Although he’s currently finishing up post-production on Terminator Salvation and also looking likely direct the sequel, the next project for slick action director McG is going to be a massive special effects vehicle of a different sort. He has just signed on to direct 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Captain Nemo for Disney, a movie that they are hoping will be a lucrative adventure film to help fatten their release schedule over the next year or two. Apparently it will not be a direct remake of the 1954 movie per se, but more of an origin story about Captain Nemo creating the Nautilus. Whether or not it will involve a giant squid remains to be seen.
If all goes well, this movie will add another brand to Disney’s stable of successful adventure franchises including Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lone Ranger and Prince of Persia. It also seems strangely similar to the Moby Dick remake that was announced last year, with Timur Bekmambetov in the director’s seat. Can McG update this classic tale and make it a hit with today’s audiences?
Posted by Sean on January 7th, 2009 Filed under: Polls
Now that we’re into the cold and drab month of January, and we’re being given very little reason to take a trip down to the local multiplex, it seems like a good time to start looking ahead to more exciting things in 2009. Although this year’s line-up of major theatrical releases does not seem quite as packed as the last couple of years have been, there are still a handful of blockbusters that are likely to make a whole lot of money. A few comic book movies, yes, and a few sequels to popular franchises, but also some new and original stories as well. Let’s take a look at some of the movies that lie ahead in 2009. Which ones are you most looking forward to? The poll below includes most of the year’s biggest releases, but feel free to list in the comments any of the other films you want to see as well.
One movie that I really enjoyed in 2008 that didn’t make my Top 10 or honourable mentions list is Neil Marshall’s Doomsday. I know a lot of people thought the movie was a huge disappointment because they were expecting something like The Descent, but when taken as a love letter to the post-apocalyptic genre it was simply a blast to watch. Surprisingly, although it bombed at the box office, it seems that Doomsday may actually be getting a sequel… just not necessarily the kind I was hoping for.
The good folks over at Quiet Earth have discovered that Doomsday is being turned into a SciFi Channel made-for-TV movie. There isn’t a lot of information to go on right now except for this IMDb entry, which lists Deanna Troi herself Marina Sirtis as playing the role of “Government Official”, and Luke Goss of Hellboy II fame as playing the role of David. There was a character named David in the original (played by Vernon Willemse), but to be honest, I’m not actually 100% convinced that this has anything to do with Neil Marshall’s film as of yet. A couple of years back The SciFi Channel had a Countdown to Doomsday special… for all we know, this could just be another version of that. Does anyone else have any information on this? Doomsday is being directed by Nick Lyon (Species: The Awakening).
Treknobabble is a continuing series of columns written by uber-Trekkie Reed Farrington in anticipation of the upcoming J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie.
When I think of all the freedom I’ve had my entire life from the ’60s onwards living in the Promised Land (Canada), I must admit that I feel much regret that I haven’t “made a difference.” And since I prescribe to Star Trek’s philosophies which include the ideals that life should be about making a difference and living a fulfilling life, I feel especially empty. The strange thing is that when I look back on my life, I don’t regret any of the paths that I took. Except for parental pressures, I’ve always felt unencumbered to choose my own way. I’ve always admired the stances that university students took in the ’60s against the establishment, and felt that I’ve benefited from the changes that liberation instigated. Some people have expressed the notion that this rebellion ended up not making a difference with people of that generation ending up building corporate America and creating a new but equally oppressive establishment.
We heard a while back that Warner Brothers is finally starting to develop a new Superman movie that will not be a continuation of Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns. Smart move. Although there’s a possibility that Brandon Routh might still star in the flick, it looks unlikely that Lex Luthor will return as the main villain. Kevin Spacey, of course, insists that he will indeed be back for the sequel (and also that it will be called Superman: The Man of Steel, apparently), but word on the street is that he will be forced to take a back seat to another opponent.
According to Latino Review, the WB is currently taking pitches from writers, and they are specifically looking for another one of Superman’s enemies to take center stage. There is no word yet on who that might be, but I definitely think this is a good news. In order to create a movie with some kick ass action and the possibility of suspense, Superman requires a powerful otherworldly adversary, not just a really smart businessman and/or scientist. Besides, Luthor has been given plenty of screen time, and I’m sure I’m not the only one dying for something new. (Yeah, bringing back Zod would be cool too, but let’s try to get past merely paying tribute to the ’80s films.) All that being said, who would you like to see Superman face off against next? Personally I’d have to vote for Muhummad Ali.
I still have yet to see Quarantine, the U.S. remake of the Spanish handheld zombie film [REC], but I’m sure I speak for a lot of people when I say that I’m more interested in Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza’s upcoming sequel, [REC] 2. The first teaser trailer has arrived online, but don’t get too excited… it really is just a teaser. We’re talking 9 seconds here! Well, I guess it’s always best to leave people wanting more. We’ll keep you posted with future updates on [REC] 2, but in the meantime let’s hope someone finally puts out a Region 1 DVD for the first flick.
