Tagged: film

Horror Review: No Man’s Land – Rise of The Reeker

Horror Review: No Man’s Land – Rise of The Reeker

Synopsis:

In this sequel to 2005’s [[[Reeker]]], a sheriff and his son try to apprehend bank robbers on their way to Mexico only to find that they are being stalked by a far more deadly enemy – the fire-wielding Grim Reaper known as The Reeker. Things start to get weird when the group—both good guys and bad—realize that they may not be on this plane of existence anymore, let alone the rest stop in Nevada.

Lowdown:

Ever since [[[LOST]]] hit the airwaves, writers of both television and film have tried to capture the essence of an ensemble cast brought together, seemingly for a reason, to fight some big mysterious element. It’s a disorienting concept, meant to confuse and fool you, but in the end, it all comes across as a bit trite. [[[No Man’s Land]]] walks that line but is able to fall back on the idea of not taking itself as serious as a story like LOST.

Taking place after the 2005 film Reeker, a group of strangers try to survive after being trapped in a travel hotel in the desert and strange things seem to happen, like a creature with a flamethrower chasing them. While this is a sequel, it isn’t necessary to be caught up on the first film in order to enjoy this one. The background of this film’s characters are explained in the beginning of the film, keeping this story pretty self-contained. If you had seen the former, the ending may come across as a bit predictable, seeing as how it is almost the same movie.

The special effects in the film are pretty impressive, seeing as how they are meant to give the feeling of complete confusion and intensity, such as a disembodied pair of legs running away, or a bird on fire flying though the air. Of course, the antagonist running around with a flame thrower added a nice touch, (and even a bit scary, too), and there is certainly plenty of blood and feces in the film for you to squirm in your seat.

Obviously, the story doesn’t take itself too seriously, given the fire-wielding baddie and the fact that since they are in purgatory, nobody can really die (this explains the torso-less legs running around in the film). There are some fun campy moments from the sassy casino robbers, and even a fight scene with a resurrected fried chicken (yup!)

Overall, film did have it’s dragging moments in the story, but the twist ending made it all a bit worth it, leaving us clues strategically placed throughout the film. Fans of mysteries and horror will enjoy this, if they enjoyed the twists and turns of any given Saw film.

Overall Rating 6/10

Scare Rating: 4/5

Jack Ryan Returning to Film

Jack Ryan Returning to Film

  • News
  • October 24, 2008

As reported yesterday, Sam Raimi has abandoned beloved Tom Clancy icon Jack Ryan. The director was attached to reboot the Ryan franchise, but had to bow out to focus on his upcoming Spider-Man sequels.

"Because I’m committed to Spider-Man and making that picture," said Raimi, "I think it’s going to knock me out of the running for the Jack Ryan picture."

Luckily for the spy thriller hero, Raimi’s departure doesn’t necessitate a bullet in the back of Ryan’s brain. According to Moviehole, there are still active plans to launch a reboot. In fact, with Raimi officially off the project, it looks like Ryan will grace the big screen sooner than expected.

"Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mace Neufeld have been rehired by Paramount as producers on the franchise, with a mandate to come up with a Jack Ryan original ASAP," a source close to Paramount tells the Web site. By Any Means Necessary, the film Raimi planned to reboot the Jack Ryan character, "has been abandoned."

di Bonaventura (Transformers) was previously involved with By Any Means Necessary. Neufeld, meanwhile, has produced every Ryan installment to date from The Hunt for Red October to The Sum of All Fears. He’s overseen three different actors portray the role of Jack Ryan: Alec Baldwin (The Hunt for Red October), Harrison Ford (Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger) and Ben Affleck (The Sum of All Fears). Moviehole wants Harrison Ford to return to the franchise, which is a possibility as the film "may feature an ‘older’ Ryan as opposed to a younger version." It’d be cool to have Ford back in the series, but that would leave Liev Schrieber, who played a younger version of Ryan’s CIA operative pall John Clark in Sum of All Fears. Schrieber was one of the few excellent elements of that film. Willem Dafoe played the role in Clear and Present Danger.

Jack Ryan first appeared in Tom Clancy’s novel The Hunt for Red October in 1984. Since then, he’s elevated from lowly CIA operative to National Security Advisor. In Debt of Honor, Ryan is tapped for the Office of Vice President and is later elevated to the Presidency after his predecessor is assassinated. In the Clancy universe, Ryan is currently retired.

The Hulk: Is He or Isn’t He?

