Archive for the ‘Distributors’ Category
Filed under: Classics, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, New Line, Universal, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger, Scripts, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
With re-imaginings and reboots being the keyword for every movie being churned around Hollywood’s grist mill, it’s no surprise that they’re turning to L. Frank Baum and The Wizard of Oz for some fresh content to churn around. According to The LA Times, Warner Bros and New Line (blood brothers) are both looking at remakes of The Wizard of Oz in the hopes of grabbing some of that sweet cash that Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland is raking in.
Warner Bros’ Oz is very much taking the Alice route. Written by Josh Olson, and produced by Basil Iwanyk, it centers on a granddaughter of Dorothy returning to Oz to vanquish evil. Todd McFarlane is involved somehow, either as producer or consultant which suggests they’re really inspired by his Twisted Land of Oz series. (That link is a bit NSFW.) Who wants to see S&M Dorothy and a monster, flesh-hooked Toto? Hollywood might! Wheee!
New Line’s project is a lot more mysterious. It has a script by Darren Lemke, but no title and it doesn’t come up on his IMDB credits at the moment. It’s also being produced by Temple Hill who has made a killing with Twilight. Could it be something focusing on the later books of Baum’s Oz series? Could they be attempting a more faithful adaptation of Baum’s book? There’s a difference between doing that and a straight-up remake of MGM’s iconic film. For now, at least, no one is looking at doing that.
In the meantime, those who favor Broadway’s re-imaginings over Hollywood’s still have Wicked to look forward to. It’s still in the works at Universal with producer Marc Platt, and all this fervent interest in all things Oz might just give it the fuel injection it needs to make it to the big screen.
Filed under: Documentary, The Weinstein Co., Quentin Tarantino, Miramax, Cinematical Indie
Here’s a curious story we missed when it was first posted by the New York Times last week. So thanks to Simon Dang at The Playlist, who likely himself caught the article late via yesterday’s correction. Apparently there are two competing documentaries in the works about the independent film king Harvey Weinstein. And one of them is to be made by Quentin Tarantino.
The main focus of the Times piece is on the other film, which is being developed by Barry Avrich. He’s the director of the 2005 doc The Last Mogul, about agent-turned-studio head Lew Wasserman, and he’s reportedly just received funding for his $1 million-budgeted expose, currently titled Unauthorized: The Harvey Weinstein Project.
And sure, that project sounds plenty interesting, particularly as it’s being planned as an uncensored look at a “a brilliant, feared, charming and yet loathsome character,” who is completely unsupportive of Avrich’s topic of choice, regardless of how the former Miramax and present Weinstein Company head will be portrayed. But the Tarantino business is what we’re all really intrigued about, right?
Continue reading Quentin Tarantino to Document Harvey Weinstein?
Filed under: Independent, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger, Scripts, 20th Century Fox, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Dreamworks, Remakes and Sequels
As you know, Hollywood loves trends. Be it meteor movies, ant movies, Ninth Legion movies, Easter Bunny movies, volcano movies, Greek mythology movies, they know there’s no project that’s not awesome enough to do in twos, threes or fours. Now we may get competing King Arthur movies because everyone in L.A. woke up and read Morte’d Arthur.
According to The LA Times, Sylvain White is currently negotiating to direct Pendragon for New Regency. Penned by Lee Shipman and Brian McGreevy, the script is being described as “an origin story” that explains how Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot all meet in Camelot. I’m not sure how that’s different from every other Arthur story ever written, filmed, or sung by troubadours but ok.
Naturally, that’s not the only possible Arthur movie kicking around. Pajiba reported last week that Guy Ritchie is contemplating directing Warren Ellis’ Excalibur for Warner Bros, which is not the Captain Britain series he penned, but an untitled Arthurian project he announced on his blog last July. Ellis told Ain’t It Cool News that it was “differs from the prior 751 King Arthur movies in many ways, but perhaps most obviously in that it is very specifically about the gathering of the Knights.” Since most versions of the story (be they on paper or screen) do concentrate on what brings the knights to the Round Table, I’m not sure what’s unique about Ellis’, though he’s certainly not a writer to sneer at.
