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Attack of the Killer Tomatoes to be remade!

skyhawk — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 08:35:26 -0700

The classic b-moive, "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" is making its way back to the screen.

Normally I would be less than excited about the prospect of another remake, but there is something different about this time. Namely Kent Nichols and Douglas Sarine, the creative team behind the smash hit web series Ask a Ninja. I have met Kent several times, and know that he is going to bring something fresh to the movie while staying true to the source. Another positive is this is not a movie that has been sequeled to death.

The team behind "Day of the Dead" and "Terror Train," led by M. Dal Walton III aquired the rights and will be producing with Emmett/Furla Films.

JonnyQ Responds to reimaginations

Jonnyq — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 12:22:15 -0700

Becker (news): "That sound you hear is JonnyQ screaming."

KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!

Oh, wait, wrong scream (No, that's for the OTHER steaming pile of fetid "reimagination" that J.J. ABRAMS is doing.) The HELLRAISER reimagination is disturbing in that it looks to veer even farther away from THE HELLBOUND HEART than HELLRAISER did... I'll reserve judgment on the HR situation until after I've seen more of what these two French writers/directors are going to do to it... Clive writing the treatment gives me a few gossamer threads of ethereal hope.

Are either of you as pissed off as I am that they've cast Sulu, Chekov, Uhura and Scotty in this god-forsaken remake idea that Abrams is doing?? I mean, is it me, or does it look more and more like he's going to singlehandedly undo over 40 years of fucking continuity for his own pride??? Doesn't this take place beFORE the Original Series? So, Kirk HAPPENS to meet and have an adventure with Spock, Sulu, Uhura, Scotty and CHEKOV (who wasn't even a crew member until long after the others!) ALL before he ever takes command of the Enterprise? What is this, Star Trek, or is it Smallville?! BULLshit is what it is! And if this takes place post-Academy but pre-Captaincy of Kirk, then Spock should be off on the Enterprise as Science Officer under Captain Pike, not meeting a young James Kirk!

I have a feeling that this is going to be what the LOST IN SPACE film was to the Lost in Space TV show... And you know that means that they could ultimately create a whole new continuity...

And that's why the concept of a HELLRAISER remake doesn't piss me off nearly as much as the STAR TREK remake. The HELLRAISER films, by and large, failed to adhere to any rigid rules of continuity. The sequels were each (mostly) standalone films that involved a box, some cenobites and their rules, but little beyond that. A remake won't really affect (in my opinion) the storyline and mythology that's already been created; it will be a separate continuity, the same way that the Godzilla films generally fall into three different continuities.

STAR TREK, on the other hand, paid deep, deep attention to continuity, which is what made it far superior to STAR WARS, given its scale. But screwing with THAT continuity DOES have downstream consequences on everything thereafter... and THAT is a tragedy waiting to be unfurled.

*SIGH*

Hellraiser to be reimagined

skyhawk — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 08:23:20 -0700

Variety is reporting that Dimension films is going to remake Clive Barker's Hellraiser. Barker will produce the film, with virtually unknown french directors Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo helming.

"Julien and Alex showed their incredible creative talent on 'Inside,' [their debut film] and I'm excited to have them at the helm, working with Clive Barker, to create a fresh, suspenseful and scary reimagining of the classic tale," said Weinstein Co. co-chairman Bob Weinstein.

This "reimagining" follows Dimensions "reimagining" of Halloween. (My spell checker still won't recognize reimagining - I wonder why?)

I continue to be baffled by these studios taking long running series - Halloween, Hellraiser, Friday the 13th - and re-doing the first in the series. It seems to be once the studio runs out of ideas, they circle back and start making the series over again, at the beginning.

Evolution of "Red State"

skyhawk — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 22:44:52 -0700

Kevin Smith has gone back to his daily blog of what he does during the day, as opposed to the mini-essays that he had been posting. Currently, he is passing the first draft of Red State around and the reaction is very interesting.

Jen and I rock the Richard Gere/Andy Garcia psycho-cop drama “Internal Affairs”, during which I spy friend-and-producer Dan Etheridge (he of not only “Veronica Mars” producing fame, but also the voice of Mr. Plug in the “Clerks” cartoon) on iChat. I ask him if he’ll give “Red State” a read, to see if it’s a movie that should be made at all. He obliges, I give him a heads-up on the bleakness of “Red State”, and we make an appointment to chat about it later that evening.

