Tagged: film

An Early Look at ‘Coraline’

  • News
  • November 12, 2008

If you were to ask ten people who directed Nightmare Before Christmas, it’s almost a guarantee that nine of them will come back with “Tim Burton” and those nine people would all be wrong. The film was actually directed by Henry Selick, who’s other works include James and the Giant Peach and Monkeybone. In Laika Entertainment’s Coraline, Selick is stepping in both the shoes of Director and Screenwriter as he adapts Neil Gaiman’s creepy-but-heartfelt 2002 novella.

The film is still in it’s final stages of production, currently working on scoring and sound mixing for a February 2009 release, but Selick, alongside producer Bill Mechanic, lead animator Travis Knight and costar Ian McShane were in New York with footage of the film and a brief Q&A.

The story is of a young girl (Dakota Fanning) who unlocks a mysterious door in her new home, and enters into an adventure in a parallel reality. On the surface, this other world eerily mimics her own life—though much more fantastical. In it, Coraline encounters such oddball counterparts of her real friends and family as the morbidly funny Miss Forcible (Jennifer Saunders) and Miss Spink (Dawn French), and a counterfeit mother (Teri Hatcher)—who attempts to keep her. Ultimately, Coraline must count on her resourcefulness, determination, and bravery to get back home.

The footage ran about 30 minutes and looked amazing. This is one of the first films to be shot in RealD, an innovative new 3D viewing technology. Other films have utilized this method, but only in postproduction like the yearly rerelease of Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D. Coraline, being a stop-motion animated film, was able to shoot with a new form of depth never used in animated films to give audience members a “true 3D experience”. Those who were never a fan of the red and blue plastic glasses can finally enjoy a real 3D film as the only tool needed are a pair of slick black glasses which won’t give you a headache.

The film looks like it will certainly draw in any fans of Selick’s Nightmare Before Christmas, as it gives the same warm feeling. This film, being a Gaiman book, does become very dark in the second act, which doesn’t get balanced out by some Broadway-style music like in Nightmare. Selick’s method to animating and now screenwriting brings a whole new dimension to animated film and certainly comes through in Coraline.

After the footage, a brief Q&A took place where Selick mentioned how well he and Gaiman communicated often and positively on the project, which is refreshing knowing that Gaiman is almost as belligerent as Alan Moore when it comes to adapting his books. Gaiman was on the set often and all of his notes were “easy to fix and completely justifiable” according to Selick. Producer Bill Mechanic also went on about how the film has been in production since 2001, when the duo originally planned to shoot the film as live-action with computer-generated counterparts. They ultimately decided to go with stop-motion, and the cast and crew seem to be happier for it. Overall, the film looked amazing and will do great things for animated films and certainly for 3D, which was thought to be a dying trend for decades.

 

Review: ‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army’

This is a first.  I’ve been living with the story for [[[Hellboy II: The Golden Army]]] since last Thanksgiving, when I accepted the assignment to write the novelization. However, given personal circumstances, I missed its release and am only now finally seeing it, nearly a year later, on DVD.   As a result, I’m looking at the film from some fairly unique angles.

That the entire production team and cast has returned is asset to film, out on standard disc and Blu-ray today. It looks good and clearly, there’s an ease and comfort between the principal players and their director, Guillermo del Toro.

Del Toro’s [[[Hellboy]]] is somewhat different in tone and certainly in story direction from what Mike Mignola has been chronicling in his Dark Horse comics.  And that’s fine, that’s part of the adaptation process.  That Mignola remains involved and is credited as a producer and for helping del Toro craft the story shows his willingness to see others play with his characters.

Since the first film, del Toro captured the world’s attention with Pan’s Labyrinth, and this follow-up film seemed to indicate a willingness to show he was not a one-trick pony. The film is therefore a visual treat. In terms of the story, we’re some months after the first film so Hellboy and Liz Sherman are now romantically involved and living together at BPRD HQ.  Beyond that, the other characters are somewhat static.

The story of an exiled elfin prince returning from exile to break an ages-old truce with Man is a strong one, especially given a world Hellboy knows is filled with freaks of all kinds.  We follow Prince Nuada’s efforts to assemble the crown that would given him command over the Golden Army, 70 times 70 mechanical soldiers built by the goblin forges. With them at his command, all humanity would be wiped out and the elves can regain control of the planet.

