventually get round to casting Angelina Jolie as Cleopatra. That person is powerful producer Scott Rudin, who has secured the rights to Cleopatra: A Life, an upcoming book by Stacy Schiff, and has made no secret of the fact that he wants the all-seeing Jolie for the title role.
When some wiseacre (half in jest, surely), suggested that Brad Pitt might play Mark Antony, Rudin did not demur. Shades of Burton and Taylor?
David Cronenberg ("A History of Violence," "Eastern Promises") is attached to direct a film adaptation of Jonathan Lethem's 1997 novel "As She Climbed Across the Table" for Film Rites reports Pajiba.
The sci-fi satire follows a sociologist named Philip Engstrand who is romantically obsessed with particle physicist Alice Coombs. Alice meanwhile is obsessed with her work, or rather 'The Lack' - an artificially-created miniature black hole inside her laboratory that appears to have its own personality and intelligence.
Philip becomes jealous of Alice and the Lack's relationship and his curiosity leads him to explore the pocket universes inside The Lack. "Schindler's List" screen writer Steve Zallian will produce.
Where this will fit in Cronenberg's schedule is anyone's guess. The helmer is currently at work on "A Dangerous Method" and recently talked about doing a sequel to "Eastern Promises". He was also linked to adaptations of Don Delillo's "Cosmopolis" and Robert Ludlum's "The Matarese Circle" until both projects got put on hold last year.
Director Fernando Meirelles ("City of God," "The Constant Gardener") and writer Peter Morgan ("The Queen," "Frost/Nixon") are set to team for the sexual sociology drama "360" at ORF Fernsehfilm and BBC Films says Deadline.
Inspired by Arthur Schnitzler's 1900 play 'Reigen', the story examines sexual morals within and between social classes, using various pairs of characters who have sexual encounters in and outside of their social classes. The most famous previous adaptation of the work was 1950 French drama "La Ronde".
Universal co-chairman David Linde is aboard as executive producer. Other producers are being locked down presently.
Channing Tatum is attached to star in the sci-fi romantic epic "Ion" for Fox 2000 reports Heat Vision.
Will Dunn's spec script revolves around a man who travels to different Earths and dimensions in order to find his reincarnated lover. Ridley and Tony Scott are attached to produce.
Comparisons to "Avatar" are being loosely thrown around as the success of it and the likes of "Star Trek" and "District 9" last year have lead to several sci-fi projects being put into development lately including "Mass Effect," "Logan's Run," "Pacific Rim" and "All You Need is Kill".
Producer Graham King's GK Films is developing a film adaptation of Robert K. Wittman's memoir "Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures" reports Variety.
Wittman spent two decades as the FBI's resident art theft expert and the work recounts his time and most famous exploits. Ultimately he helped recover over $200 million in stolen property from Remebrandt and Monet paintings to Peruvian gold armour and Geronimo's headdress.
Wittman will serve as consultant on the film which is currently seeking a writer. No producer is yet attached.
South African helmer Wayne Kramer ("The Cooler," "Running Scared") has signed on to direct the period gangster movie "Pretty Boy Floyd" for Myriad Pictures reports Risky Biz Blog.
The story is based on the life of Charles Arthur 'Pretty Boy' Floyd, a real-life bank robber in the Midwest in the 20's and 30's. Channing Tatum made a brief cameo as the character in the early scenes of Michael Mann's "Public Enemies".
Kramer claims his approach will "bring 21st century style and energy to Kevin Bernhardt's meticulously researched screenplay without sacrificing the verisimilitude of the period or over-sensationalizing the characters themselves."
He also says the heart of the film is "a love story about an outlaw on the run who can't stay away from the woman he loves, no matter how destructive the relationship is for both of them -- which ultimately leads to his demise."
Though scribes Josh Applebaum and Andrew Nemec have just turned in a script for the fourth "Mission: Impossible", there's now apparently a question as to what form the Brad Bird-directed project will take.
Deadline reports that Paramount Pictures is concerned about star Tom Cruise's dwindling box-office power and could potentially make some major changes to, or even kill the whole project, if his just-released spy action/comedy "Knight and Day" tanks at the box-office.
According to the site, the most likely outcome will be that the studio could beef up a subplot that introduces a new and younger agent who becomes Hunt's protege - making its fortunes revolve less around a single star.
Sylvester Stallone is in talks with 'Junior' John Gotti, son of the late mobster John Gotti, to both star in and make a biopic about his late father reports TMZ.
The story would revolve around the son's memories of his dysfunctional relationship with his father, with Sly himself to play 'The Dapper Don'. Gotti, who took over the powerful Gambino crime family in the 70's, was convicted in 1992 of committing thirteen murders.
"Junior" Gotti was convicted of racketeering and got out of prison in 2005. Stallone is out seeking a scribe to pen the screenplay.
Rising British Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan is in talks to star in the family drama "Stoker" for Fox Searchlight reports 24 Frames.
"Prison Break" hunk Wentworth Miller penned the script which follows an eccentric teenager "whose enigmatic and estranged uncle returns to the family after the death of the girl's father".
Jodie Foster is in talks to co-star, while Ridley and Tony Scott's Scott Free Productions is in talks to produce. Mulligan stars in Searchlight's "Never Let Me Go" opening in October which is already being talked about as one of this year's major awards contenders.
Spike Lee is in negotiations to direct the thriller "Nagasaki Deadline" for Alcon Entertainment according to Deadline.
David and Peter Griffiths penned the script which focuses on a troubled FBI agent and his desperate race to thwart two terrorist attacks planned to unfold on American soil - a crime tied to historical events.
Jon Landau, Rae Sanchini, Andrew Kosove, Kira Davis and Broderick Johnson will produce. Shooting will take place on the East Coast next year.
http://entertainment.ie/cinema/news/Sly-Stallone-To-Play-John-Gotti?/45704.htm (http://entertainment.ie/cinema/news/Sly-Stallone-To-Play-John-Gotti?/45704.htm) :!:
inače, trejler (http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/rango/) za rango ne samo što omažira raula djuka gušterovim autfitom nego se može reći da se hst u njemu i pojavljuje! a biće i šišmiša sa getlinzima.
Sean Penn may soon once again be battling humongous waves and not driving on 'ludes, according to Variety. He's already set to produce a biopic of Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz, but the exciting news is that Penn may decide to play the ageing surfer dude himself.
Paskowitz is a graduate of the prestigious Stanford Medical School, but abandoned his medical career to concentrate on surfing. He and his third wife lived on the road in camper vans for 25 years, setting up America's first surf camp and somehow raising nine children along the way. Part counter-culture guru and part holy fool, Paskowitz has his own ideas about the line dividing education and "wisdom". None of his kids were formally educated. As adults, they are not entirely pleased about this. But they know how to ride a wave.
The now 89-year-old Doc has always resisted selling his "life rights" to the movies, but finally relented once Penn joined the project. The screenplay is being written by close Penn ally Paul Feldsher (The Four Feathers), and joining Penn on producing duties will Alan and Gabe Polsky, who were behind Werner Herzog's Bad Lieutenant.
Penn is attracted to these stories about characters on the fringes of society, as demonstrated any number of times, whether in front of the camera or behind it. Three years on from the thoroughly wonderful Into the Wild, is it too much to hope that he might direct this too?
Owen Williams
ook who's joining Pee-wee Herman in the playhouse!
Bromance expert Judd Apatow has teamed up with Paul Reubens to develop a new Pee-wee film for the big screen, Daily Variety reports.
"Let's face it, the world needs more Pee-wee Herman," Apatow told the trade. "I am so excited to be working with Paul Reubens—who is an extraordinary and groundbreaking actor and writer. It's so great to watch him return with such relevance."
The venerable filmmaker says that he got the idea after taking in Reubens' sold-out live show in L.A. earlier this year. The Pee-wee Herman Show is headed to Broadway in October.
And Reubens is apparently just as honored to be working with Apatow.
"There is no one like Judd in our business—he loves comedy with emotion and heart, and he sees what we do as art," said the resurgent 57-year-old actor. "I can't believe I'm getting this opportunity to be working with him."
Reubens is working on the script with writer-actor Paul Rust. Apatow's going to produce, not direct and produce, but that didn't seem to hurt Superbad, Pineapple Express or Get Him to the Greek.
Besides, Pee-wee is technically a for-all-ages character, so they're going to want to avoid the automatic "R" that Apatow's films usually get. Especially considering...you know.
Fans of the 1960s television series "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." were buoyed when, several months ago, a long-gestating big-screen version of the show gained some momentum at Warner Bros.
To update the playfully droll Cold War program about a Russian and an American agent who work together to fight an evil agency, the studio had brought on a new writer (an up-and-comer named Max Borenstein) and, according to numerous reports, also had a director on board (David Dobkin, best known as the filmmaker behind "Wedding Crashers" and, at one point in its development, the director of "Cop Out").
Now, "U.N.C.L.E." is picking up more speed -- of a sort. Borenstein has turned in his script (which is said to be a commercial action thriller with some comedic touches, but not the other way around) and the studio likes it and wants to move forward, according to sources. But Dobkin, it turns out, will only produce, not direct, which has led the studio to intensify its search for a director.
The company recently went out to Doug Liman to direct "U.N.C.L.E.," with the idea that the director of "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" would be a good candidate to take on another action thriller with lighthearted moments, as the new U.N.C.L.E. reads. Warner Bros. has long been high on Liman, who already has a packed schedule at the studio -- he's on the company's new "Three Musketeers" movie (probably on the backburner) and the hot graphic novel adaptation "All You Need Is Kill" (very much on the frontburner). But sources say that the studio and producers liked him just the same for "U.N.C.L.E." and that Liman, in turn, was intrigued by the idea -- but decided he probably wouldn't take the gig.
So now the studio needs a director again. Given that there are several filmmakers in the Liman mold -- directors who can handle big scenes with a comedic touch -- you wouldn't necessarily think it would be hard to find a worthy candidate. And given how interested they are in making this one, it may not be that long before they hire him. After the sputtering of lighthearted action movies such as "Killers" and "Knight and Day," though, that person may just want to stay out of romantic territory.
-- Steven Zeitchik
Colin Farrell and Eric Bana are in early talks to team for the indie drama "By Virtue Fall" at Voltage Pictures reports Deadline.
The drama "charts a professional and personal relationship between two characters that evolves from friendship to betrayal and retribution". Scribe Sheldon Turner ("Up in the Air") makes his directorial debut on the film and will produce with Jennifer Klein and Nicolas Chartier.
Negotiations are still in early stages though with the Aussie Bana currently closer to signing on than Irishman Farrell.
Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) has been hired to pen and direct the "Lego" movie for Warner Bros. Pictures reports Variety.
Combining live action and animation, there's no word yet on what kind of plot or story they intend to follow other than it will utilise the famed toy building blocks extensively.
Whatever they have decided though it has certainly taken time as producers and Lego executives have been criss-crossing the Atlantic for over a year coming up with the concept.
Lord and Miller are still at present attached to direct the film adaptation of TV series "21 Jump Street" at Sony Pictures early next year.
Bloody Disgusting reports that a third film in the "Hostel" series is in the works.
Michael Weiss penned the script which is set in Las Vegas where a bachelor party goes horribly wrong. The setting and tone sounds notably different from the first two which used European locales as a big element of their production.
At present the title will go direct-to-DVD and writer/director Eli Roth will only be involved as producer, Scott Spiegel is taking over the director's chair. There is "some speculation" it may go theatrical.
Earlier this week Spanish director Nacho Vigalondo revealed on his official blog that his follow-up to Timecrimes will be a Spanish-language alien invasion horror entitled Extraterrestre (translated to Alien). Scifi Latino translates the plot: "Vigalondo writes that this will not be like a War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise, where a regular person manages to somehow closely witness all major invasion events. He writes that most people will experience a global alien invasion without even knowing it has happened, by listening to rumors, or engaging in pointless activities. Hence Extraterrestre." How can you not be excited? Check out a teaser image posted by Vigalondo below.
Tom Hardy, Daniel Craig, Ewan McGregor and Orlando Bloom are apparently in competition for an upcoming film adaptation of classic 1970's British police drama "The Sweeney" for Fox Searchlight reports One India.
All have expressed interest and are said to be under consideration to play the role of Jack Regan. John Thaw, who later went on to star as "Inspector Morse", played Regan in the original series. Thaw and Dennis Waterman ("Minder") starred as members of a London police unit dedicated to fighting violent crime.
With salty dialogue and tough action scenes, it invented the blueprint for gritty UK cop dramas and was a major inspiration for the highly acclaimed original British incarnation of the series "Life on Mars".
Production on the $16 million film was put on hold by DNA Films last month due to concerns over the film's international prospects. Locking in a big name cast member is expected to be a key factor in getting production moving again for a proposed shoot kicking off at the end of the year.
British director Nick Love and Ian Kennedy Martin, the original creator of the ITV series, have penned the script with Love still attached to direct.
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-43585-Entertainment-Reviews-Examiner~y2010m7d6-REVIEWniverse-exclusive-Beavis-and-ButtHead-creator-Mike-Judge-working-on-30-new-episodes (http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-43585-Entertainment-Reviews-Examiner~y2010m7d6-REVIEWniverse-exclusive-Beavis-and-ButtHead-creator-Mike-Judge-working-on-30-new-episodes)
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Talking with The Las Vegas Sun, actor Matt Damon says the Steven Soderbergh-helmed Liberace biopic is still on despite a delay year-long delay.
The project was originally slated to shoot this Summer and then delayed to early next year. Now, Damon says "Yeah, it's going to happen. We're going to do it next summer." He's still excited by the project as well, saying "Richard LaGravenese has written a really great script and, you know, hopefully it will be a really great movie. I don't see why it wouldn't be."
Most of the production will be shot in Los Angeles with a few scenes to be shot in Las Vegas. One of the big reasons for the delay was Soderbergh's "Contagion" thriller has been moved forward and kicks off early this Fall. Damon has a small role in that.
'Due Date' Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTFf9qNYQPA#normal)
Simon Pegg is in negotiations to reprise his character of lab geek Benji Dunn for Paramount's upcoming fourth film in the "Mission: Impossible" franchise says The Hollywood Reporter.
Though not green lit as yet, actors have been reading for the film this week with director Brad Bird, while an early September shooting start is already being eyed.
Tom Cruise is returning as agent Ethan Hunt, Andre Nemec and Josh Appelbaum penned the screenplay while Cruise, Paula Wagner and J.J. Abrams will produce.
Daniel Radcliffe is confirmed to be starring in "The Woman In Black" for Hammer Films and Alliance Films says Digital Spy.
This adaptation of Susan Hill's gothic supernatural horror novel follows a young solicitor (Radcliffe) who takes up a short residence at Eel Marsh House, a desolate and secluded coastal mansion cut off at high tide from the nearby market town in rural England.
Alone and sorting out the affairs of the elderly widow owner who recently died, the lawyer is spooked by unexplained noises and visions of a mysterious woman in black. The book has been adapted into a memorable stage play that has been done around the world for over two decades.
It also exists as a hard-to-find 1989 ITV low-budget TV movie which is in such demand that there's a minor black market in illegal copies of the short-lived DVD release. Much like 70's TV movie "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark", the 'Woman' TV movie scores praise for its effective unsettling atmosphere created through premise, sound and suggestion.
Jane Goldman ("Stardust," "Kick Ass") adapted the script while James Watkins ("Eden Lake") will direct. Simon Oakes and Richard Jackson are producing with shooting to kick off in the Fall.
Colin Farrell and Michael Fassbender have previously been linked to the project. Plans to shoot the film in 3D have also been put on hold.
Lloyd Levin ("The Green Zone," "United 93") will produce a film adaptation of Warren Fahy's thriller "Fragment" reports Variety.
The story follows a team of seafaring scientists filming a reality TV show on a remote South Pacific island. They are astonished to encounter a terrifying new species which has been evolving in isolation for 600 million years, an encounter caught on live TV.
When NASA and the Navy arrive to investigate, scientists realize the creatures and their ecosystem are lethal enough to wipe out the rest of the Earth. Authorities must decide whether to sterilize the island or try to save the terrible creatures.
Fahy himself will pen the screenplay and old the rights to Levin after a bidding war broke out for the property.
Rob Lowe has joined the cast of "I Melt With You" reports Deadline.
The story is being kept under wraps, but the film is said to examine pain in terms of the modern male psyche.
Lowe will play a doctor dealing with a tragic personal loss and an increasing drug addiction. Jeremy Piven and Thomas Jane also star.
Mark Pellington is directing from a script by Glenn Porter. Shooting kicks off near Big Sur in Northern California next month.
IFC Films has acquired North American rights to Im Sang-soo's Cannes entry "The Housemaid".
A remake of Kim Ki-youn's 1960 classic, the erotic thriller follows a young maid who wrecks havoc within the household of a wealthy family.
IFC plans to screen the film at key Fall film festivals before a release early next year.
The distributor is also re-releasing "Inception" and "The Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan's first feature, 1998's "Following", through its OnDemand service.
The neo-noir thriller follows a writer who picks out strangers at random from the crowded streets of London shadows them see where they go, how they spend their days.
Tuesday July 20th 2010 12:48PM
Kylie Minogue Turns Lesbian For Werewolves
Aussie singer Kylie Minogue has signed on to play a heavily tattooed lesbian in the teen romance drama "Jack and Diane" reports The NY Post.
The story follows two teenage girls in New York City - the charmingly innocent Diane (Juno Temple) whose affection manages to pierce the heart of the tough and closed off Jack (Jena Malone).
About to leave the country, Diane struggles to keep their love alive but hides the fact her newly awakened sexual desire has given her werewolf-like visions. Riley Keough also stars.
A source tells the paper "Kylie does have one love scene where she kisses a girl. Her fans will be surprised to see her in this role, but her performance is good."
Bradley Rust Gray ("The Exploding Girl") directs and shooting aims to kick off this Summer. Minogue's last major role was in the "Doctor Who" 2007 Christmas special "Voyage of the Damned".
"The Other Guys" director Adam McKay tells CHUD that he's desperate to get actor Simon Pegg onboard for the film adaptation of the Garth Ennis comic book "The Boys" which he's lined up to direct.
"I haven't officially signed on yet, so I haven't had any conversations with anyone, but he's got to do it. It has to be" says McKay. Ennis based the character Wee Hughie in the books on Pegg.
McKay also revealed that the "Anchorman" sequel was planned as a Broadway musical that would've run for four months and then have jumped right into filming.
However the film is now dead and "we've moved on". They tried just to do the Broadway run on its own, but "it's too hard on the actors. And there's no money for them."
Finally McKay says he hopes to get "Talladega Nights" and "Step Brothers" co-stars Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly back together again on screen, potentially even for a 'Step' sequel.
Warner Bros. is heading into space with "Dan Dare," closing a deal for the feature rights to the British property with Sam Worthington attached to star.
Basil Iwanyk ("Clash of the Titans") will produce through his Thunder Road banner.
"Dan Dare," created by Frank Hampson, first appeared as a comic in 1950 and centered on a gallant chief pilot of the Interplanet Space Fleet. Time frame was the 1990s and the complex adventures were set on planets presumed to have extraterrestrial life.
Dare, described as the British equivalent of Buck Rogers, also appeared in radio programs and a TV series, "Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future."
Rights were obtained from Dan Dare Inc. through Colin Frewin, who exec produces along with Dan Lin.
Worthington, who's been attached to "Dan Dare" for several months, recently wrapped "The Fields" for producer Michael Mann, and will next be seen in John Madden's "The Debt" opposite Helen Mirren. He also recently announced an imprint deal with Radical Publishing under which his Full Clip Prods. will create content for comicbooks and films.
WB-based Iwanyk is a producer on Ben Affleck's crime drama "The Town," due out in September., and "Clash of the Titans 2," with Worthington returning as the lead
Warner execs are Sarah Schechter, Ollie Madden and Matt Milam. Kent Kubena is overseeing for Thunder Road.
Dir/scr: Patrick Demers. Canada. 2010. 94mins
The plot may sound familiar – young couple want to spend some romantic time in a cabin in the woods, only to be disturbed by a man with a shotgun – but writer-director Patrick Demers' film Suspicions (Jaloux) is a triumph in terms of structure and subtle chills.
It is a film that begins innocently and straightforwardly enough, but then sucks the viewer into the darker aspects of the story as the drama slowly and chillingly develops.
Thomas and Marie (Maxime Denommee and Sophie Cadieux) are a bickering couple trying to get their relationship back on track, and who are surprised to find a charming and enigmatic man in the cottage they are borrowing for the weekend. The non-linear narrative structure means that the viewer has to piece together the events of their weekend as the couple's ordered life if turned upside down.
Writer-director Patrick Demers does an excellent job in crafting a nicely complex tale and keeping the tension racked up throughout the film, with Thomas and Marie's life turned upside down as the reality of their situation is gradually revealed.The film had its world premiere at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival.
Tobie Marier Robitaille's cinematography superbly highlights the inhospitable forest locations and the editing – by Demers as well – works perfectly with the cleverly crafted structure. It is a film that begins innocently and straightforwardly enough, but then sucks the viewer into the darker aspects of the story as the drama slowly and chillingly develops.
The musical chairs casting of Fox's long-gestating action/romantic comedy "This Means War" looks to have come to an end with Tom Hardy ("Inception," "Bronson") having closed a deal to play one of the two male leads according to Vulture.
Picked up a decade ago, Tim Dowling ("Role Models," "Midnight Run 2") has re-written the script which follows two best friends and veteran spies who fall for the same woman (Reese Witherspoon) who has moved into their spare room. They end up fighting for her affections using their black-ops warfare tactics, a fight which literally demolishes much of New York City along the way.
Chris Pine is already signed on to play one of the leads. Hardy will play the other, taking the role which Sam Worthington was previously said to be considering.
Both roles have seen numerous talent attached or offered roles at one point or another including Seth Rogen, Bradley Cooper, James Franco, Martin Lawrence, Robert Downey Jr. and Matt Damon.
McG who is slated to helm the film while Will Smith and James Lassiter will produce.
Singer Rihanna is set to make her feature film debut in the board game turned naval action thriller "Battleship" for Universal Pictures says Variety.
The story follows a massive Naval adventure across the seas, in the skies and over land as the armed forces of our planet fight for survival against an alien water-bound armada.
Taylor Kitsch ("Wolverine") will play a "wildly spirited" Naval commander named Alex Hopper who is much more a sailor than a politician. Alexander Skarsgard ("True Blood") plays Alex's brother, a straight and narrow naval officer whom Alex idolises.
Jon and Erich Hoeber penned the script while Peter Berg ("Hancock," "The Kingdom") is directing. Filming kicks off August 30th in Hawaii.
Danish director Asger Leth ("Ghosts of Cite Soleil") is set to direct the thriller "Man on a Ledge" for Summit Entertainment reports The Los Angeles Times.
The script by Pablo Fenjves follows a female psychologist and a former NYPD officer (Sam Worthington) who threatens to jump to his death.
Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian and David Ready will produce.
Australian musician and acclaimed screenwriter Nick Cave ("The Proposition") has come onboard to rewrite the script for "The Crow" reboot at Relativity Media reports The Wrap.
Director Stephen Norrington ("Blade") had penned the previous draft which swapped the action between the deserts of the U.S. south-west and a more urban location.
The news comes shortly after it was revealed at Comic Con by Guillermo Del Toro that Cave will be doing music for a darker stop-motion film based on "Pinocchio" which Gris Grimly is co-directing.
Paramount Pictures and Platinum Dunes have picked up scribe Bobby Glickert's pitch being referred to as the "Confidential Alien Project" reports Heat Vision.
The story involves alien abductions, but no further details are available. Glickert wrote a treatment and cut together a two-minute teaser which scored Platinum Dunes' attention.
The project is now out to writers. Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form will produce.
Erich and Jon Hoeber, the writers behind Summit's upcoming action thriller "Red," are in negotiations to rewrite "Man on a Ledge" for the company.
The heist thriller has been gathering steam, and this week Asger Leth entered negotiations to direct the project, which has Sam Worthington attached to star and Lorenzo di Bonaventura producing.
The story begins when an ex-cop-turned-con threatens to jump to his death from a Manhattan hotel rooftop. The NYPD dispatches a female police psychologist to talk him down but, unbeknownst to the cops on the scene, the suicide attempt is a cover for a massive diamond heist.
The project had been set at Paramount Vantage. Summit hopes to make the movie this fall or winter before losing Worthington to the "Clash of the Titans" sequel.
The Hoebers are generating considerable heat. "Red," starring Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, had a big presence at Comic-Con and is coming off its first test screening with strong results. The brothers also wrote the script for "Battleship," which Peter Berg is gearing up to direct and to which Rihanna just signed on to star.
The duo is repped by Verve.
- Borys Kit
Justin Timberlake has been offered the male lead role in Andrew Niccol's latest sci-fi feature "I'm.mortal" for 20th Century Fox, New Regency and Strike Entertainment says Deadline.
The story is set in a society where people engineered to stop ageing at 25-years-old and time has become the currency of the realm. The wealthy are practically immortal while the majority of the populous struggles to bank what extra time they can.
Timberlake would play a ghetto rebel wrongly accused of murder who is forced to go into hiding with a beautiful and rich hostage (Amanda Seyfried). They soon begin a steamy romance.
Niccol ("Gattaca," "S1m0ne") directs from a script he wrote and hopes to begin production before the year ends. Eric Newman and Marc Abraham will produce.
Comedian Richard Lewis has joined the cast of the romantic horror-comedy "Vamps" for Red Hour Films says PR Newswire.
The contemporary story follows two beautiful young vampires (Alicia Silverstone, Krysten Ritter) who enjoy the New York City nightlife until romance jeopardizes their immortality.
Sigourney Weaver also stars. Lewis will play a former student activist who now works as a lawyer with the A.C.L.U..
"Clueless" writer/director Amy Heckerling helms the project which starts shooting in August in Detroit. Ben Stiller and Stuart Cornfeld are producing.
Cillian Murphy will replace Jason Isaacs on the the new psychological thriller "Retreat" for Magnet Films reports Deadline New York.
Murphy and Thandie Newton will play an estranged couple who head to a remote island getaway in an effort to rebuild their relationship. David Tennant plays a dying military officer who arrives on their doorstep with news of a viral pandemic killing millions on the mainland.
Carl Tibbetts will direct from a script he co-wrote with Janice Hallett, while Gary Sinyor will produce. Shooting was scheduled to kick off earlier this Summer in Canada, no word on a new date as yet.
Bruce Willis will star with Henry Cavill in Summit-Intrepid Pictures' thriller "The Cold Light of Day," and Sigourney Weaver is in talks to star.
Mabrouk El Mechri ("JCVD") is directing with production set to start Sept. 6 in Spain.
Story centers on a young American whose family is kidnapped while on a vacation to Spain. He is left with only hours to find his family, uncover a government conspiracy and find the connection between the kidnapping and his father's secrets.
Intrepid principals Trevor Macy and Marc D. Evans will produce, and Steven Zaillian, Kevin Mann, Matthew Perniciaro and Scott Wiper will exec produce. Spanish producer Galavis Film will co-produce, and Galavis' principal Jesus Martinez will also exec produce.
Zailian is exec producing through his Film Rites banner with Garrett Basch.
Richard Price is writing a production pass on the original script penned by Wiper and John Petro.
Summit will distribute domestically and license the rights internationally. Erik Feig, Summit's president of production, and Michael Schaefer will oversee the project.
Willis will be seen next in "The Expendables"' and "Red." Weaver's in production on "Abduction" and will be seen next in "You Again."
Vince Vaughn and director David O. Russell ("Three Kings," "The Fighter") are looking to team for "Old St. Louis" which will likely be set up at Universal Pictures says Deadline.
The story follows a traveling salesman and absentee father who finds his life changing when his daughter becomes involved in his work.
Vaughn would play the salesman, while Chloe Moretz ("Kick Ass") is rumoured to be a contender to play the girl. Russell penned the script while Vaughn and his sister Victoria will produce.
Neil Jordan will direct an adaptation of author Paul Murray's "Skippy Dies."
The helmer will also pen the script, while Number 9 Films' Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen will produce along with James Flynn of Littlewave Film Prods.
Story, set in a public school in Ireland, follows the adventures of unlikely roommates -- Ruprecht, a math genius, and Skippy, who is being abused by the gym teacher. When Skippy unexpectedly dies, Ruprecht performs a slew of wacky science experiments in an attempt to reach his friend beyond the grave.
The dark comedy reunites Woolley, Karlsen and Jordan, who collaborated on the "The Crying Game." Woolley and Jordan have worked on a number of projects together, including "Breakfast on Pluto," "The Butcher Boy" and "Mona Lisa."
Recent credits from Number 9 Films include Sally Hawkins starrer "Made in Dagenham," which will world preem at Toronto in September, and "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People," starring Kirsten Dunst and Simon Pegg.
Flynn recently worked with Jordan on "Ondine" and TV series "The Borgias," starring Jeremy Irons.
Murray is repped by Rob Kraitt at A.P. Watt.
Though he's been attached for many years, Liam Neeson has revealed to GMTV via Digital Spy that he's no longer involved in Steven Spielberg's long-gestating "Lincoln" biopic.
"I'm not actually playing Lincoln now. I was attached to it for a while, but it's now...I'm past my sell-by date" said Neeson during a talk show interview. The actor is probably referring to age - Neeson is 58 and Lincoln died at 56.
The film is also a long way off from production with Tony Kushner's script still undergoing revisions. Spielberg is committed to shooting "War Horse" next.
Filmmaker Karyn Kusama ("Jennifer's Body," "Girlfight") is penning and potentially directing the hunting/missing parent-themed drama "The Rut" reports The L.A. Times.
The story follows a young girl who must learn the tricks of hunting and archery taught to her by her father after he goes missing. Chloë Moretz ("Kick Ass," "Let Me In") is in talks to play the daughter.
Aaron Magnani is producing the project.
The Dutch remake of Belgian box-office hit Loft suffered a freak setback late last month when both the director Antoinette Beumer and the cinematographer Danny Elesen sustained serious injuries during shooting.
During an incident on the set on July 19, Beumer injured her jaw and both arms while Elesen broke his foot.
They were standing on a platform overlooking the set when scaffolding collapsed and both were thrown down.
Beumer (sister of actress Famke Janssen and director of current Dutch hit The Happy Housewife) has had to withdraw temporarily from directorial duties while she undergoes surgery.
However, the production is going ahead as planned. Erik Van Looy, the Belgian director of the original film, stepped in to take Beumer's place last week. One of the main cast members is just available until Aug 3. Van Looy is currently shooting the scenes with him in it.
The cameraman had his operation on July 23 and is already back on the set. Beumer is now recovering at home.
Beumer is expected to return to the production once she has recovered from her injuries. She will finish the film herself.
Loft is produced by Pupkin Films and Millstreet Films in association with original producer Woestijnvis. It's about a group of young married male friends who secretly hire an apartment where they can take their mistresses without their wives finding out. Their little scheme comes unstuck when a dead body turns up in the apartment. Nobody knows who is responsible. "It's like The Usual Suspects meets (Billy Wilder's) The Apartment," is how Van Looy styled the original film, which was a runaway box-office hit in Flanders.
Independent, which handled the Dutch distribution of Van Looy's original film, is also releasing the remake. The opening is scheduled for December 2010.
Jonathan Demme ("Rachel Getting Married") is circling to direct, while Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper recent read for the long-gestating "Honeymoon With Harry" for New Line reports Deadline.
Cooper would play a former womanizing booze-hound who changed his ways when he fell in love, while De Niro would play the girl's father who tries to break them up. When she dies just before their wedding, the groom heads off on their honeymoon to drink himself to death and meets his almost father-in-law who has come to spread his daughter's ashes.
Paul Haggis adapted the script from an unpublished novel by Bart Baker back in 2004 and the film has often been considered one of the best 'unmade' films of recent years. The tone is said to mix strong comedy and drama ala James L. Brooks.
Jason Reitman ("Up in the Air") is in talks to direct and Charlize Theron is in talks to star in the dark comedy "Young Adult" for Mandate Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
Diablo Cody ("Juno") penned the script about a thirtysomething, divorced, young-adult fiction writer (Theron) in Minneapolis who returns to her hometown to chase her ex-boyfriend who is now married with a kid.
Cody, Reitman, Mason Novick, Lianne Halfon and Russell Smith are producing. Filming aims to kick off mid-October in New York.
THE CROW REMAKE
Nick Cave To Rewrite 'The Crow'?
Written by Administrator
Wednesday, 28 July 2010
ImageEarlier this year, director Stephen Norrington said that his remake of "The Crow" would begin filming this summer. And while a lead actor has still not been announced, another screenwriter has potentially come on board the project.
According to The Wrap, "The Crow" producer Ed Pressman has indicated that Australian musician Nick Cave has been signed to rewrite the film. Cave has previously written the scripts for "Ghosts... of the Civil Dead" and "The Proposition," in addition to writing an unproduced "Gladiator" sequel at the behest of Russell Crowe and "The Promised Land," which is based upon the Matt Bondurant novel, "The Wettest County in the World."
Back in June, Pressman told MTV News that Norrington's screenplay for "The Crow" was both finished and "terrific." He also indicated that film was in the casting stage.
"[We've got an offer out] to a major actor and things are moving ahead very aggressively, with the aim of doing the film this year," said Pressman.
Pressman also elaborated upon how this version of "The Crow" would be different from the one that appeared in the original 1994 film starring Brandon Lee.
"The Crow itself is a creature in this movie — it's not just a bird," said Pressman. "It's got a personality and a character. Not like Godzilla exactly, but it's very different [and has] a more active role in the story."
"Obviously it's a different time and a different idea, but I think Stephen is a very talented fellow and I'm very excited to work with him," said Pressman. "I think it's a very different conception [than the original film]. After the first 'Crow,' there were so many other films that were inspired by it, by its look. Steve is an artist himself, and he's created a very different visual idea."
source: http://splashpage.mtv.com/2010/07/27/nick-cave-to-rewrite-the-crow/ (http://splashpage.mtv.com/2010/07/27/nick-cave-to-rewrite-the-crow/)
While we're waiting for Damon Lindelof to rewrite Ridley Scott's "Alien" prequel, we've news of another sci-fi project Scott plans to direct.
It seems Scott has assigned David Webb Peoples ("Blade Runner," "Ladyhawke," "Unforgiven") to pound out the script for Scott's "The Forever War," based on Joe Haldeman's acclaimed 1974 novel.
Though we've known about Scott's involvement with the project since October 2008, the news about Peoples emerged from Haldeman's blog late Tuesday.
The book, which I read and loved as a kid, is about elite soldiers in an interstellar war and how they deal with time dilation, a side effect of superfast space travel that causes them to age much more slowly than their planetbound friends and family. While only a few months seem to pass for the fighting men and women, decades are actually passing on Earth.
Last I heard, Fox 2000 was the studio.
Oh, vau, Večni rat??? Ne da očekujem da moderni Holivud to može da uradi kako treba ali nekako sam blago napaljen.
Stephen Sommers ("The Mummy," "Van Helsing") is set to return behind the director's chair for the sequel to "G.I. Joe" at Paramount PIctures reports The Wrap.
Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick ("Zombieland") have penned the script and Channing Tatum is expected to reprise his role as Capt. Duke Hauser in the follow-up to the critically panned 2009 live-action feature which still managed a healthy $300 million worldwide gross.
No word if any of the other cast members will also return. Sommers and Lorenzo di Bonaventura are likely to produce.
Will Ferrell is attached to star in and produce the Spanish-language comedy "Casa de mi padre" ("House of My Father") reports The Wrap.
The story is being kept under wraps, though casting is already under way. The film will be spoken entirely in Spanish with English subtitles.
Ferrell's publicist would neither confirm nor deny his involvement to the blog. He's expected to produce, but it's not sure who is lined up to direct.
Toni i Denzel se ponovo igraju s vozićima...
Unstoppable (2010) Official Full Trailer [REAL][FULL HQ] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FxWZE8GQ-U#normal)
The Oscar-nominated Spanish director is in development on the project with 28 Weeks Later producer Enrique Lopez Lavigne.
The $6.5m (€5m) project will be written and directed by Vigalondo and will be shot in Spain in both English and Spanish with a leading cast.
Lavigne will produce Windows alongside his associate Belen Atienza, and another major company is expected to board the project soon. Further details will be revealed at AFM later this year, but Lavigne told Screen it would be "a thriller in the mould of District 9, reasonably low budget but with impressive effects and the potential to make a huge impact."
Lavigne's other projects in the pipeline include The Orphanage director Juan Antonio Bayona's English-language Tsunami drama The Impossible, starring Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts, which is set to begin shooting later this month; Juan Carlos Fresnadillo thriller Intruders, starring Clive Owen and Daniel Bruhl, which is currently shooting in Spain; and Eduardo Chapero Jackson's hotly anticipated debut feature Verbo, a dark fantasy film currently in post.
Vigalondo's previous film Timecrimes about a man who travels back in time was a huge hit in Spain and is being remade in the US with United Artists. Vigalondo is also currently shooting a small budget (less than €1m) Spanish-language alien invasion film titled Extraterrestre, starring Michelle Jenner.
CBS Films has acquired US rights from Millennium Films to The Mechanic starring Jason Statham and directed Simon West.
The company is eyeing a spring 2011 release date on the remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson thriller.
Statham, who stars in Millennium Films' The Expendables that opens via Lionsgate this week, plays a hitman who teaches the dark arts to an apprentice with a connection to one of his victims. Ben Foster and Donald Sutherland also star.
Irwin Winkler, Robert Chartoff, David Winkler and William Chartoff produced and Richard Wenk and Lewis John Carlino wrote the screenplay.
"We look forward to working with the CBS Films team on releasing this movie," Winkler and Chartoff, who also produced the original film, said. "CBS Films possesses a refreshing, constructive energy and we are excited with their game plan to bring this exhilarating film to audiences."
"We are very proud of The Mechanic and could not be more pleased to be working with CBS Films on this release," Millennium Films' Avi Lerner said.
CBS Films president and CEO Amy Baer called The Mechanic a "strong, intelligent action thriller."
Dir/scr: Stuart Beattie. Aust. 2010. 103 mins
This is a major surprise — a defiantly Australian teen action movie with all the commercial punch and power of a Hollywood blockbuster. Top Aussie-born screenwriter Stuart Beattie (Pirates Of The Caribbean, Collateral, 3:10 To Yuma) not only supplies the careering script, he also debuts here as director, flexing some impressive muscles.
Adapted from the hugely successful 1993 'young adult' novel by John Marsden that began a seven-book series sold throughout the world, Tomorrow is a movie franchise waiting to happen. If the Australian box office is strong when it opens September 2 — and the buzz is big — expect wide international distribution, especially in the States and Europe, plus talk of a sequel.
This is breathless action and great stunt work not seen in Australian movies since Mad Max
Beattie's young cast of eight principals are impressive in roles that require significant development before and after critical plot device of the series — the overwhelming sea-and-air invasion of the entire country by a carefully non-specific Asian army while the friends are spending the Australia Day long-weekend holiday in the bush. "Pass the Vegemite", says one before massed warplanes fill the moonlit sky above. Returning to their township, they discover death and mayhem. Their families have been herded viciously into an improvised internment camp. "We have to start acting like soldiers," demands Ellie (Cailin Stasey), the emerging leader of these teen guerrillas; and, sure enough, they start killing an unending supply of the shadowy enemy.
Aimed squarely at a teen-to-early-20s multiplex audience, the adventure will entertain family groups who must accept a modicum of graphic violence and the occasional reminder that some of these 16/17-year-olds are sexually active. Beattie gets maximum fire power from an around-$A30m budget - big by local standards. Warplanes destroy buildings; a bridge collapses spectacularly; multiple cars, racers, industrial trucks and petrol tankers speed, fly through the air, crash and massively explode at every opportunity. This is breathless action and great stunt work not seen in Australian movies since Mad Max and the 70s genre flicks celebrated in the 2008 documentary Not Quite Hollywood.
Where the multitude of well-equipped Asian storm troopers come from is unexplained beyond a radio broadcast that quotes a 'Colonel' saying their aim is to level the wealth of 'The Region' — the crux of Australians' fear of 'The Yellow Peril' ever since Chinese joined the 1850s Gold Rush. Perhaps to balance this, and to ease the way into Asian markets, one of the key gang members is Lee (Christopher Pang), son of the town's Thai restauranteurs, and he does get Ellie in the end.
Camerawork (Ben Nott) and editing (Marcus D'Arcy) are first rate; the soundtrack rumbles with massive explosions and stirring genre music (Johnny Klimek and Reinhold Heil); there are some excellent modelling and special effects. Beattie the established writer supplies many thrills. Beattie the tyro director will definitely be back — so, perhaps, will another Tomorrow.
Production companies: Ambience Entertainment, Omnilab Media, Paramount Pictures
Aust/NZ sales: Paramount
International sales: TBA
Producers:Michael Broughen, Andrew Mason
Executive producers: Christopher Mapp, Matthew Street, David Whealy
Based on the novel Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden
Cinematography:Ben Nott
Editor:Marcus D'Arcy
Production designer: Robert Webb
Music:Johnny Klimek, Reinhold Heil
Website: www.twtwb.com (http://www.twtwb.com)
Main cast: Caitlin Stasey, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Christopher Pang, Andrew Ryan, Deniz Akdeniz, Ashleigh Cummings, Phoebe Tonkin, Lincoln Lewis
Man On A Ledge
Scribes Erich and Jon Hoeber ("RED," "Whiteout," "Battleship") are in negotiations to rewrite the script for Summit Entertainment's cop thriller "Man On A Ledge" reports Heat Vision.
Asger Leth ("Ghosts of Cité Soleil") entered negotiations to direct the project the other week. Sam Worthington is committed to star while Lorenzo di Bonaventura will produce.
Untitled Aline Brosh McKenna Script
Aline Brosh McKenna ("The Devil Wears Prada") has been hired to pen an untitled romantic dramedy for "Star Trek" and "Transformers" scribes turned producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci and their Dreamworks-based production company reports Variety.
McKenna's original script deals with the on-off love affairs and friendships among a close circle of friends over two decades.
Untitled Josh Zetumer Script
Warner Bros. Pictures has scored an original and untitled script from Josh Zetumer, the rising scribe who recently worked on a fourth "Bourne" and the "Dune" reboot script reports Heat Vision.
The story is only being described as 'star-driven with a genre component' but not sci-fi. "Zombieland" director Ruben Fleischer is slated to executive produce while Guymon Casady and Darin Friedman will produce.
Peyton Reed ("Yes Man," "Bring it On") has been linked as director of the upcoming comedy "Ricky Stanicky" for Summit Entertainment reports Pajiba.
The story follows three male friends who use an invented friend named Ricky Stanicky over the past two decades as an excuse to explain their way out of sticky situations.
When their spouses finally demand to meet Stanicky, they hire an actor (James Franco) to portray him.
Jeff Bushell ("Beverly Hills Chihuahua") penned the script. Michael de Luca and John Jacobs will produce.
Cillian Murphy ("Inception," "Batman Begins") has joined the cast of Andrew Niccol's latest sci-fi feature "I'm.mortal" for 20th Century Fox, New Regency and Strike Entertainment says Heat Vision.
The story is set in a society where people engineered to stop ageing at 25-years-old and time has become the currency of the realm. The wealthy are practically immortal while the majority of the populous struggles to bank what extra time they can.
Justin Timberlake plays a ghetto rebel wrongly accused of murder who is forced to go into hiding with a beautiful and rich hostage (Amanda Seyfried). They soon begin a steamy romance.
Murphy will play a 'Timekeepers' officer described as "precise as the time he keeps." Niccol ("Gattaca," "S1m0ne") directs from a script he wrote and shooting begins in September. Eric Newman and Marc Abraham will produce.
Friday August 6th 2010 10:10AM
Tony Scott Up For "Associate", "Hannibal"?
Action director Tony Scott ("The Taking of Pelham 123," "Deja Vu") is tossing up between several projects to do next now that his upcoming thriller "Unstoppable" is almost wrapped.
First on the list is an adaptation of the most recent John Grisham novel thriller "The Associate" reports The L.A. Times.
William Monahan wrote the script, Shia LaBeouf is starring and Lorenzo Di Bonaventura is producing for Paramount Pictures. Scott himself is said to be "a step away" from signing onboard.
Also on the list is Vin Diesel's long-gestating Hannibal the Conqueror biopic as Vin Diesel revealed on his Facebook page that he's had at least one meeting with Scott about the project and hinted at getting Denzel Washington to play Hannibal's father Hamilcar.
Scott has more recently been linked with "Potzdamer Platz", and the Fox 2000 drama "Hell's Angels". 'Platz' follows two soldiers in a New Jersey-based crime family who try to expand internationally, and Mickey Rourke is officially attached.
'Angels', about a young cop going undercover in a bike club, would use a Scott Frank script. Rourke and La Beouf are Scott's choices to play the two lead roles.
Scott is expected to make a decision about his next project in coming weeks and filming would likely kick off early next year.
Early last year came the announcement that Miramax, Focus Features International, EuropaCorp and Spielberg's frequent producing partner Kathleen Kennedy were all set to collaborate on a new English language adaptation of American novelist Harlan Coben's "Tell No One".
Over 12 months on and Miramax has of course dropped out of the project and development on the film continues at a snail's pace and The Los Angeles Times reports today that Aussie filmmaker Andrew Dominik ("Chopper," "The Assassination of Jesse James") has been writing a draft of the script.
Coben's story follows a doctor grieving for his dead wife who then discovers she may still be alive. As he tries to find her, other forces seem to be on the trail as well. The novel is Coben's highest selling title and an international bestseller.
Guillaume Canet directed a French-language film adaptation of the property which was first released in 2006 in France. Two years later the film opened in the US and various international territories and went on to score both critical acclaim and a solid $6 million box-office - making it the highest earning foreign language film of that year.
Since this remake/new adaptation was announced, there has come the inevitable complaints of Hollywood yet again remaking foreign-language films based on bestsellers like their upcoming new adaptations of Swedish hits "Let the Right One In" and "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" series.
Indeed, the paper also reports that numerous factors have put a slowdown on the project, including Focus which has been heavily scrutinizing its development slate.
Njam njam, novi Niccol!
Based solely on its trailers and the overall coolness of the picture's cast (a habit which often doesn't pay off so well these days), I'm holding a bit of hope for RED (trailer HERE).
And if that film comes together as well as it seems it might? Could be very good and interesting news for a genre project that's currently barreling down the pipeline: R.I.P.D., which is (ewvidently) still set to star Ryan Reynolds.
Seems RED director Robert Schwentke is in talks to replace outgoing director McG on the project- seems Joseph is leaving to concentrate on a rom com called THIS MEANS WAR.
Schwentke had been in contention with McG for the "R.I.P.D." job. But with the "Terminator Salvation" filmmaker out of the running, Schwentke is back in the "R.I.P.D." mix, sources say. That "Red" is starting to generate some strong buzz hasn't hurt the filmmaker's stock either.
Universal wants to shoot "R.I.P.D.," a crime movie about dead cops patrolling the underworld, next summer, when Reynolds has an open slot in his schedule. But it wants a director to begin work pretty much right away on the effects- and design-heavy picture, heightening the urgency of the quest.
...says the LA Times HERE.
R.I.P.D., about a dude who comes back from the dead to avenge his own murder, is being adapted from the Peter M. Lenkov written Dark Horse comic property (among his many credits, Lenkov wrote DEMOLITION MAN, produced 24, CSI: NY, and the upcoming HAWAII FIVE-O reset). R.I.P.D. is available HERE.
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffilesll.fluxstatic.com%2F00F58B5500ED8B5700070FF6FFFF%2FTN1%2FJpg%2FB-2545%2FAR560x560%2CCrop%2F634103753866341853&hash=366a660ecd93d10ec0c16b31c7eaaa0eb95fd721)
QuoteBlack Books star Bill Bailey wants to play a dwarf in The Hobbit.
Bailey, who is bringing his comedy show Bill Bailey Live to Wellington in June, told The Dominion Post he had auditioned for the part of Gloin the dwarf in The Lord of the Rings prequel.
"I went along for a read-through of The Hobbit. The first read-through was for Gloin," he said from London.
Bailey, who can be seen in television series Skins and the movie Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang, joked that he didn't need any makeup to be a convincing dwarf. "I saved myself a few quid over here."
Gloin is the father of Gimli the dwarf, who was played by Welsh actor John Rhys-Davies in Sir Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings. In The Hobbit Gloin is one of 13 dwarfs who persuade Bilbo Baggins the hobbit to accompany them to reclaim treasure held by Smaug the dragon.
The comedian, who performs in Wellington on June 24, was still waiting to hear back from the two-part film's director, Guillermo del Toro. "I think The Hobbit is going to be filmed around the time I'm there. But I don't know – you never know with these things. I'll certainly be around."
Coincidentally, six days after Bailey, Sir Ian McKellen – who has said he will reprise his role of Gandalf the wizard in The Hobbit – will be in Wellington to perform in Waiting for Godot.
Former Boyzone singer Ronan Keating said last month that he also auditioned for a part in The Hobbit and it is understood many actors from around the world have auditioned. Neither del Toro or Sir Peter have confirmed or officially announced any of The Hobbit cast, or when shooting will begin.
Andy Serkis, who has said he will reprise his role as Gollum, said this week that he believed shooting would not begin until late this year.
The Dominion Post understands this is partly because of the sale of MGM, one of The Hobbit backers, and a decision on whether to film it in 3-D.
A spokesman for Sir Peter said pre-production on the film was continuing in Wellington, but they had no other announcement to make at this stage.
xjap
Josh Brolin is rumoured to be playing the male lead in Jason Reitman's next film "Young Adult" reports Showbiz 411.
Diablo Cody ("Juno") penned the script about a divorced writer (Charlize Theron) who returns to her hometown to try to reconnect with her old flame (Brolin) who is now married with children.
Meanwhile in slightly more confirmed matters, rising British actor Tom Sturridge ("Pirate Radio") has joined the cast of Walter Salles' adaptation of Jack Kerouac's novel "On The Road" reports Gossip Cop
The actor joins an impressive cast already assembled for the Beat Generation road trip story, names that include Sam Riley, Garrett Hedlund, Kirsten Dunst, Kristen Stewart, Viggo Mortensen and Amy Adams.
Shooting is currently underway in Montreal and will move to both New Mexico and later New Orleans.
Veteran director Barry Levinson ("You Don't Know Jack," "Wag the Dog") is apparently going to direct the indie sci-fi thriller "Isopod" reports Production Weekly.
Story details on the project are unknown, but shooting kicks off next month in the Carolinas.
At last report Levinson was attached to direct a biopic on activist Jack Healey and an adaptation of Anatoly Kuznetsov's novel "Babi Yar."
Newcomer Eve Hewson ("The 27 Club") will star opposite Sean Penn in the indie "This Must Be the Place" for Indigo Film, Lucky Red, Element Film and ARP Selection reports Variety.
Penn plays an ageing rock star who is in pursuit of the Nazi criminal who tormented his father in a concentration camp.
Hewson will play a gothic-punk music fan who is a close friend of Penn's character. Frances McDormand also stars.
Paolo Sorrentino directs from a script he co-wrote with Umberto Contarello. Nicola Giuliano and Andrea Occhipinti are producing
Shooting begins in Ireland and the U.S. later this month.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan ("Watchmen," "P.S. I Love You") has signed on for the lead role in the action thriller "The Courier" according to Deadline.
Morgan plays a renegade courier who takes on near-impossible assignments but has always succeeded. His latest job is delivering a briefcase to a mysterious crime lord whom no-one can find.
He soon finds cops, FBI agents and rival underworld bosses are in pursuit of both him and the difficult-to-find recipient. Adrien Brody was previously linked to the project a few years back.
Hany Abu-Assad ("Paradise Now") directs from a script by Derek Haas and Michael Brandt ("Wanted"). Shooting kicks off next month in New Orleans.
Film Reviews
Takers -- Film Review
Stephen Farber, August 16, 2010 02:59 ET
By now there have been so many classic heist movies that it's hard to imagine a fresh variation on the theme, but the genre never quite loses its appeal to filmmakers or audiences. Although "Takers" pales alongside "Rififi"or "The Killing," it's a serviceable B-movie that will do decent business during the dog days of August.
A gang of five high-living bank robbers (Paul Walker, Idris Elba, Hayden Christensen, Michael Ealy and singer Chris Brown) has managed to pull off several lucrative jobs through meticulous planning. But when a former colleague gets out of jail and suggests an armored-car robbery that might be their biggest score, the robbers throw caution to the winds.
You know they are heading for trouble this time, partly because of tensions among the thieves and partly because a pair of cops (Matt Dillon and Jay Hernandez) are hot on their trail. In addition, they have to contend with Russian mobsters -- the villains du jour on TV and at the movies -- who want to get in on the action.
The basic arc of the story is formulaic, but the writers -- Peter Allen, Gabriel Casseus, director John Luessenhop and Avery Duff -- provide enough clever twists and character details to keep the vehicle humming along efficiently.