The Hulk: Is He or Isn’t He?

  • News
  • October 24, 2008

Rule number one of The Hulk: do not make Hulk angry. Rule number two: do not make Hulk angry.

You’d think that the bigwigs at Marvel Studios would’ve gotten that memo, but the way they’ve been playing with Bruce Banner’s bigger half says otherwise. After Ang Lee’s widely panned Hulk, Marvel re-rolled the dice with The Incredible Hulk. The film, starring Edward Norton as the Jade Giant, didn’t do nearly as well as Iron Man but still managed to stomp on its 2003 predecessor in terms of critical acclaim. The DVD of the film was released this past Tuesday.

Still, Hulk’s on-screen future is uncertain. Recent reports pegged the character as the villain for the upcoming Avengers film, with Marvel Studios’ own president of production Kevin Feige echoing the idea. Feige later said that a direct Hulk sequel was up in the air.

"The truth is that Hulk has had two films in the past five years, and it’s time to give some of the other guys a turn," Feige recently said in an MTV interview. "I would expect that people may see the Hulk again soon [possibly in The Avengers] before he is again carrying his own film."

That was the official scoop as of Monday, October 20. Now comes a conflicting report from Gale Anne Hurd, producer on both Ang Lee’s Hulk and Louis Leterrier’s The Incredible Hulk. Hurd says that she has every intention of bringing the Green Meanie back to theaters.

(more…)

Horror Review: Dark Floors

dark_boxSynopsis

A father, concerned for his autistic daughter’s health, sees her immediate removal from the hospital as her only option. An elevator break-down prevents a smooth exit and renders them trapped with others. This is only the beginning of their descent into hell. When the doors finally open, the hospital appears mysteriously deserted. As mutilated bodies are found, creatures from a dark world start a frightening attack. It soon becomes clear that the survival of the group may rest solely on the little girl.

Lowdown

The one thing that needs to be known before watching [[[Dark Floors]]] is that this film is primarily a showcase for the Finnish metal band Lordi. Those unfamiliar with the band should consider them like Rob Zombie meets [[[GWAR]]]. The international subtitle for the film is even “[[[The Lordi Motion Picture]]]”. The band, along with the leader Mr. Lordi, came up with the idea for the film, and star as all of the “monsters” in the film (in quotes because if you see a picture of the band, you know that this is what they normally look like, professional makeup and all). The members of the band are essentially playing themselves in the film. This film is to the members of Lordi like Moonwalker is to Michael Jackson, without anybody turning into a car. Sadly, this is probably the coolest part of the film. The plot takes itself a little too seriously, and with a weak and confusing resolution at the end, it really should have just been about the band members.

The effects are pretty well done, and just about on-par with a music video, which makes sense, seeing as how the director has also directed all of Lordi’s videos. The film is currently the most expensive movie made in Finland, weighing in at 300,000 Euros (which is about $390k). The monster makeup is great, but if you ever seen images of the band itself, this is pretty much how they look 24/7. Not knowing that the film is about the band makes for a confusing ride. You’ll find yourself asking why the monster has a goatee and dressed like Meatloaf circa 1984.

Being written by a Finnish metal band and directed by a Finnish director makes it pretty hard to take place in the United States. The leads of Noah Huntley ([[[28 Days Later]) and Dominique McElligott are both from the UK and they begin to lose their American accent about halfway through the film. The brooding band members do a great job brooding and Skye Bennett does a great job as the precognitive-but-creepy little girl, Sarah.

lordiThe fact that the film takes itself serious while the primary antagonists are members of a metal band should show how campy the movie is overall. If you are in on the joke of this film, it can be pretty funny, like “Hey look, the guitarist is chasing that lady down a hallway, he must be terrible!”. So beware: if you watch this film without that knowledge, you may fall into the trap of taking it too seriously.

Overall, the film looks gorgeous and will keep you entertained with a “time loop” plot twist. Though the main plot comes off as a little pretentious, the fact is that this is essentially from the mind of a Finnish metal band about the characters they portray, so you’ll be scared as much as you’d laugh if it where the Hall & Oats chasing you around an abandoned hospital.

Scare Factor: 3/4

Overall Rating: 6/10

McG Moves ‘Terminator’ to Post-Production

McG Moves ‘Terminator’ to Post-Production

  • News
  • October 23, 2008

McG reports on the Terminator Salvation blog that principal photography has wrapped and the crew has now moved on to Post-Production as they work toward their May 9, 2009 release date.

