Russell Mulcahy talks Teen Wolf Remake
Posted on March 16, 2010
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Den of Geek recently had a little talk with director Russell Mulcahy, the director of “Resident Evil: Extinction.” Now he’ known as the man responsible for the upcoming “Teen Wolf” remake… Back in the days, around 1985 that is, the original “Teen Wolf” was the s**t! But just like most movies with a couple of years on them, they seem rather outdated now. And sure, I loved “Teen Wolf” and I saw again and again but the last time I gave it its full 90 minutes I realized it was very… old. The jokes, the clothes, the music.
Still, there is a lot of fans out there and many are wondering what Mulcahy’s plans are. Let’s hear what he had to say about the remake:
“…Let me assure you – I mean we are not screwing around with the obviously very much beloved 80s Michael J. Fox classic, we are not doing that. Obviously it’s inspired by it, but the new MTV Teen Wolf takes out a totally different slant, taking more of the slant of “The Lost Boys,” so to speak. It still has humor, but it’s basically got horror and humor. The humor is in the characters and the real situations and the teenagers, it’s very real and not played for any obvious laughs – they come from the situation. So there is definitely humor and horror, we really, really wanted to go for that and also the reality. Also it’s obviously pumped up with not only a good scary score, but it’s also pumped up with great music…”
Anyway, I welcome a remake. I don’t believe it takes anything away from the original. Besides, we all know that Michael J. Fox is the one and only Teen Wolf.
Harold Howard: Listen son. You’re going to be able to do a lot of things the other guys aren’t.
Scott Howard: Oh yeah, like chase cars, and bite the mailman?
Rupert Wyatt to direct Planet of the Apes reboot
Posted on March 15, 2010
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Dark Horizons reports that Rupert Wyatt has become the front runner to direct 20th Century Fox’s “Planet of the Apes” reboot – aka “Caesar” (or “Planet of the Apes: Genesis”). Apparently the writers put in not only many little nods to the original “Conquest of the Planet of the Apes” from which much of the premise is based, but quite a few to the original 1968 “Planet of the Apes“.
The general story has a doctor trying to find the cure for Alzheimer. After his research is shut down, he takes home and raises Caesar, the child of his most promising chimp experiment subject. Caesar continues to evolve and soon leads an army of apes in an uprising around the same time humanity is hit by a catastrophe.
One of the more interesting touches are numerous references to the launch and disappearance of the Icarus led by Colonel Taylor, the lead character and ship which crashed on the future Earth in the original 1968 ‘Apes’. The other is that the cataclysm that hits humanity ties in to the genetic mutation and explains not just how the apes evolve enough to lead an uprising, but why the apes in the original series looked nothing like the modern apes of today.
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse – official trailer (HD)
Posted on March 12, 2010
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Twilight fans – rejoice! Yes, that’s right, I’ve got the new trailer – in high definition. Enjoy! In “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” Bella (Kristen Stewart) once again finds herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Jacob (Taylor Lautner) — knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella is confronted with the most important decision of her life. In theaters: June 30, 2010.
Corey Haim is dead
Posted on March 11, 2010
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Sad, sad news… Variety reports that actor Corey Haim, a 1980s teen heartthrob whose career was blighted by drug abuse, died early Wednesday in Burbank. He was 38. It’s just weird, he was one of the coolest young actors of the 80’s… He was one those guys you imagine “had it all,” and would continue to live a charmed life. Apparently it didn’t work out that way…
Born in Toronto in 1971, Haim got his start in television commercials at age 10. He made his feature debut in 1984’s “Firstborn,” and his profile grew with such pics as 1985’s “Silver Bullet.” Corey’s career peaked with his roles in 1986’s “Lucas” and the Joel Schumacher-helmed hit “The Lost Boys” in 1987, in which he battled vampires. He also appeared in 2008 sequel “Lost Boys: The Tribe.”
Haim acknowledged his struggle with drug abuse to a British tabloid in 2004. “I was working on ‘Lost Boys’ when I smoked my first joint,” he told the Sun. “I did cocaine for about a year and a half, then it led to crack.” He sought to mount a comeback as a thesp, going so far as to run an ad in Daily Variety in February 2008 that stated: “This is not a stunt. I’m back. I’m ready to work. I’m ready to make amends.”