The cast also helps to enliven the material. Dillon captures the world-weary cynicism of a dogged, sometimes brutal cop who often is in trouble with his superiors. Hernandez is likable as his more laid-back partner, who is harboring a few dark secrets of his own.
Among the crooks, the British-born Elba conveys the right gravitas as leader of the pack, and hip-hop performer Tip "T.I." Harris is convincingly slimy and explosive as the ex-con who threatens the gang's cohesiveness.
Oscar nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste has a small but juicy role as Elba's drug-addicted sister, who seems sure to cause additional trouble for the band of thieves.
Aside from Jean-Baptiste, there are virtually no women in this caper. It's strictly a testosterone-drenched adventure, which would be fine if the director didn't suffer from the latest affliction in action movies, a form of cinematic ADD. Luessenhop's camera is never at rest, and his frenetic editing style often detracts from the tension.
There's a foot chase through downtown Los Angeles that might have been a classic sequence except that it's been chopped up ferociously, as if it had been spliced by a Benihana chef gone berserk.
In a movie like "The French Connection," the chase sequences had visual clarity as well as nail-biting suspense. In "Takers," the director never firmly establishes the locations, and the herky-jerky editing further muddies the action.
Nevertheless, the stunt work is amazing, and the pace is breathless enough to keep one watching right up to the somewhat ambiguous conclusion. Michael Barrett's cinematography is suitably slick, and Paul Haslinger's music gets a tad pretentious. Luckily, the actors always help to humanize the mayhem.
Opens: Friday, Aug. 27 (Screen Gems)
Cast: Matt Dillon, Paul Walker, Idris Elba, Jay Hernandez, Hayden Christensen, Tip "T.I." Harris, Michael Ealy, Chris Brown, Marianne Jean-Baptiste
Director: John Luessenhop
Screenwriters: Peter Allen, Gabriel Casseus, John Luessenhop, Avery Duff
Producers: Will Packer, Tip "T.I." Harris, Jason Geter
Executive producers: Glenn S. Gainor, Gabriel Casseus, Chris Brown, Morris Chestnut
Director of photography: Michael Barrett
Production designer: Jon Gary Steele
Music: Paul Haslinger
Costume designer: Maya Lieberman
Editor: Armen Minasian
Rated PG-13, 107 minutes
Quote from: Spider Jerusalem on 19-03-2003, 03:51:08
I da.
De Palma radi italo ;) ("Toyer")
To se nece propustiti. But then again, kog de palmu ja propustim?
Posle 7 godina limba ponovo su krenule priče da će de Palma raditi triler
Toyer. Snimaće se u Italiji, u Veneciji, što će, imajući u vidu temu (serijski ubica) i poznate prefence režisera doprineti
giallo vajbu.
Dirs: Josh Gordon, Will Speck. US. 2010. 101mins
There is a refreshing amount of feel-good charm to The Switch, a delightfully performed rom-com featuring spot-on performances by leads Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston that should nicely fill a late-summer gap for offbeat comedy fare that isn't driven by special effects or 3D. Certainly it is the best Aniston vehicle for some time, and proves she can carry a film given a good script and a strong support cast.
Jennifer Aniston is at her best in a part that is as close to her role of Rachel in Friends than she has taken on before.
That good-old artificial insemination/ticking biological clock storyline is dusted off and given some modest twists by screenwriter Alan Loeb, and with the smart laughs and tender performances delivered with ease by pros like Aniston, Bateman, Jeff Goldblum and Juliette Lewis, this Disney release of a Miramax film (handled by Lionsgate in the UK) should attract reliable box office, with a strong home entertainment life a certainty.
There is an easy charm between Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston, playing best pals Wally and Kassie. As expected with such rom-coms, Wall Street worker Wally (never clear what he actually does) has long been in love with Kassie, but never had the confidence or gumption to tell her how he feels. He is provoked into some sort of action when Kassie announces she wants to have a child and is on the hunt for a sperm donor.
When her friend Debbie (Juliette Lewis in suitably exuberant form) throws Kassie an 'insemination party' , Wally arrives and promptly gets drunk after meeting her chosen donor, the seemingly perfect Roland (Patrick Wilson) who is there with his also perfect wife. After locking himself in the toilet, Wally accidentally washes Roland's sperm down the toilet...leaving himself no option (in the world of movies at least) to re-fill the sperm container with his own offering.
He drunkenly admits what he has done to his best pal (Jeff Golbdlum, in sparkling form), but the next day apparently the booze has finally taken its toll and he says he can remember nothing of the party or his actions. Kassie promptly decides to leave New York to raise her child in the countryside. She returns seven years later with an engagingly neurotic son Sebastian who just happens to be the spitting image of Wally.
Bells finally start to ring with Wally the more time he spends with young Sebastian, but just as he is ready to declare his feelings for Kassie the spectre of a now-single Roland arrives on the scene, leading Wally to have to face up to his actions and pluck up courage to finally declare his love to Kassie.
In truth the story offers little in the way of super-clever plot twists or unique dialogue, but it does offer the perfect platform for two comfortable performers to do their best work. Certainly Bateman is at ease and very funny playing the witty and anxious hypochondriac while Jennifer Aniston is at her best in a part that is as close to her role of Rachel in Friends than she has taken on before. She delivers her lines with confident comedy ease, and certainly gives her best performance in a mainstream comedy film for some years.
127 Hours Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F5L8sqjGNc#ws)
Uf. Trejler izgleda opako dobro!
Novi film Denija Bojla, naravno da izgleda opako dobro!
Jonathan Liebesman ("Battle: Los Angeles") has signed on direct the sequel to "Clash of the Titans" for Warner Bros. Pictures reports Heat Vision.
Liebesman emerged as a candidate back in June to replace the outgoing Louis Leterrier. but money and the negative perception of the first film dragged negotiations out.
Greg Berlanti ("Green Lantern"), Dan Mazeau ("The Flash") and David Leslie Johnson ("Red Riding Hood") have been hired to pen the script for the film which will be shot natively in in 3D. At last report the studio was targeting a start of filming in January.
Sam Worthington and Gemma Arterton are expected to return.
Darren Aronofsky has emerged as a contender to direct "X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2" for 20th Century Fox according to Deadline New York.
At last report David Slade ("The Twilight Saga: Eclipse") and Robert Schwentke ("RED") were in the running for the job, but now Schwentke has dropped out and Aronofsky has stepped in.
Slade is still considered the favourite to direct, but Hugh Jackman has a major influence on the decision and worked with Aronofsky on "The Fountain" several years ago.
Brad Pitt has been offered a role while Scott Cooper ("Crazy Heart") is being considered to direct "Brownsville Girl", a film based on the eleven-minute Bob Dylan song for Winkler Films reports Pajiba.
The story follows a man who leads a life of theft and murder over two decades in an effort to hold on to the woman he loves. Jay Cocks ("The Age Of Innocence," "Gangs Of New York") apparently penned the script at the behest of Dylan himself.
Pitt and Cooper were linked to "The Hatfields And The McCoys" earlier this year, Cooper is also considering the family drama "Lie Down in Darkness".
Quote from: crippled_avenger on 09-08-2010, 22:03:31
Cillian Murphy ("Inception," "Batman Begins") has joined the cast of Andrew Niccol's latest sci-fi feature "I'm.mortal" for 20th Century Fox, New Regency and Strike Entertainment says Heat Vision.
The story is set in a society where people engineered to stop ageing at 25-years-old and time has become the currency of the realm. The wealthy are practically immortal while the majority of the populous struggles to bank what extra time they can.
Justin Timberlake plays a ghetto rebel wrongly accused of murder who is forced to go into hiding with a beautiful and rich hostage (Amanda Seyfried). They soon begin a steamy romance.
Murphy will play a 'Timekeepers' officer described as "precise as the time he keeps." Niccol ("Gattaca," "S1m0ne") directs from a script he wrote and shooting begins in September. Eric Newman and Marc Abraham will produce.
Ovaj zaplet me pomalo podseca ne jednu epizodu neke SF serije koju sam gledao pre dosta godina (moguce da je u pitanju The Ray Bradbury Theater).
Ne secam se bas najbolje price, al uglavnom u buducnosti se sve placa vremenom. Ljudi, cini mi se imaju neku malu napravu koja pokazuje koliko im je vremena ostalo. Glavani junak je valjda neki kockar...
Secam se da je prva scena bila porodjaj gde detetu odmah po rodjenju ugradjuju vajlda nekakav cip...
Da li se neko seca mozda koja je serija/epizoda u pitanju?
Dir: Darren Aronofsky. US. 2010. 110 mins
Already back on track after Venice Golden Lion winner The Wrestler, Darren Aronofsky soars to new heights with Black Swan, an enthralling drama set in the competitive world of ballet. Alternately disturbing and exhilarating, this dark study of a mentally fragile performer derailed by her obsession with perfection is one of the most exciting films to come out of the Hollywood system this year. Indeed it's the perfect film to open the autumn season with its gala at Venice tonight, a bold display of cinematic fireworks that will leave audiences breathless.
It's a mesmerising psychological ride that builds to a gloriously theatrical tragic finale
Black Swan will be warmly received in Venice, Toronto and beyond and it should pirouette all the way to the Oscars next Feb. If the film is ultimately too unsettling to snag main prizes, it has at least one nomination in the bag for lead actress Natalie Portman who gives one of "those" performances, transforming herself after ten months of training into an accomplished ballerina, almost uncomfortable to watch as she consumes her difficult role.
Festival buzz and word of mouth will be incandescent in advance of the US opening on Dec 1 and box office response should be suitably strong in arthouse bookings. Courtesy of backer and distributor Fox Searchlight Pictures, whose specialty is crossing upscale films over into the mainstream, it could certainly build into a sizable hit as the awards season progresses. International prospects are just as bright.
If you can imagine The Turning Point run through with the psychological disturbia of Repulsion or Rosemary's Baby, you get the gist of Black Swan.
Portman plays Nina, a dancer in a top New York company run by Machiavellian artistic director Thomas Leroy (Cassel). As Leroy cruelly phases out his aging prima ballerina Beth Macintyre (Ryder), he announces that he will put on a new production of Swan Lake to open the next season and will select one of the younger dancers to dance the difficult dual roles of both White Swan and Black.
Nina is what is known as a "bunhead", a goody-two-shoes dedicated to dance at the cost of everything else in life. She is coaxed and nurtured in her obsession by her former dancer mother (Hershey) who drives her to extremes of devotion, while sheltering her from exposure to real life and interaction with other people.
While Leroy thinks Nina can dance the White Swan, he doesn't believe she has the sensuality or sexual experience to bring the Black Swan to life. But when she comes to solicit him for the part and bites his lip when he tries to kiss her, he casts her, believing that she has the potential to explore her dark side.
Helping her indulge her inner Black Swan is the arrival in the company of Lily (Kunis), a sexually confident, laid back Californian with a penchant for booze and drugs. As the pressure from herself and Leroy mounts, she becomes convinced that Lily is trying to steal the starring role for herself. With the opening performance imminent, Nina descends into a state of paranoia, lust, rebellion and violence where fantasy and reality are almost entirely blurred. She becomes a danger to herself and all around her.
Portman is captivating as Nina and not just because of her dancing prowess or her lean, emaciated ballerina's frame. Like Catherine Deneuve in Repulsion or Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby, she captures the confusion of a repressed young woman thrown into a world of danger and temptation with frightening veracity.
There is juicy support from Cassel, all arrogance and sexual dominance as Leroy; Kunis, effortlessly charismatic as the apparently friendly Lily, and, best of all, Hershey, who is wonderfully menacing - the unhinged Ruth Gordon of the piece - as the desperate, jealous mother.
Aronofsky and his faithful DP Matthew Libatique work wonders with the dance sequences, bringing them to life through ingenious and diverse camera movements, while keeping Nina's off-stage life grainy, hand-held and claustrophobic. They constantly unnerve us by following Nina from behind or showing glimpses of what might or might not be her double. It's a mesmerising psychological ride that builds to a gloriously theatrical tragic finale as Nina attempts to deliver the perfect performance.
Dirs: Robert Rodriguez & Ethan Maniquis. US. 2010. 104mins
Machete is a lurid and ludicrous piece of B-movie exploitation action-adventure, packed with death, mayhem, scantily clad women, disposable villains and snarling hero who makes Stallone seem like a bit of a wimp. Its self-knowing drive-in sensibility will help it find a culty late-night audience while young Hispanic audiences will find much to cheer about, though it is unlikely to have the crossover appeal to fill the post Expendables action gap.
Sleazy and off-kilter while also attracting a strong cast who are game enough to go along with sheer over-the-top nature of the story.
Robert Rodriguez (on-board here as co-director, co-producer, co-writer and co-editor as well as providing music via his band Chingon) has a fine old time trying to keep things gritty, sleazy and off-kilter while also attracting a strong cast who are game enough to go along with sheer over-the-top nature of the story, He succeeds for much of the time, though often the overly layered story lags as you wait for the next gory action sequence.
As is well known, the origin of Machete came when Rodriguez submitted a fake trailer to form part of the film Grindhouse in 2007, creating such a fan buzz that it gathered a momentum all of its own.
But the film would not really exist if it were not for the glowering, lived-in, face of Danny Trejo, a distinctive regular in other of Rodriguez's films (such as Desperado and Spy Kids) who is given his first leading role here. His Machete may not say very much, but as a tough-as-nails anti-hero he is a brutal and powerful presence.
The film opens with Machete, a Mexican Federale intent on rescuing a kidnapped woman, captured by evil drug dealer Torrez (Steven Seagal, sporting the oddest of hair styles) and seeing his wife beheaded in front of him.
Three years later Machete is wandering the streets on the US side of the border, trying to find some work. He is recruited by the mysterious Booth (Jeff Fahey) to assassinate the local anti-immigration senator (Robert De Niro), but after handing over his payment to a group trying to help immigrants is framed for the attempted assassination in finds himself on the run.
He find help and solace in the forms of Luz (Michelle Rodriguez), who runs a taco van but also leads a revolutionary group) and Sartana (Jessica Alba) an immigrations officer torn between policing the law and doing what is right. Women just can't resist our Machete... he also shares a little quality naked time with April (Lindsay Lohan), the wild-girl daughter of Booth.
The film spirals from one action-scene to the next, culminating in Machete leading an army of Mexicans (ranging from gang-bangers to gardeners and chefs) into battle with a vigilante army led by Von (Don Johnson), who happens to be associated to Torrez, Booth and the Senator.
Danny Trejo sensibly plays the whole thing dead straight. Never smiling, Machete is a one-man killing machine (at one point disemboweling on bad guy so he can use his intestine as a rope to swing from one floor to the next), though will still deliver more than a few pithy one-liners. When asked why he hasn't been in touch, he snarls: "Machete don't text".
Michelle Rodriguez is smart, lithe and intelligently sexy as the woman who secretly runs a revolutionary army (plus can handle guns while wearing the snuggest of clothes) while Jessica Alba is nicely feisty as the law enforcement officer who is drawn to the other side. She looks a little too slight in amongst the on-screen bruisers, but her character gets more interesting as the story develops.
Robert De Niro has a fine old time as a rabble-rousing anti-immigration senator, while Cheech Marin has a splendid cameo as Machete's brother, now a priest but still happy to wield shotguns if the need arises. And it does. Steven Seagal and Don Johnson are old-fashioned caricature villains, only really there to boos and hiss as Machete goes about slicing and dicing his way through the roster of bland villains' minions.
For part of the film Rodriguez tries to replicate the scratched and juddery nature of badly made exploitations films (the subtitles are a lurid yellow), but despite the washed-out look, it feels rather half-hearted, and when Machete functions best it is as a tongue-in-cheek action romp.
The end credits announce that Machete will be back in two sequels (Machete Kills and Machete Kills Again), but whether that is a filmmakers' joke or a planned reality is unclear.
Jamie Bell has joined the cast of the crime drama "Man on a Ledge" for Summit Entertainment reports Deadline.
Aussie spunk Sam Worthington plays a cop falsely imprisoned who escapes after being let out for his father's funeral and stands on a hotel ledge threatening suicide.
Bell plays his brother, the planner of a heist of a jewellery store across the street while his brother's actions are keeping everyone occupied. It was reported earlier that Anthony Mackie is in negotiations to play the disgraced cop's ex-partner.
The role of the female psychiatrist who tries to talk the cop down from his precarious perch has yet to be cast, though Amy Adams is rumoured to be interested.
Erich and Jon Hoeber are presently re-writing Pablo Fenjves's script. Shooting kicks off in November in New York.
Liam Neeson is in negotiations to reteam with his "The A-Team" director Joe Carnahan for survival drama "The Grey" for Inferno Entertainment and Scott Free reports Heat Vision.
Neeson will play the lead of an oil drilling team who find themselves struggling to survive in the Alaskan wild after their plane goes down. They're soon hunted by aggressive wolves intent on killing the human intruders.
Neeson will replace another "A-Team" member, Bradley Cooper, who was slated to star in the project which Carnahan and Ian Jeffers penned. Carnahan, Jules Daly and Bill Johnson are producing.
Bleeding Cool reports that Chin Han ("The Dark Knight") and Hong Kong actress Josie Ho ("Exiled," "Street Fighter: Legend of Chun-Li") have joined the cast of Steven Soderbergh's pandemic thriller "Contagion".
Ho would play the sister of Patient Zero, the first diagnosed case who is a casino worker who spreads a deadly virus to passengers on an airplane leaving for the United States.
Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Laurence Fishburne, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law and John Hawkes also star. Shooting kicks off in Hong Kong later this month for a release next October.
The Town
A Warner Bros. release presented in association with Legendary Pictures of a GK Films, Thunder Road Film production. Produced by Graham King, Basil Iwanyk. Executive producers, Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, William Fay, David Crockett. Co-producer, Chay Carter. Directed by Ben Affleck. Screenplay, Peter Craig, Affleck, Aaron Stockard, based on the novel "Prince of Thieves" by Chuck Hogan.
Doug MacRay - Ben Affleck
Claire Keesey - Rebecca Hall
FBI S.A. Adam Frawley - Jon Hamm
James Coughlin - Jeremy Renner
Krista Coughlin - Blake Lively
Dino Ciampa - Titus Welliver
Fergus "Fergie" Colm - Pete Postlethwaite
Stephen MacRay - Chris Cooper
The behind-the-camera talent Ben Affleck displayed so bracingly in "Gone Baby Gone" is confirmed, if not significantly advanced, in "The Town." Again proving a fine director of actors (this time with himself in a starring role), Affleck delivers another potent, serious-minded slice of pulp set on Boston's meanest streets, where loyalty among thieves runs thicker than blood. But while it pulses with atmosphere, this tale of grand larceny, unlikely romance and betrayal sacrifices some of "Baby's" troubling ambiguity and emotional force in pursuit of broader, more action-driven appeal. Results should bag Warners an appreciably large payday in wide release.
From Martin Scorsese's "The Departed" to the Dennis Lehane adaptations "Mystic River" and "Gone Baby Gone," the past decade has been a strong one for pictures set in and around certain violent enclaves of Boston. Without skimping on the flavorsome accents, pungent atmosphere and fatalistic undertow that come with the territory, "The Town," with its suggestion of the possibility of escape from a life of tribally ordered violence, represents a slightly more optimistic example of this crime-movie subgenre.
Based on Chuck Hogan's novel "Prince of Thieves," the film informs us at the outset that Charlestown, Mass., though only one square mile in size, has produced more bank robbers and armored-car thieves than any other part of the U.S. One of these is cool-headed Doug MacRay (Affleck), who -- along with his screw-loose best friend, James Coughlin (Jeremy Renner), and two other partners -- pulls off the efficient, unnerving bank job that opens the picture. The sequence is distinguished by its fastidious attention to detail, from the bandits' use of bleach to remove DNA traces to the ghoulish masks they wear, and ends with an agitated James taking bank employee Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) hostage, only to release her, unharmed, after a few hours of driving.
An FBI team led by Adam Frawley (Jon Hamm) quickly fingers the four crooks -- all repeat offenders who have skillfully evaded capture -- but struggles to find evidence that will make a conviction stick. Meanwhile, in the story's most intriguing development, James' ongoing paranoia about how much Claire saw leads Doug to seek out the traumatized young woman; after some awkwardness in a laundromat meet-cute, Claire warms to this handsome stranger, unaware he's the same guy who coaxed her into cracking open a vault.
It's not hard to see why Claire would be charmed by Doug; we're charmed by him, too. That speaks well of Affleck's natural likability but leaches some complexity and danger from his conception of this supposedly hardened but terribly romantic criminal. By contrast, Renner's James seethes with barely repressed violence; his reaction to seeing Doug and Claire together for the first time has an edgy, unpredictable tension the picture as a whole could use more of.
And so the love of a good woman becomes the catalyst for Doug's decision to ditch his life of crime, but Charlestown doesn't surrender its own easily, and neither James nor their rigid crime boss, Fergie (Pete Postlethwaite), intends to let Doug make a clean getaway. Doug's efforts to extricate himself from his bloody destiny -- inherited from his father and tied to a childhood trauma that doesn't feel dramatically well integrated -- power the film's eventful second half, during which the team attempts two more armed robberies, leading to explosive standoffs with the police and the FBI.
If Doug already seems too far down the road to redemption to lend "The Town" much traction as a character piece, it has outstanding virtues as a straightforward crime procedural. As in "Gone Baby Gone," Affleck conveys the ferocity of violence onscreen without resorting to gratuitous excess, and the frenzied gunplay of the multiple action sequences -- aided by Robert Elswit's rough-and-ready cinematography and Dylan Tichenor's agile editing -- strikes an ideal balance between kineticism and clarity.
Pic has a real feel for the neighborhood and uses it inventively; a car chase at the midway point derives much of its impact from the claustrophobia of Charlestown's narrow lanes and high walls. Local slang peppers the tangy script (credited to Affleck, his "Baby" co-scribe Aaron Stockard and Peter Craig), which revels in the sort of satisfying monologues and well-timed comebacks that tie it to an older, more classical storytelling tradition.
Hall, a sympathetic presence from the get-go, is eventually sidelined in a role that grows more conventional as the film proceeds, while "Gossip Girl's" Blake Lively, almost unrecognizable here, has fierce, pained moments as the moll and single mother Doug has tossed aside. Postlethwaite, wrapping his lips around an Irish accent, radiates a sadistic malevolence, and Chris Cooper makes a brief, somewhat pro-forma appearance as Doug's father, emerging from the shadow of a jail cell to impress upon us the steep price of a life of crime.
Camera (Technicolor, Panavision widescreen), Robert Elswit; editor, Dylan Tichenor; music, Harry Gregson-Williams, David Buckley; production designer, Sharon Seymour; art director, Peter Borck; set designer, George R. Lee; set decorator, Maggie Martin; costume designer, Susan Matheson; sound, David J. Schwartz (Dolby Digital/DTS/SDDS); supervising sound editors, Aaron Glascock, Curt Schulkey; re-recording mixers, Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker; special effects supervisor, Allen Hall; visual effects, Hydraulx, Invisible Effects; assistant director, Donald Murphy; second unit director/second unit camera, Alexander Witt; casting, Lora Kennedy. Reviewed at Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Aug. 25, 2010. (In Venice Film Festival -- noncompeting; Toronto Film Festival -- Gala Presentations.) MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 124 MIN.
"The Hurt Locker" hunk Jeremy Renner and Swedish actress and "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" star Noomi Rapace are apparently set for the titular roles in the comedy/horror/fantasy "Hansel And Gretel: Witch Hunters" for Paramount Pictures.
Twitchfilm uncovered an interview with Renner conducted at the Venice International Film Festival where he let slip their casting. The pertinent quote: "I think Hansel and Gretel will be awesome. I play him and Noomi Rapace plays Gretel. They have become adults, are damned and going on witch hunting."
Norwegian filmmaker Tommy Wirkola ("Dead Snow") makes his English-language debut on the film which is set 15 years after the original Grimm's fairy tale. Having killed the witch who tried to cook them as kids, the siblings are now grown-up, shotgun wielding witch slayers.
Dante Harper helped flesh out the script, while the tone is said to be aiming for a horror/satire along "Evil Dead 2" and "Shaun of the Dead" lines.
Jeremy Renner ("The Hurt Locker") is reportedly in talks to replace his "S.W.A.T." co-star Colin Farrell in the indie drama "Virtue Fall" says The Press Association.
Scribe Sheldon Turner makes his directorial debut on the project which follows a federal agent just released from five years imprisonment who sets out to get revenge on his former partner who framed him and has since risen in the police ranks. Eric Bana also stars.
Complicating things is Renner's commitment to several other projects, most notably the forthcoming fourth "Mission: Impossible" project. He's also attached to appear in Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master," James McTeigue's indie period thriller "Raven," Marvel's ensemble superhero film "The Avengers," and the horror/comedy "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters".
Nicolas Chartier ("The Hurt Locker") will produce the $20 million-budgeted 'Virtue'.
Dir/music: Clint Eastwood. US. 2010. 123mins
Clint Eastwood takes a bold change of pace with Hereafter, a compelling and thoughtfully structured delve into the world of the supernatural, weaving together three separate storylines that all finally converge to satisfying effect. This is no spooky chiller though...instead a fascinating look at how death affects a series of completely different people.
Cecile de France is thoroughly enchanting as the glamorous TV presenter who finds her life unraveling.
The film is scripted by Peter Morgan – whose impressive track record includes The Queen and Frost/Nixon) - and he has set Eastwood a rather different directorial challenge. This is not a film dominated by action or effects, but instead a complex interwoven story of people trying to deal with the traumas and find solace rather than solutions.
That being said, Hereafter does open in quite spectacular fashion. Successful French television reporter Marie (the spectacularly good Cecile de France) is on holiday with her TV director boyfriend at a tropical beachside resort and one morning she wanders into the nearby town to look for trinkets to take home to Paris.
The resort is then hit with a massive tsunami, and she finds herself swept away in the terrifying torrent of water. She is plucked from the water, and while two men try and save her she finds herself mentally seeing 'the other side', strange shadowy white figures against a misty backdrop. She is miraculously brought back to life, but cannot forget or totally comprehend her near-death experience.
Meanwhile in San Francisco, factory worker George (Matt Damon) is trying to hide away from his previous career as a psychic who could communicate with the dead. For him his power is a terrible curse rather than a gift, and he tries to hide himself away and not get close to people.
Taking a night school course in Italian cooking – Damon is engagingly clumsy chopping tomatoes – he meets a woman trying to start her life over (Bryce Dallas Howard), but when they start to get close she asks him to 'read' her. He delves into her past and tells her truths which drive her away.
In England young twins Marcus and Jason (Frankie and George McLaren) try to protect their druggie mother from the local social service, but when Jason is killed in a car accident Marcus finds himself taken away from his mother and also haunted by the loss of his brother.
The threesome of George, Marie and Marcus are all touched by death in different ways, and each struggle to find ways to deal with the ways that their memories and emotions drive them to find answers.
Marie takes a leave of absence from her job and writes a book about her experience in the tsunami and about the afterlife – after taking a side trip to Switzerland to talk to an academic who ha studied the hereafter (Marthe Keller in a nice cameo) – while young Marcus visits fake psychics and doctors as he looks to find a way to communicate with his brother. While searching the net he comes across an old website detailing George's abilities.
The three finally come together in London. George is there on a holiday – and a way to escape his brother (Jay Mohr) and his plans for George to go back into the psychic business – and Marie is in the city on a book tour. The three meet by accident at a book fair, where George is drawn to Marie at a reading and where Marcus spots George and follows him back to his hotel.
Eastwood ends the film with no crash-bang effects or profound announcements. Simply that these three very different people find ways to deal with their brushes with death. George helps Marcus to let his bother go, and in a low-key moment at the end George and Marie find the possibility of love.
Clint Eastwood does not resort to any clever editing to tell the three parallel stories, instead opts for a linear style switching between each storyline in 10 minute bursts, and allowing each of the characters to develop gradually. He does a great job in reflecting the socio-economic circumstances of each character (Marie is wealthy and glamorous, Marcus has a tough housing estate life and George lives modestly and along and works in a local factory) and with no fuss of grandstanding elegantly weaves the parallel storyline together.
Cecile de France is thoroughly enchanting as the glamorous TV presenter who finds her life unraveling after the tsunami (a brilliantly staged effects sequence), while Matt Damon underplays impressively as a man trying to hide from life. Young Frankie McLaren has a tougher job as the tormented youngster, called on largely to look doe-eyed and sad for most of the film, but he holds his own a his storyline develops.
It is good to see Clint Eastwood trying something very different. Fans expecting to see a supernatural thriller will be disappointed....but those interested in a shrewdly made and well-scripted drama about loss and compassion will be intrigued and impressed.
Matthew McConaughey and Emile Hirsch are starring in Voltage Pictures' black comedy "Killer Joe."
William Friedkin is directing the picture, which will start shooting in Nov. 8 in and around New Orleans.
The script, by Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning writer Tracy Letts, centers on a brother (Hirsch) and sister combo who plot the death of their mother for the insurance money and hire "Killer Joe" Cooper, a cop and contract killer (McConaughey) to do the deed.
Producing are Scott Einbinder of ANA Media and Voltage's Nicolas Chartier.
Voltage, which is also financing, is handling foreign sales at TIFF.
McConaughey, repped by WME and Gus Gustawes, was last seen on the big screen in 2009's "Ghost of Girlfriends Past."
Hirsch, repped by WME and the Collective, recently wrapped sci-fi movie "The Darkest Hour" for Summit.
EXCLUSIVE: Gary Ross is in early talks to direct The Hunger Games, the first installment of the novel trilogy by Suzanne Collins. The film is a joint production between Lionsgate and Color Force's Nina Jacobson. Filming will start next year with a script by Billy Ray, who rewrote a draft by the author. The huge sales of the trilogy make the film adaptations a potential game-changer for Lionsgate, the way that Twilight was for Summit Entertainment. It has been a coveted job among directors (Three More Directors Circle 'The Hunger Games'), and Lionsgate picture chief Joe Drake and Jacobson spent the past two weeks meeting candidates that included Sam Mendes, David Slade (also a contender for the X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2 job), Andrew Adamson, Rupert Sanders, and Nanny McPhee Returns helmer Susanna White. There was also talk about Francis Lawrence. It's unclear who stayed in or out as Lionsgate focused on Ross, who directed Pleasantville and Seabiscuit. He isn't set yet, but he is the choice. Let the negotiating games begin. Mendes, for instance, bowed out of contention last Friday, and I'm told it was because the MGM picture is clearing up and it looks like production on 007 could begin by late summer or early fall, 2011 with Mendes at the helm and Daniel Craig back in the Aston Martin.
The Hunger Games takes place in the futuristic ruins of North America, which crumbled and was replaced by a Capitol and 12 districts. Each district is forced to supply 2 teenagers, between 12 and 18. They participate in The Hunger Games, a televised reality series that pits the contestants against one another in a battle to the death. The heroine is 16-year old Katniss Everdeen, a skilled hunter who's adept with a bow and arrow. She replaces her younger sister, who was chosen in a lottery. She is joined by a baker's son who is also chosen from her dirt poor home district. The subject matter is dark, but book has become a juggernaut: the final installment, Mockingjay, has sold over 450,000 since being published August 24 by Scholastic.
Saoirse Ronan and James Gandolfini have joined the indie drama "Daisy and Violet" for Magic Violet/GreeneStreet Films reports Variety.
The story centres on a pair of teenage female assassins who are lured into what is supposed to be just another quick and easy job, only to find complications as the man they're supposed to kill is not what they expected.
"Precious" scribe Geoffrey Fletcher makes his directorial debut on the project and is producing with Bonnie Timmerman. Filming kicks off September 27th in New York.
Comedian Kevin James will star in an untitled mixed martial arts movie which has just been greenlit at Sony Pictures reports Deadline.
The story centers on an affable physics professor (James) who moonlights as a mixed martial arts fighter in order to score enough money to save his friend's job and his school's music program.
His path takes him all the way up to the Ultimate Fighting Championship circuit. Allan Loeb penned the script.
James and Todd Garner will produce, but no director is yet set. Production aims to kick off sometime next year.
David Fincher's "The Social Network" may be the quintessential story of young Machiavellian entrepreneurship in an age of streamlined communication, but it is also a story of the social disconnect that can be as galvanizing as any other source of ambition...for better or worse. The Mark Zuckerberg of Fincher's film uses the sting of that disconnect to spark a fire of creativity, and the film very much concerns itself with the gauntlet of his motivation. (The New Yorker's profile, culled from rare extensive interviews with the 26-year-old billionaire, is a wonderful primer for the dramatization.)
In some sense, the film could be viewed as a distant cousin of Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan," both presenting protagonists flawed by their own aggressive drive. But while Nina is a tragic figure of self-destruction, Zuckerberg is a tragic figure of self-alienation.
The veracity of the events depicted might be in question, but the portrait is actually somewhat flattering of Zuckerberg. One can't help but respect his shrewdness in the jungle of "business is business," until the line is crossed. And in that moment the film becomes something else entirely, a cold, stirring reflection of psychological frailty at its honest, authentic worst.
Andrew Garfield breathes captivating life into this scene and every emotional beat leading up to it. He is, for so many reasons, the stand out of a perfectly cast ensemble at every step. Justin Timberlake, meanwhile, as Napster founder and Facebook advising creator Sean Parker, also excels with a performance of energy and charisma. Given the obvious music industry ties, it might seem like merely brilliant stunt casting, but Timberlake adds a palpable edge.
And then there is Jesse Eisenberg, whose anchored, skilfully navigated portrayal of an incredibly complex individual will hopefully not be a thankless contribution to the fall movie season.
Fincher and cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth shot the film digitally and directly to memory cards — no film, no tapes, no hard drives. It's a brave new world for the technology and this effort couldn't look any more gorgeous, light kissing the dark, crisp imagery in just the right places throughout. Moreover, the chilly nature of the tale (and Fincher's propensity to that kind of material) lends itself nicely to the cool hues. The structure of the film, meanwhile, presents an opportunity for dazzling editing from Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter, and the unconventional score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is a mesmerizing treat that sucks you right into the narrative.
But the biggest star of the show should stand up and take a bow.
Aaron Sorkin's way with words has gone unnoticed by the Academy to date. The man hasn't even received a nomination. But for this, he deserves the statue itself. The dialog, as one would expect, crackles and pops, but beneath that Sorkin trademark is the strong thematic pulse of a very human story.
And if I haven't mentioned Fincher it's because this film is more free of his signature than any in his career. That's not to say there is an anonymous quality to the helming, but Fincher smartly lets his tonal sensibilities step in for his penchant for stylistic flourishes.
I think it may be reaching for grandiose sentiments to say "The Social Network" is a film that "defines a generation." However, I will say this: it is the most culturally relevant film Scott Rudin has produced since 1998′s "The Truman Show." But while that film was a potent forecast of where we were heading as an entertainment-hungry society, this one is no less significant for its depiction of the here and now.
Coen je filmski Freddy Mercury
Britanski glumac Sacha Baron Coen igraće Freddya Mercurya u filmu o grupi Qeen, izjavio je gitarista Brian May.
Foto: Wikimedia Commons
Foto: Wikimedia Commons
"Uzeli smo Saschu Barona Coena što će verovatno šokirati mnoge ljude, ali mi odavno razgovaramo s njim o tome", rekao je May.
Autor scenarija je Peter Morgan, koji je pisao scenario i za film "Frost/Nikson". Novi projekat josš nema naslov.
Početak snimanje filma koji će biti fokusiran na nastup benda Queen na humanitarnom koncertu Live Aid 1985. godine u Londonu, zakazan je za iduću godinu.
Njihov nastup na tom koncertu na stadionu Wmbley, u trajanju od 21-og minuta, na kojem su izveli "Bohemian Rhapsody", "We Are The Champions" i "Radio Ga Ga" smatra se jednim od najboljih rok nastupa.
Brian May i bubnjar Roger Taylor biće zaduženi za muziku u filmu u kojem će biti i numere benda i iz Mercuryeve solo karijere.
Anchor Bay Films has acquired North American, UK and Australian rights to John Bonito's thriller Carjacked set to star Maria Bello and Stephen Dorff.
Principal photography is scheduled to begin in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on November 15, on the story about a single mother who helps her son escape from a carjacking and must free herself when the villain drives her vehicle into a lake.
This is the company's second acquisition on a film starring Maria Bello following this week's seven-figure deal on Toronto entry Beautiful Boy. Dorff is currently riding high on the Venice Golden Lion success of Somewhere.
Daniel Grodnik and Mass Hysteria Entertainment produced. Eric Gozlan, Murray Rosenthal, Richard Iott and Mike Greenfield served as executive producers. Ed Noeltner's Cinema Management Group is handling sales on all available territories.
Anchor Bay Entertainment president Bill Clark, Anchor Bay Films's executive vice-president of worldwide acquisitions and co-productions Kevin Kasha and Richard Turner for Anchor Bay Films negotiated the deal with the producers.
"One of the best aspects of my job is working with producers and directors that I truly like and admire," Kasha said. "Daniel and John are exactly that, and we are glad they are part of the Anchor Bay Films family."
Woody Allen: The Director's Cut
By DAVE ITZKOFF
Woody AllenSuzanne DeChillo/The New York Times The nervous guy from those Woody Allen movies: Woody Allen.
Boy, if life were only like this: on Tuesday morning, this reporter (who always regrets he never had the "Star Wars"-themed bar mitzvah party depicted in "Deconstructing Harry") found himself ushered into a New York hotel office suite to speak with Woody Allen about his new film, "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger." And while Mr. Allen, 74, characteristically complained about the air conditioning in the chilly suite, he did not accuse his interlocutor of knowing nothing about his work, and spoke at length about the themes in his latest movie, his filmmaking process and his thoughts on getting older – not to mention his next feature, "Midnight in Paris," whose ensemble cast happens to include the first lady of France.
A version of this interview appeared in Wednesday's edition of The New York Times. These are longer excerpts from that conversation.
Q.
Should I wish you a happy Jewish new year?
A.
No, no, no. [laughs] That's for your people. I wish I could get with it. It would be a big help on those dark nights.
Q.
But there's an undercurrent, isn't there, in the new movie – not of religion, but of spirituality and supernatural phenomenon?
A.
Well, I link them together. To me, there's no real difference between a fortune teller or a fortune cookie and any of the organized religions. They're all equally valid or invalid, really. And equally helpful.
Q.
The ideas of psychic powers and past lives, or at least people who believe in them, are central to "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger." What got you interested in writing about them?
A.
I was interested in the concept of faith in something. This sounds so bleak when I say it, but we need some delusions to keep us going. And the people who successfully delude themselves seem happier than the people who can't. I've known people who have put their faith in religion and in fortune tellers. So it occurred to me that that was a good character for a movie: a woman who everything had failed for her, and all of a sudden, it turned out that a woman telling her fortune was helping her. The problem is, eventually, she's in for a rude awakening.
Q.
What seems more plausible to you, that we've existed in past lives, or that there is a God?
A.
Neither seems plausible to me. I have a grim, scientific assessment of it. I just feel, what you see is what you get.
Q.
Among the leading men you've worked with, Josh Brolin would seem to go at the more rugged end of the spectrum. What got you interested in working with him for this film?
A.
Interestingly, he was the one person that I thought of while I was in the middle of writing it, the one actor I thought of. I'd worked with him once briefly before, and I saw him in "W." and thought he was just a fabulous actor. I wanted some guy who would be sitting home, embittered, unable to live up to his promise – desperate to try and succeed in some way. And I felt Josh could play all those characteristics. He could play a lug, but he could bring a sympathetic quality to him. He gained weight for the part, deliberately. And then he could sit home and dissipate and drink beer and try and write but not make it, and become distracted by an attractive woman in a window.
Q.
The woman-in-the-window scenario, I suppose it could happen in other cities as well, but that's such a classic New York fantasy, isn't it?
A.
Yes, I have that, but I don't see a woman. I live in a house on the Upper East Side, and I can see out my back window. But I always see guys who work in an office and I'll see them at their computers. I often think, my God, if there was a beautiful woman there, it's such a romantic thing. You'd make up so many stories about her, and then if she was married, you'd be wondering about her and husband, and when you went down in the neighborhood to shop for your groceries, would you see her? There's so much material there. But it is New York.
Q.
There's a motif that reoccurs in your films, including this one, of the talented person who is concerned that his abilities are fading. Why does that idea still intrigue you?
A.
It's been one of the few fears in life that I've never had myself, but it gets brought up to me all the time and has been for decades. There are people who say, Do you ever think you'll wake up one morning and just not be funny? No. I never thought that, it never occurred to me. Apparently there are people that do suffer from writers' block, and I know there have been jazz musicians who were quite wonderful at one time and then never achieved that again. Something went out of them in some way. But I don't identify with that at all.
Q.
Going back to 1982, I don't think there's been a year where you haven't released at least one new film. Does your filmmaking ever feel like an obligation, like you've got to do it just to keep your streak alive?
A.
Oh, no, no, I never think of it in those terms. When a project is finished – last week I finished editing this film I shot in Paris last summer – then I'll fondle for a week or two, or a month, put in a little music and play around with it. But there's not much more to do on it really. So you sit around, and then what? What is the next thing you do? I start to write. I have a lot of ideas, some of them are good, some of them are less good, and I just make them.
Q.
But there are other filmmakers who share your drive, and they can get lost for five years in a project, or long periods where we don't see any output from them.
A.
I work on a small budget. I have always had the money before I wrote the script. So when I pull the script out of the typewriter, the next day I give it to my production people and we go into production with it. Whereas some other person writes a perfectly wonderful script, and then they've got to raise $30, 40 million to make the film. So they bring it to Harvey Weinstein and they bring it to Columbia. And they say, well, yes, if you can get Brad Pitt we'll do this. I've never done that in my life. I've never ever waited for anybody. It's who I want and who's available at the time. If the ideal person for the part is Jack Nicholson and he's not available but he will be available in eight months or four months or something, I don't wait. Now, that's because I'm less an artist.
Q.
Why do you say that?
A.
I don't have the patience. When I first started to make films, I made "Take the Money and Run" and "Bananas," and every second you had to be working. Everything was the film, the film. And I said to myself, This is crazy. I have other priorities that are more important. I don't sit there and do 14 takes till I get just the perfect one. Because I want to go home and watch the Knicks or the Yankees. I don't care enough about my work to be that exacting.
Q.
How do you feel about the aging process?
A.
Well, I'm against it. [laughs] I think it has nothing to recommend it. You don't gain any wisdom as the years go by. You fall apart, is what happens. People try and put a nice varnish on it, and say, well, you mellow. You come to understand life and accept things. But you'd trade all of that for being 35 again. I've experienced that thing where you wake up in the middle of the night and you start to think about your own mortality and envision it, and it gives you a little shiver. That's what happens to Anthony Hopkins at the beginning of the movie, and from then on in, he did not want to hear from his more realistic wife, "Oh, you can't keep doing that — you're not young anymore." Yes, she's right, but nobody wants to hear that.
Q.
Has getting older changed your work in any way? Do you see a certain wistfulness emerging in your later films?
A.
No, it's too hit or miss. There's no rhyme or reason to anything that I do. It's whatever seems right at the time. I've never once in my life seen any film of mine after I put it out. Ever. I haven't seen "Take the Money and Run" since 1968. I haven't seen "Annie Hall" or "Manhattan" or any film I've made afterward. If I'm on the treadmill and I'm scooting through the channels, and I come across one of them, I go right past it instantly, because I feel it could only depress me. I would only feel, "Oh God, this is so awful, if I could only do that again."
Q.
You recently told the European press that shooting movies in New York had become too expensive. Do you think you've made your last film here?
A.
My first choice would always be New York. It would be my fondest wish — to work where you live is of course the most luxurious privilege, and I'm sure I will film here again. But the few dollars I have go further in certain places. The cities I'm talking about — London, Paris, Barcelona — these are very cosmopolitan, and they're like New York. I can afford it a little bit easier. To me it's a privilege to shoot in New York, and I don't mind it being extra. I just have to have it, to be able to afford it. I would always make the picture in New York for $15 million that I could make elsewhere for $12 million, if I had $15 million. But if I don't have the money, then I can't do it.
Q.
It's not a situation in which these European cities have rolled out the red carpet for you, whereas New York took you for granted?
A.
New York has always been cooperative and helpful and a pleasure to shoot in. But the European countries do give you an enormous amount of cooperation. I still occasionally have to make cuts in my film to work there, too. I'm always working with less money than I need. It's axiomatic.
Q.
At some point you end up making the movie for free.
A.
Actually, very, very often it costs the actors money to be in the film. Because we pay union minimum. And really no frills. In order to come to New York or Barcelona or wherever, it costs them money to do it. And I make so little myself, really, when you think that I write the script and sometimes would be in the film, and then spend all the time working on it, in the editing room and the music and the color correction and the mix. I get much less for it than many of my contemporaries get for just writing the script or directing the picture.
Q.
Were you prepared for the firestorm of media coverage you set off by casting Carla Bruni-Sarkozy in your next movie, "Midnight in Paris"?
A.
I was very surprised at the level of journalism that occurred in relation to her. She has a small part in the movie — a real part, but it's a small part. And I shot with her the first day, and then all the papers said she was terrible, and I did 32 takes with her. Of course I didn't even do 10 takes with her. This was just a magical number that some guy created in a room. Then they printed that her husband came to the set and was angry with her. He came to the set once, and he was delighted. He felt she was a natural actress and couldn't have been happier.
Q.
That would make a good blurb for the movie poster.
A.
For some reason, the press wanted to say bad things about her. I don't know if they had something against the Sarkozys, or it was a better way to sell papers. But the fabrications were so wild and so completely fake, and I wondered to myself, Is this what happens with Afghanistan and the economy and matters of real significance? This is a trivial matter. That's a longwinded answer to your question: I was not prepared for the amount of press that was attached to the picture because of Madame Sarkozy.
Q.
When you've got down time between projects, as you do now, how do you spend it?
A.
I do the usual stuff. I take my kids to school in the morning. I go for walks with my wife, play with my jazz band. Then there's the obligation of the treadmill, and the weights, to keep in shape, so I don't get more decrepit than I am. I generally don't see the big Hollywood movies. I saw "Winter's Bone" the other day and liked the movie very much, loved all the performers. And when I was in Paris, I got a chance to read a certain amount, Tolstoy and Norman Mailer. Things that had slipped through the cracks over the years.
Q.
I half-expected to see you at that 12-hour performance of Dostoyevsky's "Demons" that Lincoln Center Festival produced over the summer.
A.
No, no, I'm a lowbrow. I read that material, more out of obligation than enjoyment. For enjoyment, for me, it's a beer and the football game.
Dir: David Fincher. US. 2010. 123mins
An intensely rendered account of how a group of young webpreneurs gave the world Facebook, director David Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin's The Social Network is almost as clever and emotionally distant as its central character, digital age iconoclast Mark Zuckerberg. The Scott Rudin-produced drama has been generating blogosphere buzz for months and looks set to be a contender in awards season. But even with its hot young cast it could prove a bit chilly and impenetrable for mainstream moviegoers, especially those who haven't yet bought into the Facebook phenomenon.
Surprisingly, given his reputation for fancy visuals in films like Fight Club and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Fincher plays it fairly straight here.
The Sony release opens the New York Film Festival this week and goes wide in the US on October 1, backed by a stylish and ubiquitous ad campaign. Sony's marketing task - in the US and perhaps even more so when the film has its international roll out through October and November - will be to play up the universal themes of power, status and loyalty that underlie the cyber business story.
As portrayed in Sorkin's script, based on Ben Mezrich's non-fiction book The Accidental Billionaire, Zuckerberg (played by fast-rising Jesse Eisenberg, from last year's Zombieland) was a brilliant but socially inept and dislikable 19-year-old Harvard student when he came up with the web site that would soon lead to the launch Facebook.
In the film, Zuckerberg's only friend, Eduardo Saverin (new Spider-Man Andrew Garfield, from Never Let Me Go), provides him with seed money for his fledgling company. But Zuckerberg clashes with the Winklevoss twins (Armie Hammer and Josh Pence), wealthy and handsome Harvard rowing stars who think the new web-based social network was their idea.
As Facebook takes off, the idealistic Zuckerberg and more businesslike Saverin begin to have different ideas about how to develop the company. Then Napster co-founder and cyber rock star Sean Parker (played by singer-actor Justin Timberlake) enters the picture, bringing serious money into the venture, introducing Zuckerberg to the high life in California and pushing Saverin aside. Parker becomes the villain of the story, Saverin the hard done by foil and Zuckerberg the tragic hero, though the film gives him only the briefest of sympathetic moments at the very end of the story.
Surprisingly, given his reputation for fancy visuals in films like Fight Club and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Fincher plays it fairly straight here, using only subtle visual touches to steer the mood of the film while keeping the pace as rapid fire as the characters' minds.
It's Sorkin - best known, of course, for dissecting power and ego in the likes of A Few Good Men and TV's The West Wing - who sets out to reflect the Facebook phenomenon, with its emphasis on self-creation, by presenting the story from the main characters' differing perspectives. Much of the action is presented as flashbacks from the deposition hearings that result when Saverin sues Zuckerberg for a bigger share of Facebook's success and the Winklevoss twins sue over their claim to have had the original idea. The deposition scenes - like the film overall - are very talky, but they produce some terrific moments and give the film emotional ballast that would otherwise be entirely missing.
Though the film is very much Sorkin and Fincher's show, Eisenberg is very impressive as the quietly tortured Zuckerberg and Garfield is likable without getting syrupy. Timberlake (previously seen in Alpha Dog and The Open Road) confirms his acting credentials.
Among the film's other classy elements, former Nine Inch Nails rocker Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross provide a standout music score.
Production companies: Columbia Pictures, Relativity Media
Worldwide distributor: Sony Pictures
Producers: Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca, Cean Chaffin
Executive producer: Kevin Spacey
Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, based upon the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich
Cinematography: Jeff Cronenweth
Production designer: Donald Graham Burt
Editors: Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter
Music: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
Website: www.thesocialnetwork-movie.com (http://www.thesocialnetwork-movie.com)
Main cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Josh Pence
Guy Pearce, Catalina Sandino Moreno and Virginie Ledoyen will star for producer Doug Claybourne in the original comedy Mis-Fits.
Make It Happen Productions will produce the project and has set novelist, playwright, and film-maker L D Napier to direct from her own screenplay.
ICM is representing North American rights to the film about a detective who searches for people's dead relatives, set to commence principal photography in May 2011. The cast includes Seymour Cassel and Cloris Leachman
"It's a wacky comedy in the tone of Harold And Maude and we have an amazing cast," Claybourne said. I can hardly wait," Claybourne said.
Claybourne's producer credits include Rumble Fish and The Mask Of Zorro and he served as executive producer on Nights In Rodanthe, North Country, Duma, and The Fast And The Furious.
Steven Spielberg himself is said to be considering the film "Robopocalypse" as one of his next projects for Dreamworks Pictures says Vulture.
Based on Daniel H. Wilson's unpublished manuscript, the cautionary tale explores the fate of the human race after a robot uprising. Wilson, who has a Ph.D. in robotics, has grounded his tale in a heavy degree of authenticity derived from real robot technology.
Drew Goddard ("Cloverfield") has just handed in a new draft of the script which the studio is keen to check out. Spielberg still hasn't made up his mind about which project he'll next helm after "The War Horse".
Jodelle Ferland, Samantha Ferris, William B. Davis and Teach Grant are joining the $15 million suspense thriller "The Tall Man" reports Bloody Disgusting.
Pascal Laugier's first English-language feature stars Jessica Biel as a mother whose child is kidnapped by a shadowy figure known only as The Tall Man. She begins an intense hunt to find and retrieve her child.
Laugier wrote the script and will direct. Shooting kicks off shortly in Vancouver.
[HD]Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010) - Trailer 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXV2BymKh1Y#ws)
Zanimljivosti sa UHM-a:
SAW VII
* A moving version of the poster can be found here.
* Originally had an October 22nd 2010 release.
* Said to be "more violent" than its predecessors.
* This is confirmed to be the final installment in the long-running franchise.
* The film reportedly features 11 booby traps, which nearly doubles the average for the previous films.
* The film was re-edited and submitted six times to the MPAA to bring it down from an NC-17 to an R rating.
* Began filming in Toronto on February 8th and ended on April 12th 2010.
* Cary Elwes as "Dr. Gordon" from the first film makes his return.
* It's said that this is the "most expensive Saw film".
* Saw VI director Kevin Greutert was initially attached to helm Paranormal Activity 2 for Paramount, but in a surprise turn of events was brought back to direct this film by Lionsgate, replacing David Hackl.
* VH1's Scream Queen winner Tanedra Howard returns.
* Will be in 3D.
* Saw V director David Hackl (production designer for the second, third and fourth films) was once attached to direct.
* Actor Tobin Bell had reportedly signed on to do up to seven Saw films.
* Tobin Bell returns as "Jigsaw".
* Writers Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton (Feast, Saw IV through VI) return.