"We wrapped principal photography. Now we’re heavy into post. I’ve already shown early cuts to Christian [Bale] and Sam [Worthington]. They seem pleased with where the film is headed. Our focus is on story and character, but its fun diving into the world of visual effects.

“Charlie Gibson is aware of his responsibility as the VFX supervisor and second unit director of this film. He works with ILM and Asylum every day and makes revisions to the finest detail. We want the patina of the machines to be dirty and heavy and perfectly realistic – that’s why we built so much practically with Stan Winston.

“But at some point the effects kick in and like any Terminator fan, Charlie wants his mind blown. There’s one sequence in particular where we’re trying to achieve something that’s never been done before. I don’t want to talk about it because we haven’t been successful yet…But we’re working on it.

“Christian and Sam bring power to the rolls of John Connor and Marcus Wright. This is a story of two destinies colliding. Connor is part of a resistance comprised of the ethnicities that make up the globe. This film is so much more that just Los Angeles. It reflects the global crisis of man, all of man versus machine."

No word yet when we’ll see a full trailer for the feature but you can bet we’ll be seeing exclusive scenes on Fox’s Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles now that the series has a full season order.
 

New ‘Watchmen’ and ‘Spirit’ Footage

New ‘Watchmen’ and ‘Spirit’ Footage

At the Spike TV 2008 Scream Awards last night, Watchmen director Zack Snyder and actors Malin Akerman, Carla Gugino and Jeffrey Dean Morgan introduced a never before seen extended trailer for the film. Highlights of the trailer include:

– Dr. Manhattan with Silk Spectre on Mars
– Rorschach investigating The Comedian’s apartment after his death
– A glimpse of Adrian Veidt’s arctic lair
– Manhattan blowing up a tank, a Vietnamese soldier, and sticking his hand in the middle of Ozymandias’s base
– The dream sequence where Nite Owl and Silk Spectre kiss against an atomic backdrop
– An extended look at The Comedian’s death, including a good look at the bloodied smiley face button.

To check out the trailer for yourself, as well as a rundown of new scenes featured in the trailer, head over to Watchmen Comic Movie.

Additionally, Yahoo! has premiered a featurette for Frank Miller’s upcoming The Spirit. The video offers a behind-the-scenes look at the history behind the character and the making of the movie. Highlights include:

– Samuel L. Jackson as the Octopus, wearing a never-before-seen samurai garb
– The Octopus beating down on the Spirit while shouting, "There’s nothing I like better than kicking your ass all night long!"
– Frank Miller’s insight into the character: "He can’t fly, he’s not super strong, but he can take an awful lot of punishment."
– Beautiful women, including Scarlett Johansson’s Silken Floss, Eva Mendes’ Sand Saref and Paz Vega’s Plaster of Paris
– Frank Miller’s claim that "this film is not a tribute to Will Eisner, it’s a tribute to The Spirit."

Check out the featurette by clicking here.

War Machine Storms the Internet

War Machine Storms the Internet

  • News
  • October 22, 2008

Slash Film has unearthed a largely overlooked cache of concept artwork from this past summer’s Iron Man movie. Artist Phil Saunders was commissioned to create official designs of for three separate armors originally slated to appear in the film.

According to Saunders, the designs were "three images I did at the very end of production as alternate suit designs that would have been in a Hall of Armor coda at the end of the film."

Of the War Machine armor pictured right, Saunders says: "I spent a lot of time on developing this suit, which was of course cut from the script about half way through pre-production. Originally it was going to be called the MK IV armor and would have been weaponized swap-out parts that would be worn over the original MK III armor. Earlier versions were red and gold, and would have ben worn by Tony Stark in the final battle sequence."

Saunders is quick to note that if War Machine appears in Iron Man 2, "it’s unlikely to be this one." As many fans are now aware, the man who would wear the War Machine armor is also different than the man in Iron Man. Terrence Howard, who portrayed Jim Rhodes in the first film, will be replaced by Don Cheadle in the sequel.

In addition to the War Machine armor, Saunders presents two other armors: an aquatic suit and a stealth suit. The stealth suit design attempts at "suggesting ‘stealth’ technology in the surface treatment of the suit, [and was] ultimately abandoned as not being classic enough." The aquatic armor design represents an underwater suit requested by Avi Arad for licensing and merchandising purposes.

"Needless to say," says Saunders, "the underwater suit never saw the light of days, but in homage to Avi, I drew this one up as a possible addition to [Tony’s] hall of armor."

