Aug 4 2006Owen Wilson Confirms Wes Anderson's New Project
According to Production Weekly, Owen Wilson has confirmed the previous story that he will again be working with writer/director Wes Anderson in a story that takes him across India, adding that Anderson has again changed writing collaborators:
Owen Wilson has confirmed that he will return to working with his long-time friend, Wes Anderson, on his next project "The Darjeeling Limited." In the script, by Anderson, Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman, Wilson will play one of three brothers who journey through India. The project is eyeing a December production start.
Anderon working with Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman should have some pretty interesting results, if nothing else. And with that India locale, I think we all know what that means: cheap customer service operators!
Aug 4 2006The Wicker Man Pictures Torturing Cage
The Wicker Man remake marketing team is finally giving up on trying to look like they'll actually do the original any justice. The campaign is now centered around showcasing the torture of Nicolas Cage. They've got new images of him jammed in a cage, pinned to the ground, and, of course, being ravaged by bees.
They still don't make me want to see the movie, but they do make me terrified of bee attack.
See more, some possibly spoiler-laden, here.
Aug 3 2006The Grudge 2 Trailer Grudges Online
If you like seeing pale, sickly Asian boys freaking out the hot girl population, but missed it in high school, get your fill in the trailer for The Grudge 2. Sarah Michelle Gellar is back to reprise her role as a screaming girl, along with some other people who scream. Only recommended if the "grudge" you're looking for is a grudge against good taste.
Aug 3 2006Snakes on a Phone Call (or voicemail if party doesn't answer)
Are your friends having the same reaction to your enthusiasm for Snakes on a Plane that they eventually had for your collection of trucker hats and obsession with pirates? Then maybe they need a call from Sam Jackson to get their sense of irony in line. As sort of a grassroots marketing campaign, if you submit personal information about yourself and an acquaintance, as well as providing their phone number, to this website, they'll get a personalized message from Mr. Jackson himself that insists they see the film. I'm sure the process invites New Line to call them with all kinds of shit in the future, but when you hear the preview of the message they're going to leave, you'll understand why it's worth that risk. He really drives it home.
Aug 3 2006The First Six Minutes of The Illusionist
Want the experience of sneaking into a theater early, then immediately getting kicked out? Then watch the first six minutes of The Illusionist, now available at Yahoo. It's the ultimate cocktease for the Illusionist horny; the trailer equivalent of the quick backseat handjob that never reaches completion. And the first half of the handjob is wasted with just music and the names of the people who worked on the handjob, with no actual handjobbing, and you wonder why they didn't give you a better six minutes of the handjob that might make you want the rest of the handjob more.
Aug 2 2006Jackie Chan/Jet Li Team-Up Nearly Ready
Freddy vs. Jason, Alien vs. Predator, Batman vs. Superman, Penis vs. Vagina, and now Jackie Chan vs. Jet Li as the two kung fu cinema legends will finally share the the screen pending approval of a script, proving that if enough nerds keep talking about a fictional showdown, someone will eventually make it. Says Jack Chan:
All the hurdles have been overcome. The only problem left is the script. We need a script that he approves and I approve. If that goes well, shooting will start in March or April in Shanghai.
Luckily, I think I've got just the script for them. It starts with Jet Li fighting some guys, sometimes in slow motion. Eventually, Jackie Chan also fights some guys, but he hits some of them with kitchen appliances or other goofy things. Later, they team up to fight some more guys, leading up to a final fight with a blackbelt drug lord that killed some of their relatives. The last half hour is cuddling.
Aug 2 2006Clooney Visiting Pet Semetary
In a surprising casting event, Bloody Disgusting says George Clooney is in talks to take on a role in the upcoming remake of the Stephen King classic Pet Semetary:
George Clooney, the bad ass mofo from Dusk Till Dawn, will in in talks to play a role in Paramount Pictures' remake of Stephen King's Pet Sematary! What we don't know is how big of a role he has, but he will be in the film, which was written by Dave Kajganich, Mike Werb and Michael Colleary.