***
Jeepers Creepers III
Set 23 years after the previous film, we follow Trish Jenner (Gina Phillips), who is now a mother. Realizing that the return of the Creeper is just around the corner, she begins to have terrible recurring nightmares of her own teenage son confronting the creature and suffering the same fate as her deceased brother. Now a rich and powerful woman, she's determined to finally put an end to the Creeper once and for all.
* Originally thought to be titled Jeepers Creepers 3: The Creeper Walks Among Us and Jeepers Creepers 3: Cathedral.
* MGM originally inteded this to go straight to DVD, but writer/director Victor Salva hopes it'll go theatrical like the previous two.
* The film's subtitle "Cathedral" plays an important role in the story.
* Writer/director Victor Salva promises new surprises in the story and claims that this will be the biggest of the three films.
* We will see the return of the infamous truck the Creeper drove in the first movie.
* Gina Phillips returns as the character "Trish" from the first film.
* Actor Ray Wise reprises his role as "Jack Taggart Sr." from the previous film.
* Jonathan Breck returns as the "Creeper."
* Victor Salva will once again write and direct.
* Various characters from the previous two films may have roles or make cameo appearances.
* It's said that we will be given more background on the "Creeper."
* The film will serve as a prequel and sequel, starting off in the "Old West" and then switching to twenty years after the events of the previous film.
* This film has been in talks since before the sequel was released back in '03.
***
Night of the Demons
Angela Feld is throwing the Halloween party to end all Halloween parties at the infamous Broussard Mansion in New Orleans, where dark events transpired almost a century ago. But when the packed party gets busted by the police, Angela and her friends Maddie, Lily, Suzanne, Colin, Dex and Jason are the only ones left behind. Soon Colin and Angela make a grisly discovery in the basement and inexplicable events start to take place. With the mansion gates mysteriously locked, the seven find themselves trapped for the night...and soon they're fighting ancient demons for their very souls.
* Going straight to DVD via E1 Entertainment.
* Originally had an October 9th '09 release.
* Premiered at the UK's Frightfest on July 30th.
* Filmed New Orleans.
* You can read about the progress of the production here.
* Linnea Quigley returns for a brief cameo appearance, which will play homage to the original film.
* Actress Shannon Elizabeth plays "Angela."
* Not much is known about the project except it'll be a modern take on the first film, but also still offer the same stuff we saw in the original, I.E. blood, guts, breasts, demons, etc..
* Written by Adam Gierasch and Jace Anderson (duo behind Mother of Tears: The Third Mother, Autopsy).
* A remake of the original 1988 film.
Quote from: Mark on 26-09-2010, 17:13:04
* The film was re-edited and submitted six times to the MPAA to bring it down from an NC-17 to an R rating.
:x :x :x
Movie review
From Time Out Online
Let's hope Matt 'Cloverfield' Reeves's melancholic and lightly politicised remake of Tomas Alfredson's ambient Swedish teen-vamp classic 'Let the Right One In' can avoid the horrorphile brickbats that will inevitably be thrown at it. For, taken on its own merits, 'Let Me In' shows exceptional craft. Reeves relocates the story to New Mexico in 1983, a period soundtracked principally and amusingly by David Bowie's 'Let's Dance', and once again the story concerns the pre-teen, winter-light love affair between pallid social outcast Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and his feral, blood-lusting, sad-eyed beau, Abby (Chloe Moretz).
The film juxtaposes with grace the pair's otherness from a society fuelled by Reaganite machismo with the fact that their mutual affection is stymied by bizarre supernatural goings-on. A scrawny Smit-McPhee builds on his vulnerable naïf act from John Hillcoat's 'The Road' with a cruel sense of just why he has no friends – but it's Moretz who runs away with the film, proving she's much more than a one-hit Hit–Girl with a suitably restrained and empathetic performance.
Reeves's direction lunges more resolutely for the mainstream jugular, but that's no bad thing. There are a number of extremely distressing set pieces (including a car crash shot from a fixed-camera inside a vehicle) that make this feel less of an art film than the original. Yet there's no sense that the film has been made to satisfy the more adventurous alumni of the panda-eyed 'Twilight' set: this is just as committed to depicting the disquieting, anti-social particulars of the initial pangs of puberty as the original. It's also interesting that Reeves – unlike Alfredson – chooses to make Abby's victims anonymous: we're not invited to sympathise with her because she's dispatching single-note grotesques. If anything, this makes her situation all the more tragic. These subtle variations aside, 'Let Me In' doesn't strain to differentiate itself from the original, and some major events (including the gore-splashed underwater finale) are staged almost identically.
But perhaps the film's greatest coup (and what makes it – whisper it – better than the original) is that it refuses to romanticise teenage loneliness. It portrays these troubled tweens as a product of their estrangement rather than cute non-confomists blazing their own violent trail against the hatemongers. It makes our relationship with the unfortunately feeble Owen much more complex and – via an extremely troubling and perceptive final shot which suggests that he's still not mature enough to comprehend the realities of his ordeal – deliciously dangerous.
Author: David Jenkins 2010-09-29 14:29:55
Time Out Online 2010 London Film Festival
Kennedy/Marshall Co. and Flashlight Films have optioned the film rights Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger's memoir "Highest Duty" reports Variety.
Sullenberger is the veteran pilot who shot to news fame early last year when he safely landed U.S. Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River after birds flew into the engines and crippled the jet.
Sullenberger landed the plane safely on the river's surface, saving the lives of all 155 passengers on board. He co-wrote the book with Jeffrey Zaslow and will serve as consultant on the project along with his wife.
It's presently unknown if the film could become a theatrical feature or a television movie. The project is now out to writers but no studio is yet attached.
"Spider-Man" director Sam Raimi and "District 9" producer Bill Block are both in negotiations to produce the alien invasion thriller "E.D.F." for Warner Bros. Pictures reports Vulture.
The story opens with an alien attack to test our defenses in preparation for a larger scale attack coming in ten months time. During that period between attacks, world leaders have to figure out how to fight off the coming invasion.
E.D.F. stands for Earth Defense Force. Andrew Marlowe ("Air Force One") penned the script, while Raimi is not expected to direct.
Universal Pictures has acquired the film rights to Richard Aleas' 2004 crime novel "Little Girl Lost" reports Entertainment Weekly.
The story centers on John Blake, an NYU dropout-turned-private-investigator who learns his high school girlfriend who he thought went to medical school actually became a stripper and has been murdered.
Jonathan Levine ("The Wackness," "I'm With Cancer") is set to direct while "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" co-writer Michael Bacall is attached to write the screenplay.
First linked to the role back in May, Steve Carell is now officially set to star in and produce the narrative feature remake of 2008 music documentary "Of All the Things" at Warner Bros. Pictures reports Variety.
The original documentary centred on songwriter-producer Dennis Lambert, one of the top songwriters of pop music from the late 60's to the mid 80's, working with such famous bands as The Four Tops and The Commodores.
In 1972 his attempt to become a recording artist flopped as his debut album "Bags and Things" was virtually ignored upon release. Yet there was a twist - a single from the album, "Of All the Things", became a massive hit in the Philippines and is still played at Filipino weddings to this day.
Lambert was always asked to perform there but he declined until 2007 where he played five dates and managed to sell out a Valentine's Day concert at Araneta Coliseum.
Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley are penning the script. The pair recently worked on the script for "Burt Wonderstone" which Carell recently came onboard on.
Dir: Flavio Frederico. Brazil. 2010. 100mins
The glossily violent Boca ticks all of the boxes in terms of a gangland action drama, with the extra bonus that it is based on the real-life story of a young man who rose to become one of the most dangerous criminals of the area.
While the film is eminently watchable it offers little original.
The film is the life story of Hiroito de Moraes Joanides (Daniel de Oliviera), a well brought-up young man who was drawn to the prostitutes and bars of Boca do Lixo, a downtown region of Sao Paulo. When his father is murdered mysteriously he is accused of the killing, but there is never any evidence against him.
But before you know it he is easing himself into the gangland environment in the 1950s and '60s, killing off rivals, dealing in drugs and prostitutes and developing him a reputation as a brutal gang boss. He marries, but his violent ways lead to nothing but trouble and he descends into drug abuse and a spiral of violence.
Daniel de Oliviera may well have boyish looks, sporting slicked back hair and large black-rimmed glasses, but his character's enthusiasm for hookers and violence is nicely presented. The era of Boca do Lixo's 1950/60s mean-streets is impressively recreated, though while the film is eminently watchable it offers little original, and seems unlikely to travel far outside Brazil.
"A Few Good Men" stars Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson may reunite for the comedy "El Presidente" at Warner Bros. Pictures says The Los Angeles Times.
"Parks and Recreation" writer Daniel J. Goor penned the script which centers on a straight-laced Secret Service agent who gets assigned to protect an unsavory ex-President.
The pair end up on the run together when a threat is made on the life of the ex-prez. Cruise is attached to the agent role, while an offer is out to Nicholson for the ex-President role.
Tom Vaughan ("What Happens in Vegas," "Extraordinary Measures") is set to direct the romantic comedy "Boomsday" for GreeneStreet Films reports Yahoo.
An adaptation of Christopher Buckley's novel, the story follows a young Washington DC publicist who suggests via her blog that all of the senior citizens in the United States commit suicide to solve the Social Security Crisis.
A handsome politician decides to take up her cause, leading to many complications both romantically and politically.
Ronald Bass and Jen Smolka will adapt the screenplay. No actors are yet locked.
Ridley Scott is set to produce a four-hour mini-series for the BBC based on Philip K. Dick's Hugo Award-winning novel "The Man in the High Castle" reports the trades.
Howard Brenton (TV's "Spooks") will adapt the script of the story which is set in an alternate world where Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan defeated the Allied forces in World War II. The pair are now engaged in a Cold War, playing out in the former United States which each power now owns and governs half of.
The production schedule is presently unknown. Scott turned Dick's novel "Do Androids Dream Electric Sheep" into his 1982 cinematic classic "Blade Runner".
Robert Downey Jr. is set to star in the heist film "Yucatan" for Warner Bros. Pictures according to Deadline New York.
Anthony Peckham ("Sherlock Holmes") will pen the script, taking over from earlier writer Paul Scheuring ("Prison Break"), and will base it on almost 1,700 pages of decades-old notes and storyboards done by late acting legend Steve McQueen.
The story follows a group of thieves, lead by a deep sea salvage specialist (Downey), who head to Mexico to find Mayan treasure buried underwater for centuries in ruins beneath the Yucatan peninsula.
Dan Lin, Downey and his wife Susan were attached to the project as producers back in June but wasn't sure whether he would be involved on screen. Now he's set for the lead role, but no production schedule has yet been locked in.
"Breach" and "Shattered Glass" writer/director Billy Ray is set to serve in those capacities on a remake of 2009 Argentinian thriller "The Secret in Their Eyes" says The Hollywood Reporter.
'Secret', which won the foreign language Oscar in March, follows a retired criminal investigator in 2000 Buenos Aires who is writing a novel to try and deal with an unresolved rape and murder from 1974 that still haunts him.
In the process, he re-encounters a female judge with whom he has a long, equally unresolved, history. Warner Bros. Pictures is in negotiations to acquire the remake rights with the new version to be set in the present day United States.
Juan Jose Campanella directed and adapted the original from a novel by Eduardo Sacheri. Mark Johnson ("Donnie Brasco") is producing the remake.
Earlier this year came reports that Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were set to reunite onscreen in the 70's-set baseball player wife-swapping tale "The Trade".
At the time the pair were talking of playing the male leads with Affleck directing. Now, MTV News talked with Affleck who confirmed that the project is still going ahead, but with some role swapping off screen as well. Affleck says his brother Casey has come onboard, while his friend may replace him in the big chair.
"I don't know how it'll come together, acting and directing, but Casey and I have decided to write it together. Once the script's kind of ready, then it's like: Who's doing what? What's the time frame? Matt, me, Casey directing? Particularly for Matt, he's had this extraordinary career where he's worked with these great directors. He's a great director who just hasn't directed a movie" says Affleck.
The story itself deals with New York Yankee teammates Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich who disclosed in 1973 that they were trading wives.
Vince Vaughn and his "Wedding Crashers" co-star Owen Wilson could be re-teaming for the buddy cop action feature "2 Guns" at Universal Pictures reports Pajiba.
Blake Masters penned the script about two lawmen who go undercover plot to rob a bank together. Catch is both have been assigned to the task by their respective law enforcement agencies and aren't aware that the other person isn't a real crook.
Soon they must learn whom the dirty money belongs to as their respective agencies try to hunt them down. Vaughn is signed to star, while Wilson is considering at present. No director is yet onboard.
Joe Carnahan ("Narc," "Smokin' Aces") has signed on to re-write and direct the thriller "Umbra" at Endgame Entertainment according to Variety.
Steven Karczynski's script follows a businessman finding a mysterious package in his mailbox, an old audio cassette, and becomes the target of a secret government agency conspiracy.
He's soon on the run for his life and as he tries to learn the truth, he uncovers his unwitting connection to the agency hunting him. The film is the first in a potential franchise and previously had Nicolas Cage attached to star.
Universal Pictures is set to finance and distribute "Contraband", the English language remake of 2008 Icelandic thriller "Reykjavik-Rotterdam" reports Deadline.
The story centers on a security guard and former smuggler on the Iceland-Netherlands route who is tempted back into illicit business by his wife's brother who botches a run and finds his life threatened. The new version will shift the route to somewhere in North America.
Mark Wahlberg is set to star as the guard and Kate Beckinsale is in negotiations to play the female lead. Universal originally planned to finance the film but balked at the $40 million budget, forcing Relativity Media to step in. When the filmmakers brought the budget back down to $30 million and Relativity opted out, Universal jumped back in.
Aaron Guzikowski ("Prisoners") is adapting the script while the original film's producer/star Baltasar Kormakur will direct the remake (Oskar Jonasson helmed the original). Kormakur, Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner are producing.
Johnny Galecki ("The Big Bang Theory") has signed on for a role in Andrew Niccol's latest untitled sci-fi feature for 20th Century Fox, New Regency and Strike Entertainment says Deadline.
Previously titled "I'm.mortal", the story is set in a society where people engineered to stop ageing at 25-years-old and time has become the currency of the realm. The wealthy are practically immortal while the majority of the populous struggles to bank what extra time they can.
Justin Timberlake plays a ghetto rebel wrongly accused of murder who is forced to go into hiding with a beautiful and rich hostage (Amanda Seyfried). They soon begin a steamy romance.
Galecki plays the best friend of Timberlake's character. Vincent Kartheiser, Olivia Wilde, Cillian Murphy and Collins Pennie also star.
Niccol ("Gattaca," "S1m0ne") directs from a script he wrote and hopes to begin production before the year ends. Eric Newman and Marc Abraham will produce.
Argentine director Juan Jose Campanella ("The Secret in Their Eyes") will helm his first animated feature reports Variety.
"Metegol" (Foosball) follows an underdog who, with the help of foosball figures that come to life, must take on a star soccer pro to save their village. Pablo Rago ("Secret"), Fabian Gianola ("The Super Agents: New Generation"), Miguel Angel Rodriguez ("Dad for a Day"), Horacio Fontova ("Goodbye, Dear Moon") and David Masajnik ("Son of the Bride") will all lend their voices to the production.
Despite a quite low $9.75 million budget, Campanella hopes to find "a visual style that we haven't seen before in an animated movie." A 2012 release is being planned.
It would seem that Johnny Depp is not only in a remake mood, but has also been enjoying working aboard Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides with director Rob Marshall. Why so? Because he's apparently pestering him to work on a new version of The Thin Man for Warner Bros.
Dashiell Hammett wrote the detective novel in 1934, which finds private eye Nick Charles giving up his hard-boiled life to settle down into a world of dedicated alcoholism after marrying wealthy socialite Nora. But his old job comes calling when he's drawn into investigating a murder, with his wife along for the ride.
While the novel itself never generated a sequel, it became the source material for a series of movies from Warners, with William Powell as Nick and Myrna Loy as Nora. And NBC turned it into a short-lived TV show in the 1950s.
The role of heavy-drinking, easy-quipping Nick sounds like a natural fit for Depp, and while there's no script in place yet, Vulture reports that the actor is looking to develop it via his Infinitum Nihil production company, and he's thinking Marshall could be the man to make it.
Interesting trivia point here: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, who recently directed Depp in The Tourist, is on record as saying that one of the big influences on that film as it developed was the Thin Man movies. Sounds like Depp got a little extra inspiration...
James White
Australian filmmaker John Hillcoat ("The Road," "The Proposition") has dropped out of the period revenge tale "The Revenant" for Anonymous Content reports Pajiba.
Based on the novel by Michael Punke, the story follows solider/adventurer Hugh Glass who, after being attacked by a bear along the Missouri River and left for dead by his friends, sets out to hunt them down for leaving him behind.
Hillcoat isn't the first name to leave the project as Park Chan-Wook was slated to direct years ago. With Hillcoat no longer attached, filmmaker Jean Francois-Richet ("Mesrine," "Assault on Precinct 13") is being lined up to replace him. Mark L. Smith ("Vacancy") is penning the script.
In news of other drop outs, indie filmmaker Larry Fessenden spoke to The Playlist in more detail about why he left the proposed remake of "The Orphanage" at Warner Bros. Pictures.
Fessenden says the filmmakers couldn't land the A-List star they were looking for, and he had misgivings about the production plans - "I was very excited about it. I was going to do it as a New England Gothic, truly shot in New England, and it didn't pan out. WB wanted to shoot it in South Africa or something nutty. I mean, why do you remake a foreign film in another foreign land?"
At last report, "The Mothman Diaries" helmer Mark Pellington was attached to direct the remake.
Ben Affleck is looking into an adaptation of Ken Grimwood's dramatic fantasy novel "Replay" as his potential next directorial project at Warner Bros. Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story centers on a 45-year-old man who has a fatal heart attack trying to prevent the murder of a jogger in New York's Central Park.
He awakens to find himself and the jogger stuck in a loop - replaying his life from age 18 in Brooklyn to dying, along with the jogger, at 45. Together their pair try to break the cycle of their repeating lives.
Affleck has met for the project, but no official offer is out. The project has spent over two decades in development hell with the likes of Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts not to mention scribes like Peter Hyams and Richard LaGravenese.
Jason Smilovic penned the most recent draft which has resurrected interest in the project.
Jonathan Demme and Matt Reeves have emerged as the most interested potential directors of the film adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith's comedic revisionist novel "Pride, Prejudice & Zombies" reports The Wrap.
The net has been cast wide it would seem as the likes of comedy helmer Mike White and "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" directing duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller have expressed interest in the project, while Mike Newell was reported as a candidate the other day.
At present though, Demme has read the script and wants to direct. There's also talk he could land his "Rachel Getting Married" star Anne Hathaway to play Elizabeth Bennett, but either way an announcement is not due until the end of the month.
David O. Russell was previously attached to direct before leaving to helm "Old St. Louis" and later "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune". Shooting on 'Pride' aims to get underway towards the year's end.
Author Chuck Hogan has signed to pen a script for an untitled Boston crime drama about the Winter Hill Gang for GK Films reports Deadline.
The story will chronicle the reign of the notorious gang run by James "Whitey" Bulger and the ensuing court case which exposed corruption between the mob and the Boston FBI. John Martorano, the gang's main enforcer, served as the government's main witness and will be a major character in the film.
Hogan penned the novel Prince of Thieves, which was adapted into the recent acclaimed hit "The Town", and co-wrote the vampire novel trilogy that began with "The Strain" and was co-authored by Guillermo del Toro. Graham King and Tim Headington will produce the new film.
EXCLUSIVE: In a high-six figure deal, Warner Bros. and Akiva Goldsman's Weed Road has acquired Dark Moon, a spec script drama that was written and will be directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi. The spec explores the possibility that manned moon missions did not stop with Apollo 17. Using found footage, it makes the case for a black ops post-Apollo mission sent to the moon to explore previously classified discoveries and its unintended and disturbing consequences. Goldsman and Kerry Foster will produce for Weed Road. Osunsanmi is best known for 2009's The Fourth Kind, which was released by Universal. He's also attached to direct The Commuter for Gold Circle and he adapted the Robert Buettner novel The Orphanage for Davis Entertainment. He was also once Joe Carnahan's assistant. He's repped by CAA and Caliber.
Sljedeći film M. Night Shyamalana zove se One Thousand A.E. i prvi je njegov film za koji nije sam napisao scenario. Olovke se prihvatio scenarista filma The Book of Eli. Ovo će biti veličanstveno!
Jason Rothenberg ("Body Politic") has been hired to pen a script for a feature film reboot of Rod Serling's classic TV series "The Twilight Zone" at Warner Bros. Pictures reports Deadline.
The original anthology series ran from 1959 to 1964 and told numerous stand alone stories featuring elements of serious science fiction, horror, suspense and fantasy. Some episodes featured adaptations of classic novels and short stories, while others were penned by genre writing greats like Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury and Harlan Ellison.
The franchise was successful enough that it was revived as a series twice, once as a syndicated seres in the 80's and once briefly as a series on UPN in 2002. Spin-offs including magazines, comics and a radio series have run for over five decades.
Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way will produce this new feature which is speculated to likely resemble the previous film adaptation in 1983 which combined four separate 20-25 minute segments, each helmed by different directors (Steven Spielberg, John Landis, George Miller, Joe Dante) and all of which were either direct remakes or variations on previous episodes of the series.
A 2012 release is planned for the project. Rothenberg is also penning the script for a remake of "Colossus: The Forbin Project" which Ron Howard will direct and Will Smith is tipped to star in.
Danish filmmaker Ole Bornedal has signed on to direct horror thriller "Dibbuk Box" at Lionsgate according to Heat Vision
A feature film spin on LA Times writer Leslie Gornstein's article "Jinx in a Box", the film follows a woman who mistakenly purchases a cursed relic and must solve the mystery behind it to save her family from evil spirits tied to it.
Juliet Snowden and Stiles White ("Knowing") have penned the script while Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert will produce. Filming kicks off in January.
"The Shield" creator Shawn Ryan has signed on to adapt Tom Clancy's 1993 best-seller "Without Remorse" for Paramount Pictures reports Vulture.
The 1971-set book follows John Kelly (aka. John Clark), a former Navy SEAL returned from Vietnam, taking charge in two operations - an official military rescue of POWs, and a personal vendetta against the drug runners who raped, tortured and killed the first woman he became involved with since his wife's death.
Clark has been portrayed on-screen twice before by Willem Dafoe in "Clear and Present Danger" and Liev Schrieber in "The Sum of All Fears". Attempts have been made to translate this book to film before, but have failed each time.
Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and David Ellison will produce.
Wesley Snipes is getting involved in the 1960's-set true story thriller biopic "Code Name Zorro" reports Deadline.
The film centers on the final moments in the life of William Sullivan, the man who headed up the Zorro project - a super-covert program initiated by J. Edgar Hoover to destroy Martin Luther King's credibility. From wiretapping to fraud, the group set up numerous illegal schemes and Sullivan intended to air all of the dirty laundry about the project to a journalist. Sullivan was killed in a "hunting accident" shortly thereafter.
Justin Stamm penned the script and Snipes has received endorsement from Martin Luther King Jr.'s son, Martin Luther King III. Snipes will produce, be involved in selecting cast and director, and will likely play a role though which one is presently undetermined.
Ovaj film je u jednom trenutku nuđen Urošu Stojanoviću:
Dakota Fanning is in negotiations to join the supernatural thriller "If I Star" at Summit Entertainment reports Variety.
Based on Gayle Forman's young adult novel, the story revolves around a gifted musician (Dakota Fanning), and her boyfriend, a rising indie rock star.
Mulling the choice between her art and her relationship, things get tougher when a fatal car accident leaves her stuck considering the choice between life and death.
Brazilian filmmaker Heitor Dhalia helms from a script by Shauna Cross. "Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke was originally slated to helm before she opted out to shoot "Red Riding Hood" instead.
Jack Black and "Hot Tub Time Machine" director Steve Pink have optioned Daniel H. Wilson's novel "How to Survive a Robot Uprising" reports io9.
Pink is writing a new draft of the screenplay, but it isn't sure if he will direct or if Black will star. 'Survive' is described as a comedic look at what would happen if there were a robotic uprising against mankind.
Mike Myers previously signed to star in an earlier attempt to adapt 'Rising' back in 2006 from a script by "Reno 911!" creators Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant.
The news comes on the same day that it has been confirmed that Steven Spielberg would direct a film based Wilson's other robot-themed novel "Robopocalypse".
Plan B has acquired film rights to James Keene's "In With the Devil" which Brad Pitt is considering starring in reports The Chicago Sun Times.
The project is the true story of Keene, a handsome football player turned big-time drug dealer and sentenced for ten years. The FBI offered him a quick release, in exchange however he had to go undercover as a patient in a sanatorium where he had to befriend a serial killer and get him to admit to his crimes.
An Oscar-winning screenwriter is penning the script, but the paper doesn't reveal which one.
EXCLUSIVE: Francis Ford Coppola has begun quietly directing his next feature. I'm told that Coppola is shooting Twixt Now And Sunrise, a thriller with overtones of horror, and that his star is Val Kilmer. Also in the cast are Elle Fanning (Super 8) and Bruce Dern (who long ago starred in the Coppola-scripted The Great Gatsby). But the picture's fulcrum is Kilmer, who plays a horror novelist. The film is based on a short story written by Coppola. It is shooting in Napa, on Coppola's property. Coppola hasn't tackled the horror genre since early in his career, when he directed Dementia 13, and of course Bram Stoker's Dracula. And some might consider Apocalypse Now to be horror.
While the internet has been buzzing about the possibility of a Top Gun sequel and whether Tony Scott and Tom Cruise will return to it (neither is attached), it is interesting to see Cruise's costar Kilmer catching a second career wind. Kilmer was pretty good in The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call--New Orleans, but it has been a long time since great turns in films like Heat and Tombstone. Sometimes it's nice to see veterans get another shot and I'm told Coppola sought out the actor. Coppola, who'll be presented the AMPAS Governors Award on November 13, has picked up his directing pace. Taking nearly a decade off after The Rainmaker, Coppola returned with more personal, indie-flavored efforts. He directed the 2007 Tim Roth-starrer Youth Without Youth, followed by 2009's Tetro. I'm told that Coppola has funded the picture independently and hasn't yet sought out distribution.
Dir: John Landis. UK. 2010. 91mins
John Landis shakes hands with the Ealing comedy in Burke & Hare, a period pratfall-athon for the commercially-minded born-again UK studio. With a cast headed by Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis alongside a raft of Brit cameos, this defiantly silly dark comedy could connect with a UK crowd and it certainly has the feel of a Christmas TV staple. International travel is a challenge, however, as audiences try to figure out what's so funny about Ronnie Corbett as the head of the Edinburgh militia.
There's a certain air of fun here that gives Burke & Hare a charm which other recent Ealing offerings have lacked.
What Burke & Hare lacks in St Trinian's sex department – it's surprising producer, Trinians' co-director and Ealing co-head Barnaby Thompson didn't draft in some more girl power - is compensated with some surreal anachronistic touches (Wordsworth and Coleridge queue to get past a bouncer into 1828 Edinburgh's hottest "club"). Isla Fisher is spirited and may help overseas sales, but for the home market Burke & Hare could have benefited from a Cheryl Cole-style cameo to amp up Pegg's and Serkis's pulling power.
"This is a true story," boast the opening titles. "Except for the parts that are not". In an old-fashioned rupture of the third wall, the town's hangman (Bill Bailey) sets the scene for the arrival of William Burke (Pegg) & William Hare (Serkis), ne'er do wells from Donegal who conceive a scam to supply progressive surgeon Dr Knox (Tom Wilkinson) with fresh cadavers for his anatomy classes. Unfortunately, however, the scam quickly leads to murder to ensure the chain of supply.
Hare, with his conniving boozehound wife Lucky (Jessica Hynes), is driven by an entrepreneurial streak, while Burke is motivated by love for hooker-turned-actress Ginny (Isla Fisher) and a desire to finance her first all-female production of Macbeth. Meanwhile, across town, traditional surgeon Dr Monro (Tim Curry) will stop at nothing to scupper his rival's progress.
Burke & Hare flings so many Brit cameos on screen that it quickly begins to feel like a Saturday night TV variety show – Hugh Bonneville, Ronnie Corbett, Christopher Lee, Paul Whitehouse, Michael Winner, Stephen Merchant, David Hayman – the list goes on. Even Greyfriars Bobby gets a bark. Apart from Jenny Agutter, it's a very old boy roster, however, for a film that comes across as the love-child of Benny Hill and Mel Brooks.
Shot in Edinburgh and Ealing, Burke & Hare isn't terribly Scottish and seems almost deliberately studio-bound, as if in homage. The accents are hilarious, in particular from Serkis, allegedly playing an Irishman, with Australian actress Fisher probably delivering the most consistent vocal performance. Admittedly, it's all a trifle: silly, and commercial, and not very scary at all, but there's a certain air of fun here that gives Burke & Hare a charm which other recent Ealing offerings have lacked.
Tom Hardy ("Inception," "Bronson") is nearing a deal to star in "Snow White and the Huntsman" for Relativity Media reports The Playlist.
Scribe Evan Daugherty, director Rupert Sanders and producer Joe Roth are all attached to this version which expands the role of the Huntsman in the fairy tale.
Ordered to take the evil Queen's stepdaughter Snow White into the woods and kill her, Eric instead lets her go and becomes something of a mentor who teaches her how to fight and survive.
Angelina Jolie is being sought to portray Ravenna, the evil queen and is reportedly interested in the project. However it is unclear if she will be available.
If set, Hardy would film this between the currently shooting "This Means War" and his role in the upcoming third Chris Nolan-directed "Batman" feature.
Several minor studios are in a bidding war for a $50 million 3D horror film based on the Michael Jackson's legendary music video "Thriller" reports Deadline.
GK Films, Fox 2000, Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment are all in contention to pick up the project from Real Effects Entertainment where it is setup, with GK leading the charge.
Story details are being kept secret, though it will look into the folklore of the song and involve the hometown of classic horror actor Vincent Price whose distinctive voice narrates part of the song.
Kenny Ortega ("This Is It") directs from a screenplay by Jeremy Garelick ("The Break-Up").
Peter Segal ("Get Smart") has set the boxing movie "Grudge Match" at Warner Bros. Pictures as his next project reports Deadline.
The story follows two retired boxers approaching their 70's who are lured back into the ring for a rematch fifty years after their first title fight.
Tim Kelleher penned the script while Mark Steven Johnson and Bill Gerber are producing. Segal's involvement means the long delayed sequel to 2008's "Get Smart" will likely be delayed again.
Christopher Smith, Joe Dante join Paris I'll Kill You
28 October, 2010 | By Sarah Cooper
The horror portmanteau feature is a spoof of 2006's Paris Je T'Aime
Brit director Christopher Smith (Creep), Gremlins director Joe Dante and REC director Paco Plaza are among the directors who have signed up for horror portmanteau feature Paris I'll Kill You, a spoof on the 2006 romantic omnibus Paris Je T'Aime.
The film, which is due to go into production in spring/summer 2011, will feature ten story segments which promise to delve into the underbelly of Paris.
Also signed up to direct are Vincenzo Natali (Splice), Xavier Gens (Hitman), Ryuhei Kitamura (The Midnight Meat Train), French duo Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, and German music video director Joern Heitmann.
Darryn Welch and Mathieu Robinet will produce the feature, with Chris Ouwinga executive producing along with Oliver Simon, Daniel Baur and Carl Clifton of K5 Film.
K5 has picked up international sales rights and will be tempting buyers at the upcoming American Film Market next week.
The producers are also billing the project as a potential franchise. "Today Paris, tomorrow New York, Moscow, London," said K5's Carl Clifton.
SUCKER PUNCH Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iK4qAJvnr3A#ws)
Simon West ("Lara Croft: Tomb Raider," "Con Air") is in talks to direct the action thriller "Medallion" reports 24 Frames.
The story follows a father who has a few hours to locate his daughter who has been kidnapped and locked in the trunk of an unidentified New York City cab.
No actor is yet attached, though Clive Owen and Nicolas Cage have been discussed for the role. David Guggenheim ("Safe House") penned the script while McG will produce.
CBS Films is in negotiations to obtain the remake rights to Daniel Monzón's Spanish language action thriller "Celda 211" ("Cell 211") reports Deadline.
The story follows a newly hired prison guard who turns up at his job a day early to tour the facility. Unfortunately the same day a brutal prison riot commences, and he is forced to assume the role of a prisoner alongside the most dangerous killers alive.
He must try to quell the insurrection and escape the prison to get back to his pregnant wife before the other prisoners realise the truth about him.
Paul Haggis is in talks to adapt and direct the English-language version. The original dominated the Goya Awards last year, winning eight categories including best film, director and script.
Relativity Media has signed Tarsem Singh to direct its upcoming untitled Snow White feature based on the Brothers Grimm story.
Singh is currently in post on Relativity's big ticket production The Immortals, which is scheduled to open on November 11 2011 through Universal.
Principal photography is set to begin in March 2011 on the Snow White project, which is billed as an edgy retelling of the classic fairy tale in which the evil stepmother kills her father and destroys the kingdom. Snow White rallies together a gang of seven quarrelsome dwarves to reclaim what is rightly hers. Melissa Wallack (MeetBill) wrote the screenplay.
"Working with Tarsem on The Immortals, I have never been involved with a more visceral director," Relativity head Ryan Kavanaugh said. "The footage on TheImmortals has been above and beyond all of our highest expectations.
"To do Snow White correctly, attention to detail is key, and no one will create a more fulfilling experience of this beloved story that we all know and love than Tarsem."
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.mirror.co.uk%2Fupl%2Fm4%2Fnov2010%2F4%2F1%2Ftom-cruise-pic-barcroft-92094856.jpg&hash=5805f44d3cf3c008bef77407d932248d848d4938)
Kruzer u opasnoj igri parkura.
Synopsis: Jessica Biel stars in this suspense thriller about a woman trying to track the figure of The Tall Man who has kidnapped her child.
Director: Pascal Laugier
Writers: Pascal Laugier
Producers: Lionel Uzan of SND (France) Clement Miserez of Radar Film (France) and Kevin DeWalt of Minds Eye International (Canada)
Cast: Jessica Biel
Budget: $15m
Financing: SND, pre sales to Alliance Films in Canada, tax credits from British Columbia and Saskatchewan, Canadian federal tax credit.
International Sales: SND
Distribution: SND (France), Alliance Films (Canada)
Language: English
Filming location: Nelson,Canada
Status: Production
Release date: Autumn 2011
Pascal Laugier's third feature − following the 2004 House Of Voices and the 2008 horror Martyrs − is a suspense thriller starring US actress Jessica Biel, which is currently shooting in the small town of Nelson in Canada. It is the French writer/director's English language debut feature. So how is he coping with the transition?
"It's not that difficult because it was always supposed to happen in North America. I wrote it in French but it was a very natural process because I heard the movie in my head in English," says Laugier. "But as a French movie buff, of course it is a challenge to come to work with someone of the caliber of Jessica Biel, an American star with a North American crew. Once in a while I step back and think whoa...you are realizing a childhood dream!"
Laugier had originally been developing a remake of a 70's French movie with Clement Miserez of Radar Films and Lional Uzan of SND, who signed on to work with the French director after being impressed by his two previous features.
But when that project fell through, Laugier showed them the script for The Tall Man, about a woman whose son has been kidnapped, which he had written several years before.
"It belonged to another producer, who wanted to shoot the movie in French. So I went to this guy and asked him if I could buy the rights to make the film in English and he agreed. And one year later we are shooting the movie, " says Miserez.
When it came to finding a partner in North America, Miserez turned to Kevin DeWalt of Canadian conpany Minds Eye Entertainment, who he had already co-produced the 2009 film Walled In with. "Since the beginning, we were thinking we wanted to do this as a French Canadian movie and Canada was very close to what Pascal had in mind," explains Miserez.
With The Tall Man qualifying as an official Canadian-French co-production, the producers have been able to benefit from the Canadian tax break system. The arrangement seems to be working well for all parties. "It's almost impossible to finance a movie of this level without co-producing with Europe or another country. That's been quite a shift for us, but it's great because we share the risk and the rewards," says DeWalt, who set up his company in 1986 making commercials, before moving into features in the 90s.
"It's quite a new thing for France, they realise that this is an opportunity to do an English language movie that still qualifies as French, but they can sell it to the rest of the world," adds DeWalt.
Finding the right location for the shoot was a key part of the preparation, with the team trawling through thousands of photos of different towns in Canada to try and find the place that most coincided with Laugier's vision, before finally settling on the isolated town of Nelson in British Columbia.
"There are only two roads into town, so you can imagine that has been a bit of a challenge in terms of bringing crew and equipment in. But it's such a beautiful place, it makes it well worth it," says DeWalt.
When it comes to the look and feel of the film, Laugier says that he has taken inspiration from author Stephen King. "It's a film set in autumn in North America and it's very linked to a Stephen King-type atmosphere...trying to combine elements of fantasty/suspense with real people – the social Americana – you typically find in Stephen King's books."
SND are currently tempting buyers with a teaser at AFM, and Uzan is confident that the film will have international appeal, thanks to the star power of Jessica Biel and the directing skills of Laugier.
"Pascal is someone who really understands what a commercial movie is. But he has also got a voice. So I think the mix of the film should provide a film that is easy to sell from a distributor's point of view," says the producer.
Going forward, Uzan is keen to bring more French directors to the international marketplace. "We find many talented directors in France who don't fit with French speaking movies, which are often comedies. For Pascal, this is a good transition, rather than just jumping into the Hollywood system, where the creative control is not so obvious," says Uzan.
With an international career beckoning, will Laugier be turning his back on France for good? "I still would love to shoot a film in my country, but it hasn't happened yet. My tastes don't make me the regular classical French director. I am more driven by dark films, thrillers, horror films and it is very difficult to drive films to the French market when you have my tastes."
French producer Samuel Hadida has joined forces with Don Carmody to kick-start Michael J. Bassett's Silent Hill: Revelation 3D, scheduled to shoot this year in Toronto.
Related Topics
•AFM
The duo are back in business after recently teaming on Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D. Hadida's Davis Films also produced Bassett's Deathwatch and Solomon Kane movies.
The 3D sequel to Christophe Gans' Silent Hill, based on the Konami video game franchise, is being touted to international buyers at AFM by Lionsgate.
"We have high expectations for this continuation of the franchise with our reunited Silent Hill production team," Hadida said. "Michael was our natural choice to write and direct. He understands the genre, is passionate about the Silent Hill franchise, and will bring his considerable action picture skills to a fresh and thrilling insight of the Silent Hill 3D world."
Gaming company Konami is also on board with the plans.
Hadida often wears two hats at AFM as, along with brother Victor, he also runs French indie distributor Metropolitan FilmExport in addition to heading up L.A.- and Paris-based production banner Davis Films.
Buried director Rodrigo Cortes told a room full of heavy-hitting buyers at AFM what his follow-up film, Red Lights, is all about.
The UTA-packaged movie, produced by Adrian Guerra and Cortes and starring Cillian Murphy, Sigourney Weaver and Robert De Niro, is being sold internationally here by GK Films' third-party pickup sales imprint Parlay Films.
Cortes first discussed his vision for the script before introducing Murphy to executives.
Red Lights revolves around a pair of skeptical investigators (Weaver, Murphy) on a mission to reveal practitioners (De Niro) of psychic arts as phonies.
"The main role character dies in the middle of the film," Cortes teased. "That will shock the audience I hope and put them on edge."
At the end of his enthusiastic explanation, Cortes encouraged buyers at the private Viceroy breakfast to step up.
"Are there any questions?" he said before the silent room. "Good, so simply buy it then."
The charm offensive is working with the presale title -- it's not due to begin shooting until next year -- flying off the shelves.
Samuel and Victor Hadida's Metropolitan, Wild Bunch Germany, Dutchfilmworks for Benelux, Eagle for the Middle East and Pinema in Turkey have all stepped up to the deal memo plate.
Parlay Films, headed by sales veteran Lisa Wilson, expects it to be sold out by the end of the market with offers on the table for the U.K. and Italy. UTA's Independent Film Group, along with Guerra's Barcelona based Versus Entertainment structured the financing for the title.
Newly formed production and finance banner CSe Entertainment, run by Cindy Cowan and Soo Mi Kim, will co-finance the picture in association with Seoul-based Blue Storm Prods. with Versus. UTA reps domestic rights to the project, while Versus retains Spanish rights. South Korea rights are also retained by the producers.
Cinematographer Christopher Doyle will dive through the 3D looking glass for the first time, right into The Rabbit Horror, director Takashi Shimizu's upcoming multimillion-dollar film about a boy and his scary stuffed toy, producer and sales agent Fortissimo Films said Friday.
Boarding Rabbit as executive producer and picking up worldwide rights excluding Japan at AFM, Fortissimo chairman Michael Werner said the film, which bows in the summer, represents a return to Shimizu's classic horror style, evoking hits like The Grudge.
"We are thrilled to be part of this amazing collaboration between one of the world's masters of the horror genre and one of the world's most visual and inspirational cinematographers," said Werner, who negotiated world rights with Rabbit producer Satoru Ogura.
Rabbit is the first collaboration between Shimizu and Doyle and marks Doyle's first use of 3D.
Set against the backdrop of a boy's crumbling family, the film explores the his dangerous relationship with a stuffed toy animal that comes to life.
Currently in postproduction, Rabbit is was written Sotaro Hayashi, Daisuke Hosaka and Takashi Shimizu and stars Hikari Mitsushima (The Villain) and Teruyuki Kagawa (Tokyo Sonata).
Esther Yeung, Fortissimo's director of marketing and Asian acquisitions and sales, also helped close the rights deal and also will executive produce.
Bruce Willis is in talks to star opposite Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson in heist actioner "Set Up," which Hannibal Films is shopping to foreign buyers at AFM.
Pic is the first title from a recently announced $200 million fund that Jackson and Randall Emmett's Cheetah Vision banner is teaming on with George Furla's Hedge Fund Film Partners. Entrepreneur Richard Jackson is providing much of the equity for the 10-picture deal. Grindstone Entertainment/Lionsgate will release the films domestically.
Fred Malmberg ("Conan") is exec producer on "Set Up."
Paul Walker has been in ongoing talks to board the pic, written and to be directed by Mike Gunther.
"Set Up" revolves around a group of friends who are catapulted into the middle of a diamond heist that turns deadly.
Project continues the relationship between Willis, Curtis Jackson, Emmett and Furla. Jackson and Emmett/Furla Films, a separate banner, are producing Willis' upcoming actioner "Catch .44" in association with Megan Ellison. Richard Jackson is providing financing.
Willis is currently in theaters in Summit Entertainment's "Red," starring alongside Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich. Film has grossed $65.5 million at the domestic box office to date. It's still rolling out overseas, where it has already cumed $14.1 million.
This summer, Willis starred in Nu Image/Millennium and Lionsgate's sleeper hit "The Expendables," which grossed $103.1 million domestically and $158 million internationally.
Jackson's previous acting credits include "Righteous Kill," which grossed $40.1 million domestically, and "Get Rich or Die Tryin'," which cumed $31 million.
Emmett/Furla Films has produced dozens of films, including "Righteous Kill," "16 Blocks" and "Street Kings."
Cheetah Vision has named Brandon Grimes to handle productions coming out of the new fund.
Oren Peli's long-awaited (?) follow-up to PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, AREA 51, hasn't hit theaters yet but the director is already turning his attention to his latest project. Peli has signed on to direct the thriller ELIZA GRAVES based on a short story by Edgar Allen Poe. An adaptation of GRAVES has been in the works since 2001 and at various times has had Johnny Depp, Heath Ledger and Natalie Portman attached to star (at this point none of those names are attached to the film).
Mel Gibson is producing the film but he's been involved with the production since its early days and it's unclear exactly how involved he is with the current iteration of the project.
The film follows a recent Harvard grad who travels to Maine for a residency at psychiatric hospital. Shortly after arriving he discovers that the patients have taken over and are disguising themselves as the staff. (The inmates are running the asylum! Get it!)
No word on when exactly filming might begin or if Peli will return to any of the "found footage" tricks he used in both PARANORMAL and AREA 51.
"Cars" and "Bolt" screenwriter Dan Fogelman will make his directorial debut with "Imagine," a Warner Bros. comedy he wrote on spec that has Steve Carell set to produce and co-star, the actor's publicist has confirmed to TheWrap.
The story follows a 60-something Bruce Springsteen-type rocker who is inspired to live his life differently after reading a long-unopened letter written to him by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The past-his-prime musician sets out to find his biological son (Carell) who he never knew existed.
Fogelman and Carell's reps at WME packaged the project, which is expected to be fast-tracked at Warner Bros., where Carell's production company, Carousel, has a deal. Carousel's Vance DeGeneres and Charlie Hartsock will join Carell as producers, and they'll likely be joined by Jessie Nelson and Denise DiNovi, who recently produced Fogelman's spec script "Crazy. Stupid. Love."
As writer-director, Fogelman will earn more than $3 million for "Imagine," which tops the $2.5 million he received from WB for "Crazy. Stupid. Love.," a comedy that stars Carell, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.
Fogelman's next movie to hit theaters is Disney's animated film "Tangled," while "Crazy. Stupid. Love" is set to open on April 22.
Fogelman is also represented by Industry Entertainment, and news of "Imagine" was first reported by Vulture.
Channing Tatum is being lined up to star in the period swashbuckling espionage drama "Love and Honor" says Vulture.
A fictional spin on real life historical figures, the story is set in 1774 when a young Virginian cavalryman named Kieran Selkirk (Tatum) is sent to Russia by Benjamin Franklin. His assignment? Persuade the Tsarina, Catherine the Great, to not send support troops to aid the British in their efforts to suppress the rebellion of their American colonies.
Posing as a British mercenary, he promises to satiate her sexual appetites and help her in her fight against the rebellious Cossacks. The adventure piece is filled with bawdy romps, bloody swordfights, political machinations, and exotic locales.
Randall Wallace ("Secretariat") adapted the script from his own 2005 book. The project was previously setup at Disney Pictures and had Angelina Jolie slated to star as Catherine. That's no longer the case, though an offer is out to Anne Hathaway to play a princess' attendant and main love interest to Tatum's character.
J Blakeson ("The Disappearance of Alice Creed") is in negotiations to direct "Hell and Gone" at Warner Bros. Pictures reports Heat Vision.
Jonah Nolan penned the script described as a Titanic-like historical tragedy and romance tale set against the backdrop of the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. The cause of the fire remains unknown to this day, though it killed hundreds and wiped out much of the city.
Rebuilding began quickly and turned the city into one of the most populated and economically important metropolises in the country. Donald De Line and Ed McDonnel are producing.
Spanish studio Filmax has confirmed several sales deals of key titles at AFM, including Miguel Angel Vivas' home invasion thriller Kidnapped to Icon for distribution in the UK.
The Spanish thriller, starring Fernando Cayo and Ana Wagener, is drumming up a lot of business following its best film and best director wins at the Fantastic Fest and its positive reaction at the Sitges festival in Spain last month.
Filmax has already sold Kidnapped to IFC Midnight for North America, and has also now secured the UK deal and further agreements with King Records for Japan, EDKO for Hong Kong and Kinoprom for CIS. At Toronto the film was sold to Universum for Germany, GUSSI for Latin America and CCV for Scandinavia.
Filmax has also pre-sold key theatrical rights to the two new Rec films, [Rec] Genesis, directed by Paco Plaza, and Jaume Balaguero's [Rec] Apocalypse. Universum has picked up the film for Germany, Broadmedia for Japan and EDKO for Hong Kong. Principal photography for Genesis starts in January.
Balaguero's new horror Sleep Tight, currently in post-production, starring Cell 211 leads Luis Tosar and Marta Etura, has also been sold by Filmax to Senator for Germany and Frenetic for Switzerland. The film is almost sold out, with just the US, UK, CIS and Japan still available.
And finally, Filmax's horror Exorcismus, directed by Manuel Carballo, has been sold to Telepool for Germany, Seven Sept for France, At Company for Japan and Star Kinekor for South Africa) following its pick up by IFC for North America in a double deal with Kidnapped.
Commenting on these deals, Vicente Canales, head of the international division at Filmax International, says: "We are happy with the numbers and moreover with the companies we have closed the deals with. We are very selective with our clients and we know they are selective with the products they buy too. We are here for business not just to sign deals and we believe we have secured great titles to great companies and therefore business will be positive for all of us".
Carles Rojano, managing director of business affairs, speaking about the market in general adds: "Things are tough and there is not a place for everyone and everything anymore. Being competitive and offering quality and different products is the key to succeed nowadays and that is what Filmax International is doing. The market situation in Spain is really rough at the present moment, as it is in Japan and in some other key territories. But we have to see the positive side of things: we have closed good deals with great Japanese companies, also with CIS companies. We are all working hard and looking for top-quality products, this is the right way."
Fredrik Bond is attached to helm the sci-fi action feature "Year 12" which was previously setup at Paramount reports The Wrap.
Currently without a distributor, the setting is in Manhattan twelve years after aliens successfully invaded and took over the Earth. The story follows an underwater uranium miner who is recruited by the human resistance to smuggle uranium in his blood so they can use it to blow up the alien mothership.
Edward Ricourt penned the spec script and Joe Roth will produce. Bond is an awards-winning commercials director and was previously attached to direct the comic adaptation "Hack/Slash" for Rogue Pictures.
Swedish directing team Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein ("Shelter") are set to direct the fourth film in the "Underworld" series for Screen Gems and Lakeshore Entertainment reports Heat Vision.
Kate Beckinsale is set to return as vampire Selene, though further plot details are presently unavailable. Filming kicks off in March in Vancouver.
John Hlavin penned the script which J. Michael Straczynski ("Changeling") re-wrote. Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi and Len Wiseman are producing.
Acclaimed commercials and shorts director Carl Erik Rinsch is no longer attached to direct the long-gestating remake of sci-fi cult classic "Logan's Run" for Warner Bros. Pictures says Heat Vision.
William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson penned the original 1967 novel (and its two subsequent sequels) set in a utopian future where anyone over the age of 30 is mandatorily euthanized in order to maintain a balance over the consumption of resources. The story follows Logan 5, a 'Sandman' who serves as an enforcer who pursues those who try escaping as they approach their 30th birthday, and ultimately ends up on the run himself.
Most people remember the property via the 1976 cult film classic starring Michael York. "X-Men" helmer Bryan Singer was developing a new film adaptation back in 2004 but work on "Superman Returns" ground things to a halt. The likes of Robert Schwenke ("Flightplan"), James McTeigue ("V for Vendetta") and Joseph Kosinski ("Tron Legacy") have all been attached to direct the remake at one time or another.
Rinsch's name first became attached back in May but he's left the project so he can devote his energy to the upcoming Keanu Reeves-led "47 Ronin" at Universal Pictures.
Rinsch had to make a decision between the films this month and 'Ronin' had moved ahead of 'Logan' in terms of readiness. 'Ronin' will mark Rinsch's feature debut after his award winning commercials and short film work.
Joel Silver and Akiva Goldsman are producing 'Logan' from a script by Alex Garland and are likely to seek a new helmet rather than wait for Rinsch to finish 'Ronin'.
Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Soderbergh ("Traffic") is in early talks to direct Warner Bros.' long-gestating adaptation of the '60s TV series "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.," according to the Hollywood Reporter.
James Bond author Ian Fleming co-created NBC's Cold War-set spy series, which followed the adventures of American and Russian members of a secret agency known as the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement.
The studio has been developing the project since the '90s, most recently with David Dobkin ("Wedding Crashers") directing from a script by Max Borenstein that was reportedly well liked by Warners brass.
However, Dobkin has decided that he'll only be involved as a producer (along with John Davis), and WB is in negotiations with Soderbergh's "The Informant!" screenwriter Scott Z. Burns to write a new script.
While "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." was expected to take a more comedic tone with Dobkin at the helm, it's unclear which direction Soderbergh will take the project, as the genre-hopping filmmaker can't be tied down to one particular type of movie.
Soderbergh has Relativity's action film "Haywire" on the horizon, and he'll soon return behind the camera for WB's globetrotting virus thriller "Contagion," which was also written by Burns.
With such a busy schedule, Soderbergh will have to wait until the end of next year at the earliest to direct "U.N.C.L.E."
Soderbergh and Burns are represented by Anonymous Content, while the latter is also repped by UTA.
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are set to re-write the comedy "Neighborhood Watch" reports Heat Vision.
The story follows several suburban dads who join a neighborhood watch program. In their somewhat over enthusiastic approach, they stumble upon supernatural evil afoot on their block.
Peter Segal ("Get Smart") directs while Shawn Levy will produce. Will Ferrell was originally slated to star, but no actors are currently attached.
Crime Scene Pictures has signed on to finance the Joel and Ethan Coen-scripted remake of 1966 British caper comedy "Gambit" reports Deadline.
Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine starred in the original about a cat burglar who tries to rob a billionaire of a priceless statue. He enlists the help of a waitress who is a dead ringer for the victim's late wife, but the job's execution is complicated by his relationship with his accomplice.