Continue reading Who Will Draw King Arthur’s Sword From the Stone? Take Your Pick
Filed under: Documentary, Drama, Foreign Language, Independent, Awards, Lionsgate Films, Sony Classics, Oscar Watch, Cinematical Indie
The 25th Independent Spirit Awards were held in Los Angeles last night, and our friends at indieWIRE were there to celebrate the big night for the little guys. They covered the ceremony minute by minute, so whether you missed the broadcast of the awards on IFC or just want some excellent first-hand commentary from independent film experts, check out the complete live-blogged report here.
The big story of the evening was that Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire swept the major categories and won every award it was nominated for, including Best Feature, Best Director (Lee Daniels), Best First Screenplay (Geoffrey Fletcher), Best Supporting Actress (Mo’Nique) and Best Actress (Gabourey Sidibe). Sidibe made me smile when she cited Welcome to the Dollhouse as a major influence on her decision to pursue acting. As for Daniels, he somewhat acknowledged that he didn’t have to compete with Oscar favorite Kathryn Bigelow, as The Hurt Locker was a nominee at last year’s Spirit Awards (though not for Best Director).
Filed under: Action, SXSW, Magnolia
Well here’s some fun news for those who already have their SXSW badges tucked into their back pockets: turns out that Mr. Neil Marshall, director of such fine genre films as Dog Soldiers, The Descent, and Doomsday, will be attending next week’s South By Southwest Film Festival, and get this: Thanks to SXSW and Fantastic Fest, he’ll be introducing a movie to the screaming masses, and I bet he’s bringing that wondrous horror geek of a wife with him!
My money is on Neil playing Halloween 3: Season of the Witch, but I polled the Cinematical staff and I got some other good predictions. Will Goss has $600 on Mr. Marshall playing a brand-new 35mm print of Showgirls, while Peter Hall is convinced it’s something else. (“Moulin Rouge,” he says, “I guarantee it.”) Erik Davis went withThe Last Starfighter, Monika Bartyzel said “something by Guy Maddin, definitely,” and Eric D. Snider picked Avatar, “because nobody has seen it yet.” Jette said Willy Wonka, Pete Martin went with Yojimbo, and Jeff Anderson, strangely enough, also predicted Showgirls. I even asked Gilchrist (“The Day After!”), Yamato (“The Breakfast Club!”), and Jenni Miller, who went with Fiddler on the Roof. (The rest of the staff ignored me while watching Pam have a baby on The Office.)
Our lone voice of reason was Ms. Elisabeth Rappe, who chimed in quietly from the back of the room and asked “Hey, doesn’t that Marshall guy have a brand-new movie?” Hmm, she may have picked the winner. I still think it’ll be Halloween 3.
Filed under: Drama, Samuel Goldwyn Films, Posters
Harry Brown has been one of those titles I’ve seen crop up from time to time, the kind that makes waves at a few festivals, building a nice buzz before disappearing without ever really establishing a feel for what it’s all about. Well, Cinematical was just given the chance to premiere the poster ahead of the film’s theatrical release in the US on April 30th thanks to Samuel Goldwyn and I’ve not only finally learned what it’s actually about, but that if you want to instantly sell me a ticket to a movie, just make a poster that prominently features Michael Caine holding a revolver while a city burns itself to the ground behind him.
It’s an eye catching design, no doubt, but what really drives the image home is the indifferent, curious lack of remorse in Caine’s face, a face audiences have likely grown accustomed to seeing bearing only smiles and general good will in recent years. Good will, however, seems to be precisely what Harry Brown runs out of, according to the film’s official synopsis:
“Set in modern day Britain, Harry Brown follows one man’s journey through a chaotic world where teenage violence runs rampant. As a modest, law abiding citizen, Brown lives alone. His only companion is his best friend Leonard. When Leonard is killed, Brown reaches his breaking point.”
What happens after he’s reached his breaking point, I don’t know, but color me interested come this April. Check out the Harry Brown poster in full below.
Gallery: ‘Harry Brown’ Poster Premiere
Filed under: Documentary, Awards, Movie Marketing, HBO Films, Cinematical Indie
I finally saw the Oscar-nominated documentary Which Way Home over the weekend. And maybe some of you did, too, if you live in New York or LA and had the chance to check out AMC’s Best Documentary Feature showcase on Sunday. If not, don’t fret, the DVD of the film, which follows Central American children as they travel — with hopes of immigrating — to the U.S., will be available for purchase this Monday (March 8), and apparently HBO is re-airing it intermittently.
