solace in cinema : A vast wasteland of movies

In my job - I get to see free films during the day. Wooooh. Sounds great eh. Well…it can be….but THINK ON. For every decent film that we work on…we also work on some utter turds. At the moment we're currently working on:

1) Just My Luck - Lindsay Lohan is a GOOD LUCK CHARM then she kisses this guy who is VERY UNLUCKY and their luck SWAPS with HILARIOUS CONSEQUENCES - this film made me want to cry blood.

2) Aquamarine - Splash (without John Candy and Tom Hanks. Or Daryl Hannah) meets A.N. Other stupid teen girl flick. Watch this only if you are on List 99 or 13 and just learning about tampons. 

3) The Break Up - Vince Vaughan (loud, puffy faced) and Jennifer Aniston (kooky, face like a plank) are BREAKING UP! The script for this that I read at Xmas was fucking appalling - the film seems A LITTLE better as Vaughan is on good form. I would like Aniston to fall down a well. 

4) Alien Autopsy - PJ & Duncan make fake alien film. Geoff from Byker Grove not happy. Denton Burn turn up and have a rumble. Speedy joins the army. Ill fated pop career for PJ& D ensues, then megastardom on saturday morning TV. Ducan (not PJ) was shagging one of those twins that used to be on Grange Hill. I used to fancy one of them - ever noticed how TV twins always have one who has an imperfection. Caroline and Christina off Neighbours (the latter had a wonky mouth) and Sophie/Mell off Hollyoaks (one of them has a chin you could cut ice with). So are they really twins. It's a bit tenous isn't it. Like the film "Alien Autopsy". Not only is that tenuous, it's utter shite. PJ & Duncan should be raped by some burly prisonsers.  

5) Alpha Dog - Timberlake SURPRISINGLY PASSABLE shocker.

6) American Dreamz - My favourite. Hugh Grant as a Simon Cowell/Ryan Seacrest type, Mandy Moore as scheming rapacious wannabe. Jewish hip-hop, suicide bombers, some great one liners from Iqbal. Dennis Quaid superb as Dubya, Willem Defoe even better as Cheney. Includes the line "watch out, supergaymaster might jump you". 

The new video journal from '300' has been "discovered"…and… its even less revealing than the last three blogs…. I got an email…

Zack Snyder is a slut.
hey. I was checking out the 300 movie video journal and watching the behind the scenes stuff, anway by changing the number in the address bar managed to watch the 4th episode which isn't up on the actual site yet.

enjoy Kango

So anyway here it is '300' video journal number four (mirrors at the bottom of the page) As Zack states at the beginning its a sneak peak for comics continuum

A lot of the production artwork for this film is looking sweet, and the original Frank Miller artwork was very… well…. 'Frank Miller'. I'm enjoying the current trend for video journals for upcoming films, 'Superman Returns', 'Hot Fuzz' and King Kong are good examples, but I think they need to give us a bit more than this, It's a month and half since the last installment and we waited for what? a guy discussing cloth, and some more greased up dudes running around in front of blue-screen?

I'm complaining but, if we'd seen even some rough composite C.G stuff, of even some more stills, I think I'd be a little bit more satiated. The photos that have been released so far (like the one above) make me really confident that Snyder has the right Idea, I'm a big fan of the 'Dawn of the Dead' remake, and from the look of how closely he's storyboarding the film compared to the comic, I predict big things for '300' and even bigger things for Snyder (the gay audience for this film alone, should make the producers their money back).

If you missed anything…
'300' Video Journal 1
'300' Video Journal 2
'300' Video Journal 3
'300' Video Journal 4
'300' Video Journal 4 (rapidshare mirror)
'300' Video Journal 4 (YouTube mirror)

The '300' Movie Site
Track from the score (click on the player on the bottom left of the screen)
An exclusive from comics continuum

Whatever your feelings of the decision by Hollywood to begin making films based on the horrific events of September 2001, there can be no denying the impact they'll have if handled well (or badly for that matter). Due for release in April in the US (September 1st over here) is Paul 'Bourne Supremacy' Greengrass' United 93, described as 'a real time account of the events on United Flight 93, one of the planes hijacked on 9/11 that crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania when passengers foiled the terrorist plot.'

The poster has recently been revealed and it's a pretty striking design; the unforgettable image of the burning towers is framed by the outline of New York's Statue of Liberty. I'm glad the distributors haven't shied away from using strong imagery that this film deserves and I've got faith that Greengrass will do the subject matter justice. The decision to go with unknown actors is a good one in my opinion.