“As he got out of bed, he felt a little weak and went down to the floor on his knees,” assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said. An autopsy will determine Haim’s cause of death. “There was no evidence of foul play“, police Sgt. Michael Kammert said. “Haim had flu-like symptoms before he died and was getting over-the-counter and prescription medications“, police Sgt. William Mann said.
R.I.P. Corey. You will be missed.
Police Academy reboot
Posted on March 10, 2010
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There has been talk about this since… Well, it’s been a long time. Most people around the globe have sweet memories from the golden days of “Police Academy.” It was a seven-film comedy series that saw a city throw open the doors of its police force to any recruit, much to the chagrin of its serious officers. The misfit officers band together and, of course, save the city.
The first two, maybe three films were OK, but after that it just went south. Very south… Most of the actors (except for maybe Sharon Stone and Kim Cattrall) never really made an impact after “Police Academy.” They will forever be associated with the series. Now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, New Line is looking for recruits for a relaunched “Police Academy” movie. Original producer Paul Maslansky is back for the new iteration, which has no writer or director attached.
The first film, released in 1984, starred Steve Guttenberg as Mahoney, a repeat offender who is forced to enter the academy and emerges as the group’s leader. Other notable characters included Moses Hightower (Bubba Smith), gun-crazy Tackleberry (David Graf), mousy Hooks (Marion Ramsey) and sound effects-spewing Larvell Jones (Michael Winslow).
Bobcat Goldthwait joined the cast for the second movie in 1985. The series, which included Kim Cattrall and Sharon Stone as romantic leads, ended with the 1994’s “Mission to Moscow.” All told, the franchise took in about $240 million worldwide and inspired a pair of TV series.
“It’s going to be very worthwhile to the people who remember it and to those who saw it on TV,” Maslansky said. “It’s going to be a new class. We hope to discover new talent and season it with great comedians. It’ll be anything but another movie with a numeral next to it. And we’ll most probably retain the wonderful musical theme.”
The early entries in the series featured sexual humor, but later films became more kid-friendly. Details of the tone of new movie, which would take the story to its beginnings with new characters, were unavailable.
Killers – official trailer (HD)
Posted on March 9, 2010
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In “Killers” Spencer Aimes (Ashton Kutcher) is just your average, undercover, government—hired super—assassin accustomed to a life of exotic European locales, flashy sports cars and even flashier women. But when he meets Jen Kornfeldt (Katherine Heigl), a beautiful, fun—loving computer tech recovering from a bad break—up, he finds true love…and happily trades international intrigue for domestic bliss. Three years later, Spencer and Jen are still enjoying a picture—perfect marriage – that is, until the morning after Spencer’s 30th birthday. That’s when Spencer and Jen learn he’s the target of a multi—million dollar hit. Even worse, the hired killers have been stalking the happy couple for years, and could be anyone: friends, neighbors, the grocery store clerk, even that crabby old guy shuffling across the street. Now Spencer and Jen are on the run for their lives. As their suburban paradise turns into a paranoid game of dodge—the—bullet, they must find out who wants Spencer dead and why, all the while trying to save their marriage, manage his pain—in—the—ass in—laws, keep up neighborly appearances…and just plain survive. And you thought suburban life was easy. In theaters: June 4, 2010.
And the Oscars goes to…
Posted on March 8, 2010
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So, another Oscar night and a whole bunch of new winners. The 82nd Annual Academy Awards have have just wrapped and without a doubt the big winner was “The Hurt Locker” (the film scooped six awards!). Personally I’m very pleased about Christoph Waltz getting a statue for his fantastic performance in “Inglourious Basterds.”
There were actually very few surprises with most categories won by the favorites. No thrills at all. That lack of surprise continued over into Best Actor and Actress, with “Crazy Heart’s” Jeff Bridges and “The Blind Side’s” Sandra Bullock both taking home a golden statue.
The broadcast has some “technical problems” with really bad choice of clips and audio dropouts. The whole show, unfortunately, lacked much of the polish of last year’s Academy Awards.
