Saturday, September 16, 2006

UNDER THE LEFT BANK OF THE SEINE


In keeping with our continuing efforts to highlight news of film productions that actually look promising, we'd like to introduce a film that'd just plain difficult to make up one's mind about . . . On one had it's trailer looks cool and the premise sounds enough like The Descent's to pique our jaded interest. Unfortunately on the other hand there's a an actress who's choices have been decidedly hit and miss, a first time director who's an American citizen (a bad omen for horror pics these days) a studio known for a certain amount of crap (but also for the aforementioned The Descent) and then there's the part where Pink (yes the singer, yes you read that correctly) is involved.

Ok, so the film in question is called "Catacombs," and will go something like this:

Victoria (Shannyn Sossamon of Rules of Attraction, 40 Days and 40 Nights and well The Others) is in Paris for the first time visiting her wilder/crazier sister Carolyn (Pink a/k/a Alecia Moore). One night, Carolyn and Victoria venture into the City of Lights underground rave scene, and we do mean under ground literally (as in the over 200 miles of 14th Century limestone funerary caverns waiting under the Left Bank of the Seine) Something separates the two and down there—surrounded by 7 million bodies of the ancient dead the hopelessly lost and easily frightened Victoria becomes convinced that she's being pursued through the near complete darkness by someone or maybe something even more horrifying than she imagines.

Now here's the non-Pink related ify part. All of the above will be brought to you courtesy of Twisted Pictures (Read: Saw), the genre film division of Evolution Entertainment, slash Lions Gate Films, will be co-written and co-directed by David Elliot and Blood and Water illustrator Tomm Coker and in Bucharest, Romania.


Here's how the suits put it:

"The stories we are attracted to tend to deal with universal fears -- being trapped, being lost, claustrophobia, etc.," said Twisted's Burg, Koules and Hoffman. "Coker and Elliot's CATACOMBS script deals with them all, and is set in a location that is truly one of the most terrifying on earth. They have a tremendous vision for the film, and we look forward to supporting this new and exciting filmmaking team."

"David Elliott and Tomm Coker have crafted a nerve-shattering spookfest with CATACOMBS, and the unique setting shows our commitment to try new things with our Twisted Pictures venture," said Block.

Not that they would ever announce a film by saying that it will probably be a piece of crap but my kids a big fan of Pink's and Sossamon is pretty hot in that disheveled puppy-dog kind of way.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

THE MOTHER OF THE BEAST


Here's one of those alternative media news items that we'll be seeing more of in the future if the accounts of those upcoming Entourage webisodes (mobisodes, whichever you prefer) are to be believed . . . Variety's just posted a report on the production of a single short film, (yes we do mean one, as in 1 short film) of course since the short in question will be written and directed by The Bourne Supremacy's Julia Stiles, I guess the coverage shouldn't really come as a complete surprise. According to Variety's report, Stiles film Raving, will be based a short story called "The Dress That Changed My Life" due to appear Elle's October Personal Style issue.

Reportedly The Dress That Changed My Life concerns:

"The connection that develops between a young woman and a disassociated older man after their chance encounter on a street corner in New York."

I'd like to assume that the young woman's dress will actually wind up changing her life in some was but who knows. Somehow Stiles was able to rope "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford's" Zooey Deschaneland "Dark Matter's" Bill Irwin into co-staring in her short, which will be sponsored by Elle and produced by Daniela Taplin's Plum Pictures.

No word yet on when or where the general public be able to catch the short, and I can't really see Elle Mag making something like that available on a website as 90s as theirs is.

LONG SNAKE MOAN? NOPE, THAT WAS ANOTHER SONG

"I ain't gonna be in any muthafuckin' movies without the muthafuckin' 'word 'snake' in the muthafuckin' 'title!"

-- Samuel L. Jackson



You might wanna listen up for a moment to a minute or two because we have it on good authority (or rather authoratay) that there's this small town in Tennessee where two unlikely souls are set to be drawn together at the sweat-drenched crossroads betwixt rage and that other thang called love. A small town where a 22 year-old local girl named Rae (to be assay by none other than the always watchable Christina Ricci) who's developed one of those kinds of reputations around town – you know, for having that kind of insatiable "itch" for sex that only the Mississippi delta breeds and that so many great bad movie heroines depend on, will be found beaten and nearly dead by the side of what one supposes will be a suitably cinematic the road.