Oliver Stone's Nic Cage-starring World Trade Center is due in the Autumn and the poster for that is also a pretty strong one. All of us at SIC are hoping that this turns out to be Stone's masterpiece, and only time will tell if he's managed it.

For now check out the posters…

This film is made, done .. shot in 30 days or some shit. David Ayer is already doing the Wild Bunch remake soonish. It looks awesome. People who saw it at film festivals have been going crazy about it - especially the two lead performances. Christian Bale is meant to be beyond heavy - maybe a sort of final chapter in his 'mentalist' trilogy.  Or is that quadrilogy - I forgot Rescue Dawn.. Reign Of Fire.  Was also thinking - Bale only ever does films with somewhat deep and startling names…awesome.

Anyway - Harsh Times should be out in the US and UK sometime around… i dunno…. July 06? Even ordinary people should see this - not just Balehead fanboys who want to see Bruce Wayne chewing on some ghetto scenery.

Word is good: read a review here

Ripped from an exclusive on the BBC's 'Film 2006', a tasty little piece of footage from the new Bond film 'Casino Royale' has shown up online here.

The sequence involves Daniel Craig chasing Sebastian Foucan (the famous parisian free runner) across the top of a crane. There's a lot of people that don't believe that Daniel Craig will make a good 007, but I think the haters are just unfamilar with his body of work. If anyone's seen 'The Layer Cake' or 'Munich' then I don't think there can be any doubt that Craig is more than suitable for the role.

Hopefully as more and more footage becomes available, and more is known about the film the naysayers will be silenced. check out the footage for yourself, and let us know what you think of Craig as Bond…

here's the link to the footage again
Found via CommanderBond.net
UPDATE some new stunt rehearsal footage

The second video blog from the set of 'Hot fuzz' has just been released here on the working title site. 'Fuzz' for the uninformed is the new Simon Pegg/Edgar Wright film, currently filming in some of the duller spots of Yorkshire. I am really excited about this film, I absolutley love 'Spaced', and equally "Shaun of the dead".

I would say 'Shaun of the Dead' was probably a surprise hit, I knew it would be popular with fanboys, but I saw it on opening night at a really big screen here in London, and it was totally sold out.  The question being, becuase Shaun did so well, how will they follow it up?. Well 'Hot Fuzz' seem's to be shaping up nicely, and i'm sure no matter what, just on the strength of their body of work, it will do well.

There were rumours for a while they were going to make a sequel to 'Shaun' called 'From Dusk Till Shaun' which would have rocked tits, but to be honest it was probably a good idea to change tack completely, and hit people with a different genre. 

Will it be the 'difficult second album' or will it be the best thing they've produced so far? only time will tell I guess, and I can't wait to find out. 

Tyres: "Mine's a pint of the black-stuff"

Mike: "You can't drink a pint of Bovril!"

video blog 1: Simon Pegg, action man.
video blog 2: Yorkshire looks grey 

Sometimes there’s a film… and well… it’s just the film for your time. Everything seems relevant and seems to talk to you, it’s like a eureka / light bulb moment where everything fits into place. For me this film was Swingers.

The story is a simple one. One-man with the help of his friends, trying to get over an ex-girlfriend and resume his life.

The main man is Mikey (John Favreau) who moved from New York to LA escaping memories of his ex and attempting to kick-start an acting career. From the very start Mikey is troubled. A deep in the belly hurt that only comes from break-up turned bad.

How many friends have you had that have had a bad break up and for months after all they can talk about is their ex? The thing is- if you’re a good friend you listen. You know the chick was no good and your friend is going to get over her and find someone better. This is the essence of the movie – close friends convincing someone who’s lost all hope that they’re ‘money.’

So enters Trent (Vince Vaughn) the coolest cat on the scene, the guy you want to be. He has it all and doesn’t care about any of it. He oozes the confidence and charm that has been tortured from Mikey after his break up. He’s on a mission to see his friend happy and maybe meet some ‘beautiful babies’ on the way.

We follow Trent, Mikey and a group of their close friends from L.A to Vegas and back, all around the Hollywood Hills and to some of the coolest bars in town with Trent and friends trying to distract Mikey from the haunting of his ex and building his confidence enough to get out and meet some ‘beautiful babies.’

This film has the highest highs and the lowest lows all of which I seem to relate to. Pieces so painfully embarrassing I’m forced to look away begging for mercy and parts depicting true friendship so well, it makes me want to go round to my friends and give them a big hug.

Directed very modestly by Doug Liman this film, to me is more than a classic. The casting is perfection; this film would not have worked with anyone else. The script is a masterpiece in itself with so many one-liners you’ll find yourself quoting it for years to come.

