OK, I know what you're going to say before you even say it: "Dude, it's a big guy in a hockey mask. Don't exactly need a snapshot to envision a big guy in a hockey mask." And that's a fair comment, but I work for this blog and weekends are really slow so here we go:
Our first look at the new Jason Voorhees! A big bulky guy in torn clothes and a hockey mask: Yep! Snark aside, the big guy looks pretty solid. No silly changes or anything, although his NECK sure does look sort of extra-thick. It's the close-up shot of horror-dom's supreme stalker that the fans want to see, but I'm quite a bit more impressed by the "far off" shot. The lake is a grungy shade of green and the shadows are trickling through the forest quite creatively. Anyway, the new Jason will be played by Derek Mears, who's played more crazies, creeps and killers than just about anyone.
The pics come from a recent EW article that Erik covered right here, but it took the hardcore horror fans to get a bigger shot of the serial stalker. Expect a lot more Friday freakiness once Comic-Con starts next week. And if director Marcus Nispel can do as good as job as he did with the Texas Chainsawremake, that'll be good enough for me. (Yes, I quite like the Chainsaw remake. A hell of a lot more than any of the TCM sequels, anyway.) The next Friday the 13th arrives in February of next year.
The first Brad Anderson film I saw was Session 9. (I also spent $27 on the out-of-print DVD, which I've watched at least three times in the last year. It's a great movie.) And then I saw his dark and twisted love letter to Alfred Hitchcock: The Machinist. Wow. Aside from Christian Bale's staggering performance, it's just a rock-solid, old-fashioned mind-bender of a noir thriller. Good stuff. Most recently I saw the director's train-bound and icy chiller Transsiberian at Sundance, which (shocking!) I also enjoyed quite a bit.
Which leads us to a logical question. What can Brad Anderson fans expect next? According to Bloody-Disgusting, the writer / director is not straying far from the genre fare any time soon. First on the filmmaker's plate looks to be All Lost Souls, which is a "serial killer movie," and then perhaps Vanishing, which Anderson describes as "a smart post-apocalyptic horror film." Sounds good so far.
But even further down the road, Anderson could be looking at a remake of the 1943 occult flick The Seventh Victim -- and a Cronenbergian thriller called Concrete Island, which just might reunite the director with two of his Machinist collaborators: screenwriter Scott Kosar and low-key superstar Christian Bale. And to all those projects, I say this: Cool. Get to work, Brad!
They have no actors, screenwriter, or director attached, but a group of producers has already figured out the budget for their planned remake of a 1973 prison drama: $90 million. The original film, Papillon, starred Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman as criminals trying to escape from Devil's Island, a French penal colony located in South America.
According to Variety, Spanish production company Atlantia Canarias recently closed a deal for the rights to the autobiography of Henri Charriere, whose best-selling book served as the basis for Papillon. The company has teamed up with veteran Los Angeles-based producers Branko Lustig (Gladiator, American Gangster) and John J. Kelly (Into the Wild, The Black Dahlia). Most of the financing has already been arranged through a Canary Islands tax investment vehicle, whereby taxpayers "earmark part of their payments for film and TV investment."
It's been several years since I've seen Papillon, but it felt very low-key and, frankly, drab and unexciting. Writing in 1973, Roger Ebert wasn't very impressed: "You know something has gone wrong when you want the hero to escape simply so that the movie can be over." The original film had an estimated budget of $12 million. Considering the remake's budget, I imagine the producers have set aside a good portion of that for two big male stars, and probably a star director.
Does this remake stir any interest? Who could put on the prison clothes worn by Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman?
So you know that 15-second Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince teaser that's playing before The Dark Knight? Yeah, well it's just hit The Tube ... and you can see it above. Unfortunately, it's very much a teaser in that there's no actual footage from the film at all. All we hear is Dumbledore's voice saying, "Once again, I must ask too much of you Harry." Then there's some lights, and -- ta da -- we get the title: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Following the title, there's this: Select Sequences in IMAX 3-D. Yeah, I'm thinking that will look pretty damn cool. I wish we had more to give you Potter nuts right now (you can also check out our nifty gallery below), but this is all there is. However, a little wizard told me there might be some more gifts arriving soon ...
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince hits theaters on November 21.
It looks like there will be some Star Trek in San Diego after all. Entertainment Weeklyfeatured these four posters in their Comic Con preview, and at last, fans get a glimpse of the young characters populating this reboot. Zoe Saldana does make a lovely Uhura, Chris Pine is a I-guess-that's-Captain Kirk, but Zachary Quinto takes the lookalike cake as Spock. Very eerie! As for Eric Bana's Nero, well, I find myself disturbingly attracted to his tattoos.
These posters will be handed out next week at Comic Con, probably at the Paramount booth. Each character gets their own one-sheet, and when combined, form the logo. Expect hysteria from the hapless studio interns handing out the swag, people snagging ten Kirks and no Uhuras, Nero to be littering the gutters between here and the Gaslamp District, and Spock to be commanding ridiculous prices on Ebay. The swag grabs are never pretty.