Her rescuer will be another southern archetype . . . an ex-blues man, a "sold his soul at the crossroads" guitarist who's a little too used to life's trouble and sorrow (Samuel L. Jackson's Lazarus). Desperate for a change of pace, Lazarus decides to make Rae his prisoner until he can "cure" her of her wicked, wicked, ways. Fortunately, in order to get to the deep, dark down of hot young Rae's mysterious ailment, Jackson's Lazarus will have to first face down the darkness of the demons sleeping in both of their hearts, specially when Rae's true love Ronnie (here's where things really get weird, because that's where Justin Timberlake slips into this here picture), a National Guardsman who was supposed to on his way to get shot at in Iraq, comes looking for her. And believe it or not all that's going to be released into a theatre near you bearing the best title I've heard in ages:

"Black Snake Moan," even better, it will all come courtesy of Hustle and Flow's Craig Brewer . . .

"What blaxploitation flicks were to Hustle and Flow, your dry then mud-slap honey moon shiners and southern girls in daisy dukes shorts, that Gator Bait or I Spit On Your Grave, that kind of a visual esthetic, but I'm not doing a revenge pic. This is a movie where we are taking some of the most sexual and racially charged imagery [they could think up judging by the poster] and putting it into a movie where you look deeper and you find that these are human beings, but it is a movie that deals this wave of sexual addiction; this wave of heat that hits the character that Christina Ricci's playing."


I guess there really is a movie god, because the $13 million production produced by John Singleton and Stephanie Allain, is currently set to bereleased on July 13 2007 by Paramount Classics and MTV Films, despite its title and subject matter (and by the way, berfore you perves get carried away please allow me to point out that the title was inspired by a strange 1920's song recorded by voyager probe passenger and legendary bluesman Texas' Blind Lemon Jefferson).

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

THE SLEAZE FILLED, BLOOD-SPLATTERED SAGA OF THEIR TWO-FISTED EXPLOITATION SPECTACULAR!


For no better reason than an excuse to show off a couple of alternate Grindhouse posters, we'd like to offer three bits of Planet Terror slash Death Proof related news. First up is the fact that Robert Rodriguez is reportedly in talks with legendary dierector/composer John Carpenter about providing a bit of his signature music for at least the Rodriguez half of the double feature.

Second in addition to the quote below Tarantino has been saying something to just about everyone who'll listen.

"We're going to make two, sleazy grindhouse movies that will deliver on the posters… and beyond!" said Tarantino. "This isn't some Twilight Zone the Movie f*cking thing. This is not a faux double feature. This is two f*cking movies for the price of one! You're $10 will be well spent at the Grindhouse, baby!"


Quentin has also been talking about making not one but two animated "Kill Bill" prequels (as per The Animatrix that Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury thing and that Oren Ishi bit from Kill Bill Vol 1). The first the two anime features would be the origin tale of Bill and his mentors, (Pai Mei and Hattori Hanzo) the 2nd would be a tale featuring The Bride.

Third . . . But, in one of those last but not least kind of ways.

Literary minded film fans will need to add a new date to their appointment calendars . . . March 7, because that's when mini-mogul Robert Rodriguez's Troublemaker Press will be releasing their standard sleaze-filled 250 page making-of companion book to Grindhouse filled with all of the usual cast and crew interviews, full-color on-set photos, previously unreleased conceptual art and of course something refered to as an in-depth history of the so-called grindhouse genre.

So-called because the "grindhouse genre" essentially encompasses a variety of sub-genre's from blaxploitation and the spaghetti-western to Kung Fu films of the Shaw Brothers variety) courtesy of Tarantino and Rodriguez themselves which should be fun even if it’s a reach at only 250 pages.

Monday, September 11, 2006

TO BE IN PARIS IN THE . . . WELL, FALL OF 2054 AD


The Paris of 2054 is a Byzantine labyrinth where all your movements are monitored and recorded. Like a shadow over everything stand's France’s largest multinational corporation . . . Avalon insinuating itself into every aspect of our daily live to sell their one and only product - youth and beauty. In there world of literally monochrome contrasts, where security is everywhere and unyielding laws govern, a brilliant young researcher with a secret that could change the future, Bislane Tasuiev, is kidnapped and Avalon wants her found at any cost. Avalon's CEO, Paul Dellenbach, pulls all the strings necessary to make sure that controversial hostage retrieval specialist Barthélémy Karas gets the case.


I hope that sounds as cool to you as it does to us, because it’s a film, it's adult animation it’s decidedly French adult animation and it's a futuristic computer-generated, neo-noir thriller and all around Blade Runner inspired ultra-stark black-n-white vision of the near-future called Renaissance that (in its English language incarnation at least) features the voice-talent of Layer Cake star and Casino Royale-era James Bond to be Daniel Craig, Braveheart's Catherine McCormack and Tomorrow Never Dies' Rupert Murdoch stand-in and now, I guess, portrayal of corperate sleaze go-to guy Jonathan Pryce.