This is a big step up in star power compared to the original Pet Semetary, considering some of the previous stars were Fred "Herman Munster" Gwynne, Denise "Tasha Yar from Star Trek: TNG" Crosby, and Dale "Pet Semetary" Midkiff. The only reason I can see that Clooney would be willing to work on this is if he's been collecting so many animal carcasses through neglect that it will be easier to make a movie about it than take care of them.
Aug 2 2006International Wicker Man Poster
When designing this poster, there were a couple options for the image. One was, as seen in the film, an enormous, flaming, wicker figure looming over the countryside, a human being sacrificed in its innards. The other was Nic Cage wandering around a field like a buffoon. I think we can all see they made the right choice. Even when it seems wrong, the right choice is always Nic Cage.
Aug 1 2006The Dark Knight With Philip Seymour Hoffman as Penguin?
More Batman news! Does the movie have a title? Yes! It's The Dark Knight, bro! Is Heath Ledger officially The Joker? Sure! Is Philip Seymour Hoffman willing to play The Penguin!? Maybe! (says Batman on Film):
It seems Nolan has been listening to you guys when it comes to casting his other villain, however. I can confirm that an offer has been made to Phillip Seymour Hoffman for the role. Yet Hoffman has indicated that he may not get involved in the sequel.
As much as I like Philip Seymour Hoffman, he almost seems too obvious. When you're picking sort of a pudgy little guy for The Penguin, there aren't that many choices in Hollywood. The beautiful and famous tend to hate fatties. So, in case Philip Seymour Hoffman rejects the role, I'd like to be the first to congratulate Jason Alexander on winning the role of The Penguin by default. Sorry, Louie Anderson.
Aug 1 2006The Departed Arrives (in Trailer Form)
Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg and Martin Sheen headline the cast of Martin Scorsese's newest, The Departed, whose deceptive title falsely implies Scorsese has made some sort of departure from the genre of gangsters killing each other. Leo is a badass undercover cop trying to bust a mob boss, while Damon is an undercover criminal in the police department trying to uncover the police informer. You'd think he could have also uncovered that Leonardo DiCaprio is too much of a wuss to play a badass cop. Sure, his ripped new physique says "hard ass," but his peach fuzz still says "I slap when physically threatened."
Aug 1 2006Rambo IV Plot Has Depth
When you heard they were making a fourth Rambo movie, I bet you thought it was going to be another lame money-making attempt to squeeze the last blood out of First Blood with another two hours of Sylvester Stallone running around shirtless in a headband with an automatic firearm. Well, smart ass, you couldn't have been more wrong. I mean, I'm sure he's doing the gun and headband crap, but he's also leading a team of "young guns" that will appeal to today's youthful audiences!
So, the script that emerged -- a '"first draft"' Stallone has written with Art Monterastelli (The Hunted) -- finds Rambo living a monastic lifestyle in Bangkok and salvaging old PT boats and tanks for scrap metal. ("It's like he's stripping himself down," says the actor, pensively. "That old piece of military equipment.") When a group of volunteers bringing supplies into Burma disappears, a relative of one of the missing missionaries begs Rambo to find them. He heads off with a team of young guns, a plot point required by the financiers, who wanted to hedge against Rambo's possible mono-generational appeal.
They say they're worried about a mono-generational appeal, but shouldn't they really be more worried about a complete and utter lack of appeal? I've never met the person who saw Rambo 1 through 3 and felt there was a lot more story to tell. As if, as Rambo III came to a close, there was a guy saying, "Wait, why is he putting his shirt back on? That's it? I swear he had more guys to shoot. They'd better pick this one back up in a couple decades."
Come to think of, I've never even met the person who's seen Rambo 1 through 3 at all. I bet he has a lot of flashbacks.