Though Doug Liman had been linked to the job previously, Michael Hoffman ("The Last Station") is set to direct and shooting will kick off next May in London. Mike Lobell will produce.
Leonardo DiCaprio will star in and produce "Legacy of Secrecy", a film adaptation of Lamar Waldron and Thom Hartmann's book about the John F. Kennedy assassination reports Variety.
The book follows FBI informant Jack Van Laningham (DiCaprio) who was part of a dangerous and long-term undercover operation in which he became confidant to Mafia godfather Carlos Marcello, a man who ran much of the organized crime throughout Louisiana and Texas.
The book claims Marcello confessed to Van Laningham to having ordered JFK's assassination and includes a bunch of information from declassified FBI files dealing with the clandestine undercover operation. Marcello's name did not appear in the 1964 Warren Report on the assassination.
DiCaprio and his father George will produce through their Appian Way production banner at Warners. A 2013 release is likely to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the assassination.
Juce je Scott Mosier nahvalio ovo cudo:
127 Hours Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWWcQC0ZxIM#ws)
Relativity Media has picked up U.S. distribution rights to David R. Ellis' currently untitled 3D shark thriller from Sierra Pictures and Incentive Filmed Entertainment says Heat Vision.
The story follows a group of college friends spending a weekend at a house on the lake to find that danger lurks beneath its waters.
Sara Paxton, Dustin Milligan, Katharine McPhee, Chris Carmack, Alyssa Diaz, Joel Moore, Donal Logue, Sinqua Walls and Chris Zylka all star in the film which will get a new title and a specific release date sometime in 2011.
Jesse Studenberg and Will Hayes penned the script while Chris Briggs, Mike Fleiss and Lynette Howell will produce.
Neill Blomkamp mysterious teaser from Wired magazine (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-IQdQYTBKU#ws)
Nije District 10. Genetska modifikacija & uzgoj na tragu Gwoemula?
Casting tests will kick off in London in the next fortnight for Bryan Singer's "Jack the Giant Killer" at New Line and Legendary Pictures reports Heat Vision.
Testing will take place for the leads with Aaron Johnson, Nicholas Hoult and Aneurin Barnard up for the titular young farmer Jack while Adelaide Kane, Lily Collins and Juno Temple are testing for the part of the kidnapped princess whom Jack must rescue to prevent a war between humans and giants.
Jamie Campbell Bower was also on the list for the male role but can't test due to a broken ankle. The production start date will begin in March and actors are being asked to commit a rather substantive eight to nine months on the project.
Though it looked like the film wasn't going to happen, Michael Douglas is already bouncing back from his treatments and is prepping for Steven Soderbergh's musician biopic "Liberace" as his first post-cancer role.
Last month Douglas' co-star Matt Damon told Entertainment Weekly that "I've talked to Michael and everything's on schedule for him, which is great. So we've all cleared our schedules and are all really excited about that happening".
Douglas himself, speaking with The Hollywood Reporter , says "I've got a bunch of tapes of performances. I'm thinking; I'm a blank slate. Everything shows me he was a lovely man; I just want to reconfirm that."
Scribe Peter Craig ("The Town") is set to pen "Fathers and Guns", the Hollywood remake of French-Canadian 2009 drama "De Pere en Flic", for Sony Pictures reports the trades.
Sony acquired the rights a year ago to the story of two feuding cops who are also father and son. The pair are soon forced together for an assignment to investigate an outdoors group for fathers and sons.
Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Denise Robert and Émile Gaudreault are producing.
True Grit
By Peter Debruge
'True Grit'
'True Grit'
A Paramount release presented with Skydance Prods. of a Scott Rudin/Mike Zoss production. Produced by Rudin, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen. Executive producers, Steven Spielberg, Robert Graf, David Ellison, Paul Schwake, Megan Ellison. Directed, written by Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, based on the novel by Charles Portis.
Rooster Cogburn - Jeff Bridges
Mattie Ross - Hailee Steinfeld
LaBoeuf - Matt Damon
Tom Chaney - Josh Brolin
Lucky Ned Pepper - Barry Pepper
It's hard to imagine bigger boots to fill than the ones that earned John Wayne his Oscar in "True Grit," and yet Jeff Bridges handily reinvents the iconic role of Rooster Cogburn in the Coen brothers' back-to-the-book remake. Though the sibs return things to the perspective of vengeance-bent 14-year-old Mattie Ross, all eyes are definitely on Cogburn. Rather than a case of the Dude doing the Duke, Bridges' irascible old cuss is a genuine original who feels larger than the familiar saga that contains him. Awfully gritty for its PG-13 rating, this characteristically well-crafted outing could draw a wide range of audiences, ranking among the Coens' more commercial pics.
The story of a righteous young woman (played by unknown Hailee Steinfeld, her plain-faced scowl framed by a pair of girlish braids) who enlists the help of the meanest, toughest lawman she can find to track down her father's killer (a pitiless Josh Brolin), "True Grit" fits the bill of properties that film purists would rather leave untouched. But in many ways, Henry Hathaway's film was already old-fashioned by the standards of late-'60s Western storytelling (made all the more apparent when Sam Peckinpah's bloody "The Wild Bunch" opened one week later in June 1969), and is therefore ripe for retelling.
What that original film offered was a revolutionary depiction of a frontier teen assertive enough to handle her own finances, trade barbs with a pair of surly bounty hunters and avenge her father's murder, even if it meant staring down the varmint herself -- themes that reflected shifting gender roles at the time of its release.
While the Coens significantly expand Mattie's role, scrubbing away all sentimentality in the process, the character's independent nature feels significantly less resonant 40 years on. No matter, the Coens are strictly apolitical filmmakers whose interest in the material lies not in exploring gender-related themes; rather, Charles Portis' novel poses the opportunity to add another entry to their gallery of regional and period-specific portraiture, a career-long obsession that spans a wide range of genres, while remaining laser-focused on capturing the vernacular and mannerisms of the characters involved.
Portis makes a logical target, considering his ear for authentic dialogue and wry wit, with "True Grit" offering a choice opportunity to attempt their first authentic Western (a far different beast in tone and energy from the 1980s-set "No Country for Old Men"). The Coens show their appreciation for Portis' prose by hewing close to the language of his novel, evident from Mattie's tone-setting opening narration to the colorful barbs she trades with her two traveling companions -- the second being an indignant Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf (rhymes with "the chief"), sincerely yet self-deprecatingly played by Matt Damon.
But the brothers also severely rein in the humor, which the book offers in spades -- a curious call in light of the often-satirical undercurrent in their other films. What comedy does survive exists primarily between Bridges and Damon, whose characters are constantly undermining one another in Mattie's presence. Since the broad strokes of the story are known by most, the Coens are free to indulge in serious character investigation. And yet, one major, inescapable carryover from the 1969 film can be found in Cogburn's age -- like Wayne, Bridges is a good 20 years older than the 40-ish character Portis imagined.
In keeping with the novel, Steinfeld's Mattie is a plain, almost homely girl (characters frequently joke about her stern, unladylike features) whose unrealistic sense of justice doesn't jibe with the untamed wilderness of the Choctaw Nation, where her trek unfolds. Though the Coens tone down Mattie's Scripture-quoting sensibility, her dispassionate view of violence matches the directors' own, which makes for several unflinching displays of Wild West punishment -- and a return to the book's tough-luck epilogue.
The film's heavily styled language feels distancing at first, not unlike the heightened dialogue in HBO's "Deadwood," with the actors' drawling delivery making some of the lines virtually indecipherable. Even without catching every word, the subtext of each exchange is clear, as when Mattie dickers with a horse trader (Dakin Matthews) for her late father's money, demonstrating that she can hold her own in a man's world.
In what surely ranks among the most peculiar introductions in screen history, the Coens set Mattie's first encounter with Cogburn through the wooden door of an outhouse, demystifying his character from the beginning, only to build him back up during the rather taxing trial scene that follows. Bridges pulls off a total physical reinvention, complete with whiskey-stained moustache, rotting underbite and trademark eyepatch. The actor seems to have absorbed the character into his very marrow, and though Cogburn seems perfectly set in his ways, the great pleasure of the film is watching how his attitude toward Mattie goes from patronizing to paternal over the course of their adventure.
As always, the Coens' support team help pull off the directors' ambitions, with Carter Burwell supplying a full-bodied reinterpretation of "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" (the same hymn featured in "The Night of the Hunter") and Roger Deakins' widescreen lensing serving to de-romanticize the terrain and the characters themselves. For the most part, "True Grit" resists the unspoiled vistas we've come to expect from Westerns, favoring the craggy, unkempt terrain of Cogburn's face instead.
Camera (Deluxe color prints, widescreen), Roger Deakins; editor, Roderick Jaynes; music, Carter Burwell; production designer, Jess Gunchor; supervising art director, Christy Wilson; art director, Stefan Dechant; set decorator, Nancy Haigh; costume designer, Mary Zophres; sound (Dolby Digital/DTS/SDDS), Peter F. Kurland, Douglas Axtell; sound designer, Craig Berkey; re-recording mixers, Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff; special effects coordinator, Steve Cremin; visual effects supervisor, Payam Shohadai; visual effects, Luma Pictures; assistant director, Betsy Magruder; casting, Jo Edna Boldin, Ellen Chenoweth, Rachel Tenner. Reviewed at Paramount Studios, Los Angeles, Dec. 1, 2010. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 110 MIN.
With: Dakin Matthews, Jarlath Conroy, Paul Rae, Elizabeth Marvel, Roy Lee JonesEd Lee Corbin, Leon Russom, Bruce Green, Candyce Hinkle, Peter Leung.
A Gaumont release of an LGM Films, Gaumont, TF1 Films Prod., K.R. Prods. production, in association with Nexus Factory, Ufund, with participation of Canal Plus, TPS Star. (International sales: Gaumont, France.) Produced by Cyril Colbeau-Justin, Jean-Baptiste Dupont. Executive producer, David Giordano. Co-producers, Sylvain Golberg, Serge de Poucques, Adrian Politowski, Gilles Waterkeyn. Directed by Fred Cavaye. Screenplay, Cavaye, Guillaume Lemans.
With: Gilles Lellouche, Roschdy Zem, Gerard Lanvin, Elena Anaya, Mireille Perrier, Claire Perot, Moussa Maaskri, Pierre Benoist, Valerie Dashwood, Virgile Bramly
Unlike John Boorman's trippy 1967 L.A. noir of the same title, frenetic Gallic suspenser "Point Blank" provides few existential thrills but plenty of heart-racing action as it follows one man's marathon dash to save his kidnapped wife from execution. While there may be no real point to this rather blank exercise in classic genre conventions, helmer Fred Cavaye follows his feature debut, "Anything for Her" (remade Stateside as "The Next Three Days"), with enough impressively handled chases and setpieces to incite solid B.O. during pic's French rollout. Offshore theatrical and ancillary, plus another Hollywood makeover, are likely.
The film literally hits the ground running with a shot of a man (Roschdy Zem) crashing through a door as he dodges a pair of gun-wielding stooges; he then heads into a tunnel, where he collides head-on with a motorcycle racing by at 100 mph. All this occurs during the opening credits, and beyond a few pauses that clumsily attempt to explain the story's unlikely chain of events, pic speeds by in 80 minutes (sans end credits) of nonstop gunplay, pileups (of people, not cars) and occasionally exhilarating location work throughout Paris' streets and subways.
At the center of all the mayhem is Samuel (Gilles Lellouche), a nurse-in-training whose very pregnant other half, Nadia (Elena Anaya), is confined to permanent bedrest. When Samuel saves the wounded man (whom we learn is a career thief named Sartet) during his night rounds, Sartet's cronies kidnap Nadia, coercing Samuel into springing the criminal from an intensive care unit under 24-hour guard. Soon enough, not one but two teams of trigger-happy cops are out to either kill or protect Sartet and Samuel, as the unlikely duo runs into a barrage of false leads, double-crossings and chaotic violence.
As in "Anything for Her," the motivation here is a guy's willingness to do whatever it takes to save his gal, though Cavaye and co-scribe Guillaume Lemans ("Caged") have upped the adrenaline factor (even using actual adrenaline in an early scene) by tossing an unborn baby into the mix and shortening the timeframe. Improving upon his previous pic's rhythm by turning this movie into one long chase, the helmer and returning dp Alain Duplantier make fine use of Paris geography to accompany the action, which is highlighted by a lengthy pursuit inside the Opera metro station.
While the onslaught of characters and events can seem confusing or even absurd at various points, we stick close enough to Samuel's side that his predicament feels, if not at all realistic, than often riveting. Taking the classic wrong man scenario and bolstering it with an overdose of twists and reversals demands a certain level of deft, and in the end, Cavaye and his team wind up providing us with way more deft than depth, especially when the script's main MacGuffin turns out to be a predictable device used in any number of throwaway TV policiers.
If Vincent Lindon was never entirely convincing as a booklover-turned-gunslinger in "Anything For Her," Gilles Lellouche ("Little White Lies") does a better job at portraying the fear and bewilderment Samuel faces as he leaps from one deathtrap to another. As the silent killer type, Zem ("Outside the Law") gives Sartet plenty of screen presence, though he feels closer to a living plot point than to an actual person. The large supporting cast of mostly corrupt cops, lead by the ruthless Commandant Werner (Gerard Lanvin), are really just fully armed stock characters, with performances to match.
Tech is aces all around, providing an array of actual stunts that editor Benjamin Weill ("Dog Pound") avoids cutting to pieces.
Camera (color, widescreen), Alain Duplantier; editor, Benjamin Weill; music, Klaus Badelt; production designer, Philippe Chiffre; costume designer, Marie-Laure Lasson; sound (Dolby Digital), Pierre Mertens, Alain Feat, Marc Doisne; stunt coordinator, Gilles Conseil; line producer, Anne Giraudau; assistant director, Michael Viger; casting, Olivier Carbone. Reviewed at Gaumont screening room, Neuilly-sur-Seine, Nov. 22, 2010. Running time: 84 MIN.
Ovo bi moglo biti dobro, barem poster obecava:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1161864/ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1161864/)
Author Daniel H. Wilson ("Robopocalypse") has sold film rights for his upcoming novel "AMP" to Summit Entertainment reports Deadline.
The story is set in the near future when technology designed to make the disabled whole turns them into supermen. Summit apparently beat out bids from the likes of Paramount Pictures and Working Title for the rights.
"Knowing" and "I, Robot" director Alex Proyas is attached to produce and will likely direct according to Wilson himself on his blog. Proyas apparently intends to shoot the film in Australia for a modest budget.
Ben Foster and Giovanni Ribisi are in talks to join the $30 million thriller "Contraband" for Universal Pictures reports Variety.
An English-language remake of Oskar Jonasson's Icelandic thriller "Reykjavik-Rotterdam", the plot centers on a security guard and former alcohol smuggler (Mark Wahlberg) who is tempted back into illicit business by his brother-in-law after encountering financial problems.
Foster will play said brother-in-law, Ribisi's role is undisclosed. Aaron Guzikowski ("Prisoners") is adapting the script while the original film's producer/star Baltasar Kormakur will direct the remake.
Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner are producing. Shooting kicks off in January for a release in March 2012.
"Twilight" and "Red Riding Hood" director Catherine Hardwicke is in early negotiations to direct "The Maze Runner" for 20th Century Fox reports The Wrap.
Based on the first novel in a popular sci-fi trilogy by author James Dashner, the story follows a boy named Thomas who awakens up in a strange enclosed structure called The Glade with no memory aside from his first name.
Surrounding The Glade's tall stone walls is a large maze filled with monsters called Grievers. Every day boys known as 'Runners' venture into the labyrinth to map it in an attempt to find a way out.
The Maze seems familiar to Thomas who has extraordinary abilities as a Runner, but strange things begin to happen which arouses the suspicions of the boys also trapped there.
Lindsay Williams will produce.
Gulliver's Travels: Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhoktf7X0aQ#ws)
3D u bioskopima od 30 decembra :!:
Heh heh
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/heat-vision/wachowskis-warner-bros-aim-hood-57312 (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/heat-vision/wachowskis-warner-bros-aim-hood-57312)
QuoteMatrix Creators Want Will Smith to Play Updated Robin Hood
Since Robin Hood hasn't graced a screen in the past month or so, the Wachowskis have decided the time is ripe to film an updated, modern spin on it.
The most recent adaptation of Robin Hood opened in theaters seven months ago next week, so the timing seems just about right for another one. The Wachowskis (The Matrix, Speed Racer) have just sold Warner Bros. a modern take on the robber of the rich, and are currently looking for a cast. They've reportedly approached Will Smith, who infamously passed when they offered him the role of Neo in The Matrix. Yes, that happened.
The film is called Hood, and The Hollywood Reported describes it as "a modern, urban take on the Robin Hood myth." That description may be vague, but it's practically a spoiler for Andy and Lana Wachowski, who generally keep mum regarding upcoming projects. The siblings will write and direct the film, as they have for Speed Racer, Bound, and the entire Matrix trilogy.
This isn't the duo's only project in the works right now. The Hollywood Reporter reminds everyone that the Wachowskis are still putting together "their Iraqi war movie CN-9," about which we also know a great deal. As The Reporter tells it, the film is "told from the point of view of archeologists piecing together events from the U.S. occupation of Iraq using found footage [which] includes two male soldiers falling in love and a plot to assassinate George W. Bush." The film, also known as Cobalt Neutral 9, is still in want of additional financing.
Valjda će ih Big Willy spasiti.
Mada ostaje pitanje jel ostalo nešto vredno da se spase?
Pa, sudeći po plotu ovog "iračkog" filma - ne.
Warner Bros. Pictures is planning to take late 70's British children's comedy series "Rentaghost" and turn it into a Beetlejuice-esque big screen vehicle for comedian Russell Brand reports Deadline.
The original followed Fred Mumford, a recently deceased loser who feels he can find work for ghosts whose lives were as failed as his. He soon starts up a temp agency where he rents out ghosts to the living.
Amongst his spectral clients are a mischievous jester with zero knowledge of modern technology, a delicate Victorian-era gentleman morally shocked by the modern world, a pantomime horse, a Dutch ghost who teleports when she sneezes, a Scottish witch and a female Wild West gunslinger.
Brand will play Mumford and the studio is currently seeking writers for the project. Kevin McCormick, Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun are producing.
Zac Efron is reportedly attached to the gritty action drama "Die In A Gunfight" for Media Rights Capital, Mark Gordon Company and Efron's own Ninjas Runnin' Wild production company reports Deadline.
Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari penned the script about a "fight-prone and death-obsessed young society man who pursues a romance with the daughter of his father's enemy."
The film marks yet another upcoming project by Efron to branch out from his clean-cut "High School Musical" and "Charlie St. Cloud" tween image. His next two projects are starring as a conman in "The Art of the Steal" and a remake of the Swedish drug drama "Snabba Cash".
Armie Hammer ("The Social Network") is in talks to star while Charlize Theron is up for a role in Clint Eastwood's biopic of former FBI head J. Edgar Hoover reports Entertainment Weekly.
The Dustin Lance Black-penned film, now retitled "J. Edgar", will follow the career of Hoover from his founding of the F.B.I. in 1935 where he remained as director until his death in 1972. It's expected to be a warts-and-all look at the man from his success efforts in the gangland wars of the 30's, his paranoid concern about "subversives", his links with the Mafia and Freemasons, rumors of him being a deeply repressed gay man, and the often dirty and illegal methods he sanctioned to bring down people and organisations he considered threats.
Hammer would play Clyde Tolson, a former lawyer turned FBI employee who some allege was Hoover's secret lover. Theron would play Helen Gandy, a Justice Department file clerk picked to be Hoover's secretary and served in that capacity for over five decades.
Clint Eastwood directs and shooting is slated to kick off sometime early next year for release in 2012.
Taylor Lautner has signed on to star in the sci-fi prison thriller "Incarceron" for Fox 2000 reports Deadline.
Based on Catherine Fisher's young-adult novel series, the dystopian fantasy follows a young man Finn incarcerated in a futuristic and completely self-contained living prison ruled by rivalry and savagery.
The daughter of the prison's warden lives outside in a future world made to resemble the 17th century and is being forced into an arranged marriage. Both find a device, a crystal key, which allows them to communicate with each other and hatch a plan to escape their respective incarcerations.
Adam Cooper and Bill Collage are adapting the script while Hugh Jackman and John Palermo will produce. No director is currently attached.
Dir/scr: Dick Maas. Netherlands. 2010. 85mins
Saint (Sint) is a nicely nasty spin on the Dutch Saint Nicholas legend (the country's variation on the Santa Claus tale), offering up action, chills and more than a few moments of real terror. Writer-director Dick Maas has constructed a smart festive horror movie that has been delighting local audiences in the run up to Christmas.
The action is well staged plus there are some genuinely chilling moments.
In this variation on the festive theme, the good Saint Nick in ancient times happened to be an evil bishop who favours killing children rover giving them presents. When pitchfork wielding villagers band against him the bishop swears supernatural revenge.
The story then switches to 1968 when on December 5 – during the obligatory full moon – when a scarred and resurrected Saint Nick attacks a family, with a small boy the only one who escapes....naturally he grows to be a cop and features later. Skip on to 2010 and with snowy Amsterdam getting ready for festive fun, Saint Nick is back for more bloody revenge.
As is common with such films there are some good-looking teen girls to terrorise and a cynical cop (guess who) who is the only one who thinks there is something supernatural going on and starts looking at the rooftops where lurks a chap in a red outfit. But once the cops realise that this bad Santa has murder on the mind they are quick to give chase and respond with machine gun fire.
Dick Maas is expert at producing tense entertainment – Amsterdamned and The Lift have both been local hits – and this film could be a smart genre pick-up for distributors in other territories, especially if looking for a tasty anti-Xmas DVD for Christmas 2011.
The action is well staged – especially Saint Nick galloping across the Amsterdam rooftops while the cops shoot from the streets and canals – plus there are some genuinely chilling moments.
The Dutch Advertising Code Committee received dozens of complaints from parents who thought that the advertising for the film was unsuitable for children (the film is a '16' certificate in the Netherlands, the highest aging band possible), which, of course, is a sure sign that it would be a hit with chill-seeking teens.
Michelle Yeoh is starring and Luc Besson is directing a currently shooting biopic on Burmese pro-democracy politician Aung San Suu Kyi reports The Associated Press.
Entitled "Into the Light", the story follows Suu Kyi who lead the National League for Democracy (NLD) party to a landslide election win in 1990. However the win was never recognised by Myanmar's military rulers who have locked her up for most of the past two decades.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner was freed last month after seven straight years of house arrest at her lakeside mansion, less than a week after an election that critics said was a charade aimed at preserving military rule behind a civilian facade in Myanmar.
Filming began in Thailand and recently wrapped up its leg of shooting there. The production is now moving to London, followed by a fortnight's studio shoot in France. Yeoh met Suu Kyi last week.
The Notable Films of 2011: Part One
By Garth Franklin Monday December 13th 2010 09:39AM
Back for its third year (see the 2010 edition) and bigger than ever, today kicks off the first in a fifteen-part look at the various cinematic releases hitting the U.S. in 2011. Each 'part' contains brief descriptions and editorial opinion/analysis of varying length covering twenty films. Expect the remaining ones to go up between now and the first major releases in mid-January.
Like all cinematic lists set within a timeframe, there's some overlap. Some films here have already opened worldwide but have yet to hit the U.S., some upcoming films you'd expect to be here aren't because they're either still in development or have already announced 2012 release dates, some were on last year's list but got delayed so have been included again (but with all new analysis).
I confined my list to films that have either set 2011 release dates or had begun/completed production, and only films that have a good chance of getting some kind of theatrical release - even then its come out just shy of 300 titles at present. So, away we go:
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5 Days in August
Opens: March 2011
Cast: Val Kilmer, Andy Garcia, Rupert Friend, Heather Graham, Johnathon Schaech
Director: Renny Harlin
Summary: A group of war correspondents are caught behind enemy lines when Russia invaded Georgia in 2008. They manage to witness and film the most horrific of war crimes only to find the world media focused on Beijing. They must fight to get the footage out - a quest that may cost them their lives.
Analysis: With the sovereignty of Abkhazia and South Ossetia still in question, the relatively short-lived conflict of 2008 when Russia annexed those Georgian territories is still prominent in the mindset of many living anywhere near the Black and Caspian Seas. How this $20 million feature about war correspondents caught up in the fighting will go down there is anybody's guess, though like any political-themed film one does expect it to be divisive in and of itself - supporters calling it a bold and gritty cinematic treatise, detractors dismissing it as a propaganda puff piece.
A promotional trailer that went online a month ago shows Finnish director Harlin retaining his strong skills for shooting action with impressive scenes of helicopter gunship attacks and tank units launching devastating assaults, though it very noticeably avoids showing off any real dialogue in its scenes. An interview with him and a producer on the film claims that it's an "anti-war story that could take place in various countries."
Shot on-location in Tbilisi with the approval of the Georgian government, the setting is pretty much as on target as you can get. Yet like any real event movie with state-backing, one wonders how much of the truth will be adjusted to obey cinematic conventions and nationalistic pride. In spite of all the military hardware on display, this is essentially an independent film without any big marquee names attached, though does manage to employ a mix of veterans (Kilmer, Garcia), babes with talent (Graham, Schaech) and rising young stars-of-tomorrow (Friend, Chiquiri).
The other issue is marketability. In Europe and parts of Asia this will likely do well, around the rest of the world it's a much tougher sell. Films about the far more publicised and ongoing conflict to the south in Iraq have almost all fizzled at the box-office, and there doesn't seem to be much on offer here to separate this other than the setting. Even that is tricky enough, there's still quite a few out there who upon hearing the term 'Russia/Georgia war' think you're probably talking about some skirmish between Atlanta and Moscow back in the 80's. The synopsis hints at the lack of media coverage about the conflict as a plot point, something I hope does get explored.
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11-11-11
Opens: November 11th 2011
Cast: Unknown
Director: Darren Lynn Bousman
Summary: After the tragic death of his wife and child, a famed American author tries to reunite with his estranged brother and dying father in Barcelona. His life soon becomes plagued with strange happenings, and the constant sightings of the number 11 a portent for an entity's arrival on our earthly plane.
Analysis: Filming doesn't kick off for another month on this, but Darren Lynn Bousman is used to turning around films fast like he did with the second, third and fourth "Saw" movie. Those skills will come in handy for this, what's essentially being called a "marketing department's wet dream" where the title and release date are one and the same (and work no matter what day/month/year configuration you care to make). The worry of course is "The Number 23", the tedious Jim Carrey-led thriller that tried to explain the conspiracy theories behind that particular figure and bombed badly with critics and at the box-office.
While this will look into a similar theory, there seems to be more of a vibe along "The Prophecy" lines with the idea that something from another world entering our dimension for 49 minutes via a heavenly gate. When Christian mythology is done right, you get the entertaining story arcs on "Supernatural" over the past few years. When done wrong, you get last year's truly terrible "Legion". Bousman is an interesting director with a keen visual eye, but any director is only as good as his or her material - on that front he hasn't lucked out so well yet. For now with no cast announced and a lot of details uncertain, it's far too early to make call either way on how this'll work.
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13 Assassins
Opens: 2011
Cast: Kôji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yûsuke Iseya, Gorô Inagaki, Masachika Ichimura
Director: Takashi Miike
Summary: Set in mid-19th century Japan, a Shogun advisor sets in motion a plan to be carried out by a samurai strike team to kill a sadistic but influentially growing noble lord while he's enroute home. However he's well protected and lead by a warrior who knows the leader of the strike team well.
Analysis: Not many 50-year-old Japanese men can get Western geeks sexually aroused, but one of the few is filmmaker Takashi Miike. With over four dozen films to his name (he churns out 2-3 films a year) and two bonafide underground genre classics in the forms of "Ichi the Killer" and "Audition", Miike is renowned for his excess, taking extremes to new heights of tastelessness and ultra violence. Topics like incest and necrophilia are common place, as are inventive camera angles ranging from the bottom of a toilet bowl to the inside of a vagina.
When genre directors like David Cronenberg and David Lynch have toned down their voraphiliac and surrealist tendencies respectively, it has resulted in some of their most wide-appealing and acclaimed works ("A History of Violence," "Eastern Promises," "Mulholland Drive," "Twin Peaks"). Miike looks to be adopting the same approach with this remake of Eiichi Kudo's 1963 black-and-white Japanese film - bringing a few touches of darkness and horror to the all too familiar avenging samurai story which seems to have stayed pretty comfortably in the same mold since Akira Kurosawa's highly influential "Seven Samurai" over five decades ago.
With producers Toshiaki Nakazawa ("Departures") and Jeremy Thomas ("The Last Emperor") onboard, Miike launched the film last year at Cannes and managed to score a nomination for the prestigious Golden Lion a few months later in Venice. Reviews were strong, calling it beautifully photographed, largely faithful to Kudo's original, epic in scale and refreshingly straight-forward for a Miike film. Celebrating both his and our love for the genre and carefully deconstructing it without mocking it, 'Assassins' should also be packing genre fans in for its last act which contains a "45-minute showdown that has to be the best final battle sequence in cinema" according to one review.
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30 Minutes or Less
Opens: August 12th 2011
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride, Fred Ward, Nick Swardson, Aziz Ansari
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Summary: Two fledging criminals take a pizza delivery boy and a junior high history teacher hostage, strapping a bomb to the delivery boy's chest and forcing him to rob a bank within 30 minutes.
Analysis: With "Zombieland" proving both a critical and commercial success, director Ruben Fleischer pretty much had his pick of follow-up projects, including the fourth "Mission: Impossible", but instead opted for this caper comedy. The pedigree is good - Eisenberg coming off his "Social Network" success teamed with rising comics Danny McBride and Aziz Ansari who'll both pull in their own growing fanbases. Taylor Lautner's rumored cameo may have more of an impact though.
The storyline sounds like light fun, the script described by one outlet as "'Pineapple Express' with more heart", however scribes Matthew Sullivan and Michael Diliberti are unknowns at this point (Diliberti was a former assistant to Scott Rudin so he understands debasement). Ben Stiller is producing and shooting seemed to go smoothly in Michigan back in the late Summer. We'll know a lot more when a trailer hits sometime in the new year.
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Abduction
Opens: September 23rd 2011
Cast: Taylor Lautner, Lily Collins, Alfred Molina, Sigourney Weaver, Jason Isaacs
Director: John Singleton
Summary: Nathan Harper (Taylor Lautner) comes across a picture of himself on a missing persons' web site. Setting out to uncover his real identity, Nathan quickly learns his parents are far from who they say they are. When the police, government agents and shadowy figures start to pursue him, Nathan goes on the run.
Analysis: Taylor Lautner's first leading man role since the "Twilight" craze made him a household name, the box-office fate of this young-skewing Bourne-esque thriller will be watched closely to determine how much pulling power the 18-year-old has on his own. His co-star Robert Pattinson has taken the 'serious actor' route with roles in indie films and period dramas like "Little Ashes," "Bel Ami" and "Water for Elephants". His pull alone managed to turn throwaway romance drama "Remember Me" into a decent little $55 million grosser. Lautner on the other hand is trying to maximise his star power while he has it, setting up potential franchise features like "Stretch Armstrong," "Incarceron", and this.
While Lautner's involvement will certainly pull in the younger crowds, it's the other elements of the production that are actually more impressive. Musician Shawn Christensen penned the script on spec and Lionsgate won a bidding war for it back in February. The mini-major made it a priority, quickly getting Jeffrey Nachmanoff ("Traitor," "The Day After Tomorrow") to do some rewrites before locking down a shoot in Pennsylvania in July. The high concept story actually sounds quite interesting and could have a lot of potential if executed properly.
John Singleton is directing, his first time since 2005's "Four Brothers", and the rest of the cast is excellent starting with "Wolverine" scene stealer Lily Collins in the lead female role. Supporting turns from great veterans like Alfred Molina, Jason Isaacs, Sigourney Weaver, Maria Bello and Swedish "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" star Michael Nyqvist could hold promise. How the tone of this will come off is anybody's guess at this point, the mystery and action angles will hopefully be played up and give us at least an entertaining diversion in the early Fall.
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The Adjustment Bureau
Opens: March 4th 2011
Cast: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, John Slattery, Terence Stamp, Daniel Dae Kim
Director: George Nolfi
Summary: Loosely based on the Philip K. Dick short story "Adjustment Team". David Norris, a charismatic congressman meets a beautiful ballet dancer named Elise Sellas, only to find strange circumstances keeping them from getting closer. Norris discovers forces are at work to ensure they stay apart, and he pushes to find out why.
Analysis: Shot late 2009 on location all around Manhattan, Damon and Blunt seem like a good idea for an onscreen pairing and the central premise of the original story is interesting if not entirely original. The only concern at the time was writer/director Nolfi who, though having served as co-writer "The Bourne Ultimatum", was responsible for the scripts of the famously awful film adaptation of Michael Crichton's "Timeline" and the utterly forgettable Michael Douglas secret service thriller "The Sentinel".
Then around the early Summer things started to go awry. A trailer launch around Memorial Day wasn't that well received, the idea that fate exists and is being controlled by a bunch of guys in suits is fine on paper but comes off as somewhat cheesy and self-defeating on screen. A late July release was pushed back into September and then pushed back again to a March 4th 2011 date - a full eight months from its originally planned release.
With at least two sets of reshoots (late February, mid June), Universal is obviously hedging its bets and tweaking this like crazy. You can't help but get the feeling that the project might have been too ambitious for first-time director Nolfi and it got away from him, leaving the studio to clean up the mess. A PKD story is usually a good start but the quality can vary from solid sci-fi features like "Blade Runner," "Total Recall" and "Minority Report" to disappointments like "Paycheck," "Next" and "Impostor". Hopefully this will fall along the lines of the former, a Damon-led project rarely stinks, but the delay means the onus is now on the studio to justify the film's worth.
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The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
Opens: December 23rd 2011
Cast: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Daniel Craig, Toby Jones
Director: Steven Spielberg
Summary: A computer-animated motion-capture feature based on a two-part story from the classic Herge comics. Murderous antique dealers, a wallet thief and three miniature replicas of a sailing vessel are the key to Tintin's search for the treasure of 17th century West Indies pirate Red Rackham.
Analysis: With the studios content on feeding from the seemingly endless trough of talking critter movies, even Pixar is slumming it this year with "Cars 2", it's up to Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson to bring some inventiveness to the animation genre next year with this awkwardly titled first entry in a planned trilogy of films adapted from the famous Belgian comics.
"Tintin" is an unusual property for its inverse appeal you could call it. Comics in general sell very little outside the United States, with only the odd title like a Batman or Superman really establishing a foothold globally. "Tintin" was the opposite, a title that's still barely known within the United States and never went beyond a small cult niche there with much of that coming from the watered down kiddie animated show version. On the other hand for much of the 20th century, Herge's work was a staple in many households in Europe, Australia and other parts of the world.
Fusing well-paced adventure, mystery, political thriller and frequent character-based humor, Herge's 23 completed stories published from the 1930's through to the mid-1970's were wide appealing enough for kids yet still explored rather adult issues of drug smuggling, slavery, forgery, espionage, Government corruption and the control of oil resources. Despite being politically incorrect at times (especially in the very early books which are replete with colonialist attitude), many of the stories are produced with a very cinematic style and were a big influence on Spielberg when he came up with "Raiders of the Lost Ark".
So we come to this film and the big question is will it work? In terms of talent behind the screen, there couldn't be any finer. Simon Pegg & Nick Frost as Thompson & Thomson is perfect casting along with Bell and Serkis, while even small supporting parts are populated by the likes of Daniel Craig, Daniel Mays, Toby Jones, Tony Curran, Mackenzie Crook and Kim Stengel.
Spielberg's directing, Jackson and Kathleen Kennedy are producing, John Williams is doing the score, while beloved filmmaker Edgar Wright ("Shaun of the Dead," "Scott Pilgrim") and current "Doctor Who" and "Sherlock" showrunner Steven Moffat adapted the script. While the use of mo-cap animation didn't enthuse many who wanted a live-action take, it has allowed the filmmakers to preserve Herge's unique style of artwork while updating it with more realistic textures.
That does bring up concern of the 'uncanny valley' effect seen in many of Robert Zemeckis' films ("The Polar Express," "A Christmas Carol") where the realism becomes disturbing to watch. The first batch of stills certainly raised my concerns sharply about this, but thankfully further stills have hinted at a more stylised take. Still, none of the shots have yet shown a full on facial shot of Tintin himself, and a LOT will depend upon how all of this looks in motion.
Internationally the film has a solid chance. Set to open in October throughout much of the world, the brand name awareness is already well in place and the anticipation is already there as it's one of the few remaining comic properties familiar to many that has yet to see a major film adaptation onscreen. The age of the property could have an impact, Tintin isn't anywhere near as big amongst the current younger generation as it was to those of us who grew up in the 80's and 90's. Still, expect this to have a long life throughout October and November.
In America however is where the real war will be fought. A battle not just of brand awareness but a shameful amount of wilful ignorance on the part of the geek community which usually has no problem rallying behind comic titles far more obscure and much more third-rate. You couldn't read an article about the film in 2010 without at least several comments decrying their beloved gods Spielberg and Jackson were working on a film they assumed to be something along "My Little Pony" lines because of the use of the word 'Unicorn' in the title. In fact, at a set visit I attended last year a writer for a certain blog known for being higher brow and knowledgable about what they write seemed to take pride in that ignorance. I love my news writing brethren, but on rare occasion the odd comment like that makes me want to grab one of them by the balls and squeeze painfully hard - harder than usual anyway.
Many still have zero idea of even the general tone of the property, which means Paramount has to 'hit it out of the park' as it were with the first trailer and really demonstrate the scale, the sense of adventure, the fun and the characters. It's much more an uphill battle, but one that could pay big dividends should it succeed. The one obvious hurdle I hope they can overcome is that this is one of the quieter and weaker works in the series, lacking the epicness of the other two-parters or the sheer brazenness of many of the standalone works.
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Albert Nobbs
Opens: 2011
Cast: Glenn Close, Michael Gambon, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Aaron Johnson
Director: Rodrigo Garcia
Summary: In 19th Century Ireland, a woman has spent two decades disguising herself as a man to take advantages of the luxuries, opportunities and wealth not offered to women. She soon finds herself involved in an unusual love triangle and realises that she has confined herself to a prison of her own making.
Analysis: With filming about to get underway in Ireland, this long-gestating adaptation of the acclaimed off-Broadway stage play "The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs" is finally happening. With its "Gosford Park"-esque class drama, introspective themes about losing ourselves in order to conform to society, acclaimed helmer Rodrigo Garcia ("Mother & Child," "Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her") directing, and a great cast including Glenn Close reprising one of her most famous stage roles from the 80's - it would be a surprise for this to be anything but stellar.
Close herself is said to be personally involved in the writing and the producing of the adaption, and though there have been delays they've all been to refine the project and deliver the best possible interpretation according to sources involved. Presently an early 2012 release date is being targeted, but it's highly likely the film will have some kind of limited release late next year in order to garner a swag of potential award nominations.
Close's chances for a best actress nomination seems almost a fait accompli at this point, while the supporting cast including Michael Gambon, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Aaron Johnson, Mia Wasikowska and Janet McTeer along with director Garcia are likely to get some serious consideration should this come out right.
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Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
Opens: December 11th 2011
Cast: Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney, Jason Lee, David Cross
Director: Mike Mitchell
Summary: Alvin, Simon and Theodore become shipwrecked on an island. Singing and chipmunk-related hilarity ensues.
Analysis: Two words: F*CK NO. When your poorly reviewed 'Squeakquel' pulls in nearly half a billion in ticket sales alone from a mere $75 million budget, it makes perfect economic sense why any studio would continue with such a franchise - it's a cash cow invulnerable to criticism. That doesn't make it any easier for anyone over the age of five being forced to sit through this nonsense, it's like Alex in "A Clockwork Orange" being brainwashed without the random shots of breasts to keep you awake.
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Amigo
Opens: 2011
Cast: Garret Dillahunt, Chris Cooper, Lucas Neff, DJ Qualls
Director: John Sayles
Summary: A fictionalized account of the Philippines-American War at the turn of the century that began after two American privates killed three Filipino soldiers in a suburb of Manila. The incident turned into a bloody war that lasted two years.
Analysis: Sayles remains Hollywood's go-to man for script doctoring, but hasn't really had a hit with his own directing efforts since 1996's "Lone Star". "Amigo" hopes to change that, this passion project is based on the nearly 1000-page historical fiction novel "Some Time in the Sun" which Sayles spent years writing. Profits from it raised the funds for this micobudgeted $1.2 million film adaptation originally titled "Baryo" and shot in April on the island province of Bohol.
Yet festival screenings have yielded mixed responses, reviews praising the historical accuracies but proving much more divided on the performances and politics of the piece. No U.S. distributor has yet been locked down and one wonders if this will see a theatrical release of any kind.
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Anonymous
Opens: September 30th 2011
Cast: Rhys Ifans, Rafe Spall, David Thewlis, Joely Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave
Director: Roland Emmerich
Summary: A political thriller about who actually wrote the plays of William Shakespeare-- Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford-- set against the backdrop of the succession of Queen Elizabeth I, and the Essex Rebellion against her.
Analysis: Having destroyed the world countless times over in big-budget disaster epics like "Independence Day," "The Day After Tomorrow," "Godzilla" and "2012", filmmaker Roland Emmerich is trying a change of pace with this "political thriller" exploring the Oxfordian theory that Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford, was the real author of Shakespeare's plays. That authorship issue is set against the backdrop of the failed coup by Essex and the political turmoil at the end of the Elizabethan age.
"Band of Brothers" and "A Mighty Heart" scribe John Orloff actually penned the script for this back in 1998. While it received strong reviews, the project never took off because "Shakespeare in Love" had just been released. Then back in 2005 Emmerich read the script and the pair did further research and revision before finally getting the green light to go ahead and film it this year. Emmerich himself says his past financial successes allowed him essentially carte blanche on this $30 million project in terms of letting him cast whom he wants and being able to film the script without studio interference.
Emmerich's FX work has come in handy as all but one of the many exterior shots in the film is being done entirely with green screen and a computer-animated late 16th century recreation of London to be used throughout. Interiors were shot in Berlin on seventy hand-built sets and Orloff claims in an interview that while the movie "takes it as a given that he [Shakespeare] did not write the plays", the film is "stunningly accurate" in terms of historical events and the period recreation.
Yet "Anonymous" also incorporates the far more dubious 'Prince Tudor' theory that de Vere was the illegitimate son of Elizabeth I. Emmerich himself says in an interview that "When Shakespeare wrote 'Henry V', he made things up and we're making things up too." Orloff says in the same piece "there is a point where you have to go with the emotional truth, not the literal truth, because the drama is the primary concern." Stunningly accurate huh?
Given more serious subject matter in the past, Emmerich proved himself a robust director with "The Patriot". Whatever the quality of this, it has already sparked op-ed pieces and quotes from professors and actors alike - talk that will only grow in the lead-up to the film's release.
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Apollo 18
Opens: March 4th 2011
Cast: Unknown
Director: Gonzalo López-Gallego
Summary: The story revolves around recently "found footage" shot by the crew of an abandoned moon mission that NASA claims never took place in the early 1970s. The footage reveals the existence of alien life and explains why the agency has hidden the evidence for all of these years.
Analysis: Another very low-budget 'found footage' style feature (ala. "Paranormal Activity," "Blair Witch Project"), this one works on the interesting sci-fi posit that evidence of alien life on the moon affected the future of the space program. Rushing into production this month, there's essentially no real facts out about this other than "Wanted" director Timur Bekmambetov is producing and Dimension Films is pushing hard to get this done and in cinemas by March.
Yet there are causes for concern. These low budget, pseudo-doco style films seem to be on the wane, neither the recent well-received "Monsters" of the utterly panned "Skyline" set the box-office alight. The writer is an unknown, though one review says the script is better than that of Dark Castle's similar rival project "Dark Moon".
The cast is REALLY unknown at this point (they're still being locked down), and the little known director had the thankless job of taking over from a visual effects guru who'd previously been slated to direct. Still, the Weinsteins seem high on this project which hopefully means there's something here worth checking out.
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The Apparition
Opens: September 9th 2011
Cast: Tom Felton, Ashley Greene, Sebastian Stan, Julianna Guill, Luke Pasqualino
Director: Todd Lincoln
Summary: A young couple are haunted by a scary ghost-like form, apparently brought into existence by students testing a whole new form of science. Who will help them escape the terrifying apparition?
Analysis: Dark Castle's horror entry for this year is a sci-fi meets haunted house tale that takes its inspiration from "Paranormal Activity," "Poltergeist" and "Flatliners" - with the plot following a couple being terrorised in their home by something unleashed after a university parapsychology experiment goes awry. Producer Joel Silver says that despite being shot in Berlin, the setting is around a cul-de-sac in LA's San Fernando Valley in an area where a lot of houses didn't ever get finished (an unformed neighbourhood of sorts). Their aim is to be "really, really scary", taking the setup of films like 'Paranormal' and then pushing it beyond into something darker.
Filmmaker Lincoln is an unknown, this marks his screenwriting and directorial debut. The young cast though is surprisingly pretty good, the best actress of the "Twilight" films, Ashley Greene, makes her debut in a leading role here opposite one of my favourite young actors Sebastian Stan ("Kings," "Gossip Girl," "Hot Tub Time Machine," "Black Swan") who'll hopefully hit it big this year as the sidekick of "Captain America". Brits Tom Felton, best known for playing Draco Malfoy in the "Harry Potter" series, and "Skins" star Luke Pasqualino are also good choices to have onboard.
One thing this thankfully won't be is overly gory. Greene mentioned in a roundtable interview earlier this year that "It's not going to be that slash-gore movie. It's that thing that just scares you to the core, and it's terrifying. The way that I can best explain it is that we do everything that a normal person would do. Everyone is going to watch it and say, 'Do this!' And that's what we're going to do. Unfortunately, it doesn't solve things, and we're still having to deal with them. I think that's the scariest part, is when you do everything that you should do and you still end up ruined." Sounds like good fun to me.
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Arthur
Opens: 2011
Cast: Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Jennifer Garner, Nick Nolte, Greta Gerwig
Director: Jason Winer
Summary: Arthur is a drunken playboy and heir to a vast fortune which he is told will only be his if he marries a woman he doesn't love but whom his family expects will make something of him. Arthur proposes but then meets a girl with no money who he could easily fall in love with.
Analysis: The original multi-award winning 1981 Dudley Moore comedy is still considered a classic in various circles, so the idea of remaking it seems as heretical as another version of "Tootsie" or "Caddyshack". These three were classics in their day that are still hilarious even now, but nonetheless are very much products of their time.
The point of a remake is to take the original premise and explore new tangents or reconfigure it in a way that doesn't just work for contemporary audiences, but hopefully improves upon the flaws of the original. "Arthur" isn't everyone's cup of tea, I'm not the biggest fan of it myself I admit, but it did exploit its premise to full effect and did so with a style that nabbed it two Oscars - something very few studio comedies can claim.
So now comes the inevitable remake with Russell Brand in the starring role. Brand's schtick has quickly become old and yet oddly enough people still keep hiring him, much like Jack Black. Playing the role of a drunken rich prat allows him to turn up his obnoxious-meter all the way up, which fans will adore but will likely turn away anyone else with even a remote interest. What new angle can be brought to this premise? Why remake a property with a star whose fanbase is mostly made up of those who've probably never heard of the original?
If there's one consolation it's that he's surrounded by some top notch talent. Helen Mirren takes over from John Gielguld in the role of Arthur's butler. Rising star Greta Gerwig is the love interest while Jennifer Garner and Luis Guzmán add strong support. Actor-turned-filmmaker Jason Winer, who has directed many episodes of breakout hit comedy series "Modern Family", is at the helm. Peter Baynham, who penned "Borat" and "Bruno" along with Brit comedies "Big Train," "I'm Alan Partridge" and "The Day Today", wrote the update which should ensure some biting and darker laughs than we may expect. I'll wait until a trailer comes out, for now though this holds little interest.
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Arthur Christmas
Opens: November 23rd 2011
Cast: James McAvoy, Bill Nighy, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton
Director: Barry Cook
Summary: 'So how does Santa deliver all those presents in one night?' The answer: Santa's exhilarating, ultra-high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole. Inside is a family in a state of comic dysfunction and an unlikely hero, Arthur, with an urgent mission that must be completed before Christmas morning dawns.
Analysis: The first feature effort from "Wallace and Gromit" creators Aardman Animation since the well-received but far too expensive "Flushed Away" got washed down the sewer at the box-office back in 2006. An early trailer released the other week, a full year out from release, shows this to be at least a bit more promising than some of the other family-orientated CG movies due out next year. Backed by a cast of great British actors, the project is helmed by Barry Cook, originally an effects animator for Disney throughout the 80's and 90's who graduated to direct Disney's solid "Mulan" back in 1998.
Most exciting are the writers attached who specialise in some of the best British comedies of the past decade. Sarah Smith, who cut her teeth as a producer on "The League of Gentlemen" and "The Armando Iannucci Shows", is serving as co-director and co-writer on the project. She's being helped by Peter Baynham, who penned the screenplays for "Borat" and "Brüno" along with many episodes of "I'm Alan Partridge". Hopefully the pair will bring some freshness to a tale that could be far too sickly sweet in the wrong hands.
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Atlas Shrugged: Part One
Opens: April 15th 2011
Cast: Taylor Schilling, Grant Bowler, Matthew Marsden, Graham Beckel, Edi Gathegi
Director: Paul Johansson
Summary: Dagny Taggart, a railroad heiress, tries to save her company and faces increasingly corrupt government, her incompetent brother, and the systematic loss of her best workers. She soon suspects a sinister force working against her as a country-wide helplessness is spurred by the phrase – "Who is John Galt?".
Analysis: The first attempts at an adaptation of Ayn Rand's 1957 magnum opus began long before I was born. In 1972 Albert S. Ruddy wanted to film a version, Rand refused. Rand approved NBC's proposed eight-hour mini-series back in 1978 but the network scrapped it. Rand attempt to adapt her own work into a script in the early 80's, but died with only one-third of it complete. Her student was given the rights but knocked back one attempt. In 1992 he sold the rights to entrepreneur John Aglialoro who retains them to this day.
Aglialoro himself oversaw an attempted TNT mini-series in 1999 which fell through after the AOL/Time Warner merger, while in 2004 another film version fell apart - that version had the likes of Angelina Jolie and Charlize Theron linked. Things changed earlier this year as Aglialoro realised the studios weren't going to get a film into production in time before the deadline on his ownership of the rights ran out. Thus in May this year came the announcement about this independently financed, first of a planned trilogy of films based on the property which would begin production on June 13th, literally two days before Aglialoro's deadline.
With a budget said to be around $10 million, only five weeks of filming and no major stars - the obvious concern is that of quality. Actor Stephen Polk was originally slated to direct but was replaced at the last minute by "One Tree Hill" actor Paul Johansson whose only directing credits so far include twelve episodes of that teen drama and the TV movie "The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie". The lead role of Dagny Taggart (a name that always conjures up the image of Dabney Coleman in my mind for some reason) ultimately went to little known but quickly rising Taylor Schilling, the female lead of NBC's short-lived hospital drama "Mercy" and the upcoming Zac Efron-led Nicholas Sparks adaptation "The Lucky One".
Aglialoro has indicated that one of the main reasons for doing this film independently is that he's keen on staying as true to the novel as he can, whereas studios wanted to make some obvious changes. Staying true in this case could be detrimental. For all its popularity and status, 'Atlas' is also a famously self-indulgent exercise in literary masturbation. Rand uses a flimsy narrative mixed with colourful prose to incorporate her passionate if misguided thesis for objectivism - essentially a form of unbridled and unrestrained capitalism where self-interest is the only real rule. Gore Vidal, a man far more wise than either you or me, famously called it "nearly perfect in its immorality" - and this is the man who penned the oft-banned "Caligula".
Getting people excited about a film that celebrates this philosophy could be hard, especially considering it asks people to sympathise and champion big business CEOs - those whose unrestrained greed caused the recent global financial crisis. The material is extraordinarily difficult on its own to adapt, for example the big climax is a speech over seventy pages long, and the man given the unenviable task is Brian Patrick O'Toole whose most notable work to date is as writer/producer on low-budget schlock like "Evilution" and "Cemetery Gates". O'Toole mentioned in a forum posting that this film adapts the first 336 pages of the book and he did his "best to stay true to the spirit of Ayn Rand's novel".
It's a noble sentiment but can't hide the fact that this is one project that probably should've stayed on the shelf a bit longer. A book of this scale and ambition deserves a film of equal size and balls, what we're getting is something that's been heavily compromised and rushed into production to meet a legal deadline. Aglialoro may yet surprise us, but what's not surprising is that with the low budget on offer, the first photos from the film are decidedly unimpressive and have a very TV movie feel to them. Whether this is seen as a bold vision or an absolute trainwreck, it'll be interesting to watch nonetheless.