Fans of Sin City and Polar Express will recognize the process used to achieve the film's immediately striking visual signature but here's the rub . . . Renaissance has been in development since before Sin City's Robert Rodriguez put his now infamous Sin City effects demo together or Robert Zemeckis started working on Polar Express. According to its makers, director Christian Volckman and screenwriters Mathieu Delaporte, Alexandre de La Patellière, Patrick Raynal and Jean-Bernard Pouy the concept that became Renaissance dates back to 1997 when Volckman and short film producer Aton Soumache met Marc Miance, the founder of Attitude Studio, a facility devoted entirely to creating high-end virtual characters.

"At the time, we [Attitude] were thinking of an animated CGI film shot entirely in black and white with no shades of gray set in Paris."


Volckman and Soumache apparently loved Miances idea because they decided to produce a demo that convinced both France's Channel 2 and French film distributor Pathé to pre-purchase the project. Earlier this year Renaissance scooped up a Best Picture award at the Annecy International film festival, so I guess that worked out for them.

It's due in U.S. theatre's on Sept 22.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

WING CHUNG and THE FATE OF ATLANTIS?

No seriously . . .


There actually is an old Indiana Jones 4 related casting rumor that's been seeing the light of day again. O' and just in case you haven't guessed already it involves one of ArsonPlus Entertainment's favorite screen ladies, the lethal, ass-whuppin', machine of love and grace named Michelle Yeoh.

Recently reposted set reports (try saying that five times fast) from the Memoirs of a Geisha set, quote Geisha producer and Indy director Steven Spielberg as having talked with the legendary Hong Kong actress about her part in the long delayed Indiana Jones 4.

Here's What Was Apparently Said:

Steven Spielberg: "Don't forget we are supposed to work together on an Indiana Jones sequel."


Michelle: "I will be waiting for you!"

Ok, so not much in reality and this is not exactly a new rumor. Michelle's name has been attached to the rumors surrounding Indiana Jones 4 since Terrence Chang, (from Michelle Yeoh's agency), let it slip that Yeoh had met with Spielberg re: a possible role for her in Indy 4.

Cinescape later elicited the following comment on the subject from Michelle about the fourth film:

"We [Spielberg and Michelle] had a couple of meetings and we did talk about that [Indy 4 ]. He is one guy who has a passion for filmmaking. And I love the Indiana Jones films! Would I be interested? Of course I'm going to jump up and say, 'Yes, please!'"

I don't know how I feel about prospects for Jones 4, but the prospect of more Michelle Yeoh is always good news.

STARING AT THE SUN


Let me tell you a little story . . .

50 years from now, Earth's Sun finally starts to die, mankind is finally starts to die with it. A team of astronauts set out on a mission to revive the Sun – they fail. Now our last and best chance for survival is a second spaceship with a second crew of eight astronauts (six men and two women) carrying a second device that may be able to breath life back into the star. Unfortunately things don't quiet go as planned (when do they ever) and deep into the voyage, as our erstwhile heroes slip out of radio contact with Earth their mission slips toward disaster as their fight to save lives becomes a battle against creeping insanity.

I know, I know what you're thinking, that all sounds about as promising Jerry Bruckheimer could make it, as promising as Meteor or Deep Impact or God forbid the unmitigated horror that was Armageddon. But what it's the second coming of that late great unmade James Cameron epic Bright Angel Falling or something like it instead?

Well keep reading, because it just may be the latter and because the film in question "Sunshine" once again pairs the three musketeers responsible for the best post original Dawn of the Dead zombie film since the Italians stopped making them (read: 28 Days Later). That's right "Sunshine" marks the return of "Trainspotting" director Danny Boyle, The Tesseract's novelist / screenwriter Alex Garland and "The Last King of Scotland" producer Andrew Macdonald. They are back and more importantly, they've brought recent "Babylon AD" inductee, "Tomorrow Never Dies" alum and all around baddest-assed woman on the planet [Michelle Yeoh] with them.


Here's a bit of what she's had to say about it all:

"If you look at [Danny Boyle's] films you don't know what to expect from him. There were so many zombie movies out there before [28 Days Later]. So why was his different? It was different because he had an edge. So [Sunshine] is just eight astronauts going up to save the world . . . We've heard that many times before. [But] you have to see it. It's got his edge."

Sunshine will also treat us to Wicker Park's Rose Byrne, Whale Rider's Cliff Curtis, Cellular's Chris Evans, After The Sunset's Troy Garity, Batman Begin's Scarecrow and 28 Days Later alum Cillian Murphy, The Last Samurai's Hiroyuki Sanada and Dirty Pretty Thing's Benedict Wong.

It's due to hit theatre's sometime before the end of 2006.