Tagged: film

Christopher Nolan Starting to Plan ‘The Dark Knight’ Sequel

  • News
  • December 9, 2008

With The Dark Knight arriving on DVD today, director Christopher Nolan has been making the rounds of interviews and of course, everyone wants to know about the third film.

Slash Film reports that Nolan is interested in filming the entire third film in IMAX after having success with several sequences shot that way for the current feature. He speculated that a work around to the noisiness of the IMAX cameras would be to shoot the action in IMAX and the dialogue-driven scenes with a 65mm camera.

Nolan also told USA Today that he has been “jotting notes and doing some rough outlines” for a third story. Obviously, Warner will happily green light a third installment just as soon as there’s a story that captivates the director’s mind.

 “It was obvious when the box office was so big ($530 million domestically) that we had underestimated how ready fans were to reboot the franchise,” he said. “The worst thing you could do now that you’ve gotten the plane back in the air is mess up the landing.”

Catherine Hardwicke Dropped from ‘New Moon’

  • News
  • December 8, 2008

Nikkie Finke broke the story this weekend that Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke was not being invited back to make the sequel New Moon. Summit Entertainment quickly assured Deadline Hollywood that "Catherine and Summit have agreed to part ways on the sequel because our visions are different." In other words, Summit didn’t like Hardwicke.

The news breaks as Hardwicke and the teen cast is touring Europe to promote the blockbuster so the timing could have been better.  It also comes after Hardwicke cleanly broke the ranks and became the female director with the best opening weekend.

A source told Finke, "Summit didn’t like her. They’re saying the DP [director of photography] Elliot Davis is the one responsible for the film’s sumptuous visual look, that the editor Nancy Richardson had to save the film in post-production, and Summit thought Hardwicke’s [CAA] agent Beth Swofford was alternately ineffectual and hysterical. It certainly demonstrates, while CAA agents boast of their vast influence, how little clout and muscle they actually have, or are willing to use, to protect their artists."

New Moon is on a crash schedule to be ready for 2010 release and the third film in the series, Eclipse, is being considered for back-too-back shooting to contain costs and keep the cast looking eternally youthful. The sequel is expected to be more than twice as expensive given the special effects needs and cast salary raises.

The film continues to perform well at the box office despite a critical drubbing not dissimilar to the first Harry Potter film, which actually benefitted from a change in director. (more…)

Review: ‘The Day The Earth Stood Still’ DVD

The very best science fiction comments on today’s problems wrapped around a provocative story involving characters and situations that people can relate to.  They are also snapshots of moments in time and The Day the Earth Stood Still is a wonderful look at America between the end of World War II and the Cold War that gripped the world for decades.

There are few genre films of this era that hold up today and if you have never seen it, this two-disc commemorative set, on sale today, is well worth your attention.

The film is loosely based on a Harry Bates short story but thoroughly rewritten by Edward North and directed with a documentary and film noir feel by Robert Wise.  The tale of first contact is nothing new, but it’s all in the telling.  In this case, the film and its characters take matters very seriously. Wise is to be credited for giving us a culturally diverse montage of reactions throughout the movie, so we’re reminded that the arrival of the flying saucer affects everyone living on Earth.

Wise and Fox’s executives were smart to cast newcomer Michael Rennie as Klaatu since audiences had no preconceived notions when they see him, as opposed to Spencer Tracy, who we learn in the extras, wanted the role.  His lean figure and serious demeanor made him appear otherworldly and human at the same time. He’s paired nicely with Patricia Neal as a widow raising her young son, Bobby (Billy Gray).

So typical of mankind, no sooner does Klaatu emerge from the starship than a nervous G.,I. fires and wounds him, activating his security robot, the mammoth Gort.  When Klaatu asks the President’s secretary to arrange a meeting with world leaders, we get a little political satire as leaders of state put ego ahead of statesmanship. Klaatu decides to go out among mankind and find out something about the people of Earth and there he takes up residence at the boarding house where Neal lives.

The scenes of Klaatu and Bobby touring Washington are nice as we see things through fresh eyes which leads Klaatu to find Prof. Barnhardt (Sam Jaffe), the stand-in for Albert Einstein, the era’s recognized smartest man alive. Fear wins the day as Klaatu is shot once more but miraculously survives in time to deliver a warning.  Mankind’s use of atomic weapons must never expand into space, threatening the galactic peace.  If they cannot do this, the planet will be reduced to a cinder. And then he leaves, mission accomplished.

Sure it’s a cautionary tale and far more simplistically told than the remake coming December 12 which changes fear of warfare to fear of ecological disaster.  Still, for its time, the movie is quite sophisticated in its script, direction, acting and message.  There’s an ironic moment as we see medical staff marvel over Klaatu’s prolonged lifespan as they light up cigarettes.