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Bad Teacher
Opens: June 17th 2011
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Jason Segel, Lucy Punch, Molly Shannon
Director: Jake Kasdan
Summary: A comedy centered around a foul-mouthed, junior high teacher who, after being dumped by her sugar daddy, begins to woo a colleague -- a move that pits her against a well-loved teacher.
Analysis: Sony is confident enough in this comedy they moved it from a quiet April 1st release to slap bang in the middle of Summer on June 17th where it goes up against superhero juggernaut "Green Lantern". The premise is decent, especially if they retain the R-rated dark edge of the original script, and it's nice to see a studio comedy where the lead female character is allowed to be a bit of a bitch.
They've a solid director in the form of Jake Kasdan ("Walk Hard," "The TV Set," "Orange County") who helms from a script by the duo whose only major credits are the odious Jack Black comedy "Year One" and a "Ghostbusters III" script that's not ready for production. That's the obvious downside, and a script review earlier this year indicated a previous draft took a decidedly strange turn in the final act that doesn't fit, hopefully that's a problem they've resolved.
More exciting is the strong supporting cast - Jason Segel gets what is said to be the film's best role as Diaz's roommate, while there's strong support from the likes of John Michael Higgins, Molly Shannon, Thomas Lennon, Eric Stonestreet and Justin Timberlake as various other teachers. Diaz is fine given the right material, and her playing the schemer trying to steal the man from the lovely and innocent Punch marks a nice role reversal from her work in "My Best Friend's Wedding".
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Barney's Version
Opens: January 14th 2011
Cast: Paul Giamatti, Dustin Hoffman, Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver, Scott Speedman
Director: Richard J. Lewis
Summary: Barney Panofsky (Giamatti) is a seemingly ordinary man who lives an extraordinary life. Barney's candid confessional spans three decades and two continents, and includes three wives, one outrageous father and a dangerously dissolute best friend.
Analysis: After thirteen years of development, the film adaptation of Mordecai Richler's final novel is finally making its debut in a few weeks following its premiere a few months ago at the Toronto Film Festival. Producer Robert Lantos reportedly went through several different writers, including Richler himself and two Oscar winners, with ultimately little known Canadian television writer Michael Konyves finally nailing a draft Lantos was happy with. "The book is extremely difficult to adapt. It's sprawling in nature, [has] a huge cast of characters, with flashbacks and flash-forwards, and it's narrated by this character who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's" said Lantos in an interview earlier this year.
Armed with a $28 million budget and a stellar cast, reviews out of Toronto were decidedly mixed with the performances in particular praised, but the rather straightforward and linear approach to the adaptation seen as a disappointment. Clocking in at over two hours with a rather despicable lead character and a tone that's all over the place apparently hasn't done the film any favours, the likely blame going on newbie scribe Konyves and TV director Lewis. This might explain why the film isn't getting much in the way of a big push for awards consideration beyond Giamatti's performance. Filmmakers David Cronenberg and Atom Egoyan also make cameos which might be fun though.
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Battle: Los Angeles
Opens: March 11th 2011
Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Michael Pena, Bridget Moynahan, Ne-Yo
Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Summary: When Earth is attacked by unknown forces and the world's great cities fall, Los Angeles becomes the last stand for mankind in a battle no one expected. It's up to a Marine staff sergeant and his new platoon to draw a line in the sand as they take on an enemy unlike any they've ever encountered before.
Analysis: Also known as "World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles" outside the U.S. to try and get us pesky foreigners onboard for the ride - thank you condescending focus group pricks. Presently the $100 million Sony-backed 'Battle' is famous more for its legal dispute over the $20 million indie "Skyline" than on its own. For those not up on the case, the visual effects company Hydraulx, which did the visuals for 'Battle', also produced "Skyline" on its own dime before Universal picked it up.
Both are films about aliens invading Los Angeles, both feature lots of handicam visuals to try and convey 'gritty realism', and "Skyline" locked in a release date several months before 'Battle'. Sony was understandably upset by this, and probably grew more concerned when the reviews for "Skyline" utterly savaged it while the worldwide gross thus far isn't a particularly crow-worthy $47 million.
Since then the mood has changed. The first few trailers for 'Battle' came out and are impressive, with a decidedly different visual style and some rather intriguing looking mechanical aliens. There's a slightly better director, Jonathan Liebsman, and certainly a better writer in the form of Christopher Bertolini ("The General's Daughter") with some uncredited work by Shane Black.
Yet the use of shaky cam, a trend that thankfully seems to be dying, is already annoying in the previews alone. Attempts by marketing to link it to a real life 'post war nerves' incident that actually took place in L.A. is utterly laughable, even the setting itself seems decidedly cliche - so much so that you could dedicate a whole genre to films that destroy Los Angeles via some disaster. I like the cast and the choice to release a big old action epic at that time of year, but Sony is going to have to improve upon what's there if it hopes of selling the film not just outside North America but inside it as well.
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Beastly
Opens: March 18th 2011
Cast: Vanessa Hudgens, Alex Pettyfer, Mary-Kate Olsen, Neil Patrick Harris
Director: Daniel Barnz
Summary: A spoiled rich kid is cursed by a girl who turns him into a hideous figure. His only solution is for someone to fall in love with him, and he tries to force it by making the daughter of an addict he has power over live with him.
Analysis: A teen gothic romance take on "Beauty and the Beast", this is a film tailor made for young women. An arrogant sleaze with a rippling six pack whom the girl manages to tame into a kind-hearted man devoted to them? Check. A touch of the supernatural to give it a slightly dark and forbidden (but still safe) edge? Check. A non-threatening tween starlet whom they can empathise with? Yep.
Early last year CBS films kicked off a very visible online marketing campaign eiyh trailer and photo launches making impacts on social networks across cyberspace. It was uninspiring, showing off something that looked more akin to a TV movie for The CW, certainly something that felt distinctly soft-pedalled. Scheduled to open July 30th, CBS did the smart move and pushed it back to the far less competitive slot of March this year. At the time they cited the reasoning being the Zac Efron fantasy-drama "Charlie St. Cloud" opening the same week and fans were complaining that "Zac and Vanessa's movies [were] opening on the same day". Sigh.
To be fair though the fledgling distributor has refocused its campaign, playing up the darker elements of the story in more recent trailers and keeping just enough clips and previews out there to keep the awareness up but without pushing so much as to become annoying. Its only danger now lies in the one real piece of competition it has that month which opens the week before - Catherine Hardwicke's more interesting looking "Red Riding Hood". For those of us who don't speak fluent BellaSwan-ian, the only saving grace in the previews is the potential comic relief from Neil Patrick Harris as a blind tutor.
DreamWorks Pictures has acquired the film rights to Tom Rubython's biographical novel "Shunt: The Story of James Hunt" reports Deadline.
The project is being designed as a vehicle for rising young actor Alex Pettyfer ("Beastly," "I Am Number Four") who'll play Hunt, the British race car driver who took first place in the 1976 Formula One World Championships and a famous playboy off the track.
He went on to become a commentator for the sport, but died in 1993 after suffering financial and health issues including alcoholism and depression.
The studio is currently seeking writers for this biopic which Pettyfer and John Palermo will produce.
Eric Bana ("Troy"), Olivia Wilde ("Tron Legacy") and Charlie Hunnam ("Sons of Anarchy") are all in negotiations to join the crime thriller "Kin" for 2929 Entertainment and Mutual Film Company reports Variety.
The story follows a desperate brother (Bana) and sister (Wilde) who are fugitives evading the law and find themselves wrecking the holiday homecoming of a troubled ex-boxer (Hunnam).
Stefan Ruzowitzky directs from an original script by Zach Dean. Shooting kicks off in early March in Canada.
Billy Zane and Jack Huston have joined the cast of indie pic "Two Jacks."
Jamie Harris and Richard Portnow have also boarded the project, which stars Sienna Miller and Danny Huston.
Feature adaptation of the Leo Tolstoy-penned short story "Two Hussars" centers on two generations of the Hollywood-based Hussar family, namely, the father Jack (Danny Huston) and his son played by Huston's real-life nephew Jack.
"Two Jacks" was adapted by Bernard Rose, who is directing. He previously helmed 1997's Sophie Marceau-Sean Bean rendition of "Anna Karenina."
Julia Verdin produces through her banner Rough Diamond.
Zane will play a movie star, while Harris ("The Green Hornet") and Portnow ("Law Abiding Citizen") will portray a director and studio head, respectively.
EXCLUSIVE: Though it hasn't yet been shopped to studios by Media Rights Capital, Neill Blomkamp's District 9 followup Elysium is looking better and better. He's just gotten Jodie Foster to commit and join Matt Damon and District 9's Sharlto Copley to the sci-fi film he wrote and will direct as his next project. Simon Kinberg is producing. Plot is being kept under wraps. Foster most recently completed directing and starring alongside Mel Gibson in The Beaver, which Summit Entertainment will release April 11. Foster is also starring alongside Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz and John C. Reilly in God of Carnage, the Roman Polanski-directed adaptation of Yasmina Reza's Tony-winning play. Foster's repped by ICM.
Hoće li to biti novi 3d movie? ;)
MADRID -- Salma Hayek and Spanish comedian Jose Mota will topline "La Chispa de la vida" (As Luck Would Have It), a satirical take on contempo society helmed by Alex de la Iglesia ("The Oxford Murders," "The Last Circus").
"Luck" is based on a screenplay by U.S. screenwriter and producer Randy Feldman ("Early Edition," "Tango & Cash").
Originally written in English, "Luck" was developed by former-DC Comics prexy Jenette Kahn and ex-Motion Picture Corp. exec Adam Richman, exec producers on "Gran Torino" via their New York-based Double Nickel.
Andres Vicente Gomez will produce for Valencia's Trivision and Madrid-based Al Fresco Enterprises, a new company created to tap Spanish tax breaks. Richman and Kahn take executive producer credits.
Mota, one of Spanish biggest TV stars, plays a once whiz-kid publicist now out of work for three years. His luck finally appears to take a turn for the better when he accidentally takes a fall and impales his head on a small metal bar in a Roman Amphitheater.
Conscious but unable to be moved, surrounded by TV crews, a publicity-craving mayor and an impromptu agent, he sees a chance to monetize his fate through an exclusive primetime death's door interview, saving his family, led by his loving wife (Hayek), from financial ruin.
Franck Ribiere's Paris-based La Fabrique 2, which co-produced De la Iglesia's Venice Silver Lion-winner "The Last Circus," will put up 20% equity on "Luck."
It is possibly the first time a remake has been shot before the original. "As far as I know, this is the world's first example of a 'pre-make,' " Gomez told Daily Variety, signaling that though the Spanish-language adaptation transfers the action from the U.S. to Spain, it otherwise cleaves close to Feldman's original.
"(The film) is terribly dramatic, although apparently a comedy," said De la Iglesia.
It rolls from later this month in Madrid and Cartagena, Spain.
Kahn and Richman optioned U.S. remake rights to De la Iglesia's "Commonwealth" and "Dying of Laughter," both produced by Gomez.
Hehe, primejk.
Robert Pattinson has signed to star in Cosmopolis, David Cronenberg's adaptation of the Don DeLillo novel, stepping into the shoes that were to be worn by Colin Farrell.
Paul Giamatti and Marion Cotillard are already on board the film, which is eyeing a mid-May start in Toronto.
The project centers on a 28-year-old financial wizard and billionaire, to be played by Pattinson, as he traverses Manhattan in his stretch limo. His goal is to get a haircut at Anthony's, his father's barber, but on this day his driver has to navigate a presidential visit, an attack by anarchists and a rapper's funeral. Stuck in traffic, he anxiously monitors the value of the yen on the limo's computer, his fortune in the balance.
Martin Katz is also producing Cosmopolis. Renee Tab is exec producing.
Farrell was attached to play the lead but segued to Columbia's remake of Total Recall, which also shoots in the spring.
Cronenberg is producing with Paulo Branco of Alfama Films.
Pattinson is repped by WME and 3 Arts.
"Bourne" film series director Paul Greengrass has announced that his next project will be "Memphis", a film about the lead-up to Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination in Tennessee in 1968 reports Vulture.
The story looks at the time in the man's life just before his murder on April 4th when his marriage was faltering, his outspokenness on the Vietnam War cost him his relationship with President Lyndon B. Johnson, and his recent interests put him on the fringes of the rising Black Power movement.
Greengrass wrote Memphis based on his own original research. Scott Rudin is reportedly in discussions to produce with Focus Features distributing, however no formal negotiations have taken place.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan has signed onto star in Ole Bornedal's horror-thriller "Dibbuk Box" for Lionsgate reports Variety.
A feature film spin on LA Times writer Leslie Gornstein's article "Jinx in a Box", Morgan will play a recently-divorced father whose youngest daughter develops a bizarre connection to an antique wooden box she bought at a garage sale.
The father discovers that it is in fact a Dibbuk Box, which contains a demonic entity that is seeking out a human host.
Juliet Snowden and Stiles White ("Knowing") have penned the script while Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert will produce. Filming is expected to kick off shortly.
"District 9" producer Bill Block has teamed with Adrian Askarieh's Prime Universe Prods. for the alien invasion movie "Alien Sleeper Cell," it was announced on Wednesday.
Felipe Linz came up with the original pitch and Morgan Davis Foehl has been hired to write the screenplay. Once its complete, Prime Universe and Block's QED International will package the project for independent financing, or partner with a major studio to fund production.
Story details remain under wraps but the project is described as having a fresh and surprising take on the all-too-familiar alien invasion genre that features the tense tone of "The Bourne Identity."
Block, Askarieh and Linz will produce along with Paul Hanson and Prolific Entertainment partner Will Rowbotham, while Fran Durekas will exec produce.
Askarieh was the one to raise development funds for the script, having previously done the same for L+E Productions' feature adaptation of the Eidos video game franchise "Just Cause," which Michael Ross ("Turistas") is currently writing.
Askarieh clearly has his finger on the pulse of the gaming industry, with credits including 20th Century Fox's "Hitman" and Lionsgate's upcoming "Kane and Lynch," both of which were also Eidos titles.
Linz previously worked at David Friendly Productions and Alloy Entertainment, while Foehl is a former film and TV editor whose original screenplay "Whatever Gets You Through the Night" was featured on the 2009 Black List. He recently adapted the Top Cow graphic novel "Crosshair" for Mandeville Films.
* Movie of the Week: 'District 9' Jan 08, 2010
Foehl is represented by WME and Wirehouse Entertainment.
Three years after production fell apart just weeks before it was about to commence, Paramount Pictures is having another go at "Ripley's Believe It or Not", a biopic about newspaper columnist and adventurer Robert Ripley reports Deadline.
The story follows Ripley's search around the world for the most unusual people and places that he immortalized in his column, and his journey to appreciate that said unusual people were more than just conquests to be cataloged.
Tim Burton was previously set to direct the $175 million film which was to begin shooting in China in 2007 with Jim Carrey as Ripley, but a delay caused it to fall apart. A year later Chris Columbus was in talks to direct but that version never came to fruition either.
Now, Oscar-winning scribe Eric Roth has been signed on to do a full rewrite of the script. Carrey is reportedly still attached for the lead role.
Actress Brooklyn Decker says that reshoots are likely in order for Peter Berg's upcoming $200 million action tentpole "Battleship" at Universal Pictures.
"We will do reshoots. We have shot a bunch of alternate endings. There's a lot of CGI to be done - a lot of stuff in post. [Reshoots?] Yes, depending on the storyline and where they want to take it we might be doing some reshoots", explained Decker to Moviehole.
Sais reshoots are reportedly already figured into the original production schedule, and with nearly 17 months until release there's plenty of time to do them.
Bryan Singer is going from mutants and giants to the life of one of the great choreographer-directors of the 20th Century.
HBO Films has optioned Bye, Bye Life: The Loves and Deaths of Bob Fosse, a forthcoming biography from Sam Wasson. Singer (X-Men, Jack the Giant Killer) is attached to direct the adaptation, which is to be a feature-length film designed for the premium cable network. Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, the duo behind movies such as Hairspray and Chicago and the upcoming remake of Footloose, is exec producing with Singer.
The project, now untitled and in early development, will be a co-production with Sony Television. No writer is on board.
An actor, dancer, choreographer and stage and screen director, Fosse presented a version of his life in his autobiographical 1979 feature All That Jazz. That Oscar-winning film starred Roy Scheider as a hard-living choreographer/director determined to push the envelope.
After several early film appearances in such movies as Kiss Me Kate, Fosse moved to Broadway, where he choreographed such shows as The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees. On Yankees, he met his future wife, dancer Gwen Verdon.
Fosse created his own, immediately recognized jazz dance style, full of bowler hats, jazz hands, angular hip thrusts and shrugging shoulders.
On Broadway, he went on to direct and choreograph such shows as Redhead, Sweet Charity, Pippin and Chicago.
He made his film debut as a director with the 1969 movie version of Sweet Charity, starring Shirley MacLaine. His second feature, Cabaret, won eight Oscars, including best director and best picture. In addition to All That Jazz, his other feature credits include Lenny, which starred Dustin Hoffman as comedian Lenny Bruce, and Star 80, in which Mariel Hemingway played murdered Playboy centerfold Dorothy Stratten.
Wasson is a movie historian who wrote A Splurch in the Kisser: The Movies of Blake Edwards as well as Fifth Avenue, 5AM: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's and the Dawn of the Modern Woman.
Singer, repped by WME and attorney David Feldman, is in preproduction on his latest tentpole, New Line's Jack the Giant Killer, and is narrowing the list of young actors for the movie's lead after conducting screen tests in December. He also is producing X-Men: First Class along with Lauren Shuler Donner. First Class opens June 3.
Sacha Gervasi, the filmmaker behind acclaimed 2009 documentary "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" about the fallen heavy-metal pioneers, is in discussions to write and direct a film about a key part in the career of Alfred Hitchcock for Montecito Pictures reports The Los Angeles Times.
Gervasi would take the reins of "Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of 'Psycho,' " a long-gestating film based on Stephen Rebello's 1990 book which "Black Swan" writer John McLaughlin previously adapted.
The film explores how the 1960 hit "Psycho" was actually quite a departure for the helmet in that it was a more explicitly shocking film which was meant to compete with other low-budget horror pictures. Anthony Hopkins was previously linked to play Hitchcock.
"Easy A" and "Friends With Benefits" director Will Gluck is attached to produce a remake of the 1986 Brat Pack comedy "About Last Night" for Screen Gems reports Variety.
Based on David Mamet's 1974 play "Sexual Perversity in Chicago," the Ed Zwick-directed original film follows a couple (Rob Lowe, Demi Moore) who start a romantic affair despite their friends' disapproval. Jim Belushi and Elizabeth Perkins also starred.
Gluck will help recruit a director and writer for this new take on the material.
"Little Britain" comedian Matt Lucas has signed on to star in the comedy "Small Apartments" to be directed by Jonas Åkerlund ("Spun," "The Horsemen") reports Coming Soon.
Based on the book by Chris Millis, the darkly comic story has Lucas playing Franklin Franklin, a simple man who dreams of Switzerland and lives in an apartment complex with a pothead, a busybody, and frequent parcels of fingernail clippings from his brother. Oh, and his landlord turns up dead on the floor of his kitchen.
Shooting is expected to kick off in March.
STA JE BRE OVO?!??!!?
http://www.lemmymovie.com/ (http://www.lemmymovie.com/)
Kako sam ovo propustio?
Werner Herzog ("Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans," "Rescue Dawn") is in serious discussions to helm the Naomi Watts-led period biopic "Queen of the Desert" reports Vulture.
The story would follow Gertrude Bell, the real-life British woman who was a traveler, writer, archaeologist, explorer, cartographer, and political attaché for the British Empire at the dawn of the twentieth century.
Though only a commoner, Bell ultimately helped found the modern states of Iraq and Jordan and installing their first rulers, King Abdullah and King Faisal.
Herzog was first linked to the desert epic back in August last year and he confirms he has no plans to shoot in 3D. No schedule is yet locked for the feature.
Paramount Insurge, the studio's new low-budget arm, has acquired the indie supernatural thriller "The Devil Inside" by writer-director William Brent Bell says Heat Vision.
Shot under the radar in Rome and Bucharest a year ago, the documentary-style story follows a woman (Fernanda Andrade) who has been led to believe her mother brutally murdered three people because she was clinically insane. After being told the murders occurred during an exorcism, she sets out to discover the truth.
While documenting her experience with a film crew in Italy, she becomes involved in a series of unauthorized exorcisms. Simon Quarterman, Evan Helmuth and Suzan Crowley also star while Morris Paulson and Matthew Peterman produced.
With the launch of the Superbowl commercial this weekend, J.J. Abrams has finally spoken about his highly secretive project "Super 8" in a lengthy article for The Los Angeles Times. Interestingly Abrams himself would rather keep quiet about it, but producer Steve Spielberg and the studio have asked him to talk about the project a bit more as the film has to stand toe-to-toe with some major franchises also opening thus Summer.
"We have such a challenge on this movie. Yes we've got Steven's name on it and my name on it — for what that's worth — but we've got no famous super-hero, we've got no pre-existing franchise or sequel, it's not starring anyone you've heard of before. There's no book, there's no toy, there's no comic book. There's nothing. I don't have anything; I don't even have a board game, that's how bad it is. But I think we have a very good movie" says Abrams who seems to enjoy the secrecy.
The project began as two separate films - a small and non-fantastical coming-of-age tale of the kids shooting their home movie, an a high concept project about secret trains shipping things out of Area 51 in the 70's. The idea was ultimately fused into this project. The plot is described as "Fringe"/"X-Files meets a throwback to 80's coming of age genre movies like "Stand by Me," "The Goonies" and most visibly - "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial".
The story is set in Ohio in 1979 where a group of six young friends are trying to make their own amateur zombie movie using an old Super 8 camera. During filming one night on a lonely stretch of rural railroad tracks, a train carrying cargo from Area 51 collides with a truck and derails. An inhuman beast escapes from the wreckage.
While "E.T." explored the emotional fallout of divorce on a family mixed with its sci-fi trappings, "Super 8" will explore the issue of loss as it starts with a small-town factory death and its impact on the victim's family - "This is a movie about overcoming loss and finding your way again and finding your own voice. A boy whose lost his mother and the man whose lost his wife. There's this father who, because of the era, never really had to be the parent. He's a good man, he works hard, he's a deputy in the town, but he's never stepped up as father" says Abrams.
The Superbowl commercial certainly evokes the old Amblin Entertainment style films.
Dir: Kevin Macdonald. UK-US. 2011. 114mins
The Eagle, the second UK film in less than a year sparked by a mystery from the annals of Roman Britain, is a handsome but decidedly old fashioned historical adventure that casts rising Hollywood star Channing Tatum as its strapping Roman soldier hero. The casting and more mainstream tone should make this Kevin Macdonald-directed, Duncan Kenworthy-produced yarn a better commercial prospect than Neil Marshall's grungier Centurion, though selling the Film4-Focus Features joint venture to Tatum's young fan base may not be an easy task.
The Scottish locations are gorgeously shot by Last King of Scotland and Slumdog Millionaire cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle.
Tatum is likely to be the main draw when Focus opens the film (with a PG-13 rating) in North America on Feb 11. International distributors – Focus parent Universal in some markets, independents in others – should be able to get more mileage out of the subject matter when they role The Eagle out through the spring.
Written by Macdonald's The Last King Scotland collaborator Jeremy Brock and based on a 1954 young adult novel by Rosemary Sutcliff, the film centres on Tatum's Marcus Aquila, who arrives in Britain determined to restore the reputation of his father, commander of a Roman legion that apparently disappeared – along with its golden eagle emblem – in the hostile wilds of Scotland (the legion itself was the focus of Marshall's Centurion).
Hearing reports that the Eagle has been sighted, Marcus sets out into the north with Esca (Billy Elliot's Jamie Bell), a British slave he saved from death.
Establishing empathy with Marcus and his very Roman quest to retrieve a military emblem at all costs was never going to be easy, and under Macdonald's direction the story meanders until Marcus and Esca – who has his own mysterious back story – encounter the violent tribe that holds the key to the Eagle's disappearance.
While it doesn't hew completely to tradition – the tribespeople, for example, look more like Native Americans than the usual hairy Picts – the film sometimes gets dangerously close to vintage Hollywood sword 'n' sandal territory, with American-accented Romans and much manly jaw clenching by Tatum and Bell.
The Scottish locations are gorgeously shot by Last King of Scotland and Slumdog Millionaire cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, though they don't always match too well with the Hungarian locations also employed.
Production companies: Focus Features, Film4
North American distribution: Focus Features
International sales: Focus Features International, www.focusfeatures.com (http://www.focusfeatures.com)
Producer: Duncan Kenworthy
Screenplay: Jeremy Brock, based on the novel The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff
Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle
Production designer: Michael Carlin
Editor: Justine Wright
Music: Atli Örvarsson
Website: http://focusfeatures.com/the_eagle (http://focusfeatures.com/the_eagle)
Main cast: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland, Mark Strong
"Saw" and "Insidious" director James Wan has locked down an eight-film deal with Icon Entertainment International reports Variety.
Wan will produce two scary, low-budget genre movies per year for the company, the first being "House of Horror" based on a story idea of his and which has Javier Gutierrez attached to direct. Max La Bella penned the screenplay while Wan and Lee Clay will produce.
Wan says he has various ideas for films but he knew he wouldn't be able to direct them all, this way he gets to produce them while leaving the heavy work in the hands of select upcoming filmmakers. He might also direct at least one if the timing works out.
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with a little news on the long in development remake/reboot/"renewal" of Logan's Run. For a long while Bryan Singer was going to do a new spiffy version of the seminal sci-fi tale about a society whose inhabitants knock off everybody who hits the age of 30.
If they wanted to be really accurate to the material they would have "renewed" Logan's Run in 2006, on its 30th Anniversary.
But that being said, the package they have now is a pretty impressive gathering of talent. BRONSON director Nicolas Winding Refn is attached to direct Ryan Gosling as Logan from a script by Alex "28 Days Later" Garland, says THR's Heat Vision Blog.
I have a big soft spot for the original '70s film, but I see how there could be room in this great big world for a seriously handled remake. The script promises to be truer to the original William F. Nolan book than the Michael York movie, but that's kind of the standard go to line for remakes these days, right? Kinda like back when Superhero movies first started being big and everybody was suddenly a life-long fan of everything being made and would "respect the material." Which did and didn't happen in equal amounts.
But I got a good feeling with that director, writer and star. You?
-Quint
Garland i Refn??? Hmmm, sajn mi ap. Mislim, ima ovo opciju da bude i smeće, ali dajmo mu šansu.
Andrew Garfield, Jennifer Garner and Marcia Gay Harden are all attached to star in "Back Roads" for Infinity Media reports Variety.
An adaptation of Tawni O'Dell's bestselling novel, the Pennsylvania-set murder mystery would have Garfield playing a young man who is forced to care for his three younger sisters after their mother is sent to prison for killing her abusive husband.
Garner will play one of the family's neighbors who becomes romantically involved with him. Harden will play his court-appointed therapist.
Adrian Lyne ("Unfatihful") is set to direct from a screenplay he co-wrote with O'Dell. Michael Ohoven and Dan Spilo are producing and shooting is tentatively set for June.
Out doing press for "I Am Number Four", filmmaker D.J. Caruso ("Disturbia," "Eagle Eye") tells The Playlist that his next project is an adaptation of Josh Bazell's debut novel "Beat the Reaper" for 20th Century Fox.
Leonardo DiCaprio is producing the film and they hope to get him to star in the story of a former mobster who was put under witness protection and has now become a doctor. Soon, his old life catches up with him and it's a race against the clock from the mob that previously thought him dead.
Brian Koppelman and David Levien ("Solitary Man," "Ocean's 13") adapted the script. Caruso says the property was originally optioned as a television series, but works better as a film.
Joe Dante to Direct "Monster Love," a Werewolf/Vampire Love Story
Posted: February 14th, 2011 by WorstPreviews.com Staff
Joe Dante to Direct Monster Love, a Werewolf/Vampire Love StorySubmit Comment
Director Joe Dante, the man behind "Gremlins," "Piranha" and "The Howling," has signed on to helm a werewolf/vampire love story called "Monster Love," which is written by Greg Pak (Planet Hulk). Below is a description of the horror comedy.
Plot: A werewolf and a vampire fall in love, igniting a war between their respective communities. It's "Romeo and Juliet" with fangs.
After PETE, a young dogwalker, gets dumped by his girlfriend, his slacker buddies convince him to run naked through the city park. As the moon rises, the boys laugh, howl, and transform... Later, a distraught young woman named Maggie is contemplating suicide when she's surprised by an enormous wolf. She snarls, baring her vampire fangs. The wolf grins and barks: Let's play!
After a fierce, exhilarating chase through the park, Maggie falls asleep with the wolf - and awakens in a naked young man's arms. It's Pete. And love at first sight.
Pete's werewolf pals and Maggie's upper-crust vampire clan are furious. And when some mangled bodies are discovered in the woods, Pete and Maggie must fight for their lives while grappling with the awful consequences of loving a monster.
Read more: http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=20664&count=0#ixzz1DzGKx2cI (http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=20664&count=0#ixzz1DzGKx2cI)
Phillip Noyce ("Salt," "Clear and Present Danger") is in talks to direct the action-thriller "Hunter Killer" according to Moviehole.
The story centers on an "American sub commander and a Navy SEAL team that must rescue the Russian president and defeat a renegade admiral who's attempting a coup".
The script is based on the novel "Firing Point" by Don Keith and George Wallace. How this will fit into Noyce's schedule is unclear as he's attached to both the sci-fi thriller "Timeless" and his long-gestating adaptation of Tim Winton's "Dirt Music".
"Donnie Darko" and "The Box" writer/director Richard Kelly will next shoot the contemporary thriller "Corpus Christi" reports Variety.
The Texas-set story concerns a mentally unstable Iraq war veteran who forges a strange friendship with his boss, the wealthy and politically ambitious owner of a supermarket chain.
The film is a far more traditional narrative than Kelly's usual mind-bending fare. Kelly, Eli Roth and Sean McKittrick will produce and shooting will kick off on location in July.
Casting is under way and an announcement is expected within the next month.
Kimberly Peirce ("Boys Don't Cry," "Stop-Loss") is set to direct the drama "The Knife" for Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment reports Deadline.
The story is inspired by the true one of a Crips gang member in South Central Los Angeles who became a paid FBI informant. Together with a hard-nosed agent, they pulled of a huge series of busts including drugs, arms dealing and murder.
In fact they were so good that gang leaders vowed to "kill all snitches" which put the informant's life in danger. Vineet Dewan penned the script and a graphic novel for the property based on a 2008 GQ Magazine article by Guy Lawson.
Unlike most who simply pitch projects with basic two-minute conversations, Peirce reportedly walked in with a sub-$30 million budget estimate, a 60-page outline and the graphic novel which lead to the deal. Brian Grazer is producing.
Michel Gondry is set to adapt Philip K. Dick's acclaimed metaphysical sci-fi/comedy novel "Ubik" for Film Rites and Anonymous Content reports Allocine (via The Playlist).
The story follows a man who works at a security firm that specialises in blocking telepathic spying and other paranormal dirty tricks. When a job on the Moon leads to the death of the firm's head Glen Runciter, fragments of reality begin to slip back into the past.
Soon, messages from Runciter end up appearing all over the place, as do ads for a rare drug named Ubik. The chilling solution to the mystery is quite unexpected.
Steve Zaillian, Steve Golin and Garrett Basch are producing. Celluloid Dreams previously attempted to adapt the book back in 2008.
Gondry's next project is "The We And I" to shoot this summer, and he's also working on a Noam Chomsky documentary.
French actors Juliette Binoche ("Certified Copy") and Mathieu Amalric ("Quantum of Solace") have joined the cast of David Cronenberg's "Cosmopolis" reports Screen Daily and C7nema.
Based on the novel by Don DeLillo, the story follows a day in the life of newly married billionaire Eric Packer (Robert Pattinson) as he cheats on his wife, is pursued by a stalker (Paul Giamatti), gets attacked by a protester and gradually loses his entire fortune over the course of a single day.
Robert Pattinson and Paul Giamatti are still currently set to star in the project with a nine-week shoot aiming to kick off May 24th in Toronto.
Kate Mara and Treat Williams have signed onto the indie crime thriller "Blackbird" reports Variety.
Eric Bana and Olivia Wilde play a pair of sibling fugitives who cross paths with a young convict boxer (Charlie Hunnam).
Williams and Mara will play a father-daughter duo whose storyline intertwines with the main plot. Kris Kristofferson and Sissy Spacek also star as the boxer's parents.
Stefan Ruzowitzky ("The Counterfeiters") directs from a script by Zach Dean. Shooting kicks off next month in Montreal.
Sony Pictures is planning to continue its "Resident Evil" franchise with a fifth entry in the series currently being targeted for a September 14th 2012 release.
Despite all the films receiving a critical drubbing, the franchise has only modest expenses (budgets of $35-60 million) and it has done increasing business with each entry.
Last year's "Resident Evil Afterlife" however, the first film in the franchise to be shot in 3D, surprised everyone. Domestically little changed with a $60 million gross up only slightly from the third film's $50 million haul.
Overseas however, the franchise suddenly jumped in significance with a $236 million gross - up dramatically from the previous franchise high of $97 million for the third film.
The new date means only two years will pass between entries, a shorter wait than the three year gap between the previous films.
Opravdavaju svoje ime: RESIDENT Evil.
Dir: Ryan Little. US. 2011. 90mins
Herman Melville's classic tale of Moby Dick gets the low-budget fantasy-adventure treatment in Ryan Little's odd mish-mash of dragons, land-locked harpooners and an over-acting Danny Glover as a scarred Captain Ahab determined to take his revenge on a high-flying white dragon. The film gets a brief theatrical release in the UK prior to its probably far longer life on the DVD shelves.
As the advertising strap for the film says – this is 'Moby Dick with Dragons!'...and there you have it.
The Age Of The Dragons is modestly entertaining fantasy fare that ticks plenty of obvious boxes – young TV star Carey Sevier in the lead role; sexy actress (Moroccan-born Sofia Pernas) to keep things spicy; a dash of special effects and martial arts and even a cameo from Brit B-movie action star Vinnie Jones – and at least resists any attempts to be overly pretentious.
Set in a fantasy world where dragons are hunted – apparently for some glowing liquid called 'vitriol' - young hunters Ishmael (Sevier) and Queequeg (Kepa Kruse) sign-up on-board with Captain Ahab, a legendary figure rarely seen due to his burns but who is known for his obsession with dragons. In fact they are recruited by his adopted daughter Rachel (Pernas)...but that is really an excuse for a scene to show she can handle herself in a fight.
Also on-board is pipe-smoking harpoonist Stubbs (Vinnie Jones, playing his role with a smile rather than a snarl, which is a nice change) who happily recounts tales of past conquests – whether they be dragons or women.
They set 'sail' in an odd wooden boat-like land-cruiser (clearly it would have been too costly effects-wise for the film to have been set at sea...plus a dragon is no whale) that trundles across a snowy landscape as the motley crew search of the fire-breathing monsters.
There are the expected deaths, double-crosses and a little light romance between Ishmael and Rachel before we reach the showdown between Ahab and the dragon. It is all pretty much standard fantasy fare, though at least Danny Glover shouts and splutters to good effect as the barking-mad Ahab, while Sevier and Pernas make for a good-looking pairing.
Quite engagingly, no attempt is made to state where or when this dragonslaying tale might be set...it just gets on with things in its own modest fashion – though those who have read the book (or at least seen the Gregory Peck film) will know pretty much what to expect every step of the way. As the advertising strap for the film says – this is 'Moby Dick with Dragons!'...and there you have it.
Production companies: KOAN, Cosmic Pictures, Bluefire Studios, Incentive Films, Metrodome,
International sales: KOAN, www.koaninc.com (http://www.koaninc.com)
Producers: McKay Daines, Steven A Lee
Executive producer: Gil Aglaure, Joe Pia, Peter Urie
Screenplay: McKay Daines, based on a story by Gil Aglaure, Anne K Black
Editor: John Lyde
Production designer: Debbie Farrer
Music: J Bateman
Website: www.ageofthedragonsmovie.com (http://www.ageofthedragonsmovie.com)
Main cast: Danny Glover, Carey Sevier, Sofia Pernas, Vinnie Jones, Kepa Kruse, David Morgan, Larry Bagby
Universal studios have dumped horror film 'At the Mountains of Madness', starring Tom Cruise.
Universal's decision has come as a shock considering the film's pedigree. Based on a novel by cult author H.P. Lovecraft, the film was set to star Tom Cruise and Ron Perlman, directed by 'Pan's Labyrinth's Guillermo Del Toro, with 'Avatar's James Cameron on producing duties.
The decision to axe the film follows last year's stab at a big budget gothic horror movie, 'The Wolfman'. The much hyped film starring Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins was a flop at the box office and was hit with savage reviews.
Del Toro told film website Deadline, "What is really dramatic to me is that most decisions are now being taken by comps, and charts, and target quadrants... Marketers and accountants seem to be running things and less and less of the decisions are in the hands of filmmakers."
'At the Mountains of Madness' was set to begin shooting when Universal pulled the plug at the last minute. Del Toro believes the film's near £100 million pound budget and adult rating had the studio worried:
"They openly admitted to loving the screenplay, saying it was dead on. And we hit the target on the budget they gave us, not a figure I arrived at. This came after months and months of story boarding, haggling with VFX companies, and bringing down the budget number.
"The week before the decision, I was scouting in the border of Canada and Alaska. We were a week away from opening offices in Toronto. We were crewed up, and frankly, I am as puzzled as most people are."
Del Toro believed the book's popularity and the lure of an A-list star like Cruise would have seen the film become a box office smash.
He added, "Closing Tom's deal was in their hands. He was without a doubt, absolutely in favour of being in the movie. We met extensively, both in Canada and the U.S., dozens of times. Final polishes of the screenplay met with his approval. Closing the deal is not something that was in my hands. They needed to close it corporately. As far as the movie grossing that much, obviously I'm not impartial, but I have to believe that with 3D, Tom Cruise, Jim Cameron, the scope of Lovecraft's novel that is one (of) his best regarded and most widely known works, I would venture that it could absolutely have been done. I think the R (18 rating) should be worn like a badge of merit in promoting the movie."
It's the latest near miss film heartbreak for Del Toro. He quit the 'Lord of the Rings' prequel, 'The Hobbit' following several delays, passing directing duties onto Peter Jackson.
Could this stem the end of movie studios taking a risk on films with a cult following in favour of formulaic blockbuster box office hits?
http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/10032011/5/studio-axes-tom-cruise-film-0.html (http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/10032011/5/studio-axes-tom-cruise-film-0.html)
Dir: Ben Wheatley. UK. 2011. 95mins
The British horror film genre is given a sharp and stylish jolt with Ben Wheatley's brutally impressive Kill List, a challenging and gripping chiller that confirms his burgeoning reputation as a filmmaking talent to watch. The mixture of paganism, hired killers and machine guns will prove an enticing blend for smart distributors and it will be a must-have film for the genre festival circuit.
Kill List is a polished and impressive British genre film, with Ben Wheatley a talent to watch.
The film, which had its world premiere in the midnight slot at SXSW, is a brilliantly constructed horror-drama that is put together in such a way that its grim twists surprise and engage. An edgy sense of dread permeates the film, and while its pacing and style may frustrate audiences expecting a more linear package, Kill List will likely impress critics and gain a cult following.
Ben Wheatley gained acclaim for his low-budget debut film Down Terrace, which played at a series of indie festivals. Kill List, again modestly budgeted but shot with an intense visual style and confidence, is his second film.
What make the film distinctive is its story structure, pacing and willingness to blend the bloody with the mundane with a side order of creepily strange along the way. This is evident in the film's opening half hour, featuring a series of scenes of domestic unrest punctuated with hints of the darkness to come.
In their suburban house, Jay (Neil Maskell) and Shel (MyAnna Buring) bicker about money and food, with Shel accusing him of being lazy, though both are united in their absolute love for their young son Sam. The impressive sound design by Martin Pavey gives everything a brilliantly tense quality, and the smart jump cuts keep even these seemingly simple domestic dramas edgy.
Jay's best friend Gal (Michael Smiley) and his new girlfriend Fiona (Emma Fryer) come round for dinner, and while the evening is almost ruined by a dramatic outburst by Jay, two more subtler scenes hint at the darkness to come – in his garage Jay and Gal look at a new submachine gun Jay has tucked away, while in the bathroom Fiona secretly etches a pagan symbol onto the back of a mirror.
Gal and Jay are, in fact, hired killers – with Shel well aware of the work they do – and head off for a meeting with a new client. Given a 'kill list' of people to assassinate, the client also asks them about a job in Kiev (their only comment is "that was dramatic"), but clearly things happened there that still traumatise Jay.
After their first killing goes efficiently they track the next person on the list, a man just called 'The Librarian'. But when they enter his lock-up premises they find dvds that drive Jay wild (presumably sex or snuff films involving children, but they are never shown), and the pair go to the man's house, tie him down and Jay proceeds to brutally (and extremely gorily) torture him.
What is just as disturbing is that as Jay is taking a hammer to the man's hands and legs, the man keeps on saying "Thank you".
With Jay increasingly disturbed and Gal finding documents about them – and about 'Kiev' – in The Librarian's safe, they try and get out of completing the Kill List. But their client makes it clear rather forcibly that this is not possible. When their pet cat is killed and strung up outside their front door, Shel takes Sam and they leave for their remote cottage, while Gal and Jay head off to stalk their next victim, just called 'The MP'.
The film then takes another disturbing twist. Gal and Jay set up camp in woods overlooking the MP's large country house to observe his movements, but in the middle of the night see a procession of people carrying flaming torches – some naked, some in robes, but all wearing straw masks – who proceed with a dark and bloody pagan ritual.
What follows is a scary fight the pagan hordes and a disturbing climax at Jay's remote cottage and a showdown with 'The Hunchback'. To reveal more would spoil the plot - but needless to say it is scary, dark and twisted.
The lead performances are all solid, with Neil Maskell (who has a long career in film and TV) edgily grim as the disturbed and violent Jay, with Michael Smiley providing a nice balance in terms of warmth and humour as Gal. His enthusiasm for miniature shampoo bottles in their hotel rooms is an amusing counterbalance to their cold violence.
Genre fans will appreciate the casting of MyAnna Buring (who starred in The Descent, Lesbian Vampire Killers and has a role in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn) who plays Shel with steely compassion. Plus her character's background with the Swedish military has a small, but cool, part to play in proceedings. She is a talented actress and a strong presence in the film.
While not exactly genre-busting, Kill List does subvert and play with its story structure, veering from domestic drama through to assassin thriller and through to pagan horror. Buyers – and audiences – will need to stick with the first third before the film finds its feet in terms of the darker elements...but it is worth the wait. Wheatley cleverly also leaves certain plot lines dangling, while at the same time offering up tantalising clues and hints are the horror to come.
Kill List is a polished and impressive British genre film, with Ben Wheatley a talent to watch.
Production companies: Warp X, Rook Films, UKFC, Film4, Screen Yorkshire
International sales: Protagonist Pictures, www.protagonistpictures.com (http://www.protagonistpictures.com)
Producers: Claire Jones, Andy Starke
Executive Producers: Robin Gutch, Katherine Butler, Lizzie Francke, Hugo
Heppell
Co-Producer: Barry Ryan
Screenplay: Ben Wheatley, Amy Jump
Cinematography: Laurie Rose
Editors: Robin Hill, Ben Wheatley, Amy Jump
Production designer: David Butterworth
Music: Jim Williams
Main cast: Neil Maskell, Michael Smiley, MyAnna Buring, Emma Fryer, Struan Rodger, Mark Kempner, Harry Simpson
me not like it :(
Shia LaBeouf attached to Mandalay's 'Horns'
Thesp to play a man who sprouts horns -- and a dilemma
By Jeff Sneider
Shia
LaBeouf
Horns
Shia LaBeouf is attached to star in Mandalay Pictures' bigscreen adaptation of Joe Hill's bestselling novel "Horns," and will be closely involved in the project's development.
Keith Bunin ("In Treatment") is adapting the book, which is described as a love story driven by horror and vengeance.
LaBeouf will play Ig Perrish, a 26-year-old who awakens from a black-out hangover to find horns sprouting from his head. As his horns grow bigger, Ig sets out to investigate the unsolved murder of his girlfriend and the case's connection to his cursed fate.
Peter Guber and Cathy Schulman will produce for Mandalay, while the company's VP Adam Stone will oversee the project and serve as a producer in some capacity.
Hill, the son of Stephen King, will exec produce "Horns," having optioned the rights to Mandalay in October 2009 before the book was published by William Morrow.
"Shia is an extremely gifted actor who responded to this novel with total enthusiasm from the beginning," Schulman said. "We share a passion to bring the iconic character of Ig Perrish to life."
LaBeouf next stars in "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," which Paramount opens July 1. Thesp is filming John Hillcoat's bootlegging drama "The Wettest County in the World."
Bunin is an acclaimed playwright who is writing "The Return of the Ice Kids" for director Michel Gondry.
Warner Bros. previously purchased Hill's debut novel, the New York Times bestseller "Heart-Shaped Box."
Mandalay continues to secure high-profile literary properties to develop and package before seeking out distribution partners. The company recently acquired Max Barry's "Machine Man" for Darren Aronofsky and his longtime writing partner, Mark Heyman, to develop.
CAA reps Bunin and LaBeouf, who is also repped by John Crosby Management and attorney Matthew Saver.
Aronofski digo ruke od Volverina. Što se mene tiče - do jaja, ali hajde... Najviše je ovim povređen Hju Džekman koga je Aronofski navukao na kaloričnu dijetu i dizanje tegova da bi se nagruvao za ulogu (jer je previsok za Logana) a sada ga napustio...
'The Wolverine' Loses Its Director (http://blog.movies.yahoo.com/blog/933-the-wolverine-loses-its-director)
Quote"Black Swan" director Darren Aronofsky has bowed out of shooting 20th Century Fox's sequel "The Wolverine," starring Hugh Jackman, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
In a joint statement with Fox, Aronofsky told THR Thursday: "As I talked more about the film with my collaborators at Fox, it became clear that the production of The Wolverine would keep me out of the country for almost a year," Aronofsky said in a joint statement with Fox Thursday. "I was not comfortable being away from my family for that length of time. I am sad that I won't be able to see the project through, as it is a terrific script and I was very much looking forward to working with my friend, Hugh Jackman, again."
A Fox spokesperson said the studio is "disappointed," but noted: "Having done both 'The Wrestler' and 'Black Swan' with Darren, we know he is an extraordinary talent and we look forward to working with him on other projects in the future."'
Fox hadn't yet greenlit the sequel, which was set to take place in Japan as the Marvel Comics character faces an inner battle between his killer animal instincts and his sense as a noble Samurai. (Christopher McQuarrie, known for his work on 1995's "The Usual Suspects," is penning the script).
No official word on how Aronofsky's exit will affect shooting --- which was to take place overseas (including Japan, which has been ravaged by an earthquake and tsunami) -- or the film's release (it never had an official date but was rumored to hit screens in 2012).
Aronofsky's sudden departure also raises a big question for Jackman, who recently spoke out about how the Oscar-nominated director ordered him to bulk up for the role.
Just last month Jackman told The Los Angeles Times he was on a 6,000 calorie-a-day diet and weighed 210 lbs.
"I don't know how much I want to give away about it, but Darren said with the last one, 'Hey you looked great, but you're so tall that in those long shots you looked kind of like Clint Eastwood, and that's not Wolverine,''" Jackman said. "He said that Wolverine, in the comics, is powerful, stocky, you know, he's short and thick. So he said, 'I want you to go there, get bigger.'"
It remains to be seen whether Jackman will have keep the weight on.
In its statement, the Fox spokesperson stressed that both Jackman and the studio remain "fully committed to making 'The Wolverine.' We will regroup and move forward aggressively."
Ovo je sjajna stvar za fanove Vulverina. A mislim da su pripreme dovoljno odmakle da se Hju nije gojio uzalud. Sad samo ostaje pitanje da li Fox može da namami reditelja visoke klase na Darenove ogriske. Niko ne voli da preuzme film koji je tako duboko u pripremama, osim ako ne zatekne nešto jako zanimljivo u onom što je do sada postavljeno. Prvi film je radio Gavin Hood, reditelj TSOTSIja koji se umereno snašao u Holivudu, dakle nije bio prva prva liga.
Pa, mislim, nije jasno zašto bi im uopšte i bio potreban režiser visoke klase. Ovo je ipak film koji se pravi po bullet point listi "fičra" i sve vreme testira na fokus grupama. Mislim da im je potrebniji kvalitetan zanatlija od potencijalno svojeglavog kreativca. Doduše, Raimi i Nolan su tu dosta uzburkali vodu svojim superherojskim radovima pa je verovatno ovo odjek te priče-
Michael Fassbender and his "Hunger" co-star Liam Cunningham are set to take supporting roles in "Good Vibrations", a biopic of Belfast music legend Terri Hooley reports CineEuropa via The Playlist.
Hooley founded the Good Vibrations record store from which a record label sprung and represented bands like The Undertones, The Moondogs, The Shapes and The Outcasts. Theater veteran Richard Dormer ("Five Minutes To Heaven") will play Hooley.
"Cherrybomb" helmers Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D'Sa will direct from a script by Glenn Patterson and Colin Carberry, while David Holmes ("Ocean's Eleven," "Hunger") will provide the score. Shooting gets underway in Northern Ireland in August.
Warrior (2011) - Official Trailer [HD] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwgG6OfW7Yo#ws)
glupost u najavi ;)
Tom Cruise is attached to star while Universal Pictures is in negotiations to pick up Joseph Kosinski's sci-fi project "Horizons" (formerly titled "Oblivion") says Heat Vision.
William Monahan and Karl Gadjusek penned the script which is set in an apocalyptic future where most people live high in the sky due to Earth's surface being uninhabitable, a soldier stuck on the ground goes about his job repairing hunter drones which seek out and destroy members of a savage alien race.
He soon comes upon a beautiful woman whose craft has crashed nearby and together they set out on an epic adventure. The tale is based on the comic from Radical Publishing.
The project was previously setup at Disney Pictures which was in the design stages before letting go of the project and allowing "Tron: Legacy" director Kosinski to shop it around to other parties. Kosinski will produce with Barry Levine and Jeffrey Silver with shooting aiming to kick off in October.
True Crime
Roman Polanski is currently in negotiations to direct "True Crime" for Focus Features, the true story of a Polish novelist who was charged with murder with the help of one of his books reports The Belfast Telegraph.
Based on David Grann's New Yorker article, the story follows the murder of Dariusz Janiszewski by author Krystian Bala. Bala wrote about the details of his crime in his sado-sexual novel "Amok" and a detective used the contents of the book to catch Bala.
Jeremy Brock is penning the script while Brett Ratner is producing.
Ovo zvuči obećavajuće. :lol:
Sylvester Stallone has officially confirmed (via AICN) that he's locked Walter Hill to direct the upcoming thriller "Headshot".
Alessandro Camon ("The Messenger") penned the cop-thriller which Wayne Kramer was originally slated to direct.
Veteran stunt coordinator Simon Crane is set to direct the independent New York-set thriller "High Wire" reports The Los Angeles Times.
James Solomon ("The Conspirator") penned the script which is said to have a strong emotional component, though story specifics were not forthcoming. Nick Saunders, a former assistant to Orlando Bloom, will produce. Crane will likely film the project after he makes his directing debut on the Europe-set, Jason Statham-led action thriller "Echelon".
Crane is famous for performing some of cinema's most famous stunts including the opening sequence bungee jump in "Goldeneye" and the plane-to-plane wire transfer in "Cliffhanger". He performed or co-ordinated stunts on such films "Titanic," "Saving Private Ryan," "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," "Batman," "Total Recall," "Aliens," "Alien 3," "Salt," "Elizabeth," "Braveheart," "The Mummy," "Vertical Limit," "Tomb Raider," "The Island," "Troy," "Willow" and several James Bond films from "A View to a Kill" through to "The World Is Not Enough".
The Woman in Black - Official HD Teaser Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSHEYVGaWok#ws)
ovo mora biti dobro, teaser sam pogledala 20x :lol:
Ček, mi sad treba da vjerujemo da je ovaj Hari Poter sposoban da glumi u ozbiljnim filmovima? Yeah, right...
Hari Poter moze sve, ako nisi gledao extras sa njim obavezno ,a ako jesi podsecanja radi
Extras - Daniel Radcliffe (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9T5cxnowyA#)
Quote from: Harvester on 17-04-2011, 22:26:46
Ček, mi sad treba da vjerujemo da je ovaj Hari Poter sposoban da glumi u ozbiljnim filmovima? Yeah, right...