Mixed in with that is the stresses between Liz and Hellboy living together, Abe Sapien falling in love with the Princess Nuala, who opposes her brother’s jihad, and the exposure of the [[[BPRD]]] to the general public.  This necessitates Washington sending a new field leader, Dr. Johann Krauss, who happens to be an ectoplasmic being living in a containment suit.

There’s plenty of story and threads and everyone has something to do and people to play off one another.  Add in deadly Tooth Fairies, the last Elemental, a Troll Market, an Angel of Death, and the revived Army, and you have plenty to deal with.

(more…)

James Cameron sets the Record on ‘Terminator Salavation’

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  • November 11, 2008

James Cameron’s name has been bandied around, with various reports indicating he supported McG’s Terminator Salvation film or hated it.  To clear the air, he issued the following statement to Harry Knowles, the man behind Ain’t it Cool News:

There’s been some discussion at AICN and elsewhere of me rescinding my so-called blessing of T4 and that’s not the case. The truth is there never was a blessing to rescind, and there’s been some kind of misunderstanding between me and McG, perfectly innocent I believe. He asked me in a phone call when I was shooting in New Zealand earlier this year if I would be a supporter and creative participant in the new film. I said sure, send me the script and I’ll give you my thoughts. And I warned him that free advice is usually worth what you pay for it. For whatever reason I never got the script and to date I haven’t seen a foot of film other than what everybody’s seen in the trailer, which is not enough to form an opinion. So I have zero basis for supporting or dissing the film. As I said in an interview, for all I know it could be a masterpiece or it could be a big steaming pile. I think all people heard was the steaming pile part and concluded I was against the film, which I’m not. In fact, it might be very good, an opinion based solely on what Sam Worthington has shared with me. He’s nobody’s fool when it comes to material, and has absolutely the lowest bullshit quotient of anyone I know, and he has repeatedly told me that he reckons the film is going to be good. I know him to be very critical (in a healthy way) of his own work, and an actor who always aspires to excellence, so I know he wouldn’t praise the film if he didn’t feel it.

Obviously I can’t give my blessing (whatever that means anyway) to the film completely blind. But I’m predisposed to be supportive based on Sam’s involvement and his judgment, because I believe in him. So there you have it. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed that it’s not a steaming pile.

Jim out

So there. You of course can decide for yourself when the film opens in May 2009.
 

Zack Snyder on the Altered Ending of ‘Watchmen’

  • News
  • November 10, 2008

new-watchmen-poster-1196845Zack Snyder spoke with Dark Horizons about the recent sneak of The Watchmen and the audience’s reaction, especially to the altered ending.

"We had the best test scores in the history of Warner Bros. with 300 and I kept telling them look the movie is not like 300, don’t think that it is – it’s not going to be the same experience,” Snyder said. “Some people are going to go ‘what the f**k is this’ and I go that’s ok. That’s the thing that you fight… The one thing that was cool was that anyone who had read the graphic novel who was at the screening rated the film ‘excellent’, for me I’m like ‘I’m done’."

So about the squid and the ending?

"The fans, god love ’em, they’re all up in arms about the squid,” he said. “What they should be up in arms about are things like shooting the pregnant woman, ‘God is real and he’s American’, whether that‘s in the movie. That’s my point of view, maybe I’m crazy.

"The squid was not in the movie when I got the script, the squid was never in any draft that I saw. My point is only that there was this elegant solution to the squid problem that I kind of embraced. I’m a fan of the thing as much as anyone, I was saying what are we going to do about this before I even read the script."

He confirmed a second trailer will be released this coming Friday when Quantum of Solace hits theaters in America. "I just saw the final version of it this morning… it’s a little bit more story, a teeny bit more like a full trailer. This is much more like ‘someone’s picking off costume heroes’. You’ll get a sense of the characters plight you know, ‘we were supposed to make the world a better place… what happened to the American Dream’."

A third trailer will be released in early 2009, prior to the March 6 release date.

"The film’s pretty much done in my book. There’s still some visual effects shots which I’m reviewing… there’s probably close to 2000 effects shots in the film" he added.