Head over to Slash Film to check out the unused stealth and aquatic armor designs.

‘Haunted’ Film In Development

‘Haunted’ Film In Development

  • News
  • October 22, 2008

Hollywood’s favorite shock novelist Chuck Palahniuk is getting another movie adaptation in the form of Haunted. The book’s film rights are being optioned with the newly formed New School Media, headed by former ICM literary agent Brian Levy. Koen Mortier, whose directorial debut Ex-Drummer premiered at least year’s Toronto Film Festival, will direct the adaptation.

Variety describes Haunted as focusing on "a group of characters who answer an ad for a writers retreat and unwittingly end up competing in a Survivor-like scenario, where the host withholds heat, power and food. As the storytellers grow more desperate they ruthlessly plot to make themselves the hero of the reality show or film that they expect will be made from their plight."

It’s strange to see Haunted getting the film treatment before other popular Palahniuk properties, namely Survivor, Lullaby and Invisible Monsters. Those novels are more story focused, whereas Haunted is essentially an anthology piece with a loose plot weaving throughout each character’s short stories. The novel’s most notorious story is Guts, which depicts three grotesque masturbation related accidents. The story, which is incredibly vile and definitely not for kids, is available on Chuck Palahniuk’s official site. Proceed with extreme caution.

The Oregon-based author has seen two of his earlier novels hit the big screen. David Fincher directed the 1999 breakout hit Fight Club, starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt in his famous turn as lunatic Tyler Durden. Most recently, Palahniuk’s Choke is heading to cinemas as directed by Clark Gregg. Sam Rockwell stars as Victor Mancini, a con artist who chokes in restaurants, prompting rich people to save his life and line his pockets with a dependable flow of income as a sign of gratitude. Choke was released on September 26, 2008 in the United States on a limited basis.

Studios Shuffle Holiday Schedules

Studios Shuffle Holiday Schedules

  • News
  • October 21, 2008

As films falter in meeting their deadlines to make their scheduled release dates, studios are constantly shuffling the calendar.  This time of years the gamesmanship is especially tough as studios eye projects with the hopes of securing Academy Award nominations. The dominoes have been falling with particular speed in the last week so here’s a recap.

With The Weinstein Company most likely bumping The Road from November to December to 2009, it has put its marketing efforts behind The Reader.

This was seen as a good opportunity for Paramount which had a lot of faith in the Robert Downey Jr. film, The Soloist.  Instead, they surprised prognosticators and moved the film to March 13, 2009. Word is that test screenings did not go well and rather than spend extra dollars to rush, Paramount’s budget cutting has prompted the schedule shift.

The studio has also delayed Defiance, the World War II drama starring Daniel Craig, to open on December 31, just in time to qualify for the Oscars but away from the box office competition in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

What this does is also shift which performers will receive studio dollars behind Oscar bids.  As we wave farewell to Viggo Mortenson, Jamie Foxx and others, the field now turns to focus on Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Mickey Rourke (Wrestler), Josh Brolin (W.), Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon) and Sean Penn (Milk).  Downey is likely to be pushed by Paramount for both Iron Man and more likely a supporting nod in Tropic Thunder while Warner Bros. will most certainly launch a major campaign for Heath Ledger’s role as the Joker in The Dark Knight.

The final bit of scheduling news also involves Downey as his Sherlock Holmes has been pencilled in for November 20 2009.

Green Directing ‘Freaks of the Heartland’

Green Directing ‘Freaks of the Heartland’

  • News
  • October 21, 2008

Pineapple Express director David Gordon Green has been tapped to direct Freaks of the Heartland, an adaptation of the Dark Horse graphic novel from Steve Niles and Greg Ruth, for Overture Films. The screenplay was written by Peter Sattler and Geoff Davey. Green will produce alongside Dark Horse Entertainment president Mike Richardson, with Steve Niles executive producing.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 2004 limited series centers on "the horrible secret of a rural Middle American town involves Trevor Owen’s attempts to protect his ‘monster’ of a 6-year-old younger brother and Gristlewood Valley’s other ‘freaks’ from their parents’ worst instincts."

Overture Films is currently developing other genre movies Pandorum and a remake of George A. Romero’s The Crazies. Their most recent release was the Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro starring Righteous Kill.

Freaks of the Heartland is the second of Steve Niles’ graphic novels to be adapted for film. 30 Days of Night, arguably Niles’ most commonly known work, was released in 2007 by director David Slade. Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston and Ben Foster starred in the film.

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