Харви је опасно близу јубиларном 10.000-ом посту...You can do it, man! :)
This Must Be The Place
by Paolo Sorrentino (One Man Up (L'uomo in più), The Consequences of Love (Le conseguenze dell'amore),The Family Friend (L'amico di famiglia), Il Divo)
Son Pen glumi ostarelog muzicara u potrazi za nacistickim zlocincem koji je emigrirao u SAD. I pre nego sto kazete WTF?, poenta je da je lik muzicara modelovan po Robertu Smitu. Mada bi neko mozda rekao da je to vise tejk na Vejna Hasija ... Bilo kako bilo, mislim da ce ovo ipak biti samo za hard kor fanove Sona Pena:
Sean Penn in "This must be the place" by Paolo Sorrentino (outtakes) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDOanG394A8#ws)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Must_Be_the_Place_(film) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Must_Be_the_Place_(film))
jedva cekam :) ne znam dal sam veci fan son pena il robert smita
Upadljiv je muk na ovom topiku oko MAMURLUKA 2. Bio je objavljen trejler koji je kasnije skinut jer je offensive ali evo ga ipak na YT i ja ne vidim nista strasno...
THE HANGOVER 2 BANNED Trailer Full HD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Jan6tManUw#ws)
it's a monkey xD
Clive Owen and Anil Kapoor will star in, while Roger Donaldson is onboard to direct the cautionary financial thriller "Cities" says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story will interweave stories of a New York hedge fund manager, a young London couple looking to buy their first home and a Mumbai cop fighting corruption. The action is set against the Dow Jones all-time stock market high.
Glenn Wilhide penned the original script "Extreme Cities" which Donaldson will perform re-writes on. Matthew Metcalfe and Chris Curling are producing.
Shooting kicks off in October in London, Mumbai and New York.
Skupila se kritična količina Marvelovskih trejlera. Došlo je vreme za fanovski The Avengers trejler.
The Avengers (Fan-Made Trailer) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AacD2jDIzag#ws)
Warner Bros. Pictures is in talks to acquire "The Cleaner" writer Matthew Aldrich's spec script "Father Daughter Time: A Tale of Armed Robbery and Eskimo Kisses" for Pearl Street reports Deadline.
The crime drama focuses on a man and his daughter on a cross-country crime spree. Matt Damon is pursuing the film as a potential acting vehicle and could make his directorial debut.
Damon and Ben Affleck will develop the project via their Pearl Street production company. Chris Moore and Drew Vinton are producing.
Hesher Trailer 2011 HD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNrLT_oeLFM#ws)
A woman turns the tables on her violent blind date in this cheeky 3D thriller starring Kevin Sorbo and Valerie Azlynn.
Julia is branded X in this well-wrought generic thriller fleshed out in 3D. The depth is enhanced, as well, by a multi-dimensional plot with doses of cheeky humor and verbal panache, as well as in-your-face visual thrusts that make keen use of the format.
Related Topics
•Cannes Film Festival Revi...
•Cannes Film Festival
Ripped from the news pages of Craigslist killers and Internet predators, Julia X is a twisted concoction of modern-day dating dilemmas, as well as a satiric slant on the "soul mate"- delusions of naïve romancers.
In this titillating mash, Valerie Azlynn stars as an alluring predator who meets her match on an Internet date with a chap whose hidden profile is a blend of Ted Bundy and Hannibal Lechter. They meet online and before he even learns her favorite color, he's dragged her to his lair and branded her butt with his signature "X."
Then, to continue the fun, he drags her to his bayou bachelor pad, replete with enough sharp objects to launch an Inquisition. Their first "date" progresses fast, as she turns the tables and throws in her twisted little Sis (Alicia Leigh Willis).
Throughout screenwriter, Matt Cunningham has cleverly welded together aberrant psychology with searing thriller/horror elements. To boot, Cunningham heaves in some dollops of droll satirical dialogue, leavening the often gruesome antics of the "players."
Director P.J. Pettiette stokes the story with a well-crafted mix of noir-like framings, taking full advantage of the 3D format.
Credit to production designer Mark Tanner for the abrasive objects for the 3D fun and for the noir-like design. Director of photography Jason Goodman's framings are frontal-loaded and catapulted by Rob Neal's dynamic editing. Overall, the technical credits are smartly maxed.
Azlynn's willowy and aptly wayward performance as Julia laces the film with sexuality and mania. As her "date" (and oddly enough, sado-soul mate), Kevin Sorbo is dead-on perverse: With his weathered Fabio-like look and affection for the songs of Karen Carpenter, he's a mesmeric nutcase. Completing the terrible threesome, Alicia Leigh Willis is Lolita-ish alluring as the twisted little sister.
Venue: Cannes Film Festival, Market
Sales: DTC
Cast: Valerie Azlynn, Kevin Sorbo, Alicia Leigh Willis, Joel Moore, Ving Rhames, Saxon Sharbino, Gregg Brazzel, Meg Rains
Director: P.J. Pettiette
Screenwriter: Matt Cunningham
Producers: Greg Hall, P.J. Pettiette, Claude Viguerie
Director of photography: Jason Goodman
Production designer: Mark Tanner
Costume designer: Dore Cermak
Editor: Rob Neal
No rating, 92 minutes
Actioner stars model-turned-actress Stephanie Sigman as a young woman recruited into service by a Mexican drug cartel.
Fast and dangerous, Miss Bala is a hair-raising actioner that thrusts a young Mexican girl into the thick of a drug war between local gangsters and U.S. narcs. The setting is Baja California in Mexico, depicted as a lawless country where armed drug cartels have perpetrated 36,000 murders since 2006 in connivance with the police. The sickening matter-of-factness with which director Gerardo Naranjo (I'm Gonna Explode) shows the drug traffickers' ruthless violence, coupled with the sad-eyed appeal of the protagonist, earned this Canana/Fox International co-production a première in Cannes' Un Certain Regard section, and the same qualities should broaden crossover potential on its release.
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•Cannes Film Festival Revi...
•Cannes Film Festival
Unlike mainstream gangster tales, however, there is nothing very consoling about the ending or, indeed, any part of the film. A brooding sense of despair and helplessness pervades the script by Naranjo and Mauricio Katz, more in the mood of a horror film than a shoot-em-up.
From the very first shot, the story is told through the eyes of the innocent Laura (model turned actress Stefanie Sigman, making her feature film debut.) A tall, willowy girl from a poor family in Tijuana, she dreams of participating in a beauty pageant with her best friend Suzu. Their plans take a nasty turn in a gangland disco. Laura is in the bathroom when armed men slip over the wall and start firing on the dancers, leaving a bloodbath behind them.
As an eyewitness, she's kidnapped by the hit men. Her ravishing looks may be what saves her life because instead of killing her, the inscrutable drug lord Lino (Noe Hernandez) forces "the skinny girl" to become a driver and drug-runner for the gang.
From that moment on, the film's pace races through events in a chain of escalating violence, tension, smoke and gunfire. The gang lords appear to control the police but not the American DEA agents who are their implacable enemies. They speed through Baja in SUVs and huge trucks full of corpses as the action shifts unexpectedly, leaving the viewer uncertain what will happen next.
To save her father and brother, Laura lets Lino tape wads of money around her tiny waist. She gets past U.S. border police and is flown in a small plane to a rendezvous with Lino's American cohort (James Russo), who sends her back with fresh weapons and ammo. But someone has betrayed them, and when Laura arrives in Baja, there is trouble waiting for her.
Like the Italian film Gomorrah, which described the way the organized crime operates in Naples, Miss Bala derives much of its interest from its insider's view of drug traffickers who live in conniving symbiosis with the police. None of these killing machines emerges as a character apart from Lino, who's barely there. The line between good guys and bad guys is so blurred that it's nearly impossible to distinguish friend from foe. When Laura seeks help from a local cop, he whisks her to the gang's hideout instead of the police station; and in the rapid-fire finale, it is not clear what side the army is on, either.
The only alternative the film offers to the world of crime and murder the surreal setting of the Miss Baja California contest, a rigged TV event whose tinsely glitter even Laura sees through.
In her first feature film, Sigman emerges as an actress with strong screen presence, if still little range; a courageous victim who earns sympathy even when being forced, as she frequently is, to strip for her captors. Matyas Erdely's cinematography is rigorous and essential, lending a hard edge to the subject. The tension is controlled scene by scene through Emilio Kauderer's disturbing background score.
Michael Shannon gives a brilliant lead performance in Jeff Nichols' devastating film.
Editors note: This review was originally published on Jan. 25, 2010.
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•Cannes Film Festival Revi...
PARK CITY -- With his sad-eyed intensity and a towering physicality almost like that of Frankenstein's monster, there's possibly no more mesmerizing American actor working in any medium today than Michael Shannon. His talents are put to exceptional use in writer-director Jeff Nichols' devastating Take Shelter.
Snapped up pre-Sundance by Sony Pictures Classics, this knockout prestige picture is a masterfully controlled piece of work on every level -- from its precise modulation of mood to its piercing emotional accuracy, its impeccable craftsmanship and breathtaking imagery. Rarely have electrical storms, cloud formations and glowering skies had such an unnerving impact or expressed such dark visual poetry.
While at times it conjures suggestions of vintage Polanski-style paranoia in rural America, this haunting psychological thriller is also a quasi-horror movie firmly rooted in slice-of-life reality. An allegory for the troubles of the world bearing down on ordinary people in an age of natural, industrial and economic cataclysms, it taps into pervasive anxiety more acutely than any film since Todd Haynes' Safe.
In his second collaboration with Shannon following Shotgun Stories, Nichols has written a role tailored to the actor's particular gifts in Curtis LaForche. From cinematographer Adam Stone's first arresting widescreen view of Curtis standing outside his small-town Ohio home, staring up at an ominous sky as clouds burst and oily rain falls, it's clear this man has disturbing thoughts on his mind.
He has a loving home life with wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and 6-year-old daughter Hannah (Tova Stewart), who has lost her hearing but is scheduled for corrective surgery. He also has job security as crew manager for a drilling company, working alongside his buddy Dewart (Shea Whigham). Without belaboring the point, however, Nichols reminds us that stability these days hangs on a tenuous thread.
Dreams and hallucinations portending violence increasingly plague Curtis, some of them perhaps even real. From flocks of birds like moving ink stains overhead, to walls of thundering clouds closing in on him, to levitating furniture that comes crashing down, these frightening visions are executed with stunning effectiveness by an ace visual effects team led by Chris Wells.
Keeping his inner turmoil to himself but leaving his wife and colleague to interpret his increasingly irrational and obsessive behavior, Curtis tries sedatives and counseling. During a visit to his mother (Kathy Baker) we learn of her history of paranoid schizophrenia, which causes Curtis to suspect that may be where he's headed too.
Unable to vanquish his fears, he takes a risky loan and illegally borrows equipment from work to expand the house's tornado shelter in preparation for the apocalypse.
While Nichols doesn't stint on powerful dramatic moments, he shows equal command of intimate observations -- the tenderness between mother and daughter; the frazzled affections of marriage; the relaxed camaraderie between co-workers; the stiffness between siblings when Curtis' concerned brother (Ray McKinnon) checks in on him. In Shannon's single scene with Baker, their cautious channels of communication provide a window into years of painful distance.
Chastain is heartbreaking as a woman wondering if the person she loves has become someone else, her face dissolving into wreckage as Curtis finally explains his fears.
But every performance is of a piece with a film that never wavers in its certainty of tone, its moments of dread and jolts of terror all enhanced by David Wingo's brooding score and by a muscular soundscape.
It's hard to imagine another actor bringing such unblinking conviction to the demanding lead role. One of many gifted stage actors to come out of Chicago, Shannon's profile has shot up recently with an Oscar nomination for Revolutionary Road and a prominent role on Boardwalk Empire.
His characterization grips like a vice as he shifts from softness to menace, stillness to panic, incomprehension to crazed, purposeful illumination. When Curtis explodes and starts prophesying doom to a community hall full of locals, it's among the film's most heated moments but also its saddest, played out in the scared, bewildered faces of the people present.
The unsettling final scene is wide open to interpretation. But it's clear that Nichols is less interested in the last word on Curtis' sanity than he is in conveying how fear has become an inescapable part of our world, and how family can endure, even in the face of disaster.
Sleeping Beauty (2011) | Teaser Legendado (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuYPIFwJ5dM#)
Gibson nesto tvituje, opet se romori o Neuromancer filmu, ovog puta satro najozbiljnije dosad:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2011/05/william-gibsons-cyberpunk-classic-neuromancer-may-finally-get-to-screens.html (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2011/05/william-gibsons-cyberpunk-classic-neuromancer-may-finally-get-to-screens.html)
Quote from: Father Jape on 20-05-2011, 10:28:10
Gibson nesto tvituje, opet se romori o Neuromancer filmu, ovog puta satro najozbiljnije dosad:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2011/05/william-gibsons-cyberpunk-classic-neuromancer-may-finally-get-to-screens.html (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2011/05/william-gibsons-cyberpunk-classic-neuromancer-may-finally-get-to-screens.html)
Drago mi je da je Natali jos uvek vezan za projekat, mislim da je ovo kao stvoreno za njega.
Ja tom Gibsonu više ništa ne verujem.
Take Shelter (2011) - Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFtsNj1-GFM#ws)
Johnny Knoxville has joined the cast of Paramount's teen comedy "Fun Size" says Bloody Disgusting.
The story centers on a sarcastic teenage girl (Victoria Justice) who is forced to take her little brother trick-or-treating on Halloween, then loses him and must find him before their mother finds out.
Thomas Mann, Jane Levy, Thomas Middleditch, Thomas McDonell, Osric Chau, Jackson Nicoll, Ana Gasteyer, Josh Pence, Holmes Osborne, James Pumphrey, Willam Belli and Peter Navy Tuiasosopo also star.
Shooting kicks off this June in Ohio.
Carrie
14-year-old "True Grit" scene stealer Hailee Steinfeld is now being eyed to take on the iconic role of Carrie White for the upcoming remake of Brian De Palma's 1976 horror classic.
He's been linked to a few films, but now James Gray ("Two Lovers," "The Yards") looks set to make "Low Life" his next project and has scored three stars to join him reports Deadline.
Marion Cotillard plays a woman attempting to immigrate from Poland. While sailing to Ellis Island, her sister grows deathly ill and she is forced to trade sexual favors for medicine and food to keep her sister alive.
Warned to keep quiet and laden with immigration papers that deem her a woman with bad morals, she falls prey to a charming sleazebag (Joaquin Phoenix), who persuades her to turn tricks in New York.
Jeremy Renner is close to signing on to play the sleazebag's cousin, a magician who sweeps the young woman off her feet and is her best chance to escape the nightmarish life.
Greg Shapiro is producing. Wild Bunch will likely finance and shooting kicks off next year.
Susan Sarandon is in negotiations for the role of a sexy teacher who ends up being the mother to Andy Samberg's character in the comedy "I Hate You, Dad" for Sony Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
Adam Sandler plays a father who moves into the house of his son (Samberg) on the eve of his wedding and promptly begins feuding with the bride-to-be (Leighton Meester).
Ian Ziering stars as a booze and blow-addicted version of himself while Vanilla Ice is also playing himself. The likes of James Caan, Will Forte, Milo Ventimiglia, Eva Amurri, Blake Clark, Meagan Fay, Tony Orlando and Dan Patrick are also in talks for roles.
Sean Anders and John Morris are directing. Shooting begins in Boston this summer.
Following on from his "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" adaptation, David Fincher looks to be continuing his return to the macabre territory that made him famous.
Fincher's Panic Pictures production company has just optioned Jason Starr's 2009 macabre crime novel "Panic Attack" reports Vulture.
The story deals with a New York psychiatrist who shoots and kills a home intruder, then faces a media frenzy and the victim's vengeful accomplice.
"Ocean's Eleven" and "Tower Heist" screenwriter Ted Griffin will adapt the book. Four of Starr's previous novels are already in development in Hollywood in one form or another.
Don`t Be Afraid of the Dark Trailer 2 2011 HD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xcz9E1BIsmY#ws)
The Divide - Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St9UYi6YgSE#ws)
Mark Wahlberg and filmmaker Allen Hughes are in early talks to team for the $60 million noir drama "Broken City" reports Deadline
The story follows an ex-cop turned private detective who is hired by the mayor to see if his wife is cheating on him.
When the mayor's wife's cheating partner ends up dead, the private eye immerses himself in the mayor's business and uncovers a real estate scandal that involves dealing himself choice city-owned properties.
Brian Tucker's script, previously setup at Mandate, will now be financed by Emmett/Furla Films. Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Randall Emmett, George Furla and Hughes will all produce.
Clint Eastwood is reportedly keen on landing Leonardo DiCaprio for the upcoming remake of "A Star Is Born" at Malpaso says Deadline.
Leo would team with Beyoncé on the musical about a veteran star whose fame is on the wane as he serves as mentor to a younger rising singer. Three previous films have been made using the story.
Clint is producing and directing the project from a script by Will Fetters. Billy Gerber, Basil Iwanyk and Jon Peters are also producing.
Rapper-turned-actor RZA and D.J. Cotrona ("Detroit 1-8-7") are in negotiations to join the "G.I. Joe" sequel for Paramount Pictures says Heat Vision.
Cotrona will play Flint, a soldier with a shotgun and beret. RZA will play a martial arts master named the Blind Master who in the past trained Joe commandoes Snake-Eyes (Ray Park) and Jinx (Elodie Yung).
Dwayne Johnson recently confirmed that he's joined the cast which also sees Channing Tatum return. Jon M. Chu directs while Lorenzo di Bonaventura will produce.
Carey Mulligan is being lined up to star in the sci-fi action feature "Outback" for GK Films says The Sydney Morning Herald.
Gary Ross ("The Hunger Games," "Seabiscuit") will direct the project which will be shot in Australia. No plot details have been revealed.
Tobey Maguire will produce while Nissar Modi ("Z For Zachariah") will write the script based on an original idea that he and Ross conceived.
Mulligan will head to Australia later this Summer to begin filming Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of "The Great Gatsby".
Shia LaBeouf and Robert Redford have both joined the political action thriller "The Company You Keep" at Voltage Pictures and Wildwood Enterprises.
Based on the novel by Neil Gordon, the story chronicles a former Weather Underground militant wanted by the FBI for 30 years, who must go on the run when his true identity is exposed by a young, ambitious reporter hell-bent on making a name for himself.
Redford plays the former radical at the center of this nationwide manhunt and LaBeouf, the determined journalist doggedly chasing him and his story.
Redford will direct from a script by Lem Dobbs ("Haywire," "Dark City"). Redford, Bill Holderman and Nicolas Chartier will produce and shooting begins in Vancouver in September.
The Theatre Bizarre TRAILER 2011 MOVIE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDK8S0VmTqc#ws)
Drive Red Band Movie Trailer Official (HD) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrDRdna-Rxg#ws)
Contagion (2011) Official Exclusive 1080p HD Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sYSyuuLk5g#ws)
Tintin Trailer #2 (Spielberg 2011) HD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz3j8gKRUTg#ws)
白蛇傳說之法海 (粵語版預告) The Sorcerer And The White Snake (HK Trailer) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co1YYK7MITg#ws)
Leonardo DiCaprio is said to be seriously considering one of the lead roles in the western "The Creed of Violence" at Universal Pictures reports The Los Angeles Times.
An adaptation of Boston Teran's 2010 novel, the story follows an outlaw who attempts to smuggle a cache of weapons into Mexico during that country's revolution.
He is caught but then helped by a government agent whom he once knew. DiCaprio has been offered both roles but has yet to sign for either of them.
"Little Children" helmer Todd Field is attached to direct and a Christmas 2012 release is already planned.
James McAvoy is confirmed while Jamie Bell and Alan Cumming are joining "Filth", the film adaptation of Irvine Welsh's darkly comic novel reports The Playlist.
The story follows Bruce Robertson (McAvoy), a sex-obsessed, cocaine-addicted, bigoted Scottish police officer investigating a murder who gets sidetracked by his own peculiarities, worries, sexual conquests, practical jokes and hangups.
Bell would play his partner Ray Lennox, Cumming his boss Bob Toal. The unusual book features such surreal elements as a monologue-spouting tapeworm residing within Bruce.
Jon S. Baird ("Cass") will direct the project and penned a revised screenplay that Welsh fully endorses. Welsh will produce and shooting will kick off in January.
In Time (2011) Official HD Movie Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRSBiTF3wNw#ws)
i dalje ne mogu da nadjem u kojoj je SF seriji (ili filmu) koja se prikazivala kod nas obradjena ova tema.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0366919/ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0366919/) ovo je bilo na televiziji, nе? Takođe jedna epizoda Teatra Reja Bredberija je bila slične tematike, čini mi se.
Quote from: cutter on 08-08-2011, 16:10:57
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0366919/ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0366919/) ovo je bilo na televiziji, nе? Takođe jedna epizoda Teatra Reja Bredberija je bila slične tematike, čini mi se.
To je to!!! Hvala :) The Price of Life (1987) (http://vimeo.com/16265933)
Disney Pictures has picked up the remake rights to the 2007 sports documentary "Quantum Hoops" reports Deadline.
The feature narrative will adapt the true story of a group of nerds who try for two decades to win a basketball game, relegating to hiring an exiled NCAA coach to lead them.
Stan Chervin ("Moneyball") will pen the script while Ben Stiller will produce through his Red Hour Films.
Morgan Freeman is now in discussions to join the Louis Leterrier-directed magician heist thriller "Now You See Me" at Summit Entertainment says Variety.
Boaz Yakin and Edward Ricourt penned the story which pits a team of FBI agents against the Four Horsemen, a squad of the world's greatest illusionists who pull off a series of daring bank heists during their performances, then shower the profits on their audiences.
Freeman is in talks to play Thaddeus, an ex-magician who has made a career out of exposing others illusions which makes him a despised figure within the magic community.
Mark Ruffalo is playing the main FBI agent in pursuit of them, Jesse Eisenberg is the leader of the Four Horsemen.
Amanda Seyfried and Melanie Laurent co-star as femme fatales on opposing sides of the law. Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are producing.
Keanu Reeves is in negotiations with China Film Group and Village Roadshow Pictures to score funding for "Man of Tai Chi" reports Reuters.
Reeves penned the film and if it goes ahead he will both star as the villain and make his directorial debut on the Mandarin-and-English-language project.
Tiger Chen, a member of the kung fu team in "The Matrix", will also star in the project which features some "serious fighting scenes". Further plot details are being kept quiet.
Paul W.S. Anderson is returning to both write and direct "Resident Evil: Retribution", the fifth installment of the popular video game adaptation reports Bloody Disgusting.
Star Milla Jovovich is also back as Alice for the Tokyo-set entry in the franchise which will also see the return of Jill Valentine, though it looks like that part may be recast rather than having actress Sienna Guillory reprise the role which was a major character in the second and made a brief appearance in the fourth.
Other new characters include Barry Burton, a member of S.T.A.R.S., and Leon Scott Kennedy, a U.S. Government agent. Shooting could kick off as early as October, with a September 14th 2012 release already set.
Anderson penned all the previous 'Resident' movies but directed only the first and fourth one. He's currently putting the final touches on his new "The Three Musketeers 3D" feature which hits theaters in October.
The Woman In Black - Official Trailer [HD] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lReemWmO5o#ws)
Carnage Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxX02-KdsXM#ws)
Kill List Official Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqkqF--v1tg#ws)
Of all the experiences lying in store at the 2011 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, one of the most anticipated is the chance to see Jean-Baptiste Leonetti's Carre Blanc with a paying audience. Not because I am curious about the film itself - I have already seen it - but for the chance to witness an audience discovering a major new talent. Here is an excerpt from Colin Geddes' notes on the film for the festival program guide:
A young boy ekes out an existence with his mother in an austere, unidentified city where loudspeakers make strange announcements and proclamations, a rapidly declining population resides in grim high-rises and the weak are killed and likely used for meat. In the wake of a suicide attempt, the boy undergoes a harsh rehabilitation in a state-run school. When we next see him, he's a productive adult member of society (Sami Bouajila), estranged from his wife (Julie Gayet) and working for a nameless organization, where he puts other employees through a series of humiliating and bizarre performance tests.
Carré blanc's cold, corporate world and atmosphere of impotent rage evoke the best of Orwell and Kafka. Making his feature debut, writer-director Jean-Baptiste Léonetti doesn't provide easy answers regarding this infernal world in which there is no escape from the watchful eye of a cruel state, where nets surround apartment buildings to catch the frequent jumpers and people have, apparently, stopped having children -- or have begun to hide them.
Twitch was proud to present the first clips from the film, followed by the French theatrical trailer. And now we have the first look at another clip - English subtitles included - in which we get a grim look behind the polished veneer of this closely regulated society. Check it below.
http://twitchfilm.com/news/2011/09/tiff-2011-new-clip-from-brilliant-french-scifi-carre-blanc.php (http://twitchfilm.com/news/2011/09/tiff-2011-new-clip-from-brilliant-french-scifi-carre-blanc.php)
Carre Blanc Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M2WY5MpZOc#ws)
A Dangerous Method - Official Trailer [HD] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=664eq7BXQcM#ws)
Universal Pictures has acquired "Safe House" scribe David Guggenheim's new drama script "364" which Ron Howard is attached to direct reports Deadline
The story follows a guy who develops super powers for one day of every year. The title refers to the number of other days in a year which he spends working out what heroic deeds he will perform on said day.
Brian Grazer will produce through his and Howard's Imagine Entertainment banner. Guggenheim recently sold script pitches "Santiago" to Fox and "Puzzle Palace" to Summit.
John Malkovich is in talks to join the cast of "Warm Bodies", the new zombie romance film from Jonathan Levine ("50/50," "The Wackness") at Summit Entertainment reports Variety.
The story follows an existentially-tormented zombie named R (Nicholas Hoult) who falls for the girlfriend (Teresa Palmer) of one of his victims and decides to protect her from his brain-eating brethren as he begins to reconnect with his dormant humanity. Rob Corddry also stars.
Malkovich will play General Grigio, a man intent on wiping out the zombie threat. Levine adapted the script from Isaac Marion's novel and shooting begins in September.
Marion Cotillard ("Inception," "La Vie En Rose") will headline an adaptation of "Rust and Bone" for Variety.
"A Prophet" director Jacques Audiard and co-writer Thomas Bidegain are teaming for this adaptation of Craig Davidson's short story collection which explores the more savage side of the world - one filled with underground boxing, dogfighting, gamblers and sex addicts.
Bouli Lanners, Celine Sallette, and Matthias Schoenarts also star. Shooting kicked off this Fall in France and Belgium.
Suing The Devil feature film - Official Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYfn4CqChqo#ws)
Vanessa Hudgens will star alongside Nicolas Cage and John Cusack in the thriller "Frozen Ground" at Emmett/Furla Films reports Deadline.
Based on true events, Cusack plays respected Alaskan family man Robert Hansen who abducted more than 24 women, flew them into the Alaskan wilderness, and hunted and murdered them.
Hudgens will play the one teenage victim who escaped but no-one believed her story. Cage will play the Alaskan State Trooper who finds her on the street. Together they work to bring Hansen to justice.
Spanish director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo ("28 Weeks Later") is reportedly in discussions to direct the reboot of "Highlander" at Summit Entertainment says Deadline.
The original 1986 film follows immortals who battle with swords and starred Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery. Art Marcum and Matt Holloway penned the script which goes back to the original film's mythology. Melissa Rosenberg reportedly gave the script a polish.
"Fast Five" helmer Justin Lin was attached to direct but had to drop out due to his commitment to "Fast Six". Fresnadillo, who remains attached to direct "The Crow" reboot, is revealing his psychological drama "Intruders" at the Toronto Film Festival this week.
Rising British filmmaker Julian Gilbey has been signed for the sci-fi action thriller "Offworld" reports Empire.
Producer Lloyd Levin calls the project a "pedal-to-the-metal safari movie set on an alien planet. There's lots of nasty creatures - some even on the good guys' side". David Leslie Johnson ("Orphan," "The Walking Dead") penned the script.
Levin signed on Gilbey after seeing his just released mountaineering thriller "A Lonely Place To Die" about five climbers in the Scottish Highlands who come upon a young Serbian girl whose been kidnapped. Those responsible pursue them as they try to get the girl to safety.
PREMIUM RUSH - Official Trailer - In Theaters 1/13 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn6ie1zCkZU#ws)
pa ono... možda.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt :lol: ovo definitivno
J. Edgar (2011) Official Trailer HD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGpygs2IC0A#ws)
george harrison living in the material world - trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D0BJ5rMNcI#)
Charlize Theron is in early talks to both star in and produce the crime thriller "Cities of Refuge" at Inferno Entertainment says Deadline.
Theron would play a female investigator brought in to solve a brutal murder and kidnapping in which things aren't what they seem.
Brandon Willer penned the script while Beth Kono will also produce alongside Benderspink and Tower Hill Productions.
Eric Bana is in talks to star in the diamond-heist thriller "Brilliant" at Lakeshore Entertainment says Variety.
The story revolves around a small-time criminal who teams up with a group of experienced thieves for a diamond heist. Robert Luketic ("The Ugly Truth") is directing from a script by "Blood Diamond" producer Gillian Gorfil.
Gorfil, Sidney Kimmel, Gary Lucchesi and Tom Rosenberg will produce.
Christopher Nolan ("The Dark Knight") is the front runner while Michael Bay ("Transformers"), Alfonso Cuarón ("Children of Men") and Rupert Wyatt ("Rise of the Planet of the Apes") are also hot candidates for a new feature based on the classic sci-fi anthology TV series "The Twilight Zone" says Variety.
Rod Serling's original show told numerous stand alone stories featuring elements of serious science fiction, horror, suspense and fantasy. Some episodes featured adaptations of classic novels and short stories, while others were penned by genre writing greats like Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury and Harlan Ellison.
The franchise was successful enough that it was revived as a series twice, once as a syndicated seres in the 80's and once briefly as a series on UPN in 2002. Steven Spielberg, John Landis, George Miller and Joe Dante all helmed segments of an anthology movie back in the early 80's.
Jason Rothenberg and Rand Ravich are penning the script for this film which will feature a single story line with just one director. Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way company will produce.
Steve Carell has been offered the lead role in "Moneyball" helmer Bennett Miller's true crime drama "Foxcatcher" says The Press Association.
Carell has been asked to play schizophrenic murderer John du Pont, the heir to the du Pont chemical fortune who built a wrestling gym called Team Foxcatcher on his Pennsylvania estate.
In 1996, he shot and killed his close friend, Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler David Schultz, at the training centre. After the murder, du Pont locked himself in his mansion for two days while he negotiated with police on the telephone.
A motive for the crime was never established, and du Pont himself died last year in a Pennsylvania prison at the age of 72. E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman ("Capote") penned the script.
Production-management outfit Benderspink has optioned the rights to Red Station, the first book of a spy thriller franchise.
Written by Adrian Magson, the story centers on an MI5 agent named Harry Tate who takes the fall for a drug bust gone bad. As punishment, he is sent to Red Station, an outpost in Georgia that is the home of washed up operatives. After two other agents go missing, Tate finds himself embroiled in a plot involving a Russian invasion of England and corruption and conspiracy at the highest level of the British government.
The first book was published June.
Benderspink is producing, and the project will be overseen by Jake Weiner and Christopher Cosmos.
A search for a writer to adapt the book is underway.
Benderspink is prepping the New Line comedy Burt Wonderstone, which it is producing with Steve Carrell's Carousel Prods, and just set up Area 52 at Summit; the company is exec producing the adaptation of an Image comic while Di Bonaventura Pictures is producing. The company is also developing an adaptation of DC comic The Mighty set up at Paramount.
Thoughts on the Prometheus plot – was the early 'fake' leak actually the real deal? "Earth. Year 2058.
Archaeological digs in Africa reveals alien artifacts that proves humans were genetically engineered by a advanced alien race (space jockeys). These "Alien Gods" also terraformed Earth in order to make it habitable for their human creations.
Amongst the finds are coordinates to the Alien Gods' home-world.
To Paradise.
Months later the Weyland Corp launch the spaceship PROMETHEUS and his crew, into deep space to make first contact. Thanks to faster than light travel a few years later the PROMETHEUS enters the Zeta Riticuli star system. Humans are greeted by their makers, then transported further into space to a scary yet fascinating world.
The Alien Gods are proud of their "children", their first creation to reach such levels of intelligence.
As a reward they share bits of their astonishing bio-based technologies with the humans.
But for one member of the Prometheus' crew it's not enough.
In a treacherous act he steals the "bio-source code" to Terraforming,
A technology at the origin of all Gods' powers, that could make humans equal to their creators.
The Alien Gods may be scientists but are also ruthless conquerors, destroyers of worlds who will not accept humans as equals.
They unleash on the escaping human crew their favorite bio-weapon, a creature used to "clean up" worlds before colonization. But something goes wrong in the process and humans manage to turn the bio-weapon against their makers. Giving birth to a smarter, nastier, bigger breed of gut eating creatures. Creatures that will be the demise of Paradise.
What's left of the Prometheus crew manages to escape the doomed alien planet.
On their trail a survivor Alien God on a familiar ship with an ultimate mission.
Bring the wrath of the Gods to Earth."
This synopsis was soon roundly dismissed as a piece of fan-boy wishful thinking, cobbled together from various bits of rumoured and confirmed news.
Within a couple of days, Fox debunked the leak as a fake, and released this frustratingley vague synopsis:
Visionary filmmaker Ridley Scott returns to the genre he helped define, creating an original science fiction epic set in the most dangerous corners of the universe. The film takes a team of scientists and explorers on a thrilling journey that will test their physical and mental limits and strand them on a distant world, where they will discover the answers to our most profound questions and to life's ultimate mystery.
Then, just a few days ago, Fox released this revised synopsis:
Ridley Scott, director of "Alien" and "Blade Runner," returns to the genre he helped define. With PROMETHEUS, he creates a groundbreaking mythology, in which a team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a thrilling journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race."
Otis, ova vest je bila prilično davno...
Elisabeth Shue and Abigail Spencer have joined the cast of Curtis Hanson's surfing drama "Of Men and Mavericks" at Fox 2000 says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story follows Jay Moriarty (Jonny Weston), a Santa Cruz native who found his calling in the world of surfing at a young age and flourished under the guidance of local elder Rick "Frosty" Hesson (Gerard Butler). Moriarty passed away the day before his 23rd birthday in a free-diving accident in the Maldives.
Spencer will play the role of Frosty's wife, while Shue will play Moriarty's mother. Leven Rambin also stars while Kario Salem and Brandon Hooper penned the script.
Hanson, Hooper, Jim Meenaghan and Mark Johnson will produce. Shooting kicks off later this month in Northern California.
Warner Bros. Pictures has acquired Robert Lynn's action thriller spec script "The Envoy" says Heat Vision.
The story centers on young diplomatic courier discovers the sensitive information he's carrying in his routine delivery include stolen plans for an attack on American interests.
He must make it to the American embassy in Vienna while various forces try to stop him. Joel Silver and Andrew Rona are attached to produce.
Tom Cruise is in talks to star in Doug Liman's sci-fi war thriller "We Are Mortals" at Warner Bros. Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on Hiroshi Sakurazaka's 2004 novel "All You Need is Kill", the story follows a new recruit sent out to fight off an alien invasion and finding himself in a Groundhog Day-esque scenario of dying on the battlefield and being reborn each day.
Five months into this cycle though, he notices something different than the previous versions - a female soldier who may be the key to his escape. Dante Harper adapted the script.
Brad Pitt had previously been offered the role in the "Groundhog Day-meets-Halo" film. No production schedule has yet been set.
Bio bi red da se prekine sa rimejcima i povratcima Planete majmuna odnosno da se pre svega potencijalni budžet utopljen u dalji "razvoj" tog serijala premesti ka mnogo inspirativnijim antropomorfnim poduhvatima.
Bitter Lake - Official Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HealMOZurEo#ws)
Steve McQueen's 'Shame' - official trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlGbkLAae0o#)
Testing begins soon for Willis' 'Die Hard' sonRole winner could wind up front-and-center in Fox franchiseBy Justin Kroll (http://www.variety.com/biography/3458)After securing a director and locking down a Valentine's Day 2013 release date, Fox is ready to line up a young thesp alongside Bruce Willis for "A Good Day to Die Hard" -- and whoever wins the job could wind up carrying the lucrative franchise forward.Multiple sources tell Variety that in the coming days, Willis will begin reading with actors for the role of John McClane's son.
Fox and Willis have been trying to get the latest "Die Hard," directed by John Moore from a script by Skip Woods, off the ground for some time. After a handful of rewrites and the loss of its original director, Noam Murro, over scheduling conflicts, Fox and producer Alex Young seem to have the wheels in motion to get the film into production sometime in 2012.
Plot details are being kept under wraps -- except that it will be set in Russia, with McClane and son fighting some sort of threat.
As the pic clears obstacles to production, the role of McClane's son has been on the minds of most of the young actors in Hollywood. Insiders say it could open the door for someone to inherit the "Die Hard" franchise -- much like Jeremy Renner could wind up the new face of Tom Cruise's "Mission: Impossible" series, or Shia LaBeouf in "Indiana Jones."
Given how much control Willis has over the property, the coming chem tests will be critical in determining who'll get the gig.
Actors mentioned include Aaron Paul :!: :!: :!: :!: , but there have been numerous others, ranging from Paul Dano to Ben Foster (each of those two has worked with Willis in the past).
At this point, no thesp is said to have an inside track. The studio denied reports of multiple names cited, calling it "all misinformation and incorrect."
uh,ovaj Shame obecava,te bi bilo lepo da se pojavi do cinemanie
Forest Whitaker, Johnny Knoxville, Luis Guzman and Harry Dean Stanton are all set to star alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in "The Last Stand" for Lionsgate reports Variety.
The story has Arnie playing the sheriff in a small town who runs up against an escaped drug cartel leader heading for the Mexican border. Jaimie Alexander, Peter Stormare, Rodrigo Santoro, Eduardo Noriega and Zach Gilford co-star.
South Korean helmer Kim Jee-Woon helms from a script by Andrew Knauer, Jeffrey Nachmanoff and George Nolfi. Lorenzo di Bonaventura are producing.
Zeljno iscekujem Vulverina i Srebrnog letaca koji su najavljeni za 2013. i 2014. god.
Eric Bana is set to play Elvis Presley in the feature film Elvis & Nixon, which marks the directorial debut of Cary Elwes. Bana also will executive produce.
Danny Huston is in final negotiations to play President Richard M. Nixon in the movie, which centers on a Dec. 21, 1970, visit that Presley paid to Nixon at the White House.
The meeting was initiated by Presley, who wrote Nixon a six-page letter requesting a visit and suggesting that he be made a "Federal Agent-at-Large" in the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. Presley brought with him family photos and a Colt 45 pistol as a personal gift to the president.
Elwes wrote the screenplay along with Joey Sagal and Hanala Sagal.
Michael Benaroya (Margin Call) and Holly Wiersma (Bobby) will produce.
Australian actor Bana will exec produce through his production company Pick Up Truck Pictures (Love the Beast), which will mark the company's first U.S. production.
The movie, which will shoot in Shreveport, La., and Los Angeles, is being financed by Michael Benaroya's Benaroya Pictures.
Bana, repped by WME and attorney Robert Offer, recently joined the Lakeshore Entertainment diamond-heist thriller Brilliant and just wrapped shooting Blackbird.
Huston, repped by ICM and Julian Belfrage Associates, will reprise his role of Poseidon in the upcoming Clash of the Titans sequel.
Elwes' recent credits include No Strings Attached and the upcoming The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.
Openingthis week - THE RUM DIARY xcheers
"Casino Royale" and "Green Lantern" director Martin Campbell is in early discussions to helm a film adaptation of the 80's TV series "The Fall Guy" says Deadline.
The Glen Larson-created original starred Lee Majors as a stuntman who worked as a bounty hunter on the side. The film version was previously setup at DreamWorks, it's unsure at present if the studio will remain involved.
Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz ("Thor," "X-Men: First Class") penned the script while Walter Parkes will produce.
Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace are set to team for the action thriller "Dead Man Down" for IM Global and Original Film.
Farrell plays Victor, right hand man to an underground crime lord in New York City who is seduced and blackmailed by Beatrice (Rapace), a crime victim seeking retribution.
Their intense chemistry leads them spiraling into payback delivered in violent catharsis. J.H. Wyman penned the script and will produce with Neal H. Moritz.
Niels Arden Oplev ("The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo") will direct the $30 million project which begins shooting early next year.
Steve Carell is attached to star in and produce the heist thriller "Conviction" for Warner Bros and Silver Pictures reports Deadline.
Jonathan Herman penned the script about a mastermind bank robber who serves five years in prison following a botched heist who is forced by an FBI agent to entrap his protege as the upstart pulls off a multimillion-dollar job.
Originally a serious drama along "Heat" lines, the script is now being turned into a "48 Hours"-esque action comedy with Carell in the lead. A new writer will be hired soon to redraft the script while Carell, Joel Silver and Andrew Rona will produce.
Warner Bros. has found its Lancelot for the planned King Arthur movie Arthur & Lancelot. The Killing star Joel Kinnaman has won the role and is in negotiations to star for director David Dobkin, who also wrote the script.
The role of Arthur has yet to be cast, and sources say Kinnaman will now do chemistry reads with several of Hollywood's up-and-coming leading men. As THR first revealed, the casting process for the two leads has included such hot actors as Kit Harrington (HBO's Game of Thrones), Sam Claflin (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), Dominic Cooper (The Devil's Double), Hans Matheson (Sherlock Holmes), and Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe) in the UK and Ben Walker and Liam Hemsworth in the U.S.
Kinnaman came to Hollywood's attention in the Swedish film Snabba Cash (Easy Money), then booked a lead male role in AMC's acclaimed crime series The Killing. He also will appear in his Snabba Cash director Daniel Espinosa's upcoming Ryan Reynolds-Denzel Washington thriller Safe House and he has shot Snabba Cash 2 in Sweden.
Kinnaman is repped by UTA and Magnolia Entertainment.
Da notiramo: naredni James Bond će se zvati Skyfall.
http://movies.ign.com/articles/121/1211347p1.html (http://movies.ign.com/articles/121/1211347p1.html)
Skyfall (http://movies.ign.com/objects/949/949989.html) is the title of the 23rd Bond film.
This is perhaps the worst kept Bond secret with several web addresses already being registered using that title.
So what does this title refer to? At the risk of recklessly speculating: Could it be a device capable of bringing satellites hurtling towards major world cities (maybe a tad fanciful)? Or perhaps it's merely the MacGuffin's new codename?
One thing is certain, however: It's definitely better than Quantum of Solace, but then again most titles are.
Sam Mendes, the Academy Award winning director, confirmed that the film will see Bond in Shanghai, Istanbul and Scotland.
He also confirmed that Javier Bardem is "the villain of the piece." The director of American Beauty and Revolutionary Road took time to allay some fears, promising that despite his dramatic credentials "there will be plenty of action" in Skyfall and that the production has all the element of "a classic Bond movie."
Neće ovo da se desi tako lako ali ipak: INKAL
THE INCAL movie trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4Vkyzrs1Fk#ws)
Palomar Pictures have announced they are developing a feature film adaptation of one of the better works of Stephen King's 90's efforts - "Rose Madder" reports Variety.
The story interweaves a gruellingly detailed take on spousal abuse with dark fantasy touches as it follows Rose McClendon, a woman who escapes her violently abusive police officer husband and goes on the run.
Setting up a new life at a women's shelter, she comes upon a painting into which she's able to travel inside of - a painting of a beautiful yet insane woman looking across a field at a labyrinth with a one-eyed bull-like beast inside it. Her husband however is a psychopathic bloodhound who ruthlessly sets out to track her down.
"In America" co-scribe Naomi Sheridan has penned the script adaptation and plans to shoot the film sometime in the next eighteen months.
Chad Damiani and JP Lavin ("Max Steel," "Geronimo") have been hired to pen a live-action adaptation of Chuck Sambuchino's novel "How To Survive A Garden Gnome Attack" for Robert Zemeckis' Imagemovers and Sony Pictures Animation says Deadline.
The book is described as a "survival guide that will help you prevent, prepare for and ward off an imminent home invasion by the common garden gnome. Once thought of as harmless yard decorations, evidence is mounting that these smiling lawn statues are poised and ready to wreck havoc."
The intention is to make an edgy PG-13 version with scary gnomes and Zemeckis is developing the film as a potential directing vehicle.
George Miller has been out doing the promotional rounds for the "Happy Feet" sequel and gave an update (via Coming Soon) about the progress of "Mad Max: Fury Road".
"Theoretically, it's next year. We have 150 big vehicles built and so on. [W]e were all geared up for that. We were all set to shoot in the Australian desert and then unprecedented rain came and what was the wasteland — completely flat, red earth — is now a flower garden. The big massive salt flats in the center of Australia where they do record speed trials and stuff is now full of pelicans and fish... We sort of lost the wasteland" says Miller, speaking about the cancelled Broken Hill shoot.
At last report Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron remain attached should it go ahead. In one bit of irony though, The Daily Telegraph reports that the production's back-up desert locations in the southwest African country of Namibia are experiencing their heaviest rainfall in 120 years.
Rufus Sewell and his "Dark City" director Alex Proyas will re-team for the theological war epic "Paradise Lost" for Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures says Variety.
Based on the classic John Milton poem, the story details the fall of God's most beautiful angel Lucifer (Bradley Cooper) and the celestial war between his forces and those of the archangel Michael (Ben Walker). Casey Affleck, Sam Reid, Djimon Hounsou, Diego Boneta and Camilla Belle also star.
Sewell will play Samael, Lucifer's partisan who urges him to start the rebellion in Heaven. Vincent Newman, Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni are producing.
Jessica Chastain ("Take Shelter," "The Debt," "The Tree of Life") is set to play the late Princess Diana in "Caught in Flight" for Ecosse Films says Thompson On Hollywood.
Oliver Hirschbiegel ("Downfall," "The Invasion") will direct the $15 million film which revolves around a secret affair between the late princess and heart surgeon Dr. Hasnat Kahn who was said to be the love of her life.
Diana met Dr. Kahn at the Royal Brompton Hospital in 1995 when she was visiting a friend. The couple pursued a quiet two-year affair which he described as being serious enough she was thinking of converting to Islam.
Steven Jeffreys ("The Libertine") penned the script which reportedly doesn't portray Diana in the most flattering light, portraying her as "a damaged person who stalks the doctor after he ends the affair".
Pre-production is slated to begin in March with shooting to take place in Pakistan, Angola, the South of France and Paris.
Universal Pictures International has picked up Jonny Kurzman's "Leonardo" action-adventure spec script reports Variety.
The story focuses on da Vinci's quest to stop Renaissance Europe from returning to the Dark Ages and explores his other non-painterly qualities including mathematics, architecture, sculpting, writing, science and inventing.
Larry and Charles Gordon will produce. The project isn't to be confused with the Starz and BBC's "Da Vinci's Demons" TV series which will premiere in 2013.
"Lost" scribe and "Y: The Last Man" comic creator Brian K. Vaughan has signed on to pen the series adaptation of Stephen King's "Under the Dome" for Showtime says Deadline.
The story revolves around the drama that unfolds after an invisible force field suddenly descends on a small vacation town in Maine. As the locals fight for their survival, the town descends into warring factions led by enigmatic characters.
Vaughan was selected after an exhaustive search to adapt the 1,000+ page property which DreamWorks secured the rights to shortly after its publication in 2009.
King, Steven Spielberg, Stacey Snider, Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey will executive produce.
Jennifer Saunders is planning a feature film version of classic BBC TV sitcom "Absolutely Fabulous" reports Deadline.
The show ran from 1992 until 1995, and was revived in 2001 for three more years before wrapping with a New Year's special in 2004. Three more special episodes have been filmed to celebrate the show's 20th anniversary with the first to air in the UK at Christmas.
Saunders hopes to pen the feature film next year once she wraps work on the Spice Girls London stage musical Viva Forever. There's already a brief synopsis as well with the setup being eccentric best friends Edina and Patsy wake up hungover in the empty drifting yacht of an oligarch in the middle of the ocean. Even worse, their cellphones can't get a signal.
Ovo lepo izgleda, ali Snezana, Snezana... a cak nisam ni gledao te filmove
Snow White and the Huntsman - First Trailer (HD) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY67V0wOlz8#noexternalembed-ws)
Batman: The Dark Knight Rises
It's going to be legen - wait for it - dary!
Zaista mislim da će Kristofer Nolan da pomeri granice sa ovim filmom, na stranu to što mi je Batman omiljeni strip a Brus Vejn jedan od omiljenih likova iz te kulture, ovo će svakako biti legendarno. Iako je realno da niko ne može zaseniti Ledžere i njegovog Džokera, potajno se nadam da ćemo se prijatno iznenaditi sa Tomom Hardijem i njegovim Bejnom.
Mnjah. Nolanovi Betmeni su lošiji od Bartonovih, a Ledžerov Džoker ne može ni da priđe Nikolsonovom.
Quote from: Teo on 12-11-2011, 16:42:44
Batman: The Dark Knight Rises
It's going to be legen - wait for it - dary!
Zaista mislim da će Kristofer Nolan da pomeri granice sa ovim filmom, na stranu to što mi je Batman omiljeni strip a Brus Vejn jedan od omiljenih likova iz te kulture, ovo će svakako biti legendarno. Iako je realno da niko ne može zaseniti Ledžere i njegovog Džokera, potajno se nadam da ćemo se prijatno iznenaditi sa Tomom Hardijem i njegovim Bejnom.
POTPIS :)
Quote from: Nightflier on 12-11-2011, 17:12:43
Mnjah. Nolanovi Betmeni su lošiji od Bartonovih, a Ledžerov Džoker ne može ni da priđe Nikolsonovom.
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_luk98bLmTg1qi5uso.gif&hash=e522bf55917fa8b1245fa56bcfead60ff4c1b707)
Tom Hanks has been offered the lead in political thriller "Patriot Down" at New Regency says Variety.
The story kicks off with Air Force One being gunned down over Pakistan, leaving the on-the-run president to fend for himself.
Kevin Walsh, former assistant to Scott Rudin, will produce the project. Hanks will next be seen in "Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close."
Michael London and Groundswell Productions have set up the horror comedy "Final Girls" at New Line and Groundswell Productions reports Variety.
The story follows a girl grieving the loss of her mother, who was a scream queen in movies in the 1980s. When she and her friends are mysteriously sucked into the world of her mother's most famous horror movie, Max is reunited with her mom and must face the pic's crazed killer.
Todd Strauss-Schulson ("A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas 3D") directs from a script by Mark Fortin and Josh Miller. London and Jocelyn Hayes-Simpson are producing.
"Frontiere(s)" and "The Divide" director Xavier Gens has been selected to direct the upcoming found footage scare feature "House of Horror" for Icon Entertainment reports STYD.
Max La Bella penned the script which focuses on the aftermath of a horrific massacre - five college students have been found brutally murdered inside a decrepit, abandoned home.
It's discovered the group are amateur ghost-hunters, seeking out paranormal phenomenon at the abandoned house believed to be haunted. What started out as a harmless activity turned into something truly terrifying.
Gens replaces Javier Gutierrez ("Before the Fall") who was once attached to direct. The project marks the first deal under an agreement between Icon and "Saw"/"Insidious" filmmaker James Wan who will produce.
kao da sam naručila... :!:
fasbender novi bond (http://www.b92.net/kultura/vesti.php?nav_category=268&yyyy=2011&mm=11&dd=28&nav_id=561468)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Official Trailer [HD] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aco15ScXCwA#ws)
The Wicker Tree - Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy-5-GGMPLg#ws)
G.I. Joe: Retaliation Exclusive Premiere Trailer [HD] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSX2oxLdcWA#ws)
JAO JAO JAO JAO JAO JAO :-|
Essential Killing Official Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9_loH84cmo#ws)
L'APOLLONIDE SOUVENIRS DE LA MAISON CLOSE House of Tolerance HD Trailer Bertrand Bonello (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOjfUjfrxmw#ws)
Festival 2011: OUTSIDE SATAN trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bFaX7awiPQ#ws)
『ニーチェの馬』 The Turin Horse / A torinói ló (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Lk1ANHVaRo#ws)
Alps Teaser Trailer (2011) from the director of DOGTOOTH - Oscar Nominated Film (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj2lR6Yp-gY#ws)
ALPS / ΑΛΠΕΙΣ (2011) Theatrical Trailer [english+greek subs] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9i2xl_vo88w#ws)
једва чекам...самер глау <3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dnQ9Vp4fV4I# (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dnQ9Vp4fV4I#)!
Filmography 2011 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgTsQW9tyHg#ws)
pogledao? mooožda tri :/
више него што је требало...али сад је лако бити паметан
Jack the Giant Killer Official Teaser Trailer HD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ecCMdoebjY#ws)
La chispa de la vida - Trailer (HD) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJggCxIzU4g#ws)
GK Films has come onboard to fully finance and produce "Little White Corvette" with Emma Stone attached to star says Variety.
The story centers around two down-and-out siblings who must travel to Miami to try and sell a duffel bag of cocaine their dead father left in a corvette's trunk. The "Easy A" and "The Help" actress would play one of the siblings, no word on who is up for the other.