Anyway, here’s the list:
Best Picture: “The Hurt Locker”
Actor in a Leading Role: Jeff Bridges (“Crazy Heart“)
Actor in a Supporting Role: Christoph Waltz (“Inglourious Basterds“)
Actress in a Leading Role: Sandra Bullock (“The Blind Side“)
Actress in a Supporting Role: Mo’Nique (“Precious“)
Animated Feature Film: “Up”
Art Direction: “Avatar”
Cinematography: “Avatar”
Costume Design: “The Young Victoria”
Directing: “The Hurt Locker”
Documentary Feature: “The Cove”
Documentary Short: “Music by Prudence”
Film Editing: “The Hurt Locker”
Foreign Language Film: “The Secret in Their Eyes”
Makeup: “Star Trek”
Music (Original Score): “Up”
Music (Original Song): “Crazy Heart”
Short Film (Animated): “Logorama”
Short Film (Live Action): “The New Tenants”
Sound Editing: “The Hurt Locker”
Sound Mixing: “The Hurt Locker”
Visual Effects: “Avatar”
Writing (Adapted Screenplay): “Precious”
Writing (Original Screenplay): “The Hurt Locker“
Midnight Run is taking another run
Posted on March 8, 2010
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I was just over at The Hollywood Reporter and apparently Universal and Robert De Niro are getting ready for another run. The studio is developing a sequel to “Midnight Run,” the 1988 action comedy that starred De Niro as a bounty hunter who must bring back an embezzler, played by Charles Grodin, across the country. Timothy Dowling is being brought on board to pen the script that would bring back De Niro’s character, Jack Walsh, and pair him with a younger comedic foil.
“Run,” while not a huge hit, was well-recieved by critics, even as it pushed the f-word count to new heights. The movie is also a touchstone for execs on road movies as well as thriller-comedies. Although several made-for-TV movies were made as sequels, without the original stars, De Niro began to seriously consider a sequel during his recent “Little Fockers” shoot.
Judging by this little post, Charles Grodin is not being considered for the sequel. Maybe he will make little cameo or something, just to wrap things up properly. “Midnight Run’s” success should be credit to both De Niro and Grodin. Then again, I haven’t seen Grodin in anthing for like the last 10 years or so… Is he still working?
De Niro will produce with Tribeca Films partner Jane Rosenthal.
Defendor – official trailer (HD)
Posted on March 6, 2010
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Bruised and beaten, arm in a sling, neck in a brace, Arthur Poppington (Woody Harrelson) sits in front of court—appointed psychologist Ellen Park (Sandra Oh). After making her swear to secrecy, Poppington begins to tell the story of his secret life as “Defendor” – yes, that’s an “OR” – spelling is not one of his super powers. By day, Poppington directs traffic around road construction sites, but at night he dons a pair of black tights, a black jersey with a crude “D” duct—taped to his chest, and trawls the streets as his alter ago. As Defendor, Poppington engages in what he believes is a super heroic fight against crime in an attempt to fulfill his unrealized dream of capturing his archrival, Captain Industry – a gun trafficking crime lord who Poppington mistakenly believes is responsible for the death of his mother. Defendor’s problems with the law begin with his intervention in a trick gone bad. When coming to the aid of Katerina Debrofkowitz (Kat Dennings), an underage prostitute, Defendor tangles with her pimp, Chuck Dooney (Elias Koteas) – a crooked undercover cop. By doing so, Defendor bumbles his way into a criminal underworld, and the stage is set for a showdown with Captain Industry. This is the ultimate underdog story about the unlikeliest of super heroes. While he may be deficient in super powers, he has a surplus of heart and sometimes that’s all you need to make a difference. In theaters: February 26, 2010.
After.Life – official trailer (HD)
Posted on March 3, 2010
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After a horrific car accident, Anna (Christina Ricci) wakes up to find the local funeral director Eliot Deacon (Liam Neeson) preparing her body for her funeral. Confused, terrified and feeling still very much alive, Anna doesn’t believe she’s dead, despite the funeral director’s reassurances that she is merely in transition to the afterlife. Eliot convinces her he has the ability to communicate with the dead and is the only one who can help her. Trapped inside the funeral home, with nobody to turn to except Eliot, Anna is forced to face her deepest fears and accept her own death. But Anna’s grief—stricken boyfriend Paul (Justin Long) still can’t shake the nagging suspicion that Eliot isn’t what he appears to be. As the funeral nears, Paul gets closer to unlocking the disturbing truth, but it could be too late; Anna may have already begun to cross over the other side. With an unrelenting edge of menace, “After.Life” is a stylish psychological thriller which provocatively questions the line between life and death. In theaters: April 9, 2010.