Anyway, due to the way it’s shot, Which Way Home is not really the sort of doc you need to watch on the big screen. Even on my TV it looked quite pixilated, and since HBO was involved in its development, it’s possible there was always the idea in mind of shooting for cable presentation (which could be used to argue against its Oscar-worthiness, but that’s a topic for another time).
This isn’t to criticize its low-budget video look, especially since the lightweight cameras used for the film clearly allowed for better access and coverage of the migrant children’s stories. Seeing the Mexican landscapes shown in the film through 35mm or even HD might have been nice, but the filmmakers certainly couldn’t have hopped atop freight trains with lots of bulky equipment. Nor would they have gotten the night scenes that appear in the film.
Filed under: Drama, Foreign Language, Magnolia, Trailers and Clips
There’s no predicting when international films will find their way to American audiences. It really doesn’t matter if it’s the next film from a high profile director like Zhang Yimou or a nasty horror title from an unknown director in Thailand, they can arrive six months or six years after their domestic releases. Take The Warlords, for example. One would think that a large scale, historical war epic from mainland China starring Jet Li, Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs) and Takeshi Kaneshiro (House of Flying Daggers) would be a shoe-in for a prompt release in the United States.
But hey, since the roughly two-year gap could have been a lot worse, I suppose stateside fans of Asian cinema should be grateful it’s even getting a release. Magnolia films will be putting the film, co-directed by Peter Chan (Perhaps Love) and Wai Man Yip (Anna in Kung-Fu Land), in theaters April 2nd following an On-Demand release platform. Starting tomorrow, March 4th, you’ll be able to see The Warlords via various VOD cable services, as well as online outfits thanks to Amazon On-Demand, Playstation On Demand and the XBOX Live Video Marketplace.
Below you can find the official Warlords synopsis as well as a clip from one of the film’s battles. Things in this particular scene don’t get too graphic, but keep in mind this is about a rebellious uprising in the 1860s; so if you have any small children (or bosses) around who might wonder why that guy just shoved a spear through the other guy’s chest, you might want to watch this one while they’re not around.
Continue reading Exclusive Action-Packed Clip from Jet Li’s ‘The Warlords’
Filed under: Animation, Comedy, Independent, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Tribeca, Family Films, Dreamworks, Remakes and Sequels, Cinematical Indie
A big green ogre is set to invade New York City next month, as Shrek’s latest installment, Shrek Forever After has been announced as the opener of the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival. The third sequel of the DreamWorks Animation series will debut at the downtown Manhattan festival on Wednesday, April 21, a full month before it opens nationwide. And yes, it will be presented in 3D.
The choice somewhat follows in the footsteps of Up being the first 3D film to open Cannes last year. Yet 3D is really becoming a staple of international film festivals lately. Venice premiered the 3D re-releases of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 3D and even inaugurated a special award solely for 3D films. Earlier this year, Sundance premiered the popular 3D nature film Cane Toads: The Conquest, though it wasn’t the fest’s first foray into 3D presentation.
Continue reading ‘Shrek Forever After’ Opens Tribeca Film Festival
Filed under: Drama, Independent, Theatrical Reviews, Samuel Goldwyn Films
By Erik Davis — reprint from 1/19/08 — Sundance Film Festival
I’m starting to dislike films that sell themselves with the tagline: “Love is where you least expect it.” Isn’t it about time we retire that line? Yellow Handkerchief arrives as yet another indie road flick featuring characters very different from one another on the outside, but similar on the inside. It’s pretty to watch (thanks to great camerawork from Chris Menges), but the film never really soars above “That was a nice moment,” and into must-see territory. However, superb performances from the four leads lend Handkerchief enough charm to leave those watching with a smile … and an odd desire to visit Louisiana.
William Hurt stars as an ex-con named Brett, who, after six years in prison, stumbles back out into the world with a sense of purpose. Soon after his release, Brett winds up hitching a ride with Gordy (Eddie Redmayne), a kind-of-slow outcast heading down to New Orleans. Joining the men, after watching last night’s fling hook up with another girl, is Martine (Kristen Stewart) — a fidgety gal with massive father figure issues. Because of her sour relationship with Pops, Martine desperately attempts to latch onto men who show the slightest interest, and when Gordy fires up a conversation with her, it’s enough for Martine to forget about the last guy and jump into a convertible with the next one. Thus, our three strangers head out for a ride to escape their problems — and jaded pasts — but ultimately wind up banding together to confront the purple elephant in the corner and wash away their damaged souls.
