March 03, 2006
Casino Royale Photos
Over here, they've posted some new pictures from the set of Casino Royale, showing the look of James Bond, James Bond Girl, and James Bond Car, all together for the first time. After rumors of casting problems and a public outcry against Daniel Craig playing 007, there were some that doubted if this whole thing would work out at all. I'm happy to report that after seeing these images, I'm sure skeptics will finally see that Craig can pull-off standing awkwardly next to a car, looking schlumpy.
Previous Entries
Negadon English Trailer
If you haven't seen the English trailer for Negadon: The Monster From Mars, you just haven't lived. In the film, some kind of alien pod lands on Earth, releasing Negadon, who may or may not be from Mars. He starts destroying Japan, so the Japanese fight back the only way they know how: with a giant robot. I think even Japanese soap operas now involve giant fighting robots, but this film is fresh in that it doesn't also involve tentacle sex (in the trailer, at least). If this is what a culture based on video games and sexual repression creates, maybe they've got something right after all.
John Cusack Starring in Grace Is Gone
John Cusack has signed on to star in and produce a new indie film, Grace Is Gone. The drama, written and directed by James C. Strouse, tells the story of a father who, upon hearing that his wife has been killed in Iraq, takes his two daughters on a road trip. I'm sorry, but isn't this basically the plot to Over the Top without the arm wrestling? That's the best part! You're going to want to keep some of that arm wrestling in there. I can see why they wouldn't want it to be the main focus, but at least allude to it. Maybe the girls can be arguing about who's going to get shotgun on the trip, then it cuts to later, inside the car, and the girl in the back has had her forearm broken in half.
Zach Braff Remaking Open Hearts
Zach Braff has announced that his directorial follow-up to the indie success Garden State will be a remake of the Danish film Open Hearts. While Braff may make some changes, the original plot, according to the IMDB, is as follows:
Cecilie is devastated when her fiance Joachim is seriously injured in a car accident and is paralysed from the waist down. She begins an affair with Niels, a doctor at the hospital where Joachim is being treated. Their relationship is further complicated by the fact that the doctor's wife Marie was the driver that caused the accident in the first place.
The story sounds really interesting, but kind of heavy for Braff, whose Garden State mixed drama with light-hearted humor, so I'd like to help him add that quirky touch with a simple idea. Make the film with dogs. You're going to think this is crazy, but think about it. Which is quirkier: a man tragically paralyzed from the waist down, or a dog, wheels on his hindquarters, one of those cones around his head, chasing after a ball? Would you rather see a woman driving a car into a man, terrified that she's destroyed a life, or a dog, driving a special little dog car, with an expression that kind of says, "What am I doing driving a car??" And best of all, when the affair begins, instead of seeing humans passionately betray their spouses, you've got these dogs going at it, with Bob Saget doing that high-pitched voice from America's Funniest Home Videos, saying something about doggy-style. Just think about it, Zach.
Joss Whedon on Wonder Woman
Empire had the opportunity to talk to Joss Whedon about the future of Serenity and his progress on a Wonder Woman script. Because of its poor box office showing, he says, Serenity probably won't see a sequel for a while, if ever. Wonder Woman, on the other hand, is a work-in-progress:
I am still writing Wonder Woman. It is very awesome but incredibly unfinished, but I should be finishing that in a little while and then I'll have a better idea of which film is actually going into production. But I can tell you that the film will be about introducing you to Wonder Woman. She'll be wearing the outfit and there will be the bracelets, the golden lasso and Greek gods. She comes from a civilisation where she's rather perfect, so she's the opposite to Buffy in many ways, but she's going through an adolescent rite of passage because she's new to the world.
For me, the best news to come from the interview (besides that the script is "awesome") was that Wonder Woman will be wearing the outfit-- bracelets, lasso and all. To try to update it would not only disrespect the comic creators and piss-off comic fans, but also mess with a lot of my early sexual fantasies, many of which I still "use" today. Which is why I'm also campaigning for Wonder Woman to be played by my seventh grade teacher, Mrs. Dennison.
James Cameron Speaks of Things to Come
Ain't It Cool News has posted some information straight from James Cameron about digital technologies, shooting in 3-D, and most importantly, what's coming next from the director. Project 880, Cameron's recently announced film, is actually a retooling of his Avatar treatment from a few years ago, set in a new alien world. Who knew? Battle Angel Alita, which he plans as a trilogy, is still on his plate as well, but he's not yet sure which will be done first.
So in summary, his next projects will be a sci-fi story on an alien planet and an adaptation of a Manga series, making the only logical next film for Cameron a static shot of him giving some nerd a handjob. Instead, he's making some crap about diving. To each their own.