Snyder’s next film will be his first animated project, Guardians of Ga’Hoole, coming in 2010.
 

Steven Spielberg Turns Will Smith into ‘Oldboy’

  • News
  • November 8, 2008

oldboy-poster-5771247Following his work on Tintin, director Steven Spielberg is expected to work alongside Will Smith on an English-language remake of the 2003 Korean film Oldboy.

Variety reports that DreamWorks is securing the film rights for Spielberg and the film would be among the first under its new distribution deal with Universal Studios.

The trade says the original film tells of “a man gets kidnapped and held in a shabby cell for 15 years without explanation. Suddenly, he’s released and given money, a cell phone and clothes and is set on a path to discover who destroyed his life so he can take revenge."

Spielberg is said to be seeking a writer while the rights are being obtained.

Neil Gaiman Returns to Non-Fiction

  • News
  • November 6, 2008

Publisher’s Weekly reports that Neil Gaiman has signed with Morrow to write three non-fiction titles.

Monkey and Me: China and the Journey to the West will be the first tile and is described as "inspired by Journey to the West, a classical Chinese text by Wu Cheng’en, who lived in the 16th century."

The author has previously written non-fiction, breaking into writing as a British journalist. His last non-fiction book was 1998’s Don’t Panic: The Official Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Companion. His most recent novel, The Graveyard Book, was published last month.

The first of the three new books will see print in 2009 according to Morrow.  All three were acquired from Gaiman’s agent Merrilee Heifetz by senior v-p and director of editorial development Jennifer Brehl. After Moneky and Me, the remaining two books will cover subjects regular readers of his blog will be familiar with.

Gaiman will also be returning to comics with a two-part Batman story to see print in early 2009.

Away from print, he is involved as producer or director on several of his projects including Death: The High Cost of Living.  He recently announced The Graveyard Book will also see life as a live-action film. The next film based on his works will be February’s Coraline, a CGI-animated proejct from director Henry Sellick.

 

‘Wanted 2’ on the Boards

  • News
  • November 6, 2008

Chris Morgan confirmed he will be writing the sequel to Wanted for Universal.  He spoke with MTV and said, “Yes, I will be writing it. I’m actually leaving this conversation with you to go to a meeting with the director, Timur [Bekmambetov], and we’re talking about the story.”

Despite confirming interest in a sequel to June’s action thriller starring Angelina Jolie, Universal continues to negotiate with writer Mark Millar who wrote the original comic miniseries, with artist J.G. Jones. A deal is said to be imminent.

“As far as I know, the studio is finishing their deal with Mark [Millar], and then we’re all going to get together and collaborate,” said Morgan, a longtime comics fan. “And that’s something I’m very excited about.”

After all, the movie deviated from the comic, creating its own mythology and now has to explore new facets of that world. Terence Stamp has already hinted to the press his Pekwarsky will return in the sequel which may be wishful thinking.

“That is the challenge here,” laughed Morgan, “but the point is to continue the journey that Wes started in the first film. Wherever he ended up at the end of the film, now it’s time to move him forward.”

The $75 million movie went on to earn good reviews and more importantly, scored $134,327,125 domestically plus an additional $203,210,478 in foreign box office.  The 
$337,537,603 global total before licensing and home video revenue more than justified Universal wanting a sequel. 

The DVD version will be released on December 2 in multiple versions: single-disc widescreen and full frame DVD editions, 2-disc Special Edition DVD and Blu-ray Hi-Def versions, and deluxe collector’s sets. The limited edition 2-disc versions and collector’s sets include a digital copy of the film.

Jerry Bruckheimer Updates ‘Pirates’, ‘Lone Ranger’, ‘National Treasure’

  • News
  • November 5, 2008

Jerry Bruckheimer updated Coming Soon on the status of various film projects, debunking some rumors and providing timetables.

"We’re doing another National Treasure so we’re working on that, we’re preparing Sorcerer’s Apprentice right now—it’s going to be shot in New York—we have another picture that’s in post-production that we’re finishing called Confessions of a Shopaholic with Isla Fischer and Hugh Dancy, so that comes out in February," he told a gaggle of reporters on the set of Prince of Persia, due out next year.