Posted by Sean on January 6th, 2009 Filed under: Comedy, DVD Source: /Film
I didn’t hate the big screen adaptation of Toby Young’s How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, but it was definitely a disappointment and a missed opportunity (read my full review here). It didn’t feel like the movie that ended up on screen was what Simon Pegg and director Robert Weide thought they were signing on for. This has now been pretty much confirmed by both Pegg and Weide, who are making a public plea for fans to avoid buying the DVD of the movie when it comes out on February 17th.
The reason why they don’t support the DVD release is that throughout the production of the film, they made a number of concessions and cut out some scenes that they felt were very important, with the understanding that they would later be made available as the deleted scenes on the DVD. Unfortunately, the American distributors (MGM/Fox) have decided to exclude these extras from the Region 1 release.
“There were a few scenes that I fought hard to keep, but eventually acquiesced with the knowledge that at least they’d be available on the DVD. Well, not so in the U.S… Simon and I worked very hard to make sure the DVD would be packed with bonus material. The British distributors (Paramount) solicited our input and included all of the extras. Sadly, the American distributors (MGM/Fox) locked us out of the process and managed to leave off most of the bonus material.”
The U.S. release does include two audio commentary tracks by Pegg and Weide, however. It will be interesting to see if MGM and Fox change their mind about the DVD release as a result of this statement, although I do also think it’s weird that Robert Weide and Simon Pegg are making such a big deal out of the whole thing. A Director’s Cut of the film would be worth fighting for, but I feel like deleted scenes tend to go ignored on most DVDs nowadays anyway. For more info, check out the full press release over on Simon Pegg’s MySpace blog.
Hitting stores this week we have whole slew of high profile DVD releases, most of which underperformed at the box office. I’m guessing the top seller for the week will be the Seth Rogen/James Franco comedy Pineapple Express, but movies like Righteous Kill, Babylon A.D. and Bangkok Dangerous are all movies that people skipped in theatres and just might give another shot on DVD (not that I’d recommend it). Also out today is Season 4.0 of Battlestar Galactica, just in time to catch you up for the show’s final run of episodes, along with Season 2 of Adult Swim’s Frisky Dingo. What are you picking up this week?
There’s an early promo trailer for George A. Romero’s next zombie flick floating around the web this morning, and apparently the title they have decided upon is now simply …Of The Dead. Kinda lame if you ask me, but whatever. The movie is a direct sequel to Diary of the Dead, with various survivors isolating themselves on an island in order to escape the zombie hordes. When one rebel is ousted from the island for being too trigger-happy, he gathers a small band of wanderers and returns, only to find “that the locals have chained the dead inside their homes, pretending to live ‘normal’ lives”. Weird… sounds like maybe Romero’s been watching Andrew Currie’s zombie satire Fido.
Anyway, you’d think at this point any new Romero zombie movie would have an automatic seal of quality on it, but after Diary of the Dead I don’t know anymore. That movie was pretty painful, and although this looks equally as low budget, I’m hoping it will be easier to enjoy without being weighed down by the whole documentary-style gimmick. Check out the trailer below and see what you think (but keep in mind, it is still pretty tough). …Of The Dead is scheduled for release sometime in 2009.
By the time the nominees are announced for the 81st Annual Academy Awards later this month, it will be under slightly different circumstances than in previous years. For as long as I can remember, the trend has always been for Oscar contenders to get a limited theatrical release in December, and then use their Academy Award nominations to build buzz and expand to more screens a few months later. The problem is that during the Oscar ceremony itself, the average moviegoer has probably not yet seen most of the nominated films (unless they happen to live in New York or Los Angeles). Sure, the Academy Awards are an industry event first and foremost, but the ceremony is televised and it’s frustrating for movie fans when they watch because they feel excluded and can’t fully participate in celebrating the year’s cinematic achievements.
That’s why I find it interesting that things are shaping up a bit differently this year. Thanks to the widespread use of file sharing software and BitTorrent sites, DVD-quality screeners of almost all of the major Oscar contenders are now available to pretty much anyone with a computer and an internet connection. From Frost/Nixon to The Wrestler, Slumdog Millionaire to Milk, Revolutionary Road to Che, all of these movies are now out there somewhere in cyberspace. Is this a good thing? Well, obviously since it is illegal and the studios make no money from these downloads, it’s not a good situation from a business standpoint. However, it does mean that a lot more people are getting to see some great films, and from what I’m sensing across the blogosphere, there’s a lot of hunger out there for good cinema. I’m not endorsing piracy, but I do hope that someone is taking notice. Heck, who knows… maybe these movies are being leaked on purpose. After all, weren’t studios supposed to be adding watermarks and sending out screeners on Blu-ray to prevent this from happening? What do you think, will this increased access to Oscar contenders inspire any sort of change? Is it good or bad for the industry?