Michael Diliberti penned the script and was attached to direct but now producers are seeking someone else to helm. Graham King, Tim Headington, Scott Aversano and Will Russell-Shapiro will produce.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is in negotiations while Liam Hemsworth ("The Hunger Games," "The Expendables 2") is closing a deal to star in the indie heist thriller "Empire State" at Emmett/Furla Films says Deadline.
The film is based on the true story of a 1982 NYC armored car company robbery thought at the time to be the largest cash heist in U.S. history.
Adam Mazer penned the script while Dito Montiel ("Fighting," "The Son Of No One") is directing. David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman are producing the film previously titled "The Sentry Keep". Shooting will begin in April
Director Martin Campbell and scribe Paul Haggis have been brought onboard the thriller "Umbra" at Endgame Entertainment says Deadline.
The story follows a business man who gets a mysterious package in the mail and gets caught up in a government conspiracy. Joe Carnahan was previously attached to direct but has since dropped out.
The pair will work in the same capacities as they did on the Bond reboot "Casino Royale" - Campbell will direct while Haggis is performing a re-write of the previous script draft by Steven Karczynski.
James Stern, Hal Lieberman and Lucienne Papon are producing. Shooting kicks off this Spring.
THE WOMAN IN BLACK - Trailer 2 (2012) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTwz9t9Oc64#ws)
YOUR WAND HARRY, YOUR WAND!! :)
The Woman in Black - Trailer Legendado (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4WCc05yYoA#ws)
premijera 3 feb :!:
Moonrise Kingdom Official Trailer 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP0QJ_Ba1Bs#ws)
Mirror, Mirror Official Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpLVO396eHs#ws)
Snow White and the Huntsman - First Trailer (HD) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY67V0wOlz8#ws)
jedva cekam :-D
Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson are in final negotiations to star in James Wan's horror feature "The Conjuring" for New Line says Variety.
Chad and Carey Hayes penned the script based on the true-life story of the Perron family. The family claimed they "lived among the dead" in the 1970s as spirits both friendly and sinister inhabited their Rhode Island farmhouse.
Wan directs while Peter Safran and Tony DeRosa-Grund will produce.
Pain and Gain
Ed Harris could be reuniting with his "The Rock" director Michael Bay for the latter's long-gestating crime caper film "Pain and Gain". Harris would play a private investigator.
The story follows a group of boneheaded Miami bodybuilders whose plot to kidnap, rob and murder a wealthy businessman goes off the rails. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is already aboard. [Source: Vulture]
Untitled Spike Jonze Project
Samantha Morton, Amy Adams and Carey Mulligan are all said to be in discussions to star alongside Joaquin Phoenix in a new untitled project for Annapurna Pictures being written and directed by Spike Jonze.
The story deals with a guy who falls in love with the voice of a computer (like the iPhone's Siri). [Source: Deadline]
Code Name: Geronimo
Cam Gigandet, Robert Knepper, William Fichtner, Kathleen Robertson, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Anson Mount, Freddy Rodríguez, Xzibit and Kenneth Miller have all joined the cast of John Stockwell's "Code Name: Geronimo" for Voltage Pictures.
Shooting kicked off this week on the story of the Navy SEAL mission to kill Osama Bin Laden. Tony Mark, Nicolas Chartier and Zev Foreman are producing.
Gary Oldman is in final negotiations to play the villain in Albert Hughes' revenge thriller "Motor City" for Dark Castle and Warner Bros. Pictures says Heat Vision.
Dominic Cooper ("The Devil's Double") and Amber Heard ("Drive Angry 3D") star in the film about a small time hood who is framed and sent to prison, only to exact revenge years later to get back the woman he loves.
Oldman plays a kingpin who has his hooks into the woman. Oldman previously worked with Hughes on "The Book of Eli".
Chad St. John wrote the script while Joel Silver and Andrew Rona are producing. Shooting kicks off in April in Berlin.
Katherine Heigl is in final negotiations to join Jim Henson Co.'s noir puppet comedy "The Happytime Murders" reports Variety.
The story is set in a world where puppets and humans live together, but the puppets are viewed as second-class citizens.
When the puppet cast of an 1980s kids TV show gets murdered one by one, a disgraced detective-turned-private eye puppet takes on the case.
Brian Henson ("A Muppets Christmas Carol") helms from a script by Todd Berger ("Kung Fu Panda 2") based on a story by Dee Austin Robertson.
"Game of Thrones" breakout star Kit Harington is in final negotiations to join the cast of Sergey Bodrov's "The Seventh Son" at Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures says Variety.
Based on Joseph Delaney's children's book series "The Wardstone Chronicles" (aka. "The Last Apprentice"), the story follows a young man named Tom (Ben Barnes) in training to be the apprentice of a 'Spook' (Jeff Bridges), a fighter against evil magic, in the 1700's.
Trouble begins when his friend Alice (Alicia Vikander) tricked into releasing the most sinister witch in the world (Julianne Moore). Harington will play the former apprentice of Bridges' character.
Matt Greenberg adapted the script while Bodrov, Thomas Tull, Basil Iwanyk and Lionel Wigram are producing. Shooting kicks off in April and Harington will shoot his role before he begins filming the third season of "Game of Thrones" in July.
The Bourne Legacy Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paVLyvA5S1g#ws)
Christophe Gans is to go back behind the camera to direct a big screen adaptation of Beauty And The Beast backed by France's Eskwad and Pathe.
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'The Artist' Producer Pairing Jean DuJardin and Vincent Cassel in Next Film
Vincent Cassel and Lea Seydoux will star in the Gans-directed project being shopped to buyers during the EFM by Pathe International.
The Berlin Film Festival: Why It Still Matters for Hollywood
The project, scheduled to begin shooting in October this year, will be produced by Richard Grandpierre.
Gans, who last directed Silent Hill in 2006 and whose resume also boasts Brotherhood of the Wolf, said he aims to "unleash" his imagination.
"Although I will keep to a form of storytelling of this timeless fairy tale that is in keeping with the same pace and characters as the original, I will surprise the audience by creating a completely new visual universe never experienced before and produce images of an unparalleled quality," Gans declared in a statement.
"Every single one of my movies has presented me with a challenge but this one is, by far, the most exciting and rewarding."
Thomas Langmann, the original French producer of The Artist, was in attendance at Saturday's BAFTA team, where he spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about his next project.
It's a remake of One Wild Moment, the 1977 French romantic comedy by Claude Berri, which was previously remade in America as Blame It On Rio.
PHOTOS: Golden Globe Awards: The Nominees
He'll pair The Artist star Jean DuJardin with France's other major leading man, Vincent Cassel, as best friends -- until one of their daughter's falls in love with dad's best friend. Langmann worked with Cassel in the two parts of Mesrine: Killer Instinct, which he also produced.
And it turns out the Langmann is the son of Berri, one of France's most famous actors, writers and directors. Berri produced two of the most iconic French films of all time: Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring, and made many other films, as well as acting in them.
"My father won an Oscar in 1965," Langmann told THR. "But he didn't have the money to fly over and accept it, so it was mailed to him. When I was 25 years old, he gave the Oscar to me. Then my brother was dating Marion Cotillard when she won her Oscar. So I am hoping all of these things are omens in a way."
"Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance" co-director Brian Taylor has made a preemptive deal to write and direct a live action feature adaptation of the video game "Twisted Metal" for Sony Pictures says Deadline.
The story will revolve around an underground event that pits a number of combatants in a fight to the death in armored and heavily weaponized cars. The sole survivor will get any wish granted.
The race proprietor is Calypso, a string-puller dedicating to examining the human condition. The film will include such characters as Sweet Tooth, a homicidal clown who drives an ice cream truck, and Doll Face, a young woman who is trapped behind a porcelain mask and who drives an 18-wheeler.
Avi and Ari Arad are producing the film which will mark Taylor's first solo effort. The latest version of the game was released this week for PlayStation 3.
"The Last King of Scotland" and "State of Play" director Kevin Macdonald is teaming with "Matilda The Musical" writer Dennis Kelly for the thriller "Black Sea" reports Screen Daily.
Macdonald says "I would describe it as The Treasure of The Sierra Madre in a submarine... hopefully, it will be one of those hard, intelligent B-movies they used to make - dark, little vicious B-movies."
Macdonald, who is at Berlinale this week for the premiere of his new documentary "Marley", is shortly headed to Eastern Europe to research an untitled TV drama series about Slavic jewel thieves.
His next project will likely be an adaptation of Meg Rosoff's novel "How I Live Now" with Saoirse Ronan starring.
Rafe Spall ("Prometheus," "Anonymous") is in talks to headline Dan Mazer's romantic comedy "I Give It a Year" for Working Title Films and Studiocanal.
The story follows a mismatched couple as they struggle to survive their first year of marriage. Krys Thykier, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner will produce. Shooting kicks off this spring in London
NO HABRÁ PAZ PARA LOS MALVADOS: un thriler de raza made in Spain (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AWZ2AiJeHw#)
Triler "No habra paz para los malvados" Enrikea Urbizua apolutni je pobednik ovogodišnje dodele španskih filmskih nagrada Goya, odnevši u nedjelju na svečanoj dodeli u Madridu ukupno šest kipića, uključujući za najbolji film i najboljeg reditelja.
4:44 Last Day on Earth Official Trailer #1 - Willem Dafoe, Abel Ferrara Movie (2012) HD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-1Q7EevCy8#ws)
Evo par crtaća
Frankenweenie - Official Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qngB0vCmZV4#ws)
Brave Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEHWDA_6e3M#ws)
Sorry ako ih je neko već kačio, sad sam ih video.
John Carter
koštao 250 miliona
za prvi vikend uzeo 30 mil.
poprilično puknuće i propas, rekao bih.
Jonathan Levine is currently in negotiations to direct "Dead Spy Running" at Warner Brothers says Twitchfilm.
Jamie Moss and Stephen Gaghan penned this adaptation of Jon Stock's espionage novel, the first in a trilogy and aims to reinvent the spy genre by telling the origin story of a newly trained spy which mixes Robert Ludlum's grittiness with John Le Carre's wit.
The story has the protagonist running the London Marathon, where a fellow racer is strapped with explosives. The scenario leads to a globe-trotting adventure to clear the name of the man's father.
Gaghan was previously attached to direct but has since moved on. Kevin McCormick and McG will produce.
Cronenberg nastavlja sa eksplicitnim istra\ivanjem stvari koje su definisale njegov rad...
"A History of Violence" and "A Dangerous Method" director David Cronenberg is headed for the small screen as he is set to direct the pilot and serve as executive producer on the drama series "Knifeman" for Media Rights Capital says The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on a biography by Wendy Moore, the story focuses on the trials and triumphs of a radical, self-educated surgeon, delivering a visceral portrait of the extraordinary and unorthodox lengths he will go to uncover the secrets of the human body.
Rolin Jones ("Friday Night Lights," "Weeds," "Smash") penned the script. Jones, Sam Raimi, Josh Donen and Robert Zotnowski will also serve as executive producers.
Tom Hardy ("Inception," "The Dark Knight Rises") is set to star in and produce an outlaw biker feature as part of the new first-look deal between his company Executive Options and Warner Bros. Pictures reports Variety.
The story centers on a wounded Vietnam veteran who returns home to San Francisco at the height of unrest of 1969. Amid clashing cultures of the Haight-Ashbury district, he emerges to become the leader of California's most violent outlaw biker club.
Art Linson and John Linson will also produce while Mark L. Smith ("Vacancy") penned the script.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cVcpz8H3Pk&feature=b-mv (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPBFv8HJ_bo#ws)
Dark Shadows - Official Trailer [HD] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q-0_m_Pz24#ws)
Trailer 3 (HD) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7N-33PbR-g#ws)
Podseća na Transformerse a nije :( i Rijana će da spasi svet :(
можда спектакуларно надрља у последњој четвртини филма :)
Chernobyl Diaries - Official Trailer #1 - Horror Movie (2012) HD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq47T48u8Zo#ws)
Snow White and the Huntsman Trailer 2 [HD] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4lzNwUieuw#ws)
The Host Official Teaser Trailer #1 - Stephenie Meyer Movie (2013) HD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GJo0cxuyxs#ws)
na ovo ćemo se načekati...
Sound Of My Voice Trailer 2012 [HD] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W20Fl5m5FdM#ws)
Meeting Evil Official Trailer #1 - Samuel L. Jackson, Luke Wilson Movie (2012) HD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaj0Uj40CEw#ws)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=aTaXBnHhrDs# (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=aTaXBnHhrDs#)!
The Intouchables Official Trailer #1 (2012) HD Movie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34WIbmXkewU#ws)
Killer Joe Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTTBULmplRI#ws)
Will Ferrell announced on "Conan" in Los Angeles he will star in a sequel to his 2004 comedy, "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy."
Safety Not Guaranteed Official Trailer #1 - Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass Movie (2012) HD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73jSnAs7mq8#ws)
Get the Gringo Official Trailer #1 - Mel Gibson Movie (2012) HD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bui8shxlYl0#ws)
Rise of the Guardians - Official Trailer #1 - Alec Baldwin MOVIE (2012) HD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCn-rmgECY0#ws)
Tetovirani Deda Mraz :|
Hotel Transylvania Official Trailer #1 - Adam Sandler Movie (2012) HD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7kPbbvHNt8#ws)
Detention Official Trailer #2 - Josh Hutcherson Slasher Horror Movie (2012) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw64lXTbxJk#ws)
A THOUSAND WORDS Trailer 2012 Eddie Murphy Movie - Official [HD] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RZ1t8Nessw#ws)
Ben Affleck is attached to star in the political comedy "Nathan Decker" at Warner Bros. Pictures reports Heat Vision.
Dan Fogelman ("Crazy, Stupid, Love") penned the script about a politician who is caught in an affair and returns to his hometown to confront his past.
Tom Cruise was previously linked as the lead but has since dropped off. Affleck has now been attached, and in an acting capacity only.
Liam Neeson is in negotiations to star in the airline thriller "Non-Stop" at Dark Castle and Warner Bros. Pictures says Heat Vision.
The story is described as a "contained, gritty action thriller" about an air marshal (Neeson) on a domestic flight. John Richardson and Chris Roach penned the script.
Jeff Wadlow is set to direct while Joel Silver, Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman are producing.
"The Natural" helmer Barry Levinson is set to direct a film about baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron and his quest to break Babe Ruth's home run record says The Hollywood Reporter.
Adam Mazer ("You Don't Know Jack") has come onboard to adapt the script from Howard Bryant's book "The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron" with a take he and Levinson developed.
The story will focus on the period of 1972 to 1974, when Aaron chased then shattered a sacrosanct record held for decades by Ruth, who hit 714 home runs during his career.
Aaron and his supporters faced death threats and hate mail because some fans didn't want a black man to break Ruth's record.
Aaron himself will serve as a consultant on the film which Mike Tollin and Glenn Rigberg are producing.
"MacGruber" and SNL digital shorts director Jorma Taccone is attached to helm an action-comedy feature adaptation of Duncan Rouleau's comic "The Great Unknown" for New Line says Heat Vision.
The story centers on a slacker with delusions of grandeur who believes his so-called great ideas are popping up elsewhere.
After failing to convince his friends and family that his mind is being pilfered, he goes on a quest to solve the mystery behind the idea thefts.
Michael Starrbury is attached to write the script while Mark Gordon and Jennifer Todd will produce.
"Tai Chi 0" Movie Trailer《太极》(2013) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ8DLJ3q97c#ws)
A Fantastic Fear of Everything Official Trailer #1 - Simon Pegg Movie (2012) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-cQ1oTELgg#ws)
Ben Affleck is in negotiations and Justin Timberlake is set to star in the dramatic thriller "Runner, Runner" at New Regency, Stone Village and 20th Century Fox reports Variety.
Details of the plot are unknown aside from it being set in the world of illegal online gambling. Brad Furman ("The Lincoln Lawyer") will direct from a script by "Rounders" scribes Brian Koppelman and David Levien.
Koppelman, Levien, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Davisson Killoran, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher and Scott Steindorff will produce. The project was developed at Paramount before it was recently sold to Regency.
Warner Bros. Pictures has acquired rights to Dennis Lehane's Prohibition Era gangster novel "Live By Night" reports Variety.
The story centers on gangsters who ran rum from Cuba to Tampa to Boston during Prohibition. Some of the characters also appeared in another Lehane novel - "The Given Day". The deal also gives Warners control of the film rights to 'Day'.
Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way Productions is setting up the project as a potential starring vehicle for the actor. DiCaprio stared in a previous Lehane adaptation - Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island".
Rick Yorn and Jennifer Davisson Killoran will produce.
Laurence Anyways - English subtitles (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwDzRzqFaIE#)
"Drive" and "Bronson" filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn is said to be closing a deal to produce a prequel/remake to the 1980's cult horror movie "Maniac Cop" reports Daily Grindhouse (via Bad Ass Digest).
The original film's writer Larry Cohen and director William Lustig are producing this update and Cohen says "it's going to be more a prequel than anything else, I am really excited to come back to this world especially since Nick (Winding Refn) is going to be a part of it. Nick has been talking to us about it for a while now and I had an idea that would work so we're going to do it."
Cohen says that the film will maintain the noir-ish comic book feel of the first three films but will certainly have a bigger budget. He adds that "the project isn't 100% signed off on but it's pretty close."
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/michael-bays-ninja-turtle-aliens-peter-laird-303294
šta fali url dugmetu? :)
Quote from: zakk on 26-04-2012, 21:11:58
šta fali url dugmetu? :)
Slučajno :oops:
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fcoolproduction%2Fckeditor_assets%2Fpictures%2F6726%2Foriginal%2Fdjango-unchained-christoph-waltz-jamie-foxx.png%3F1335451490&hash=ded4b110440ee2b3b14efe20de51d097b61f64c3)(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fcoolproduction%2Fckeditor_assets%2Fpictures%2F6727%2Foriginal%2Fdjango-unchained-leonardo-dicaprio.png%3F1335451529&hash=7f5132bb6d40364359dc06e1f2cfa58cf70dc895)
http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/04/26/first-look-two-photos-revealed-from-quentin-tarantinos-django-unchained-exclusive/ (http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/04/26/first-look-two-photos-revealed-from-quentin-tarantinos-django-unchained-exclusive/)
ak' буде упола занимљив ко што му је трејлер, бићу срећан
Looper Official Trailer [HD]: Joseph Gordon-Levitt & Bruce Willis Star As Joe (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uIWGOKW5OM#ws)
Dir: Boris Rodriguez. Denmark-Canada. 2011. 83mins
There are times when the title says everything. Jaws? Yes – got it. Star Wars? Perfect. And the same can be said with the evocatively titled Eddie – The Sleepwalking Cannibal.
The film is pacily directed by Boris Rodriguez who manages a smart blend of horror and satire but also never overplays the genre elements.
Yes, it is quite simply about a guy called Eddie who happens to be a sleepwalking cannibal. But though it may sound like an out-and-out horror film (and certainly there are plenty of genre elements) it is actually a thoughtful and at times extremely funny film that is likely to be a regular on the festival circuit.
The film stars Thure Lindhardt as a well-known Danish artist Lars Olafssen who takes a job at a remote Canadian school to teach art when he starts experiencing artist's block. As part of his deal, the Principal asks him to look after Eddie (Dylan Smith) a shambling and muscular mute who locals regard as a local idiot, but whose family committed plenty of money to the college.
Lars agrees to help, and grows fond of the lumbering Eddie. One night, though, he discovers Eddie sleepwalks and happens to kill and eat a rabbit. Bizarrely Lars finds artistic inspiration in the bloody corpse. But for him things get even better when the sleepwalking Eddie attacks, kills and starts eating a neighbour who abuses Lars...when Lars sees the bloody remains he is able to finish his first picture in years.
Realising that Eddie's bloody nighttime activities are the only thing that helps him paint again, Lars starts to encourage him, and soon the bodies are falling around the small snowy town, with Lars also having to clear up the gore behind Eddie.
Thure Lindhardt and Dylan Smith make for an engaging oddball pairing, while spot-on performances by Paul Braunstein as Constable Verner and Stephen McHattie as Lars's ambitious agent help keep the film amusing and entertaining. There's also a nice performance by Georgina Riley as a fellow teacher who takes a shine to Lars.
The film is pacily directed by Boris Rodriguez who manages a smart blend of horror and satire but also never overplays the genre elements. Eddie – The Sleepwalking Cannibal is a quirky little movie that could also well intrigue distibs used to handling horror fare.
Seven Arts Entertainment Inc. and Prodigy Pictures are teaming with di Bonaventura Pictures to produce the long-gestating adaptation of cyberpunk author William Gibson's 1984 seminal work "Neuromancer" reports MarketWatch.
The story follows a washed-up computer hacker hired by a mysterious employer to work on the ultimate hack. The UK/Canadian/Hungarian co-production is being done on a fairly economical $60 million budget.
Vincenzo Natali ("Cube," "Splice") will direct while Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian, Jay Firestone and Steve Hoban, will produce. Shooting aims to kick off later this year.
EXCLUSIVE: Universal Pictures (http://www.deadline.com/tag/universal-pictures/) has acquired the fact-based drama Breaking The Bank as a directing vehicle for Gareth Evans, whose Indonesian action film The Raid: Redemption electrified numerous festivals before being released recently (http://www.deadline.com/2012/03/october-baby-the-raid-redemption/) by Sony Pictures Classics (http://www.deadline.com/tag/sony-pictures-classics/). The fact-based drama is based on the book Heist: The True Story Of The World's Biggest Cash Robbery by Howard Sounes, and the Sports Illustrated article Breaking The Bank by L. Jon Wertheim. XYZ Films is producing with Evans. XYZ is the company that executive produced and handled worldwide sales for The Raid: Redemption, and the remake of the action movie that is in the works at Screen Gems (http://www.deadline.com/2011/11/screen-gems-lands-remake-rights-to-the-raid/). (https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww-deadline-com.vimg.net%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F05%2Fleem__120504183430.jpg&hash=14a3552983d3c682d8093b6554e3cf6514374e19) (http://www-deadline-com.vimg.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/leem__120504183430.jpg)Breaking The Bank is based on the life of former UFC fighter "Lightning" Lee Murray, a mixed martial arts street brawler who masterminded the largest cash heist in history in England in 2006. The most recent draft of the screenplay was written by Kerry Williamson. It had originally been developed with director Darren Aronofsky, who dropped out and is busy with Noah, the Noah's Ark epic with Russell Crowe at Paramount and New Regency (http://www.deadline.com/2012/03/darren-aronofskys-biblical-film-noah-finally-launching-with-russell-crowe-set-to-star/).
The project was the first that came from a 2008 deal with XYZ and Time Inc. Studios to pay to develop projects hatched from the publishers' magazine stable. Time Inc. remains a rights holder on the project. Evans is repped by WME and Management 360.
Vince Vaughn is in negotiations to star in Ken Scott's remake of his own 2011 French-Canadian comedy hit "Starbuck" for Dreamworks Pictures.
The story follows a middle-aged man who learns he has fathered over five-hundred children through sperm donation, a few hundred of which express an irrepressible need to meet their fatheryear.
Fox has acquired Dan Ewen's spec script "Dear Satan" which the Farrelly Brothers will direct for Conundrum Entertainment.
The story follows a seven-year-old girl who accidentally misspells "Santa" and instead invites Satan to bring her a toy for Christmas.
Brazilian director Afonso Poyart has entered talks to direct the supernatural thriller "Solace" for New Line Cinema reports Variety.
The story revolves around a doctor with psychic abilities (Anthony Hopkins) who hunts down a serial killer. Peter Morgan ("The Queen") performed the latest revisions on the script.
Cameron Diaz and Benicio del Toro have joined Danish helmer Adam Hashemi's action-comedy "Agent: Century 21" for Exclusive Media says Variety.
Greg Brooker ("Stuart Little") penned the story which sees Diaz play a recently divorced real estate representative who agrees to take on an unpleasant task which leads to her getting kidnapped and thrown into a Mexican drug war.
Del Toro plays the Cartel boss who takes pity on her and sends her on an impossible mission to avenge the death of his son. Andrew Lazar and David Greenblatt will produce.
"Training Day" director Antoine Fuqua is in talks to helm the crime thriller "Chicagoland" for New Line Cinema says Variety.
Fuqua reportedly beat out several directors for the gig, including Stephen Gaghan ("Syriana"). "The Queen" and "The Last King of Scotland" scribe Peter Morgan penned the screenplay while Simon Kinberg will produce.
Fuqua is also linked to several projects including the Eminem boxing pic "Southpaw," "Steel Town" at Legendary and "Storming Las Vegas" at Summit-Lionsgate.
"Unknown" director Jaume Collet-Serra and star Liam Neeson are looking to re-team for the action thriller "Non-Stop".
The story is set on an international flight on which Neeson is forced into stopping a threat. John Richardson and Chris Roach penned the script. Shooting kicks off in October in New York City.
After being stuck for many years in development, it looks like "The Last Voyage of the Demeter" will finally be sailing forward as Neil Marshall ("The Descent") is in talks to direct the project for Millennium Films reports Heat Vision.
Based on a chapter in Bram Stoker's classic novel "Dracula", the story describes the disturbing voyage taken by the vampire count to England on a merchant vessel shipping cargo from Transylvania to London.
Stoker tells the story via the captain's log of the voyage, which begins in Bulgaria and becomes increasingly disjointed as members of the crew disappear as Dracula feeds on them to sustain himself.
The ship eventually crashes on the rocks at Whitby with the only soul on board the dead captain who has been lashed to the steering wheel.
Bragi Schut ("Season of the Witch") penned the script a decade ago which has had the likes of David Slade ("30 Days of Night"), Marcus Nispel ("Friday the 13th"), Robert Schwentke ("Flightplan") and Stefan Ruzowitzky ("The Counterfeiters") previously attached as directors. Ben Kingsley and Noomi Rapace were linked as possible stars last year.
Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer and Bradley Fischer will produce. The project was previously setup at Phoenix Pictures, but the move to Millennium has given it a better chance of going forward.
Dominic Cooper is set to star opposite Pierce Brosnan in the latter's long-gestating dream project "November Man" says The Hollywood Reporter.
Roger Donaldson ("Dante's Peak") helms the espionage action-thriller which is based on Bill Granger's novel "There are No Spies" which itself is part of a series, thus making this a potential franchise launcher.
Brosnan would play an ex-CIA operative who finds himself pitted against his former pupil (Cooper) in a deadly game involving high-level CIA officials and the Russian president-elect.
Shooting is scheduled to kick off in October in Berlin.
Helena Bonham Carter and Kathy Bates are set to star in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's high-profile English-language 3D project "The Young and Prodigious Spivet" based on Rief Larsen's novel reports Variety.
The story follows a 12-year-old boy (Kyle Catlett) with extraordinary skills who leaves his family in Montana and takes off on a cross-country adventure to the Smithsonian Museum to receive a prize.
Callum Keith Rennie has already been cast as the boy's father. Jeunet and Guillaume Laurant co-wrote the script, and the film is Jeunet's first English-language effort since 1997's "Alien: Resurrection".
Michelle Monaghan and Susan Sarandon will star in thriller "Still of the Night" with Jonathan Mostow directing from his own script and Exclusive Media financing and producing.
Sarandon is in final talks. Mostow and Steve Alexander will also produce.
Monaghan will portray an aspiring career woman with everything falling into place until her sister, who has a tainted past, disappears. She soon finds herself tangled in the midst of a dangerous conspiracy and must outwit a devious criminal (played by Sarandon) to save herself and her sister.
Alex Walton, Exclusive Media's president of international sales and distribution, is launching "Still of the Night" to international buyers at Cannes. CAA is representing North American rights.
Production will start in August. Exclusive Media's Matt Jackson will oversee production .
Monaghan starred in "Source Code" and will be seen in "Penthouse North," "Tomorrow You're Gone" and "Better Living Through Chemistry." Sarandon will be seen next in Exclusive Media's "Snitch," Warner's "Cloud Atlas and Robert Redford's "The Company You Keep."
Mostow most recently directed sci-fi thriller "Surrogates" and just produced "Playing the Field," set for a Christmas release through FilmDistrict. He also wrote the story for "House at the End of the Street," due out in September through Relativity Media.
Exclusive Media made the announcement Friday, a day after dislcosing that it has teamed with Cross Creek Pictures have launched a three-year deal to co-finance, co-produce and co-develop at least two features per year with budgets up to $65 million. First project from the new partnership is the long-in-development thriller "A Walk Among the Tombstones," starring Liam Neeson and directed by Scott Frank.
http://youtu.be/9oZDKFoCqAw (http://youtu.be/9oZDKFoCqAw)
http://youtu.be/rARN6agiW7o (http://youtu.be/rARN6agiW7o)
http://youtu.be/24mTIE4D9JM (http://youtu.be/24mTIE4D9JM)
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmlkshk.com%2Fr%2FG0S2&hash=87cc76088675424056e3948c6a6c6d5f358b5d24)
opa :D
Dir: Ben Wheatley. UK. 2012. 90mins
Sightseers is a blissful bit of dark, funny and at times very bloody entertainment as a pair of caravanning killers head off on a road trip through the beautiful tourist spots of the British Lake District and end up amassing as many bodies as visits to tourist sites. It is an often-hilarious British comedy horror that should click with audiences with a taste for pitch black comedy.
It is filmed with such visual panache and sense of humour that cult status should be guaranteed.
Director Ben Wheatley is quietly building something of a cult following through his films Down Terrace and most recently Kill List (which opened at SWSW last years), and with Sightseers his reputation as a quirky talent to watch is consolidated. The film, which has a special screening in Director's Fortnight, has been a buzz Cannes title, and likely to attract appreciative buyer interest.
The deliciously dark Englishness of the film – Nuts In May meets Badlands comes pretty close to summing it up – and the sheer oddness of its leads characters will naturally make Sightseers something of an acquired taste, but it is filmed with such visual panache and sense of humour that cult status should be guaranteed.
The script was originated by the film's lead actors Steve Oram and Alice Lowe who spent several years refining the characters, first on stage and then as leads in a TV pilot. They play Midlands couple Chris and Tina, a genial pair who head off an a caravanning holiday, much to the annoyance of Tina's mother who still blames her daughter for the accidental death of their beloved pooch Poppy.
Tina has led a sheltered life, but is keen to embrace Chris's passions for British tourist spots – such as the Crich Tramway Museum and the Keswick Pencil Museum – as well as have an active sex life. She has even knitted crotchless underwear for the holiday.
Things start well but a litterbug at the Tram Museum and irritating caravan neighbours drive Chris to distraction and bodies start to fall. Once Tina gets to grips with Chris's reactions to those who irritate him she embraces the concept, and before long the twosome's holiday becomes more of a murder spree.
Director Ben Wheatley's dark sense of humour meshes perfectly with this rather eccentric story of cagoule-clad caravanning killers. Despite their murderous ways, Chris and Tina are always presented with real affection (as are their holiday plans) and their oddball romance (very Natural Born Killers with a low-key British suburban twist) tender as they face the 'trials' of their relationship.
The killings do verge on the bloody at times, but everything is balanced with a sly and often wicked sense of humour, while the soundtrack, production design and shrewd costume choices all enhance a perfectly formed and enjoyably dark film.
Maniac: Cannes Review
3:00 PM PDT 5/26/2012 by Megan Lehmann
The Bottom Line
For those who like their slasher movies with a frisson of arty pretensio.
Venue
Cannes Film Festival (Out of Competition)
Cast
Elijah Wood, Nora Arnezeder
Director
Franck Khalfoun
Franck Khalfoun presents a slasher film with a twist by shooting the entire movie from the killer's point of view.
CANNES - There's nothing cuddly or Frodo-ish about Elijah Wood's psycho killer in French director Franck Khalfoun's haute-horreur remake of the low-budget 1980 William Lustig movie that's become something of a grubby touchstone among genre fans.
our editor recommends
Sightseers: Cannes Review
Elijah Wood is a Murderous 'Maniac' in New Teaser for the Slasher Remake (Video)
Wood's limpid saucer eyes are used here to telegraph unhinged blood-lust and insanity, even if only sporadically, as he plays a sicko with mommy issues who scalps his female victims. The twist, and what helps elevate the nasty, no-holds-barred Maniac from the grindhouse to an out-of-competition midnight-screening slot in Cannes, is that the entire movie is shot from the killer's POV – we only glimpse Wood in reflection and in photographs.
EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: THR's Cannes 2012 Portraits
It's a daring decision, potentially stripping the film of the suspense of not knowing where the killer is and obliquely inviting the audience to have empathy with him. For the most part Khalfoun and cinematographer Maxime Alexandre pull it off, although the technique more than once tips over from inventively arty to film-school-grad pretentious.
Slasher-movie fans, however, need not be put off by the stylized camera work and arty patina: this is down and dirty genre filmmaking, and the various slaughters, excruciatingly detailed scalpings and other atrocities are no less gruesome because of the highfalutin approach.
Khalfoun worked as an actor on the similarly stylized 2005 French horror movie High Tension, written and directed by Alxandre Aja, who serves here as co-scriptwriter and producer. Both have evidently watched a lot of Dario Argento movies.
In Lustig's original Maniac, Joe Spinell played the serial killer Frank as a sweaty, overweight and overwhelmingly physical monster who terrorized the women of grimy 80s-era New York. Khalfoun shifts the action to downtown Los Angeles (Disney-fied New York being far too clean and shiny now) and, taking advantage of Wood's ethereal delicacy, makes him a slender, shy, creative type who is, in the end, no less creepy.
Frank works alone in a store that once belonged to his mother, restoring vintage mannequins. He has some issues. He's completely deranged in fact, stalking his female victims, stabbing or strangling them and sawing off their scalps to bring home in the belief it will bring the mannequins to life and thus fill the void left by his neglectful, promiscuous mother. Or something.
When he meets Anna (French actress Nora Arnezeder, who starred with Ryan Reynolds in Safe House), an artist who specializes in photographing mannequins, they form an attachment based on their mutual interest in plastic people. But then Frank's headaches start up and things go off the rails.
The movie is essentially a sadistic art-house bloodbath, with opera music and ballet dancers and funky little art galleries. The nerve-shredding score, by the mono-monikered Rob, salutes the music Italian prog-rockers Goblin provided for Argento's early horror-thrillers, the 1980s electronica lending a deeply melancholic city-at-night vibe.
Venue: Cannes Film Festival (Out of Competition)
Cast: Elijah Wood, Nora Arnezeder
Director: Franck Khalfoun
Production companies: La Petite Reine and Studio 37
Director: Franck Khalfoun
Screenwriters: Alexandre Aja and Gregory Levasseur
Producers: Alexandre Aja, Thomas Langmann, William Lustig
Executive producers: Daniel Delume, Antoine de Cazotte, Alix Taylor, Pavlina Hatoupis, Andrew W. Garroni
Co-producer: Emmanuel Montamat
Director of photography: Maxime Alexandre
Production designer:
Costume designer: Mairi Chisholm
Music: Rob
Editor: Baxter
Sales: Wild Bunch
No rating, 89 minutes
Cannes 2012: Official Selection in Competition (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnoQR-ZsQ5U#)
The movies in Competition are:
Vos n'avez encore rien vu (Alain Resnais)
De rouille et d'os (Jacques Audiard)
Holy Motors (Leo Carax)
Cosmopolis (David Cronenberg)
The Paperboy (Lee Daniels)
Killing Them Softly (Andrew Dominik)
Reality (Matteo Garrone)
Amour (Michael Haneke)
Lawless (John Hillcoat)
In Another Country (Hong Sang-soo)
Taste of Money (Im Sang-soo)
Like Someone In Love (Abbas Kiarostami)
The Angel's Share (Ken Loach)
Beyond the hills (Cristian Mungiu)
Après la bataille (Yousry Nasrallah)
Mud (Jeff Nichols)
Post Tenebras Lux (Carlos Reygadas)
On The Road (Walter Salles)
Paradies: Liebe (Ulrich Seidl)
The Hunt (Thomas Vinterberg)
Im Nebel (Sergei Loznitsa)
začudo, nekoliko naizgled dobrih filmova sa ovogodišnjeg kana uskoro dolazi u srpske bioskope!
moje anticipacije naglasio sam boldom:
Dobitnik "Zlatne palme", film Mihaela Hanekea "Ljubav", i još jedanaest filmova sa 65. Kanskog filmskog festivala naći će se u distribuciji MCF MegaCom Filma.
Među njima su i "Anđeoski deo", film Kena Louča, koji je osvojio nagradu žirija, kao i "Posle senke, svetlost", film meksičkog reditelja Karlosa Rejgadasa, nagrađen za najbolju režiju i najbolju scenografiju.
MCF MegaCom Film distributer je i filma "Lorens, u svakom slučaju", za koji je Suzan Klemo nagrađena kao najbolja glumica, u selekciji "Izvestan pogled".
Osim četiri pomenuta filma, u distribuciji MCF MegaCom Filma naći će se još i: "Sveti motori", Leosa Karaksa, "Kao neko zaljubljen" Abasa Kjarostamija, "Misterija" Lu Jea, "7 dana u Havani" - omnibus, "Renoar" Žila Burdoa, "Ništa još niste videli", Alana Renea, "Na putu" Valtera Saleša i "Ja i ti" Bernarda Bertolučija.
De rouille et d'os - Extrait #3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWsL3MlPSX8#ws)
ja jedva cekam ovo :!:
http://youtu.be/rC8VJ9aeB_g (http://youtu.be/rC8VJ9aeB_g)
http://youtu.be/GHDQHVkYq4g (http://youtu.be/GHDQHVkYq4g)
Tom Holland ("Child's Play," the original "Fright Night") has signed on to write and direct an adaptation of Stephen King's short story "The Ten O'Clock People" says Deadline.
The story, think John Carpenter's "They Live" but with demons rather than aliens, follows a Boston man who is trying to kick his smoking habit. As a result of this, a unique chemical imbalance allows him to see a frightening aspect of reality he hadn't previously seen - that many people living in positions of power are actually inhuman monsters disguised as people.
The story was first published in the 1993 anthology "Nightmares And Dreamscapes" which also contained the stories "The Night Flier" and "Dolan's Cadillac" which were both adapted to film. Five stories from the collection made up a TNT anthology series of the same name in 2006.
Holland and King previously collaborated on the feature adaptation of the novel "Thinner" and the mini-series take on King's novella "The Langoliers". Shooting on this project will kick off this Summer.
Dark Castle Entertainment has acquired Erik Van Looy's infidelity thriller "Loft" from Anonymous Content and Woestijnvis reports Variety.
An English-language remake of Van Looy's own 2008 Belgian film, the story follows five married friends who share a loft where each brings his mistress. When the dead body of an unknown woman is found there, they begin to suspect one another of murder.
Wentworth Miller, James Marsden, Karl Urban, Eric Stonestreet, Rhona Mitra, Isabel Lucas, Matthias Schoenaerts, Rachael Taylor, Margarita Levieva and Kristin Lehman star.
It's unknown if the film will be released through Warners (where Dark Castle is based), or through Universal where producer Joel Silver has just signed a major twelve-picture distribution deal.
"House" star Hugh Laurie is in negotiations to play the villain in Jose Padilha's remake of "Robocop" at MGM and Sony Pictures says Heat Vision.
Joel Kinnaman has already been cast as cop Alex Murphy who is brought back from the brink of death and turned into a cyborg police officer.
Laurie will play the evil and ultra-rich CEO of Omnicorp, the company that makes Robocop. Ronnie Cox played the role in the original.
He joins a cast which also includes Gary Oldman already as Robocop's scientist-creator and Samuel L. Jackson as a media mogul.
Ian McShane will play a dance instructor who reignites Nick Frost's long-dormant passion for salsa in James Griffiths' comedy "Cuban Fury". Chris O'Dowd and Olivia Colman also star.
Frost plays an office worker drifting through life until his new American boss (Rashida Jones) inspires him to get off his arse and do something. In this case, he takes up salsa dancing.
Neil Burger ("Limitless," "The Illusionist") is set to direct a film adaptation of Dennis Lehane's crime drama short story "Animal Rescue" for Fox Searchlight and Chernin Entertainment says Variety.
The story follows "a man trying to leave a life of crime, a pit bull, a heist gone wrong, and a killing".
Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark and Mike Larocca are producing. Lehane penned the previously adapted novels "Mystic River," "Gone Baby Gone" and "Shutter Island."
Ovaj Django deluje zanimljivo. Tamtino režira vestern :lol:
"Attack the Block" filmmaker Joe Cornish is set to write and direct an adaptation of Neal Stephenson's 1992 cyber-punk novel "Snow Crash" for Paramount Picture and Kennedy/Marshall says Deadline.
The story is set in the near future when the U.S. has become a patchwork of corporate-franchise city-states controlled by private enterprise and the mafia.
In this world a computer virus is manifested as a drug (Snow Crash) that is transmitted visually from computer screens to unsuspecting users, frying their brains in the process.
The story's central character, the rather blatantly named Hiro Protagonist, is a hacker, samurai swordsman and pizza delivery driver who investigates and tries to stop the takeover of postmodern civilization.
Paramount previously tried to develop the book into a feature when it first came out but ultimately dropped it. Disney had it languishing for years in development. With Cornish committed, the project is back at Paramount with a priority status.
WOO HOO!
Colin Farrell is in negotiations to join Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson in John Lee Hancock's "Saving Mr. Banks" at Disney Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.
Kelly Marcel's script deals with Walt Disney's 14 year courtship to persuade Australian author P.L. Travers to sell him the film rights to her book "Mary Poppins".
Travers' book was highly personal, and reflected hardships in her own life and her relationship with her father who died when she was seven and living in rural Queensland. Disney finally persuaded her to let him make the film, though she was prickly all the way to the end.
Farrell will play Travers' father, a banker who slowly slides into alcoholism as the family falls into financial hardship. Shooting kicks off this Fall in Los Angeles.
Angelina Jolie's '50 Shades of Grey': When Big Stars Just Don't Work
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If at any time in the past few months you have passed a bookstore window, watched a Saturday Night Live clip, or taken a second look at the slightly-too-on-edge woman clutching a veiled piece of reading material on the subway, then you're probably familiar with Fifty Shades of Grey.
E.L. James' erotic novel has become an international bestseller, which, in this day and age, almost guarantees a movie adaptation. And with a book this popular, a studio is bound to opt for the biggest names imaginable to sign on board — for instance, Deadline reports rumors that have surrounded Angelina Jolie's interest in directing the movie. But sometimes, movies are better served straying away from superstars like these.
Jolie's feature debut as a director was 2011's In the Land of Blood and Honey, a hard-hitting account of a young romantic couple suffering through the Bosnian War. Whereas a story like this is more than capable of drawing attention from the public, the larger-than-life name of "Angelina Jolie" seemed to have overshadowed the film's actual content. Anybody could have told you, "Angelina Jolie is directing a movie." Of course, their following statement would likely have been, "It's, uh... about war, or something." As such, the film never really took off appropriately. People who specifically want an Angelina Jolie movie want aren't necessary looking for a gritty war drama.
The same problem often arrives in regards to casting. It was difficult to believe that superstar George Clooney could endure the problems of an everyday family man in the otherwise terrific The Descendants. It was hard to get past the Meryl Streep-ness in The Iron Lady's Margaret Thatcher. Sometimes, a smaller presence does wonders in the depiction of a large character or story.
And that's what Fifty Shades of Grey is. Whatever your opinion on the phenomenon, it is certainly just that: a phenomenon. In order to stress the inherent power of Fifty Shades of Gray, studios would be wise to downplay the names onboard. Think about how many people knew who Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson were before Twilight — the Shades trilogy would be wisest to build its own stars. Director included.
....prvi deo trilogije ''Pedeset nijansi sive '' izdace u julu izdavacka kuca Laguna.
"Drive" and "Bronson" helmer Nicolas Winding Refn is set to direct and executive produce a TV series based on the classic French comic "Barbarella" says Variety.
Gaumont Intl. Television is behind the series with Martha De Laurentiis also serving as executive producer, but no scribe has yet been set. Jean-Claude Forest created the character who is best remembered through Roger Vadim's 1968 film adaptation starring Jane Fonda.
In an official statement, Refn says "I look forward to bringing this unique character to life for a new generation of fans as I believe she is one of the ultimate counter-cultural characters."
Refn's hiring isn't a huge surprise as Gaumont is producing two of the director's next films including the upcoming "Only God Forgives".
Tim Roth has signed on to star in Media Rights Capital's small screen project "Knifeman" which is going straight-to-series reports Deadline.
Roth would play John Tattersall, a radical, self-educated surgeon who will go to unorthodox lengths to uncover the secrets of the human body.
The show is expected to be shopped around to networks shortly. "Friday Night Lights" alumni Rolin Jones and Ron Fitzgerald are behind the story and script.
David Cronenberg is set to direct the pilot and executive produce the series.
Трейлер: Судья Дредд / Dredd (2012) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDxDT4-sx7I#ws)
http://youtu.be/vFZ2eQ0PpW4 (http://youtu.be/vFZ2eQ0PpW4)
Anna Karenina Official Trailer - Keira Knightley (HD) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yUo9YbuinI#ws)
Izgleda zaista sjajno bolje od predhodnih, ali Kira ima jedan jedini izraz lica za sve emocija. Ali ajde da joj damo sansu. Da budem iskrena ja inace ne volim ni jednu predhodnu adaptaciju...aj sa Vivien i nekako. Sofi je bila hit- francuskinja sa akcentom koja prica na engleskom , + i sa ruskim akcentom u pokusaju i po neko zdravstvuj
Kejt Vinslet ( naravno smedja) bila bi moj izbor za adaptaciju ,a i po godinama je adekvatnija .
Rock Of Ages Movie Trailer Official - Tom Cruise Sings! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlufXNzc7xQ#ws)
28 jun premijera :-|
Rob Reiner is set to direct the psychological thriller "You Belong to Me" for Stone Village and Southpaw Entertainment says Heat Vision.
Penned by David Murray, the story follows a psychiatrist who does the one thing you are never supposed to do with your patients: talk about yourself.
Richard Lewis, Scott Steindorff and Alan Greisman will produce. The project marks Reiner's first thriller since his highly acclaimed 1990 adaptation of Stephen King's "Misery".
Reiner says "They are hard to make well, but this one has a deep psychological bent to it and a big twist in the end that I didn't see coming. That's why I decided to take a whack at this one."
The four key roles - the psychiatrist, his wife, their daughter and the patient's brother - are expected to be cast soon. Shooting kicks off this Fall in New York City.
Branded - Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HInOg12jMiY#)
http://vimeo.com/44428022# (http://vimeo.com/44428022#)
Christopher Guest to Focus on Retro Collectors
Christopher Guest is developing a new movie with Michael McKean and Harry Shearer
Women of the Web is reporting that director Christopher Guest is working on a new comedy project that will be set inside the world of retro collectors.
Guest is developing the movie along with his This is Spinal Tap bandmates Harry Shearer and Michael McKean. It wasn't clear if the movie would be made in the mockumentary format that Christopher Guest has employed in such classics as Waiting for Guffman, Best In Show, A Mighty Wind and For Your Consideration. The movie will focus on a bizarre group of collectors who are obsessed with particular items such as comic books, Barbie dolls, vinyl records and much more.
It was reported that Christopher Guest regulars John Michael Higgins (who was mistakenly identified as "Michael Patrick Higgins" in the article), Jane Lynch and Parker Posey were being considered for roles in the untitled project.
It wasn't clear if there is a script in place at this time, or when they are planning to shoot the movie. We'll be sure to keep you posted with any further details on Christopher Guest's upcoming project as they're made available. :)
On the Road - Official Trailer 2012 [HD] Kristen Stewart Movie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9vsE0llyBM#ws)
Savages Trailer HD (Oliver Stone) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC2zbOwbeEs#ws)
Eli Roth is in talks to helm a Dracula re-imagining at Warner Bros. Pictures and Appian Way reports Deadline.
In this version, Russell Crowe is attached to play Dracula who is tracked by now Scotland Yard detective Jonathan Harker. Crowe would serve as the villain for this film, but the as yet uncast Harker is being planned as a potential franchise character.
Jaume Collet-Serra was previously attached to direct but his other commitments prevent him from coming onboard. Instead the studio has turned to Roth and are fast tracking the project to shoot hopefully next year when Crowe has a scheduling window.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson Killoran will produce.
"Attack the Block" helmer Joe Cornish has signed on to direct the graphic novel adaptation "Rust" at 20th Century Fox says Heat Vision.
Royden Lepp created the original comic described as a "high-octane adventure set in the prairie lands of an unknown time". Here a family farm is visited by a mysterious boy with a jetpack and a giant decommissioned war robot.
Aline Brosh McKenna, who adapted the screenplay, is producing along with Simon Kinberg.
Russel Crow dracula??? ..... E svasta....
http://youtu.be/fJ1O1vb9AUU (http://youtu.be/fJ1O1vb9AUU)
MAN OF STEEL - Official Trailer (2013) [HD] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jKWJZsjm5U#ws)
SKYFALL - Official Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kw1UVovByw#ws)
James Franco and Jason Statham have joined Gary Fleder's action thriller "Homefront" at Millennium Films says Heat Vision.
Franco will play a villainous meth kingpin named Gator who runs the small town to which a family, led by an ex-DEA agent (Statham), moves in the hope of a quiet life.
Sylvester Stallone penned the script adaptation of Chuck Logan's novel and is producing alongside Kevin King Templeton and Rene Besson. Shooting begins September 24th in New Orleans.
With "The Expendables" sequel about to hit screens, the filmmakers have been talking up plans of where a third outing would go should the franchise continue.
Producer Avi Lerner tells IGN that he has four specific names in mind for roles in the next one for which it sounds like they've already got a story in place.
Those four names? "We've approached Clint Eastwood to be one of the guys. We've got a character in mind for him. We're talking to Harrison Ford. Wesley Snipes when he comes back from prison. I'll give you one more name – we've got Nicolas Cage."
Lerner also says the plan is to bring one star from the first film back for the third one after having sat this upcoming first sequel out - "We're going to bring Mickey Rourke back, if he won't be too crazy. I like Mickey. And of course, all the existing stars [will return]."
QuoteBragi Schut ("Season of the Witch") penned the script
:!: :!: :!:
Winona Ryder has entered negotiations to join the cast of Gary Fleder's action thriller "Homefront" at Millennium Films says Heat Vision.
Jason Statham plays a DEA Agent who retires to a seemingly quiet place with an underbelly of drugs and violence. When his family is threatened he is forced back into action to save his loved ones and the town.
Ryder will play a biker who teams with James Franco's meth kingpin villain 'Gator'. Izabela Vidovic has also hopped onboard in the role of Statham's daughter.
Sylvester Stallone penned the script and is producing with Kevin King Templeton and Rene Besson. Shooting kicks off September 24th in New Orleans
Avi Arad is coming onboard as producer on Kojima Productions and Sony Pictures' planned film adaptation of the "Metal Gear Solid" video game franchise reports Game Informer.
The first in the series of stealth-based games, which began back in 1998, the story follows an attempt to take back a secret military base from genetically enhanced soldiers who have hostages in tow and a dangerous next-generation nuclear weapon.
Sony has been developing the film adaptation for since at least 2006, but the attachment of the Marvel Studios founder and "Spider-Man" film franchise producer gives the project a new impetus.
"For many years I fought to bring comics to theaters - and video games are the comics of today. We will take our time and tell the story with all the nuances, ideology, cautionary tales needed" said Arad during yesterday's Metal Gear 25th Anniversary presentation.
Bruce Willis is in negotiations to star as a CIA agent in the thriller "American Assassin" at CBS Films says Variety.
The story revolves around Mitch Rapp, a former Syracuse grad student who joins the CIA after his girlfriend his killed by a terrorist attack. Willis will play a company operative who serves as Rapp's mentor.
Jeffrey Nachmanoff will helm from a script by Mike Finch, while Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Nick Wechsler will produce. Shooting kicks off next Fall.
Mike McCoy, one of the two Bandito Brothers, is in talks to direct the action thriller "Line of Sight" says Heat Vision.
The story follows an elite commando squad transporting cargo while dealing with a global threat. The film will be shot almost entirely in the first person, giving the viewer a point of view akin to the many FPS games on various consoles like the PS3 and the Xbox 360.
F. Scott Frazier wrote the initial spec script which then was polished by "Halo: Reach" writer Peter O'Brien. Ben Affleck was at one point attached to direct.
McCoy and his partner Scott Waugh helmed the real SEAL-team thriller "Act of Valor", one of the big reasons they were hired as they could deliver both polish and realism on a modest budget. Joel Silver and Andrew Rona will produce.
WTF
http://m.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/sep/10/martin-scorsese-roger-ebert-documentary?cat=film&type=article (http://m.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/sep/10/martin-scorsese-roger-ebert-documentary?cat=film&type=article)
MGM has picked up the screen rights to Dmitri Glukhovsky's highly successful 2005 Russian sci-fi novel "Metro 2033" says Heat Vision.
Set in 2033 after a nuclear holocaust devastates Moscow and survivors head under ground, the story follows a young survivor who is forced to go on a journey that will see him deal with mutants, soldiers of a Fourth Reich and political factions of various metro stations in order to reach above ground.