The first disc opens with Exclusive First Look At The New Movie [[[The Day The Earth Stood Still]]] which probably should have followed the feature.

The extras put the film into context starting with archival commentary from Wise (who died in 2005) and Nicholas Meyer (who followed his footsteps as a Star Trek director). The Making of The Day the Earth Stood Still does a nice job telling you the basics behind the film’s history but it’s the second disc that gives you “Decoding ‘Klaatu Barada Nikto’: Science Fiction as Metaphor” giving you the historic perspective.  The first disc also offers up “The Mysterious, Melodious Theremin” which even puts Bernard Hermann’s haunting score into perspective.

On the second disc there’s also a fairly rote look at the history of flying saucers plus bio pieces on Bates and North.  North made an anti-atomic bomb documentary, [[[Race To Oblivion]]], starring Burt Lancaster, this is also included.  Original trailers and a 1951 Fox Movietonews  round out the visuals. Still galleries including lobby cards, one sheets and the complete shooting script.

Review: ‘Tropic Thunder’

tropcthndr-2dsc-dvd-3d-2-9133241Movies about movie making can be filled with inside jokes that lose the audience or use the miniature world of a set to tell a dramatic story.  Then there’s [[[Tropic Thunder]]], a broad comedy poking fun at multiple Hollywood types in one stroke.

Ben Stiller, aided and abetted by Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen, wrote a movie about a stereotypical misfit cast that is making a war story but find themselves in a real jungle battle.  Not the most original of ideas, but as handled by the ensemble, it’s remarkably refreshing and entertaining. When the film opened in August, it was like a tonic to the explosive super-heroic fare and lackluster comedies.

The movie sends up Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, and other modern day war dramas, not just in structure, but in the way scenes are staged, lit, and performed.  There’s affection here, respecting the source material but using it as a launch point for some strong satire.

Stiller is joined by Jack Black, Robert Downey, Jr., Steve Coogan, Jay Baruchel and Danny McBride as the actors who are either over the hill, uninsurable or so full of themselves that there’s a wonder how the studio green lit the project in the first place.  First-time director Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan) is in over his head with the uncontrollable cast and mounting budget issues.  He’s supported by his dancing producer is played with delicious irony by Tom Cruise under pounds of latex and steals every scene he’s in.

Everyone else has heaped superlatives on Downey as playing an actor who turns himself black to play an African-American character so I’ll skip him and note that Baruchel, McBride, Coogan and Brandon Jackson are relatively new to me and rise to the occasion, not letting themselves get overshadowed by the more recognizable names. Nick Nolte has a small role and seems interested in spoofing his career.

The film is clearly not for everyone but film aficionados will enjoy it along with fans of Stiller, Black and Downey.  The Director’s Cut is 13 minutes longer and the only version included in the two-disc set.  In most cases, scenes are a little longer.  One key addition is a party sequence that spotlights the actors before they begin shooting the troubled film.

The fun continues in the second disc filled with features.  Divvied up into bite sized chunks, you can see how the film was conceived, designed, shot and edited.  Extended and deleted scenes come with some good commentary and an alternate ending shows they made the right choice. The cast each get a profile and there’s a fun mockumentary, [[[Dispatches from the Edge of Madness]]], satirizing documentaries the Eiropean host goes in search of Cockburn during the troubled production.  There are other features to round out the disc and are the usual assortment we’ve come to expect.

Jeff Bridges’ ‘Iron Man’ Pictures

  • News
  • November 27, 2008

Jeff Bridges is not only a terrific actor but a fine photographer who often brings his camera along on film shoots.  He’s had his work published in magazines and books plus at his own website.

He’s recently posted his shots from the making of Iron Man which gives you an interesting perspective the filmmaking process.

Miyazaki’s ‘Ponyo’ Likely Here in April

  • News
  • November 25, 2008

Surfing Amazon’s listing can make one feel like an archaeologist as people pour through the advance listings to see what trade collections are coming from the various publishers. ICv2 did some spelunking and came up with a number of books based on Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo on a Cliff By the Sea, which outperformed The Dark Knight in Japan this summer.

Viz Media’s The Art of Ponyo on a Cliff By the Sea is listed for release on March 3 while AAA Anime has picked an April release for the first volume of the comic based on the film. As a result, the presumption is the film will be in release during the Easter season when schools take a break and kids need something do. IMDB has no listing for a domestic release but it does open throughout Europe in April.

Ponyo is the name of a princess goldfish who desires to be human.  When washed up on the shore, Ponyo befriends a 5-year-old boy and all seems swell until the fish’s father summons the sea to help find his missing child.