The film adaptation of comic book '30 Days of Night' is in the works over at Sam Raimi's production house. I just read over at Coming Soon that David Slade, director of new paedo-revenge flick 'Hard Candy' has signed on as director. I haven't seen 'Hard Candy' yet, but the trailer looks really dark, and I quite admire the risky premise. Also David Slade's a Brit, so that's reason enough for this to be good news. '30 Days of Night' is a really great comic book by Steve Niles, here's the basic premise from his website:

"In a sleepy, secluded Alaska town called Barrow, the sun sets and doesn't rise for over thirty consecutive days and nights. From the darkness, across the frozen wasteland, an evil will come that will bring the residents of Barrow to their knees. The only hope for the town is the Sheriff and Deputy, a husband and wife who are torn between their own survival and saving the town they love."

"an evil will come" read:vampires.

i've read '30 Days of Night', 'Dark Days' and 'Return to Barrow', all of which I love, i'm a big fan of Steve Niles writing, and the premise is great, but I think i'm more interested to see how Ben Templesmith's art is going to be translated to film, he has a very distinctive style, that is so far removed from normal comic artwork it's almost a seperate medium. Also I really can't get enough good vampire or zombie films, so the more they make the happier i'll be.

Check out a review of 'Hard Candy' over here at Rolling Stone
Read the original story over at Coming Soon

Setting the scene for Z Channel is important, especially because here in the U.K we didn't have access to cable TV until the mid 80's, and some places (like where I live) still doesn't have it.

'Z' was a cable tv channel in California that ran from '74 to '88, the main selling point being, they would show films uninterrupted and uncut. In a time before VHS tapes and video recorders, Z Channel was the only access outside of cinemas people had to these films. The channel was a movie nerd's wet dream.

The film focuses on the channel's head of programming, Jerry Harvey. Harvey was obviously the driving force behind the popularity of the channel and the integrity it held. Despite his success, Jerry Harvey was a troubled man. Told through the eyes of his friends, family and the people he inspired, the film chronicles his career, his eventual suicide and the death of Z Channel.

Directed by Xan Cassevetes (daughter of John Cassevetes), who obviously has a great appreciation for 'Z', but also for how ahead of it's time it was. Interviews with famous faces pepper the film; Robert Altman, Jim Jarmusch, Alexander Payne and Quentin Tarantino to name just a few. Talking directly to camera, discussing the kinds of things they used to watch on this fantastic channel, and how it was so different to anything else at the time.

Xan paints a favorable view of Harvey showing him as the risk-taker and obvious fanboy that he was. Through interviews with his friends and co-workers, its revealed programming the channel was a complete obsession for Harvey and the lengths he would go to, to get the films he wanted to show were limitless. Putting on seasons, and showcasing a specific director's entire body of work. At one point Altman talks about how Jerry contacted him to get hold of a print of 'images' a film he had shot in Ireland in '72, and Altman gave him his own personal print of the film.

Stories like that are numerous throughout 'A Magnificent Obsession'; Tarantino talks about how the owner of the video store he worked at would lend him VHS copies of rare Sam Fuller films they had shown on 'Z', or F.X.Feeney, An eventual reviewer for the Channel's magazine recalls seeing 'Chinatown' four times in one week.

I just read over at C.H.U.D that Rodriguez is currently shooting his half of 'Grindhouse' (Tarrantino's doing the other half) and who should show up in a starring role? Non-other than Kyle Reese AKA Michael Biehn, The deep sea diving, terminator killing space marine. Apparantly Rodriguez's section called 'Project Terror' is a zombie movie, so here's hoping he's the hero of the piece. I'm so excited about this news I think I might have to go to the toilet.

I love the fact that there's this new breed of fanboy directors, that are now in such great positions of power they can basically just put together their dream cast's from all the great actors they watched when they were growing up. Pulling these guys back from 'straight-to-video' obscurity and putting them front and centre of these homage-fest's. Sonny Chiba, David Carradine, Michael Parks, Mickey Rourke… we're suddenly seeing these guys again and thinking "fuck…. where has he been??, he's amazing!".

I wouldn't say exactly that Biehn was an amazing actor but he was a good everyman, in nearly every James Cameron film of the 80's, and pretty decent at toting a pulse rifle around Lv426. If I get to see him cracking some zombie skulls with a blunt object i'll be a happy man.

Anyway read the full article over at c.h.u.d Grind the Biehn

and there's a pretty interesting early script review of Tarantino's other half of the film over at ain't it cool news 'death proof'