Post “Internal Affairs”, Schwalbach and I head into “Fright Night”. Midway through, Dan pops up on chat again, with his thoughts on the script.

DAN: Well, lordy.
KEVIN: Thoughts?
DAN: I don’t mean this offensively, but I feel like I want to take a shower. All that moral yucch.

We take the convo to the phone for a bit, during which we try to come up with reasons for and against the shooting of “Red State”. Around six, I’ve gotta get off the phone so I can drop Jen off at a dinner with her friend Daniella. I head back to the house, where Malcolm and I spend a bunch of time cracking one another up. Malcolm asks if Dan liked the script. For the answer, I go to the source on chat…

KEVIN: Malcolm wants to know “Did he like the script?” I don’t know if there’s an easy way to answer him.
DAN: there isn’t. though malcolm always gets on me for never giving a yes or a no. obviously, it’s not a bad script. but it’s such a dark trip, that’s it’s hard to come out throwing a parade of adulation. it’s provocative to be sure, and stirs conversation (i’ve been thinking about it since we spoke). but i’m still not sure what conclusion to draw. a good thing? perhaps?
KEVIN: I hate to say this, but isn’t that what art’s supposed to do?
DAN: tis true, which is why i cannot dismiss the moral swamp lightly. but i am still thinking through what exactly i am to take from it. and i don’t mean that in a bad way — but i am not sure i’ve reached my conclusion yet. what does malcolm think?
KEVIN: Malcolm loves it. Which might be a bad sign. He writes…
“that shit stays with you
I’ve thought about it alot
I think my favorite part is the ********** stuff
its so bleak
you have to have no pre-credit sequence
and after the last shot
have the screen go black and fade up on the words
Red State”
DAN: all good notions. it’s a question as to exactly how likeable you want the characters to be coupled with how likeable can you make them given what they do? tricky
KEVIN: Very.
DAN: well, you’d be guaranteed the most divided love it/hate it reviews i think in a long while

I find my lawyer John Sloss on chat and ask him to read “Red State” ASAP so we can talk about what’ll happen if Harvey and Bob decide it’s not marketable enough to make. it’s not marketable enough to make.

Beyond the insite we're getting into how the beginings of movie production comes together, the tidbit that should be taken away is that Red State is not definite at this point at all. At least, not at the Weinstien Company. If they don't think that the flick can be marketed, will Smith take it else where, or even self finance? We'll stay on this story.

Bruce says "Bubba" is dead to him

skyhawk — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 12:20:41 -0700

Last week brought news that Paul Giamatti was interested in participating in the Bubba Ho-Tep sequel. Rotten Tomatoes reported

"Bruce Campbell was waffling around about whether he wants to play Elvis or not again. So that’s the problem," said Giamatti.

Word comes this week that it looks like the movie will not happen with Campbell's involvement.

"[BUBBA NOSFERATU] is dead to me," Campbell said flatly. "It sleeps with the fishes. Don Coscarelli is a very passionate filmmaker. We got to a few points [developing the screenplay] that we couldn’t reconcile. I want to keep our friendship, so we parted ways. So I’m not part of that project."

"Dead to me." That seems to be a "no." No word yet if the project will continue without Bruce's involvment, but with Giamatti expressing interest, that may be enough to push a green light at the studio.

The Mist- Motion Picture Production Log

erisa — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:49:51 -0700

Stephen King's Official Website is doing something very cool. They have started a production log for the filming of Stephen King's "The Mist", and King's Official site is providing everyone with the gory details, including publicity stills, on the set shots, and Quicktime video hosted by director of "The Mist", Frank Darabont.

Mike Carbone and Michael Becker from the Reel Horror Podcast got a little flak for talking about the similarities of King's story to that of "The Fog", but regardless of whether you agree or disagree, the production log is very cool, and all those interested in King's book and the movie due to come out November 21, 2007 will find it to be a little added bonus.

Check it out.

Takashi Miike to direct "YatterMan"

erisa — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 09:53:14 -0700

Fans of Japanese Horror director Takashi Miike will be happy to hear of an upcoming project for the director. The Nikkatsu Studio in Tokyo unlveiled their new lineup of 16 pictures slated for 2007 and 2008 and leading the way is the popular 1970's Japanese cartoon "YatterMan" directed by Miike. The story follows a boy and girl who battle a gang of thieves on an evil quest for gold and power. Miike will turn the cartoon into a live action picture, with a release set for summer 2009. Nikkatsu will handle production and distribute the pic in Japan together with Shochiku. "To produce the pics, as well as manage rights, Nikkatsu parent company Index, a mobile services major, has joined with toon house Tatsunoko and toymaker Takara Tomy to form a partnership that will exploit rights across a range of platforms, including DVDs, games, characters and mobile services".