‘The Champions’ Coming from McQuarrie & del Toro

  • News
  • November 21, 2008

Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects) remains one very busy screenwriter with his work on Valkyrie about to be finally seen on December 31.  Up next will be two new films which he will both write and produce according to IESB, The Monster of Florence and The Champions. The latter is a feature film based on the short-lived BBC series that he is co-writing with Guillermo del Toro who has been most vocal in his passion for the show which ComicMix also recalls most fondly.

The series lasted all of one season, 1968-1969, and was syndicated in America a few years later. It featured “the adventures of a team of secret government agents who are rescued from a Himalayan plane crash by an advanced civilization and given superhuman abilities.”

United Artists President of Production, Don Granger, told the site, "The Champions is not just a strong concept with serious franchise potential, we believe that with Chris and Guillermo’s combined creative vision it can be an incredibly original film."

"Champions is a great premise with fascinating potential,” McQuarrie added. “I wanted to be involved from the moment Guillermo and I first discussed it."
 

Will There or Will There not be a Sequel to ‘Cloverfield’?

  • News
  • November 15, 2008

JJ Abrams and Matthew Reeves have been dancing around the notion of making a sequel to Cloverfield.  At first, they made noises about it being a one-off project but noted they did add elements to the film that would lend itself to a sequel, such as the issue of where Clover came from.

Some potential sequel production art (see right) also seemed to be leaked six months back and now Reeves told Moviehole, “Wanting something to happen and coming up with the right idea are two very different things.

“At times it’s gone dormant and then it’s come back up again”.

He sounded fairly certain a sequel would not pick up on the surviving actors from the first feature, which opened to acclaim in January. Instead, they thought about moving it to other locales set during the same time frame.  “There are a couple ideas that have potential but we haven’t quite cracked it yet,” he says, adding, “When we were in Japan we thought, wouldn’t it be cool to do it here”.

Apparently Abrams and Reeves have discussed having others step in to make the film. “There was the thought that maybe we’d bring in some young exciting people and we’d produce their take.”

Reeves is at work on his new film, The Invisible Woman, while Abrams oversees post-production on next May’s Star Trek.

‘Heavy Metal’ Movie Back at Paramount

  • News
  • November 14, 2008

The on-again, off-again sequel to Heavy Metal the animated feature appears to be on again. HM owner Kevin Eastman announced on his message board, “Well here we are again — and I’m trying to keep you up on the latest, without boring you with the 24/7 issues that are dealt with on this project. Regardless — things proceed — and the good news I have to share is Zack Snyder has said yes to directing one of the segments — so he’s be joining [David] Fincher, and Gore Verbinski as part of the official line up — there’s more on the director front — but I’ll hold off to share more with you shortly.  Also looks like it might end up back at Paramount–gotta love Hollywood.”

The deal was first announcement came March 14 with Variety reporting that Fincher was heavily involved.

Then Paramount seemed to drop out and Eastman posted on July 10, “Yes, it was a fun, funny, interesting ride at Paramount — basically everyone in the company had greenlit the project except on of the new top ‘assholes’ over there, who has a personal beef with Fincher, and killed the HM project over issues with one of Fincher’s other projects.

Not to worry, we have already set it up elsewhere, an announcement will be made soon, and we’ll be in production shortly as well.”

Shortly became August 31, when he said Sony was on board to distribute the animated anthology.  “The journey has been a tough and interesting one, but the film will be worth the wait.”

Thins seem stalled and sounding despondent, Eastman posted on October 08, 2008, “Man, it is a bit frustrating right now, as I have a lot of great new information to share, but am under a zip lip instruction from the rest of the crew for correct timing — I don’t mean to tease you, but do want to let you know the people we are bringing into to work on and direct segments of the film really @#$%& rock — and I should be able to start sharing images soon.”

IDW to Adapt ‘Astro Boy’

  • News
  • November 13, 2008

astroboy-cgi-1-5644041IDW Comics has announced it has obtained the license for comics based on the Astro Boy movie. They intend to publish two comic miniseries tied to the film, according to IDW Editor in Chief Chris Ryall.  The CGI-animated movie will be opening next October in a release said to be planned for 3000 screens and the comics are currently envisioned as a four-part prequel and a four-part adaptation of the film.  The first issue of the prequel would be out in May, so a collection could be released with the film in the fall.

Imagi Studios also announced that Jazwares will be the master toy licensee for the film, along with licensees American Greetings for greeting cards, stationery, gift wrap, and party goods; Penguin for books; and D3Publisher for game software.  Mass market products will focus on six to 14-year-olds.

Dark Horse will continue to offer the classic Manga and Right Stuf has the classic anime on home video.

The new film, directed by David Bowers (Flushed Away) from a screenplay by Timothy Harris (Places), features Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland) as the voice of Astro Boy, along with Kristin Bell, Nathan Lane, Bill Nighy, Eugene Levy, Nicolas Cage, and Donald Sutherland.
 

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