Right about here is where all the gushing and excitement and enthusiasm should begin, because I'll tell you right off the "bat" that Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight is cause for celebration indeed. But then you'll figure out -- after only one sentence -- that I pretty much loved this movie, and then you'll head off to another, more unpredictable film critic. But it's the WHY that interests me so much. What I enjoyed about Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, and Hellboy 2 could probably be covered in one lengthy -- and inevitably nerd-tastic -- conversation between the two of us. But The Dark Knight... Well, clearly we're approaching a whole new level here.
Several of the pre-release gushings are accurate. Some say "Scorsesian" and others reference Michael Mann. Many spend paragraphs on the (truly amazing) penultimate performance by Heath Ledger, while others will revel in the grown-up tone or epic scope of the film. What amazed me most about The Dark Knight, among several things, is that the flick's got more layers than an onion farm -- and yet it never loses touch with the idea of FUN. True that we're talking about a comic book fun that's decidedly more melancholy than the cinematic exploits of The Marvel Gang, but dang if TDK isn't supremely satisfying for about a dozen different reasons.
I'm fairly certain that a good majority of you will be taking full advantage of the summer weather this weekend by playing some friendly summertime games with the neighborhood children. However, if you happen to get the urge to visit your local multiplex (or IMAX theater) to watch one of them moving pictures in color and surround sound, then we here at Cinematical would be interested to know what you'll be watching.
In one corner we have the year's heavyweight champ of movie marketing in The Dark Knight. He's big, he's a bat and he's ready to take your hard-earned dollars. In another corner, we have one of Broadway's most beloved musicals arriving on the big screen for the first time: Mamma Mia!For the kids too young for Batman, we also have Space Chimps -- and for those in desperate need of an indie fix, we have Transsiberian. I'm happy to say there's a little something for everyone this weekend ... but what will you be watching?
Okay, maybe the 1988 horror flick Night of the Demons isn't exactly a classic. Especially if you consider that it didn't even make it to Matt's list of Cool Horror Films of the '80s. But when has fan indifference ever stopped Hollywood from doing a remake? Shock Till You Drop is now reporting that casting has been finalized for the update of Kevin Tenney's horror-comedy hybrid. According to Shock, Diora Baird (Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning), Shannon Elizabeth and Monica Keena (Freddy vs. Jason) have all signed on the dotted line for the remake, with Mother of Tears scribe Adam Gierasch at the helm.
If you aren't familiar with Night of the Demons, here is a quick primer: Ten teens in the tradition of "stupid teenagers in danger" films everywhere decide to have their Halloween party at an abandoned funeral home called Hull House (get it? It's like Hell...spooky). After performing a séance, a demon is awakened that possesses the party hostess, and then it's only a matter of time until they are offed in a variety of gruesome ways. Shock's sources claim that Elizabeth will take over the role of the possessed party hostess, Angela, and I can only guess that the other two will be adding to the body count. Demons was originally scheduled to begin shooting last spring, but the production will now begin mid-September in New Orleans
Well, it has been a long time since I first saw the original film, so maybe I'm overestimating the quality. But I can't help think it would be for the best to keep this flick a fond memory rather than a crappy update, how about you?
We've already asked who your favorite Batman is (and Christian Bale is still winning that sucker by a mile), so now it's only right that we take a look back at all the Batman trailers to decide which one we like best. Watching some of these brought back good (ah, Keaton ...) and bad (Batman & Robin trailer = yikes!) memories, but I believe they are all required viewing before taking in a screening of The Dark Knight. Below, we've compiled all the live-action, big-screen Batman trailers (and Catwoman!) for you to sift through in one window. Check them out, then head after the jump to participate in our poll. Sound off Bat-geeks!
If you're a fan of the 1999 BBC series that turned Clive Owen into a movie star, I've got some good news. If, however, you're just an average American who has never heard of Second Sight, then I simply have some news. And here it is:
Universal has decided to turn the series into a movie. Producers Don Murphy and Susan Montford have tapped screenwriter Craig Rosenberg to do the adaptation duty. According to Variety, it's about a cop "who leads an elite unit that tackles high-profile murder cases while suffering from a rare degenerative eye disease that causes hallucinations and increasing blindness." Wait, the whole unit suffers from a rare degenerative eye disease? Because that's either one amazing coincidence or one really inept personnel manager.
UPDATE: Teaser online now above (and over at Yahoo!). Whaddya think?
Cinematical has been informed that the first teaser trailer for Terminator Salvation will most likely arrive tonight, around 9pm EST. Where? We do not know yet. Cinematical reader RossBond alerted us to the fact that Warner Bros. has sent out satellite coordinates for the worldwide trailer debut, and the time given for said coordinates is tonight between 9pm and 9:15pm EST. Additionally, there's also a 15-minute time slot tomorrow morning at 6am EST. However, if I were a betting man, I'd say the trailer will hit tonight. Fun stuff!