National Treasure: The third film in the Nicholas Cage series is having a script written.

Lone Ranger: The new adaptation of Fran Striker’s radio hero is having a screenplay written.  Since the film was announced by Disney in September, people have swooned at the notion of who would play the Ranger opposite Johnny Depp’s Tonto. Bruckheimer debunked the most frequent suspicion that George Clooney would wear the black mask. "We haven’t decided who is going to play the Lone Ranger yet. Get a director first and then figure it out."

Pirates of the Caribbean 4: Again, a script is being conceived and it’s little surprise that all three films are being written by the team of Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio who have written most of Bruckheimer’s blockbusters. He speculated about shooting the next installment in IMAX, saying, "Absolutely. I’d love to do it, so let’s just see if we can work it through the production schedule with everything else.

"I think they’re pushing towards 2012. Hopefully we can make it we’ll see."

‘Three Stooges’ Moves from Warners to MGM

  • News
  • November 5, 2008

The Three Stooges has gained new life with MGM becoming the new parent to the Peter and Bobby Farrelly project. The brothers had spent five years trying to develop the film at Warner Bros. but now they have a new lease on life and will give their script a polish then turn it over to Michael Cerrone to direct.

Peter Farrelly credited Mary Parent, MGM’s Worldwide Motion Picture Group chairman with having the enthusiasm to go out and grab the moribund film from Warners plus secure rights to the Stooges from C3. She sees the $45 million production as targeted as a PG or PG-13 project complete with the trademark slapstick the trio is known for. The movie will actually be three 20-25 minute segments loosely tied together to recreate the feel of the shorts the act made from the 1930s through the 1950s.

"It’s not a biopic. It takes place in present day, and they look, dress and sound exactly like the Stooges," Peter told Variety. "When the economy started turning, we felt like the world could use a Stooges slapfest. Bobby and I haven’t done a real physical comedy in a while, and it’s the most exciting thing we could think of now, to have people go to the movie, see some great slapstick fun family humor."

A nationwide talent hunt, compared with the search for American Idol, will begin as the producers and director seek three comedians who can work well together and do the physical humor required to earn the Stooges name. A similar hunt will be conducted to find humorous short films to run with their feature.

"We know this is extremely difficult to pull off; we realize some Stooges fans will be upset no matter what we do," Farrelly said. "We love the Stooges and honor their memory, and we don’t want them to disappear. We hope that next Thanksgiving, dads will introduce their kids to the Stooges and create a new generation of knuckleheads."

MGM has already picked out November 20, 2009 to release the film. The studio may rethink that since Variety notes the competition that day is already thick with Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey, Jr. and the animated Planet 51.

Sony in Talks to Co-Finance ‘Tintin’

  • News
  • November 3, 2008

tintin-6981505When last we left Tintin, he and Snowy were facing an uncertain future as the famed directors Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson wanted to turn his graphic novel adventures into at least two live-action films.  The forces of corporate evil, though, saw to it that DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures were split asunder, leaving financing for the films up in the air.

Sony, like a white knight, has ridden to the rescue.  According to the scribes at Variety, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Paramount Pictures are now discussing terms to allow them to co-finance the digital 3-D films together.

The hero, created by Belgian artist Georges Remi (a.k.a. Herge), had first thought that Universal Studios, new home to DreamWorks would partner up to ensure audiences around the world got to thrill to his exploits.  Instead, Universal balked so Paramount told Spielberg and Jackson they would front the full $135 million budget in exchange for better profit-sharing terms.  Now it was the directors’ turn to balk forcing Paramount to seek assistance.

The Sony-Paramount deal would be the first film only and would grant Sony international distribution rights while Paramount would retain North American rights in addition to distribution deals in selected English-speaking countries.

While the cash has begun tof low once more, there remains concern over production commencing, as planned, in the fall.  Thomas Sangster, the human selected to portray the teen hero, left the project.  Spielberg remains optimistic they will recast, shoot and still make their 2010 release date. Jackson would then direct a second film.

Although DreamWorks is now no longer a participant, the principal players remain somewhat enmeshed in their lives.  Jackson has delivered The Lovely Bones to DreamWorks which Paramount will release in 2009.

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