I am not familiar with the cartoon so it's hard to say what the movie will be like, but I can't imagine that a Takashi Miike film will be without the themes that everyone has learned to expect from the director; sex and violence with a little bit of mind scrambling thrown in.

Kevin Smith's Horror Movie Gets a Title

skyhawk — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 11:54:05 -0700

Kevin Smith is in the UK doing Q&A with his fans across the pond. While there he sat down with Rotton Tomatoes and revealed not only the title of his next flix, "Red State", but the subject as well. Smith is fascinated with Fred Phelps, the preacher who founded a conroversial church in Kansas, made of largely his extended family. Phelps' clan is infamous for the protests they stage at funerals for solders killed in Iraq. The have said in the past that the war and subsiquent deaths is a direct consequence for America's "tolerence" of homosexuals. To say they are homophobic is a gross understatement.

From the interview:

"That dude has always fascinated me and he's really informed the horror movie that I'm working on," Smith told us, "The movie's called 'Red State' and it's very much about that subject matter, that point of view and that position taken to the absolute extreme. It's certainly not Phelps himself but it's very much inspired by a Phelps figure."

But while Smith is convinced that "horror" is the right definition for the film, he's not so sure audiences will agree. "To me there's all kinds of horror, and killing someone's not the absolute worst thing you could do to another human being," he said, "The death in a horror movie has always been the money shot in a very exploitative manner. Stabbing somebody and splashing blood all over them is the equivalent to some dude exploding over some broad's face.

"And to me, too, the notion of using a Phelps-like character as a villain, as horrifying and scary as that guy can be, there's even something more insidious than him that lurks out there in as much as a public or a government that allows it and that's the other thing that I'm trying to examine in a big, big way. It's weird because for a few months I've been saying 'horror movie' and technically it is, but it's also not a very traditional horror movie in the sense that people have been asking me, 'Is it a slasher movie? Is it like the Japanese horror flicks?' It'd be much easier to just show it to them when I'm done and be like, 'This is what I meant.' At which point I'm sure there'll be people saying, 'This ain't a horror movie!' But to me, it is."

Before I was hesitant about this project because it was such a departure from his past work, but I find this concept fascinating.

MTV interviews Hostel director Eli Roth

erisa — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 17:23:52 -0700

In more Hostel 2 News, MTV got the chance to interview Eli Roth at the New York City: Comic-Con.

Eli spoke about the rating system for Horror movies, what to expect in Hostel: Part 2, his trailer for the upcoming Grindhouse, and the Splat Pack vs. The Rat Pack.

MTV really put together a nice interview with Eli. He's candid, and funny, and apperently isn't only about the gore. As a member of the splat pack, he does want "to bring back really bloody, violent, disgusting, sick horror movies", with lots of "sex and violence" mixed together, and he talks about this pursuit a ton, but he also discusses something I find to be much more noble, the desire to be independent as a writer/ director. When asked if he'd rather direct bigger budget movies, he said this, "It's interesting, because I've had opportunities to do franchise movies. Once your movie opens at #1, you're offered everything. There were movies like "Halo," and they're remaking "The Hulk" again, and "Die Hard 4," and I just thought I'd rather write and direct and do my own thing. I don't need to jump to a $100 million movie. There were some books I was interested in. I was like, "I'd love to do 'The Phantom Tollbooth' or 'In the Heart of the Sea.' " But the truth is, right now I love writing and directing my own stories."

I personally would be very interested to see what Eli Roth, someone who, in my opinion, is starting to pigeon-hole himself as a one trick gore-hound, could do with the beloved child-hood story, The Phantom Tollbooth. Even mentioning that he would love to do it makes me think that there might be more to him them meets the "guaged-out" eye.

So check out the article. After reading it, I don't know how excited I am to see Hostel:Part 2, but now I hope it's sucessful enough for Eli to be able to stretch himself a bit.

"Hostel 2" Trailer is Live

skyhawk — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 15:00:46 -0700

Just got word in that the Hostel 2 trailer is live on Mtv.com.

Looks like its exclusive there, so hop over and check it out.