Here's the film's synopsis: In the highly anticipated new installment of The Terminator film franchise, set in post-apocalyptic 2018, Christian Bale stars as John Connor, the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet's operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.
We're on it, and we'll let you know when we hear more ...
Yes, the horrifying idea is true. Spooky Dan over at Bloody-Disgusting.net sat down with Rob Cohen, ostensibly to chat about The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and a startling bombshell was dropped. Cohen revealed that Paramount has snagged the rights to the 1987 cult classic The Monster Squad, and plans on remaking it in fairly short order. Cohen is going to produce, but isn't interested in directing.
The Monster Squad is a delightful horror-comedy about a group of middle school students obsessed with Stephen King, werewolves, and vampires. In a tidy plot twist, Dracula suddenly appears in their calm suburb, calls forth a few familiar minions, and makes plans to take over the world at midnight. It's the movie that proved, once and for all, that Wolfman has "nards." After languishing in cultish obscurity (and imprisoned on VHS), the movie had a resurgence once all us children of the '80s came of age, and is now available in a wonderful DVD package.
All of this is why the flick ... doesn't need to be remade. It's the perfect product of the '80s, one of those snarky movies the decade was rich in. Obviously Paramount is thinking that its ongoing popularity makes it an instant hit; I'm sure they will lamely explain this as a way to introduce the movie to the younger generation. But that's why we have DVD. I can introduce it to my future children just fine, thanks.
I never thought I would live to see the day when my entire childhood was remade. Surely Space Camp and The Goonies can't be far behind. What does that leave? Only Flight of the Navigator and An American Tail. Surely, the latter is being tossed around. I mean, two-dimensional animation doesn't speak to today's youth. Make it stop, Hollywood! Make it stop!
Christopher Nolan's "real world" Batman is the best thing to happen to the character since, frankly, Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. If there's one flaw in the series thus far, it is that Nolan's Batman is just a little too solitary, a little too dour. Nowhere is this more apparent than in his choice of female companions -- or rather, the lack thereof.
Now, Nolan deserves a round of applause for inventing the character of Rachel Dawes. Such professional, intelligent and classy women are rare in action movies, let alone those inspired by the superhero genre. Regardless of what you think of Katie Holmes' performance, the character of Dawes was real, which made Bruce Wayne's feelings for her that much more special. But really -- is Dawes the only woman in all of Gotham City? It sure seems like it. And what if Rachel and Bruce call it quits? What will Batman do for female companionship? And if Dawes does stick around, wouldn't it be great to see that there are other cool chicks in Gotham City? Adding another woman or two, and a bit of romantic friction (just a bit -- I trust that Nolan wouldn't go too far with the mushy stuff) would take off some of Batman's dour edge. And so, here are seven chicks ripped from the comic pages that I would like to see appear in Nolan's franchise. (And a special thanks to Alan Kistler of ComicMix for helping me out on this one.) They appear after the jump, and as always, feel free to chime in with your own picks below!
Okay, I know, I know -- you've probably overdosed on Batman by now. You get it. You're seeing the damn movie this weekend. The Dark Knight. You know its name. It's on the schedule right after Junior's soccer game. End of story. Say no more. But I just had to show you this little piece of viral marketing that's just all sorts of spooky. Verizon just put out an online thingy where you can upload your photo and be instantly transported to Arkham Asylum (that place where all the nutty folks are sent in the Batman universe). Check out the video I created up above (how loony do I look?), then head on over to their site, create your own and/or mess around with your pals at work. Seriously, what else do you have to do today? Those TPS Reports can wait an extra hour. Go get your freak on!
I was recently enjoying a fast-food lunch with my old friend Josh, and we were discussing the film we'd just seen. (A little something called The Dark Knight.) And in the middle of my ramblings I accidentally said something slightly insightful. It went a little something like this: "The thing about superheroes is that, on the outside, what with the costumes and the nifty gizmos and all the punching, they're kids stuff, which is great. But once you scratch the surface just a little bit, you're dealing with acres of subtext that kids can barely comprehend."
And then Josh asked me what my point was. It's this: We finally have some filmmakers who aren't afraid to handle superhero movies for grown-ups. I'd hardly call Hancock a family-type flick, both of the recent Marvel movies (Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk) managed to treat their "older" audiences with respect, last weekend's Hellboy 2 is chock-full of dazzling ideas, and now this: The Dark Knight. Dang. My review will arrive later this week, but I won't be the only one calling it the Godfather 2 of superhero movies. (In a lot of ways it's also a bit like The Empire Strikes Back! Tonally, anyway.) Best of all, the movie is a big meaty DRAMA, and I don't mean "drama" as in "masterpiece theater."
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OK, I know what you're going to say before you even say it: "Dude, it's a big guy in a hockey mask. Don't exactly need a snapshot to envision a big guy in a hockey mask." And that's a fair comment, but I work for this blog and weekends are really slow so here we go:
The first 
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Okay, maybe the 1988 horror flick 
If you're a fan of the 1999 BBC series that turned 
Yes, the horrifying idea is true. Spooky Dan over at 