F. Scott Frazier ("Line of Sight," "Day One") will adapt the script while Mark Johnson ("The Chronicles of Narnia" series, "Galaxy Quest") will produce along with Eugene Efuni and Marina Hall.
Western audiences will likely be most familiar with the property via the PC and X-Box 360 video game adaptation from 2010. A sequel to it is scheduled to hit next year.
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The rumors are true :-D : Actors Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy and director Richard Linklater just wrapped production in southern Greece on Before Midnight, the third movie in their series about the furtive romance between Celine (Delpy) and Jesse (Hawke) that began with 1995′s Before Sunrise (in Vienna), and continued with 2004′s Before Sunset (in Paris). The announcement also came with a first look image from the film, which you can see above. Producers are aiming for a 2013 release.
Fans of Before Sunset will likely recall that the film concluded with one of the most highly regarded endings in recent cinema history, as Jesse, married with a kid, appeared to decide to miss his plane home to the U.S. to spend more time with Celine. Although no plot details for the follow-up were announced, Delpy, Hawke, and Linklater — who won an Oscar nod for Before Sunset's screenplay — did collaborate once again on Before Midnight's script. "It's great to be back together again," the three said in a statement, "this time in beautiful Greece to revisit the lives of Celine and Jesse nine years after Jesse was about to miss his flight."
While Hawke has been rather forthright about working on a follow-up to Before Sunset, Linklater and Delpy had remained much more coy about the possibility. At the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, Delpy told EW that her collaborators were "thinking" about a sequel, but wouldn't commit to making one out of concern "we don't find the right thing to say."
The announcement comes right on the heels of the 2012 Toronto Film Festival, which also serves as a major market for indie distribution. Though the indie film only finished shooting last night, given the widespread popularity of the Before... films and the major anticipation for the follow-up, don't be too surprised if Before Midnight gets snapped up quickly.
Hm, jednom sam ukacio na TV-u nekoliko minuta jednog od tih filmova i izgledalo mi je kao nesto najpretencioznije na svijetu. Doduse, taj Linklater nije moron, pa cu vjerovatno nekad da pogledam sve u kompletu :-)
Tom Hardy is in early talks to star in Doug Liman's "Everest", an adaptation of Jeffrey Archer's historical novel "Paths of Glory", at Sony Pictures says Deadline.
Archer's book deals with the mystery of George Mallory's ascent of Mount Everest. The mountain climber made several attempts to be the first to reach the summit. However Mallory and partner Andrew 'Sandy' Irvine never returned from their June 1924 climb.
In 1999, Mallory's frozen body was found near the summit on the North Face, and debate has raged ever since about whether he was actually on his way down or up. Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first to make a successful ascent of the peak in 1953.
Liman and Sheldon Turner have worked on the script and the project will be Liman's first one after he completes filming the Groundhog Day-style sci-fi drama "All You Need Is Kill" with Tom Cruise.
With Rupert Wyatt out as the director of the upcoming "Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes", 20th Century Fox has come up with a short list of potential replacements.
Deadline reports that Matt Reeves ("Cloverfield") is at the top of the list with the likes of J. Blakeson ("The Disappearance Of Alice Creed"), Juan Carlos Fresnadillo ("28 Weeks Later"), Jeff Nichols ("Take Shelter"), Guillermo del Toro ("Pacific Rim") and Juan Antonio Bayona ("The Impossible") are also under consideration.
Wyatt, who helmed last year's highly successful franchise reboot "Rise of the Planet of the Apes", opted not to return for the sequel as he claims he was uncomfortable about making the late May 2014 release date.
Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver have already penned the script so it's expected a replacement will be settled on shortly.
Кул, наставак одличног филма, а и имена потенцијалних режисера углавном обећавају!
Stiže li ovaj Looper u naše bioskope? Evo vidim reklamu kod Hrvata.
Svidja mi se trejler ,bilo bi kul da bude u bioskopima ,trenutni repertoar je horor, i da hocu nesto, nema sta da se gleda.
има дред
pa to,to je poslednje sto bih gledala .
to je za decake skroz na skroz .
истина!
haha, znači tip je lud u Looperu, glumi mlađeg Brus Vilisa, pokupio mu je sve grimase, pokidao sam se od smijeha
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doduše, nisam mogao da odolim i pogledao sam TS, ali baš odličan TS (slika)
sve u svemu, to je B filmić na nivou sa Vilisovim Surogatima od prije neku godinu
Ryan Reynolds is in early talks to star in "Persepolis" director Marjane Satrapi's psychological thriller "The Voices" at Mandalay Vision and Vertigo Entertainment says Deadline.
Reynolds would play a lovable but strange bathtub factory worker who yearns for the attention of a woman in accounting.
When their relationship takes a murderous turn, Jerry's evil talking cat and benevolent talking dog lead him down a fantastical path.
Michael R. Perry penned the script and shooting begins next year.
The NFL could be investing a financial stake of up to $20 million in Ivan Reitman's "Moneyball"-esque football drama "Draft Day" at Paramount Pictures and Montecito Pictures reports Vulture.
Kevin Costner plays a fictional general manager of the outgunned and outspent Buffalo Bills. Set over the course of a single day, it follows him as he parlays the first NFL draft pick (granted to the previous season's worst team) into a series of trades that improves the lackluster roster.
Along the way he deals with his own family baggage and some surprising personal and romantic developments. Reitman and Tom Pollack will produce.
The league has previously been very hesitant about getting involved in TV and film depictions of itself, especially if they portray any of the more serious negatives about the multi-billion dollar industry be it long-term injuries to players to alleged rampant steroid abuse.
Matt Damon, Peter Stormare and Sanjeev Bhaskar have all joined the cast of Terry Gilliam's upcoming existential project "Zero Theorem" according to Facebook and Vulture.
Christoph Waltz plays a genius computer hacker obsessively working on a way to discover the reason for human existence – or lack thereof.
Asked about his role, Damon says "I'm just doing a very small part in it. Someone finally gave him money to do this one, thank God. I'd do anything for Terry. It's been ten years since I last worked with him". Damon adds that he'll be donning a receding hairline with white spiked hair.
In regards to Stormare and Bhaskar's roles, Gilliam says the two actors "will be sharing two parts at the same time". Shooting kicks off next month in Romania.
Julianne Moore, Michelle Dockery ("Downton Abbey") and Scoot McNairy ("Argo") have all joined the cast of Jaume Collet-Serra's $50 million airplane-set action-thriller "Non Stop" at Studiocanal says Variety.
Liam Neeson plays a federal air marshal who starts receiving text messages from someone claiming to be on the same flight, and who is threatening to kill its passengers. He must race to find and stop the killer.
Collet-Serra directs from a screenplay by John Richardson and Chris Roach, while Joel Silver is producing. Shooting kicks off November 1st in New York City.
Uma Thurman Joins Cast of Lars Von Trier's 'Nymphomaniac'
The hard-core erotic drama is currently in production in Germany.
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CANNES - Uma Thurman has joined the all-star cast of Lars von Trier's epic pornographic drama Nymphomaniac.
The film, which von Trier is producing as two feature length dramas, is currently shooting in and around Cologne, Germany. It is unclear what role Thurman will play in the film. This will be Thurman's first role in a Von Trier film.
GALLERY: Fall Movie Preview 2012: Major New Releases From Spielberg, Jackson, Tarantino, the Wachowskis, Burton and More
Nymphomaniac stars Charlotte Gainsbourg as Jo, a self- diagnosed Nymphomaniac. One night, an old bachelor, played by Stellan Skarsgard, finds her in an alley, badly beaten. He takes her home to nurse her back to health, while she recounts to him her life of erotic adventure.
Shia LaBeouf, Jamie Bell, Stacy Martin, Connie Nielsen and Christian Slater are also among the cast. Nyphomaniac will be released in both soft and hard core versions with a bow planned for 2013.
Anti-Islam-film director's real-life "Boogie Nights" story
Before he directed the anti-Islam "The Innocence of Muslims," Alan Roberts made porn -- including a 70s epic
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There was a time when I thought that the ludicrously outlandish situation surrounding the anti-Islam Web video "The Innocence of Muslims" didn't have anything left that it could surprise me with. A bloody, bona fide global diplomatic crisis spawned by a movie with sub–Tommy Wiseau production values, produced by a mysterious, multi-aliased former meth cooker? What additional layers could this rotten onion of an insane story possibly have to offer? I got my answer when writers on the Web began identifying the previously unknown director as the 65-year-old, Santa Monica, Calif.,–based Alan Roberts, a onetime schlock filmmaker who hadn't helmed a movie in 18 years. When I read that name my heart sank just a little bit more, and the entire affair became just a little bit stranger, sadder and more confusing.
You see, it just so happens that, alongside NSFW titles like "Karate Cop" and "Young Lady Chatterly II," Alan Roberts directed one of my favorite B-movies of all time: a goofy, deeply weird and oddly compelling piece of 1970s sexploitation called "Panorama Blue." Almost entirely forgotten and virtually impossible to find, as lost classics go it's not the missing hour of "The Magnificent Ambersons" or anything. But still, for what it is, "Panorama Blue" is an unforgettable slice of cheeky Russ Meyer-style weirdness that deserves better than to be languishing in obscurity like it is today.
In the age of grindhouses and 42nd Street exploitation palaces, when every piece of cheap, mass-produced cinematic schlock had to be weighted down with sackfuls of superlatives in the hopes of getting noticed (Scariest! Goriest! Sexiest!), "Panorama Blue" billed itself as "the world's mightiest adult film." A cheeky claim, perhaps, but damned if Alan Roberts didn't try his best to make his film live up to it. "Never before," announces a portentous title card in the trailer, "has the motion picture industry produced an adult film with such vastness, scope and stature." Anyone who's seen it would agree that Roberts' surreal fever dream of a skin flick more than bears that out.
What is it that makes "Panorama Blue" stand out among a sea of other forgettable B-grade soft-core schlock? For one thing, just like Kubrick's "2001" and Paul Thomas Anderson's newest piece of Oscar bait, "The Master," it was screened in 70mm when it was released in 1974. It was the only adult movie ever shot in that epic-size format, and only a handful have been produced in America since then. (It also copped another move from Kubrick's sci-fi masterpiece by prominently featuring Strauss' "Also sprach Zarathustra" in a memorable scene. In "2001," it heralds one of the key moments in human evolution. In "Panorama Blue," it soundtracks a young couple getting busy in a roller-coaster car.)
For another thing, to emphasize its self-proclaimed status as the pinnacle of cinematic art, "Panorama Blue" begins with a dry, honest-to-goodness lecture on film history by producer Richard Ellman that lasts for nearly 14 minutes before the first credits even appear on the screen. (Ironically, it's about the same length as the trailer for "The Innocence of Muslims.") I ask you, curious film fan, when was the last time you saw a triple-X movie that also included a discussion of the work of George Eastman or George Méliès? (Readers are encouraged to follow my example and keep any "A Trip to the Moon" jokes to themselves.)
As a narrative, "Panorama Blue" has no plot per se. Instead, leisure-suited producer and host Richard Ellman takes the audience on a "Mondo Cane"–style tour of various unrelated love scenes, all imaginatively staged to exploit the full scope of the epic 70mm format. We're presented with couples romping in various states of amour, high on a sun-kissed mountainside, inside moving cars, engaged in a full-on dirt track stock car race (the "Indy 69," naturally), in a moving roller coaster, decked out in their finest clothes, surrounded by a full symphony orchestra performing a piece identified as "Intercourso in F Minor." The roller-coaster scene might be the thing about the movie that is most well-known, as it was featured prominently in the phenomenal (and NSFW) trailer. Like many films of its type, the sex scenes are fairly tame by the standards of today's adult movies. Although there's obviously gratuitous T & A, it's largely genital-free, and the sex scenes are all obviously simulated via a lot of comically over-exaggerated bucking and thrusting. The silliness is compounded by the campy overdubbed dialogue. (As a sonic experience, the audio collage of nonsensical small talk and one-liners dubbed over the "Hollywood party" ends up sounding something like a Robert Altman film that got bit by a radioactive episode of "Hee Haw.")
Its cast of hundreds features a cavalcade of now-forgotten 1970s adult stars — Sandy Dempsey and Uschi Digard, who went on to cult fame with appearances in several Russ Meyer films — familiar faces to grindhouse regulars. But perhaps most notable to modern viewers is an appearance by John Holmes, the real-life inspiration for Mark Wahlberg's Dirk Diggler character in "Boogie Nights" and a man who, like Alan Roberts surely does now, came to know a thing or two about the sad ironies of fate and the cruel ups and downs of life on the border between Hollywood and porn. (Interestingly, in "Panorama Blue," Roberts takes great pains to avoid showing Holmes', er, most notable feature. Would it have required extra budget? Or would it simply have been too much for audiences to handle in panoramic 70mm?)
"Panorama Blue" represented a bizarre stylistic peak of a bygone era of film history, that odd and brief period in the 1970s memorialized in "Boogie Nights," when adult movies seemed to flirt with, if not the mainstream, then at least the fringes of mainstream. Adult movies were made on film and projected in actual movie theaters. In fact, when "Panorama Blue" premiered in Hollywood it played at the prestigious Paramount, where "Citizen Kane" had its world premiere 33 years earlier. "Deep Throat" was raking in blockbuster profits, and "serious" sexually explicit art-house movies like "Last Tango in Paris" and "The Night Porter" didn't seem that far away from it on the cinematic spectrum. The New York Times was writing about "porno chic" and there was legitimate debate among the cineaste intelligentsia about whether the porn industry would eventually merge with the mainstream film industry once and for all. What better symbol of the improbable mainstream triumph of the adult movie could there have been than a XXX picture filmed in massive, panoramic 70mm — the grand Hollywood format of "West Side Story," "The Sound of Music" and "Lawrence of Arabia"?
Although it's not as well known as other films from the so-called Golden Age of Porn like "Emanuelle" or "Behind the Green Door," "Panorama Blue" has the distinction of being perhaps the gaudiest, most eccentric, most ambitious of the bunch, and deserves to be more well-known than it is. When he directed it, Alan Roberts may not have thought he would go down in film history, but some amount of mainstream attention wouldn't have been out of the question. It never came, though, and he stayed in the soft-core ghetto making films like "The Happy Hooker Goes to Hollywood." As the 1980s gave way to the 1990s, his directing jobs dried up and he was grinding out work in editing and postproduction.
And while an awful lot about the mysterious production "The Innocence of Muslims" remains murky and Roberts is now in hiding after a string of fatwas have called for his death, it's been speculated that, like the cast, he may not have known the true nature of the film he was involved in, and was manipulated by its shadowy "producer" Nakoula Basseley Nakoula into making an innocuous film called "Desert Warriors" that was then redubbed and edited to be an attack on Islam. Comments about Roberts from the cast and his associates seem to bear this out, painting a picture of the director that looks less like a wild-eyed ideologue looking to foment interreligious chaos and more like a washed-up industry has-been excited to be behind a camera once more and maybe, just maybe, finally get his name out there again. It's a sad irony worthy of a P.T. Anderson film that his wish ended up coming true for all the wrong reasons.
Kevin Hart is set to play a fight promoter who gets Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone's retired brawlers back in the ring in the action comedy "Grudge Match" at Warner Bros. Pictures.
"Entourage" creator Doug Ellin penned the script while Peter Segal is helming the project which has just received the green light
Olivia Wilde ("Tron: Legacy"), Hailee Steinfeld ("True Grit"), and Nicole Beharie ("Shame") are teaming to star in Daniel Barber's period thriller "The Keeping Room" at Wind Dancer Films, Gilbert Films and Anonymous Content.
Julia Hart penned the script which follows two Southern sisters (Wilde, Steinfeld) and an African American slave (Beharie) left alone in the dying days of the Civil War.
The trio are soon forced to defend their home from the onslaught of a band of soldiers who have broken off from the fast approaching Union Army.
Jordan Horowitz, Matt Williams, David McFadzean, Judd Payne and Dete Meserve will produce. Shooting kicks off in March in North Carolina.
FilmNation Entertainment and Lava Bear Films are teaming to finance, produce and handle worldwide sales on Nic Mathieu's sci-fi thriller "Story of Your Life."
Based on an award-winning short story by Ted Chiang, the story deals with aliens landing all around the globe. A linguist is quickly recruited by the US government in a race to decipher their intentions on Earth.
Eric Heisserer ("The Thing," "A Nightmare on Elm Street") is penning the script while Shawn Levy, Dan Levine, Aaron Ryder and Karen Lunder will produce. Shooting will kick off next year.
Source: Variety
Mythology Entertainment have scored the film rights to Jack El-Hai's non-fiction book "The Nazi And The Psychiatrist" with plans to turn it into a feature.
The story explores the complex and close relationship between American psychiatrist Dr. Douglas M. Kelley and Nazi war criminal and Hitler's right-hand man Hermann Goering.
The book was the first to get access to Kelley's personal and professional papers from the Nuremberg Trial years. James Vanderbilt and Laeta Kalogridis will produce.
Source: Deadline
Short film director Julius Onah ("Big Man," "Little Girl Blue") has been set to direct the low-budget sci-fi thriller "God Particle" at Paramount InSurge and Bad Robot.
The story follows an American space station crew left abandoned after a problem with a Hadron accelerator causes Earth to vanish entirely.
Oren Uziel penned the script and J.J. Abrams will produce the project which will be budgeted at a tight $5-10 million.
Hailee Steinfeld ("True Grit") has landed the lead role opposite Kevin Costner in a McG-directed untitled action feature setup at EuropaCorp and Relativity Media.
Previously titled "Three Days To Kill", Luc Besson and Adi Hasak penned the script in which Costner stars as a Service agent who discovers he's dying. Before he goes, he attempts to complete a final mission, and reconnect with his estranged daughter.
He's also taking an experimental drug that could prolong his life, but causes hallucinatory side effects. Besson, Hasak, Ryan Kavanaugh and Virginie Besson-Silla are producing.
Casey Affleck is set to executive produce and potentially star in the hunt the serial killer thriller "Boston Strangler" for Langley Park Productions and Warner Bros. Pictures.
Affleck and Chuck Maclean co-pitched the film which covers the most haunting unsolved serial murder story in U.S. history. The public was led to believe that Albert DeSalvo was the man behind the thirteen gruesome murders of women in Boston for over a year and a half in the 1960's.
Affleck would play an ambitious detective who is willing to risk career and life in a race to bring down the Strangler, while battling a political cover-up by corrupt politicians and lawyers trying to save their careers. There is still belief that more than one killer was involved, and that DeSalvo was a pawn in a bigger conspiracy.
Kevin McCormick is attached to produce.
Lovelace
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1426329/ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1426329/)
Two Mothers
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2103267/ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2103267/)
Don Jon's Addiction
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2229499/ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2229499/)
Ain't Them Bodies Saints
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2388637/ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2388637/)
Fruitvale
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2334649/ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2334649/)
Producer Ross Katz ("Lost in Translation," "Marie Antoinette") has signed on to direct the supernatural thriller "The Unholy" for Gold Circle.
Joseph Fiennes ("Camelot") and Morena Baccarin ("Homeland") are attached to star in a story that follows a group of scientists who believe they can link evil to a specific human gene.
When they are recruited by the Vatican to spearhead a new global initiative to examine candidates for official exorcisms, supernatural forces threaten them.
The film is based on an original idea by "[REC]" Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza ([REC]), and scripted by E.L. Katz. Paul Brooks is producing, and shooting aims to kick off this spring.
Fox International Productions is planning a cinematic reboot of the "Hitman" franchise.
In fact, "Fast and Furious" series regular Paul Walker has been set to star as the one and only bald assassin Agent 47 in this new take on the hit Square Enix video game series.
Skip Woods ("A Good Day to Die Hard") and Michael Finch ("Predators") have penned the script, while well-regarded commercials director Aleksander Bach will make his feature helming debut on the project.
The games were previously translated to film in 2007 with Timothy Olyphant, Olga Kurylenko and Dougray Scott starring. Costing a tight $24 million, the film raked in $100 million worldwide despite generally negative reviews. Woods also penned that film.
The new "Hitman" will be shot in Berlin and Singapore in June once Walker wraps press for "Fast And Furious 6" and then shaves his head.
Over twenty million copies of the five game series have sold since it began back in 2000. The most recent game, "Hitman: Absolution," was released late last year to solid reviews. An HD trilogy re-release of the second through fourth games came out the other week.
Chuck Gordon, Alex Young, and Adrian Askarieh will produce the new film.
Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Kruger and Emile Hirsch are set to star in the 1943-set atomic bomb drama "Midnight Sun" at WestEnd Film and Captivate Entertainment.
The story follows two young post graduates recruited by the US Government to work on a top-secret project in New Mexico.
Along with the wife of one of the students, they drop their jazz-filled lives in New York and move to a secret community of scientists in the desert.
Chris Eigeman ("Turn the River") has written the script and will direct. Ben Smith, Jeffrey Weiner and Eric Morris will produce with filming kicking off this summer.
IM Global's Anthem label is set to fully finance Steven Knight's new real-time thriller "Locke" at Shoebox Films.
Tom Hardy ("Inception," "The Dark Knight Rises") is set to star in the film which is based on an original screenplay by Knight ("Eastern Promises").
Hardy play Ivan Locke, a man with a seemingly perfect future ahead of him. However, one phone call will force him into a decision that will put his family and career on the line.
Shooting begins in London later this month. Paul Webster and Guy Heeley will produce.
Nicholas Hoult ("Warm Bodies"), Michael Shannon ("Take Shelter"), Elle Fanning ("Super 8") and Kodi Smit-McPhee ("Let Me In") have all joined the cast of Jake Paltrow's futuristic thriller "Young Ones" for Subotica and Spier Films.
The story is set in a violent near-future where water has become the world's most precious (and dwindling) resource. The story follows a fourteen-year-old boy forced use his wits to survive.
Paltrow ("The Good Night") penned the script and is directing. Shooting got underway last week in South Africa's Northern Cape desert.
A Ilaj Rot radi kanibalski horor ...
Eli Roth Cannibal Horror Movie Latest Plot Details (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL243b9PalE#)
xcheers
Sigourney Weaver has joined the cast of Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino's "Body Art" at Alfama Films.
Based on the 2001 novella "The Body Artist" by Don DeLillo ("Cosmopolis"), the story follows a woman (Isabelle Huppert) who, grieving after her husband's suicide, discovers that a stranger is living in her upstairs room - a man who may or may not be real.
Weaver joins a cast that also includes Denis Lavant and David Cronenberg. Filming begins in Portugal in the summer.
Yves Saint Laurent
French actress Lea Seydoux has been cast as Loulou de la Falaise in Bertrand Bonello's "Yves Saint Laurent" biopic. Olga Kurylenko is rumored to be circling a role.
A flamboyant designer of jewellery and accessories for YSL, she allegedly inspired his see-through blouses. She was also the best friend of the designer (Gaspar Ulliel). Jeremie Renier also stars. [Source: Variety]
"28 Days Later" and "Dredd" scribe Alex Garland will make his directorial debut on the $15 million original sci-fi thriller "Ex Machina" at DNA Films.
The story centers on a billionaire programmer who handpicks a young employee to spend a week at his remote estate and participate in a test involving his latest invention: an artificially intelligent female robot.
Eli Bush, Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich and Scott Rudin will produce with shooting aiming to begin around the early Fall.
Despite the name similarity, this is NOT connected to the Brian K. Vaughan comic.
Top Ten Most Anticipated Cannes Films (2013) HD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnzShYj8wQs#ws)
Vince Vaughn and "Couples Retreat" director Peter Billingsley are set to adapt the graphic novel "Term Life" into an action comedy feature at Universal Pictures.
The nonlinear story centers on a low-life whom everybody wants dead. In a rare act of selflessness, the man takes out a million-dollar policy to benefit his estranged daughter.
Soon after, he realizes it doesn't take effect for three weeks so he must survive that long in order for it to take effect.
Billingsley will direct, while Vaughn will star in and produce. Victoria Vaughn will also produce.
Bold Films has acquired Children Of The Gun, an action spec by Will Dunn that Fabrice Du Welz will direct. Deal was worth low against mid six figures. Michael Litvak and David Lancaster will produce for Bold Films, and Sean Daniel and Gary Michael Walters are exec producer. Script is set in a desolate near future, where two survivors must unite, using their urban athleticism and a weapon from the past to escape their crumbling world, ruthless pursuers and their own violent history. Dunn is currently in the Fox writing program, and is one of three original members of the program asked back for a second year. The scribe first made a splash when Channing Tatum attached to his epic spec Ion. Dunn is repped by WME, Think Tank Management and attorney Jeff Frankel.
It's safe to say that writer/director Drake Doremus knows his way around complicated romances and relationships. From the long distance pangs of "Like Crazy," to the fantastical urges of "The Beauty Inside" (watch it in full here), to the domestic heat of "Breathe In," he's turned over the tangles of men and women in a variety of satisfying set-ups, and now he's looking to change up the game. Currently doing press rounds in the U.K. to promote "Breathe In" which opens there this weekend, Doremus revealed his next movie will take his preoccupations to a whole other realm.
"My next movie is going to be a sci-fi, love story written by Nathan Parker, writer of 'Moon.' An incredible collaborator, we've been working together for almost a year now and hopefully we'll be making the movie sooner than later," he told Little White Lies. To which we have to say, nice. The switch in screenwriters is interesting, considering Doremus has long worked with Ben York Jones, but perhaps that change in flavors is just what Doremus needs to start branching out and testing his limits in new ways.
"It's not going to be out of hand, but I think it's a logical next step, if that makes any sense without giving too much away, of the budget realm," Doremus said about the size of the movie, adding: "I'm really excited to explore a whole new thing while bringing my own passions to it and that's what's exciting about collaborating with someone who's doing something totally different to you as together you can create something very original and unique by bringing different elements to the table."
Jeff Sneider from The Wrap adds that the film is titled "Equals" -- so yeah, color us curious. Until then, we'll wait for a U.S. release date for "Breathe In" starring Guy Pearce, Felicity Jones and Amy Ryan. Until then, here's another new clip from the movie.
EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros has made a preemptive acquisition of King Harald, a pitch that Mark L. Smith is writing as a potential vehicle for Leonardo DiCaprio. The subject: Harald Hardrada, the 11th Century conqueror who has been called the last great Viking king. The deal also calls for a blind script deal for Smith, who scripted The Revenant, a New Regency project that has Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu attached to direct, and a potential cast of Sean Penn and DiCaprio. He also scripted for Appian Way Endurance, a movie about Polar explorer Ernest Shackleton, who led an expedition of 28 to the South Pole in 1914. When ice crushed the ship, Shackleton found a way to lead the entire crew back to safety despite the lethal cold. Smith also scripted an untitled biker film for Warner Bros based on an idea by Tom Hardy, who is eyeing it as a star vehicle to play a returning Vietnam vet in the 70s who falls in with a biker gang in San Francisco and then falls for the leader's girlfriend.
King Harald will be produced by DiCaprio and his Appian Way partner Jennifer Davisson Killoran. King Harald was King of Norway for two decades, but his quest for power and thirst for battle led to his being exiled for a time to Russia and then returning in triumph. The film envisioned is a Braveheart-style story. DiCaprio, a history buff, has long been interested in headlining a Viking movie; he had once circled a film about Viking warriors that Mel Gibson was to direct. Smith is repped by WME and Anonymous Content.
Appian Way has a big fall with the Ben Affleck-Justin Timberlake-starrer Runner Runner, the Scott Cooper-directed Christian Bale-starrer Out Of The Furnace and the Martin Scorsese-directed The Wolf Of Wall Street, the latter of which stars DiCaprio. Next up is Live By Night, based on the Dennis Lehane bestseller which Affleck adapted to be his directing/starring follow up to the Oscar-winning Argo.
Warner Bros. Pictures and Appian Way are teaming for a new contemporary re-imagining of the H.G. Wells classic 1896 novel "The Island Of Dr. Moreau".
The classic book follows a shipwreck survivor who finds himself on the island home of Doctor Moreau, a eminent but disgraced physiologist who creates human-like beings from animals via vivisection.
"Hemlock Grove" scribes Lee Shipman and Brian McGreevy have been hired to pen the script for this new take which is being pushed as a "sci-fi film with a topical ecological message."
Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Davisson Killoran and Michael Connolly will produce.
The property has been adapted at least three times before, the most recent being the much despised 1996 version starring Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer.
Matthew Johnson ("The Dirties") is in talks to pen a family film adaptation of Daniel J. Sobol's kiddie book series "Encylopedia Brown" for Warner Bros. Pictures.
Indian Paintbrush is producing the sci-fi love story written by Nathan Parker ("Moon")
162789305Kristen Stewart and Nicholas Hoult are attached to star in Drake Doremus' next film "Equals," an individual familiar with the project has told TheWrap.
Nathan Parker ("Moon") wrote "Equals," which marks a departure for Doremus as it's a sci-fi love story. The duo have spent the past year developing the project, which Steven Rales' Indian Paintbrush is planning to put into production early next year.
Also Read: 'SNL' Spoofs 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Screen Tests Featuring Kristen Stewart, Seth Rogen and More (Video)
Doremus is coming off the infidelity drama "Breathe In," which stars Guy Pearce, Felicity Jones, Amy Ryan and Mackenzie Davis. He has a strong rapport with Indian Paintbrush, which produced and financed his breakout film "Like Crazy."
"Twilight" sensation Stewart next stars in the indies "Camp X-Ray" and "Sils Maria." She's repped by Gersh and McKuin Frankel Whitehead.
Also Read: Kristen Stewart to Star in Indie Movies 'Camp X-Ray' and 'Sils Maria'
Hoult, who reprises the role of Beast in Bryan Singer's "X-Men: Days of Future Past," recently wrapped George Miller's "Mad Max: Fury Road" and the indie thriller "Dark Places." He's repped by UTA, 42 and attorney Fred Toczek.
The news was first reported by Deadline.
John Davis is producing the Dan McDermott-scripted movie along with Jennifer Klein
Will Smith is attached to star in the supernatural thriller "Selling Time" for 20th Century Fox, multiple individuals familiar with the project have told TheWrap.
A representative for Smith did not immediately respond to TheWrap's request for comment.
Smith does not have an official deal in place but he is in the process of coming aboard. Coincidentally, he was attached to star in "Selling Time" several years ago before scheduling conflicts got in the way.
Several A-list filmmakers are now circling the movie, though no decision has been made yet.
Also Read: Ryan Gosling, Will Smith, the Rock: Which Actor Is Perfect for Your Action Movie? (Photo)
Story follows a man who is given a chance to relive the worst day of his life in exchange for seven years off his life expectancy.
The script was initially written by former DreamWorks Television president Dan McDermott, who will rewrite the script as part of his original deal. Several other writers have taken a crack at the project including Spike Lee and brothers Steven and Derick Martini.
John Davis is producing the long-gestating project through his Davis Entertainment banner along with Jennifer Klein. Reached by TheWrap, Davis had no comment regarding Smith's potential involvement.
Also Read: Will Smith's 'Blind Ref' Trailer Debuts on 'Jimmy Kimmel' (Video)
Smith, who last starred in Sony's "After Earth," is currently producing the studio's "Annie" remake. He's set to star alongside Margot Robbie in WB's grifter movie "Focus" and will soon be seen in Akiva Goldsman's directorial debut "Winter's Tale."
Smith is represented by CAA and Overbrook Entertainment.
Valjda je ovo dobar topik. Spisak žanrovskih premijera za 2014.
http://io9.com/65-science-fiction-and-fantasy-movies-to-watch-out-for-1495720554 (http://io9.com/65-science-fiction-and-fantasy-movies-to-watch-out-for-1495720554)
http://www.firstshowing.net/2013/sundance-2014-announces-narrative-documentary-premiere-line-up/ (http://www.firstshowing.net/2013/sundance-2014-announces-narrative-documentary-premiere-line-up/)
FILMOVI KOJI MENE ZANIMAJU: (http://www.buzzfeed.com/wordsbydan/14-movies-in-2014-that-arent-sequels-prequels-r-b6bd?bffb)
http://www.buzzfeed.com/wordsbydan/14-movies-in-2014-that-arent-sequels-prequels-r-b6bd?bffb (http://www.buzzfeed.com/wordsbydan/14-movies-in-2014-that-arent-sequels-prequels-r-b6bd?bffb)
"Prisoners" director Denis Villeneuve has signed on to helm a film adaptation of Ted Chiang's Nebula-winning 1998 novella "The Story of Your Life" for FilmNation, Lava Bear Films and 21 Laps.
The story begins when alien crafts land around the world and an expert linguist is recruited by the military to determine their intentions.
She soon learns to communicate with the aliens, she begins experiencing vivid flashbacks that become the key to unlocking the greater mystery about the truth behind their visit.
Eric Heisserer adapted the script, while David Linde, Shawn Levy and Dan Levine will produce. Shooting aims to begin later this year.
Quote from: crippled_avenger on 10-02-2012, 14:43:49
Christophe Gans is to go back behind the camera to direct a big screen adaptation of Beauty And The Beast backed by France's Eskwad and Pathe.
our editor recommends
'The Artist' Producer Pairing Jean DuJardin and Vincent Cassel in Next Film
Vincent Cassel and Lea Seydoux will star in the Gans-directed project being shopped to buyers during the EFM by Pathe International.
The Berlin Film Festival: Why It Still Matters for Hollywood
The project, scheduled to begin shooting in October this year, will be produced by Richard Grandpierre.
Gans, who last directed Silent Hill in 2006 and whose resume also boasts Brotherhood of the Wolf, said he aims to "unleash" his imagination.
"Although I will keep to a form of storytelling of this timeless fairy tale that is in keeping with the same pace and characters as the original, I will surprise the audience by creating a completely new visual universe never experienced before and produce images of an unparalleled quality," Gans declared in a statement.
"Every single one of my movies has presented me with a challenge but this one is, by far, the most exciting and rewarding."
Rivju:
http://citymagazine.rs/clanak/filmska-recenzija-lepotica-i-zver/ (http://citymagazine.rs/clanak/filmska-recenzija-lepotica-i-zver/)
najvise me podsetio na rusku verziju ove bajke- koja je meni uvek bila savrsena:
Aленький цветочек / Пурпурни цвет, са преводом (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0Bb2EJvLr4#)
... pocetak mi je nesto sporiji, i u diznijjevoj verziji ima vise njihove interakcije.
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbitcast-a-sm.bitgravity.com%2Fslashfilm%2Fwp%2Fwp-content%2Fimages%2FZZ4E279CF71-550x309.jpg&hash=79f19633950e22d92204a9db01429c4d99c4a419)
A Goonies sequel? There have been many rumors over the years, and supposedly a script that fell into development hell, but as Hollywood continues to search for my recycled ideas – The Goonies never say die. Goonies director Richard Donner was approached (err corned with a video camera) by gossip site TMZ and dropped the bomb that "We're doing a sequel" to the 1980′s classic film Goonies. When asked if any of the stars from the original movie would return for The Goonies 2, Donner responded "Hopefully all of them!" Watch the full video of Donner talking comic book movies and the Goonies sequel, embedded after the jump.
The last script attempt involved a new group of kids, as the daughters and sons of the original Goonies gang, going off on a new adventure. All of the original cast members, including Josh Brolin, have expressed interest during interviews, in returning for a second film, if it were to happen. For a time Warner Bros was considering the Goonies franchise for their direct to DVD sequel line, but thankfully that never happened. Last we heard rumblings in 2008 that new writers has been hired to give it another go, but that was never confirmed.
As much as I'm excited to revisit the characters from my childhood, I wonder if the story will be good enough to justify it. This news comes weeks after The Goldbergs' Goonies tribute episode aired on network television — I wonder if the popular response to that show got plans back in motion?
Some first/second-generation console video game readers may remember that Konami actually published a Goonies sequel video game in 1987 titled The Goonies II. The game followed Mikey trying to recover/save his six friends, the Goonies, who had been kidnapped by the Fratellis. Mikey also had to save and free a captured mermaid named Annie who did not appear in the original film. Its doubtful any of this will have anything to do with the sequel's storyline.
Uh volio bih to videti, al jedino ako bi bilo sa istim glumcima :)
http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2014/04/new-dawn-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-images-debut (http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2014/04/new-dawn-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-images-debut)
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/moviesnow/la-et-mn-cannes-trailers-the-homesman-rover-foxcatcher-20140417,0,362672.story#axzz2zHs880dp (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/moviesnow/la-et-mn-cannes-trailers-the-homesman-rover-foxcatcher-20140417,0,362672.story#axzz2zHs880dp)
UNDER THE SKIN za decu i mlade:
Maleficent star Elle Fanning is attached to star in How to Talk to Girls at Parties, an adaptation of a Neil Gaiman short story that will be directed by John Cameron Mitchell.
Howard Gertler, who received an Academy Award nomination for the documentary How to Survive a Plague, will produce with Gaiman and Mitchell.
The short story, published in 2006, told of two teen boys who go to a party in 1970s London. While one has no trouble scoring a girl right off the bat, the shy one is left to fend for himself and has to find a way to make conversation. He soon finds out that the girls at the party are more than they seem. The story was nominated for a Hugo Award for best short story and won the Locus Award in the same category.
LIST Hollywood's 100 Favorite Films
The script by Philippa Goslett and Mitchell turns Parites into more of a two-hander love story focusing on a schoolboy and punk who uses music and art as a way to escape and a female alien tourist (Fanning) who wants to escape her tour group and explore the most dangerous place in the galaxy, the London suburb of Croydon.
Michael J. Werner and Winnie Lau of Fortissimo Films are executive producing.
CAA, which packaged the project, is arranging financing and will represent the film's North American distribution rights.
Mitchell (CAA, Jackson Group Entertainment, Peikoff Mahan) is known for his relationship dramas Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Shortbus. He last directed Rabbit Hole, which starred Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart.
Gaiman (CAA, Writers House, Ziffren Brittenham) is the author of the acclaimed 1990s comic Sandman, which is now in development as a feature at Warner Bros. His novels and award-winning YA and kids book are popular with the Hollywood crowd as well: Gil Netter is producing an adaptation of The Graveyard Book at Disney while FreemantleMedia is developing American Gods for Starz.
Fanning, whose other credits include Super 8 and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, is repped by WME, Echo Lake Management and Hansen Jacobson. Maleficent, in which she stars with Angelina Jolie, has grossed over $623 million worldwide.
Following their work together on the upcoming "High-Rise," filmmaker Ben Wheatley and actor Luke Evans are re-teaming for the action film "Free Fire" at Protagonist Pictures, Rook Films and Film4.
Armie Hammer, Olivia Wilde, Cillian Murphy and Michael Smiley are all onboard the project which has a tight budget of $10 million.
Set in Boston in 1978, Wilde plays a woman who has brokered a meeting in a deserted warehouse between two Irishmen (Murphy, Smiley) and a gang led by Hammer and Evans who are selling them a stash of guns.
When shots are fired in the handover, a heart stopping game of survival ensues. The plan is to do a "muscular, tough and spare" 1970s-style crime movie along the lines of Sam Peckinpah's "The Getaway".
Wheatley is writing and will direct the project which aims to begin shooting in the Spring. Andy Starke will produce and StudioCanal has already nabbed the U.K. rights.
"Guardians of the Galaxy" star Chris Pratt is reportedly attached to topline the film adaptation of A.J. Lieberman's graphic novel "Cowboy Ninja Viking" at Universal Pictures reports Collider.
The story revolves around an assassin with dissociative identity disorder who possess the skills of a cowboy, a ninja, and a Viking, and works for a secret government program. He escapes and uses his skills to track down the billionaire who masterminded the program.
Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese ("Zombieland") penned an earlier adaptation of the material which Disney rejected for being "too edgy". Universal picked it up out of turnaround and attached Marc Forster to direct. Forster is no longer attached and no new helmer is yet set.
The most recent script draft indicates that when the character switches personalities, he will physically manifest onscreen as three different people. To other characters in the film though, he still just looks like Pratt's character. Mark Gordon is producing.
http://www.blic.rs/Zabava/Vesti/515399/Slavni-glumac-vise-ne-izgleda-ovako--nabacio-7kg-cistih-misica (http://www.blic.rs/Zabava/Vesti/515399/Slavni-glumac-vise-ne-izgleda-ovako--nabacio-7kg-cistih-misica)
:)
znaci da je disciplinovan!
Izislo 15 sekundi tizera za trejler za Terminatora!
Tizer za trejler, jebote de' ide ovaj svet....
Benedict Cumberbatch igra Doktora Strange-a!
http://marvel.com/news/movies/23754/benedict_cumberbatch_to_play_doctor_strange (http://marvel.com/news/movies/23754/benedict_cumberbatch_to_play_doctor_strange)
Nije da očekujem mnogo od tog filma, ali fan sam tog glumca.
Quote from: Ugly MF on 04-12-2014, 09:50:51
Izislo 15 sekundi tizera za trejler za Terminatora!
Tizer za trejler, jebote de' ide ovaj svet....
Terminator Genisys Movie - Official Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62E4FJTwSuc#ws)
pa dobro bre, đe je Bejl???
kad su ga već uvalili u četvorku šta sad bi, četvrti Džon Konor u pet Terminator filmova
a sudeći po trejleru ili će da rasturi ili će da mi zgadi i keca i dvojku
Quote from: Pizzobatto on 05-12-2014, 22:50:12
pa dobro bre, đe je Bejl???
Izbor glumaca je katastrofa:
Emilia Clarke ... Sarah Connor
Jai Courtney ... Kyle Reese
Jason Clarke ... John Connor
Pogotovo Emilia Clarke koja izgleda kao da ima 16, plus poprilično je slaba glumica, pogotovo za lik Sarah Connor iz T2 (koji je ovdje prisutan). Priča djeluje kao rimejk T1+T2, doduše malo izmješano, ali to je to. Previše spojlera u trejleru, ne gledajte.
Biće sranje, a zarada mala.
kasting kaaaaatastrofa, ali brutalna, jedino sto su izvukli svarcija da izgleda ko starac,,,, ko fol terminator odavno dosao pa ostario, sve ostalo gola i totalna sprdacina!
Quote"28 Days Later" and "Dredd" scribe Alex Garland will make his directorial debut on the $15 million original sci-fi thriller "Ex Machina" at DNA Films.The story centers on a billionaire programmer who handpicks a young employee to spend a week at his remote estate and participate in a test involving his latest invention: an artificially intelligent female robot.Eli Bush, Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich and Scott Rudin will produce with shooting aiming to begin around the early Fall.Despite the name similarity, this is NOT connected to the Brian K. Vaughan comic.
Pročitah danas zanimljivu kritiku u International New York Times-u... Deluje zanimljivo. Da li je neko gledao?
Ex Machina - Official Trailer (2015) [HD] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYGzRB4Pnq8#ws)
Geoff Barrow radi soundtrack za Ex Machina - meni dovoljno, iako film izgleda naporno i pozerski.
(već se može preslušati na na SoundCloud - https://soundcloud.com/invadauk/ex-machina-ost-by-ben-salisbury-geoff-barrow-hacking-cutting-edit)
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emi7Tujkmvw#)
http://www.nme.com/filmandtv/news/-blade-runner-sequel-rumoured-to-be-called-android/388652 (http://www.nme.com/filmandtv/news/-blade-runner-sequel-rumoured-to-be-called-android/388652)
http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Josh-Gad-Writing-Gorgeous-George-Biopic-So-Classic-Wrestling-Fans-Rejoice-88657.html (http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Josh-Gad-Writing-Gorgeous-George-Biopic-So-Classic-Wrestling-Fans-Rejoice-88657.html)
http://youtu.be/ny9Fmx-rUKQ (http://youtu.be/ny9Fmx-rUKQ)
Викинг" — историческая сага, в основе которой лежат события "Повести временных лет". Глобальная реконструкция того мира, откуда "пошли мы", потребовала семи лет подготовки. Объем построенных декораций стал самым большим в истории российского кино. Фильм от Константина Эрнста и Анатолия Максимова ("Адмирал", "Высоцкий. Спасибо, что живой", "Ирония судьбы. Продолжение") выйдет на экраны в конце 2016 года. В главных ролях: Данила Козловский, Максим Суханов, Игорь Петренко, Светлана Ходченкова, Александра Бортич. Режиссер: Андрей Кравчук ("Адмирал").
трејлер је одличан
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fis-9Zqu2Ro#)
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zuQTmVCEn4#)
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qHdOnTMGD4#)
K-Predator?
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZlDthRg6zM#)
nista spec...kao mamula, hihihihihi
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQQa2y3i8W8#)
http://www.ghostbusters.com/ (http://www.ghostbusters.com/)
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHkGsbz8rLY#)
DIRLJIVA PRIČA O MLADOM FRANCUZU KOJI JE ŽELIO SPASITI RH 'Frenchiejeva' majka na premijeri filma o njezinom sinu stradalom u Vukovaru (http://www.jutarnji.hr/dirljiva-prica-o-mladom-francuzu-koji-je-zelio-spasiti-hrvatsku/1521182/)
QuoteDugoiščekivana premijera dugometražnog dokumentarnog filma Sve je bio dobar san ( Le Frenchie de Vukowar) redatelja Branka Ištvančića održat će se u kinu Europa, Varšavska 3, u srijedu 17. veljače s početkom u 19 sati.
Potresan, intiman i dirljiv dokumentarac "Sve je bio dobar san" proučava događaje iz vremena početka rata u Hrvatskoj, dolazak mladog francuskog dragovoljca Jean-Michela Nicoliera u Hrvatsku, njegovu borbu, tragiku obrane grada Vukovara kao i mučeničku smrt na Ovčari, a sve kroz emotivnu vizuru njegove majke Lyliane Fournier koja u filmu traga za informacijama kako bi došla do posmrtnih ostataka svog sina te ga dostojno pokopala.
Neutješna, ali ponosna majka prisjeća se svog sina i njegove mladosti i pokušava otkriti razloge zbog kojih je otišao iz rodnog Vesoula na hrvatsko ratište. Sa svojim drugim sinom Paulom odlazi u Vukovar u potragu za istinom o posljednjim danima života njezina sina kojeg su tzv. JNA i srpske paravojne jedinice izvukle iz hangara na Ovčari i pogubile.
U filmu se pojavljuje očevidac mučenja Dragutin Berghofer - Beli, pukovnik Ivan Grujić koji forenzički analizira posmrtne ostatke nepoznatih osoba ubijenih za vrijeme Domovinskoga rata, Josip Račić koji je s Jean-Michelom ležao u razorenoj vukovarskoj bolnici, doktorica Vesna Bosanac i drugi.
Film je rađen u produkciji Udruge hrvatskih branitelja i dragovoljaca Domovinskoga rata, Udruge dr. Ante Starčević – Tovarnik, i Udruge Artizana iz Zagreba.
Premijeri 90-minutnog filma "Sve je bio dobar san" prisustvovat će i ekipa samog dokumentarca, kao i njegova glavna protagonistica, Lyliane Fournier.
Stephen King has now officially announced that Elba and McConaughey will star in the big screen adaptation of his Dark Tower saga.
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCI77-c-FU#)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4433646/ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4433646/)
75 Must-see films of 2016 (http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/dec/29/75-must-see-films-of-2016)
Odlicna lista, za puno filmova nisam ni cula a neki naslovi su me jako zainteresovali, novi Solondz (najverovatnije skroz iscaseno i gledajuci sinopsis ne narocito ohrabrujuce) i recimo The Girl on the Train - zvuci bas po mom ukusu.
Ovde su potrpali bukvalno sve filmove koji izlaze ove godine a da su napravljeni od ljudi koji nisu kompletne budale, znaci bas optimisticna lista, bice tu gomila izneverenih ocekivanja...
Mene sa liste zanima desetak filmova, prvenstveno Verhoven, Refn i The Nice Guys a ostalo kako se uzme...
Nisam *bas* proucila listu ali svakako na prvo prelistavanje odavno nisam videla bolju/zanimljiviju.
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ccfB35sG5I#)
I am a Hero
Izgleda jako dobro:
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeSv5lfSbOs#)
nevjerovatno da se glumac kao Hwang Jung-Min probio do ovoga sto je danas u toj produkciji - to moze samo u Koreji.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1700841/ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1700841/)
Sausage Party (2016)
An animated movie about one sausage's quest to discover the truth about his existence.
Directors: Greg Tiernan, Conrad Vernon
Writers: Evan Goldberg (screenplay), Kyle Hunter (screenplay)
Stars: Kristen Wiig, James Franco, Jonah Hill
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2cbwJuhMp8#)
:)
Percy Fawcett:
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Byrk_rFc-J0#)
pih.
ovo deluje kao smrtno dosadni 'muški' i džunglasti ekvivalent hercogove 'kraljice pustinje'!
kako su samo od tako vanredno zanimljivog čoveka i autora jedne od najgenijalnijih knjiga ikad napisanih uspeli da naprave tek još jednog bledo-bezličnog polit-korektnog smarača?!
čak i trejler je da umreš od dosade - film ću, posle ovoga, najverovatnije sasvim zaobići.
THE YOUNG KARL MARX
LE JEUNE KARL MARX
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.filmsdistribution.com%2FHandlers%2FHTFile.ashx%3FMEDIAID%3D54045&hash=bb2556509e636daa0ef7b692d29ada09d4ba40f3)
A film by Raoul Peck
2016 - Belgium-France-Germany - Historical Drama
SYNOPSIS
26 year-old Karl Marx embarks with his wife, Jenny, on the road to exile. In 1844 Paris, he meets Friedrich Engels, an industrialist's son, who investigated the sordid birth of the British working-class. Engels, the dandy, provides the last piece of the puzzle to the young Karl Marx's new vision of the world. Together, between censorship and the police's repression, riots and political upheavals, they will lead the labor movement during its development into a modern era.
CAST
August Diehl (Karl Marx)
Stefan Konarske (Friedrich Engels)
Vicky Krieps (Jenny)
CREW +
Screenwriters
Raoul Peck Pascal Bonitzer
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTk1OdklKCg#)
http://screenrant.com/unforgiven-remake-samurai-ken-watanabe/ (http://screenrant.com/unforgiven-remake-samurai-ken-watanabe/)
To je vest stara 4 godine
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2347134/ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2347134/)
http://youtu.be/PY3P-IDD5rY (http://youtu.be/PY3P-IDD5rY)
Quote from: eddie coyle on 20-04-2016, 12:09:21
To je vest stara 4 godine
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2347134/ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2347134/)
Neka je. I dalje ga iščekujem.
Quote from: Nightflier on 22-04-2016, 14:11:38
Neka je. I dalje ga iščekujem.
Kako misliš iščekuješ? Film se pojavio prije 2-3 godine, imaju i engleski titlovi:
https://subscene.com/subtitles/unforgiven-yurusarezaru-mono/english
Suehiro Maruo!!!
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X4FZO1c4Ws#)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5458792/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_2 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5458792/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_2)
Vrlo jednostavno - nikad nisam nasao ljudski torent :) Ali onomad sam cuo da ga (ponovo?) pustaju u americke bioskope, pa sam se ponadao nekom blu reju.
Sent from Bigg Maggzzee
Od 321 do 975 MB:
http://veehd.com/search?q=Unforgiven%20(2013) (http://veehd.com/search?q=Unforgiven%20(2013))
Quote from: Nightflier on 22-04-2016, 18:50:21
Vrlo jednostavno - nikad nisam nasao ljudski torent :) Ali onomad sam cuo da ga (ponovo?) pustaju u americke bioskope, pa sam se ponadao nekom blu reju.
ima blu rej i 720 i 1080
Nasao ga onomad. :D Gledace se na odmoru :D
Sent from Bigg Maggzzee
xrofl xrofl
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5mebZ_VCcM#)
Don't Breathe (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4160708/?ref_=nv_sr_3) Od reditelja Evil Dead rimejka. Kazu da trejler SPOJLUJE neke delove filma, pa gledajte na sopstvenu odgovornost
http://youtu.be/76yBTNDB6vU (http://youtu.be/76yBTNDB6vU)
http://youtu.be/KyA9AtUOqRM (http://youtu.be/KyA9AtUOqRM)
Радујем се што ће у октобру Radiance Films објавити два филма Харија Кумела од којих је један "Малпертуи" па да упоредим књигу и филм. Мени је ово једна од најбољих књига у овој едицији а томе је вероватно допринео и одличан превод за који је преводилац Костровић добио награду. Али, чика Васа је стари ситничар па сам приметио две грешчице у преводу на почетку IV поглавља.
(https://i.imgur.com/bJgIyqH.png)
(https://imgur.com/KS5EmMx)
"Me rapportant aux belles études de M. Fresnel, je serais enclin à invoquer le phénomène du interférences, pour essayer d'expliquer le flux et le reflux dans le décbainemeut du forces mauvaises de Malpertuis. Ainsi se produit en quelque sone un phénomnue de «battement» où l'intensité de ces forces varie avec le temps."
"Fresnel" је стављено "Фрезнел" а "interférences" као "укрштање". Ко се сећа физике из гимназије зна да је Френел и интерференција или слагање (таласа). Иначе ми је Френел остао у сећању по дифракцији а не интерференцији.