Flixens - Suspense

New Bond: "Royale" With Some Cheese

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 17:33:35 -0800

Ian Fleming's licensed-to-kill superspy James Bond is back in both his first and his latest adventure in Casino Royale, the reboot of the venerable film franchise that shows no sign of mellowing with age.

It seems as if each time a new Bond film comes out, the nay-sayers reiterate how Bond has become an anachronism and that his adventures have become old hat. Daniel Craig's debut as 007 will be the main reason that people go to see the movie, I'm sure. I'm happy to report that Craig fills out the tuxedo quite nicely, thank you, dare I say even delivering the best Bond since Sean Connery? At least, I think he's closer to Fleming's original character than Pierce Brosnan and certainly Roger Moore... rougher than either but smoother than Timothy Dalton.

The plot of the film is relatively straight-forward and uncharacteristically low-key. After earning his 00-status and his licence to kill (after fulfilling the 2-kill prerequisite which we've all seen in the trailer, James Bond is assigned his first mission, which takes him to Madagascar to capture a bomb-making terrorist, played by real-life "freerunner" Sebastien Foucan. Simply put, freerunning is the art of running as fast as you can, avoiding all obstacles in your path as gracefully as possible, and Foucan is the inventor of the sport. His talents are put to incredible use in the film's first big action sequence (there are only three). I've never seen anyone move quite like Foucan before, and the sequence is both thrilling and mesmerizing.

Bond sort of blunders the mission and earns the disdain of M, played once again by Dame Judi Dench. Trying to set things right, James teams up with Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), one of Her Majesty's Treasury agents and eventually gets involved in a game of high-stakes poker in Montenegro with Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelson), a global money-launderer to various terrorist organizations who just so happens to be gambling with his clients' money. James' hopes to beat Le Chiffre at his own game in order to leave the villain no safe purchase in the world except with MI6's interrogators.

If you are familiar with the story, then you will know there are some twists along the way, but nothing you won't see coming down Fleet Street.

For the most part, the film succeeds in its mission. As I said, Craig makes a great Bond, the locales are gorgeous and places we will never see otherwise, the stunts are physical (Craig may be the most bloodied and bruised Bond yet), and the story is interesting.

The film falls apart in its final act, which suffers from "LOTR Multiple Ending Syndrome" and just about grinds to a halt before the 3rd and final action piece. At 144 minutes, it's about 20 minutes longer than it needs to be, and could have used some judicious editing to keep the momentum going.

Long-time fans may be upset to see Texas Hold 'Em being played instead of Baccarat, or by the absence of Q and his gadgets and Miss Moneypenny, or by the jumbled timeline of Bond's first mission with the M who replaced a previous M, but it is nice to see Bond back in his Aston Martin again (sorry BMW), and there are some nice moments related to previous Bond traditions, i.e. his response to "Shaken or stirred?" is perfect.

Oh, and it's a Columbia Picture, so get ready for the Sony product placements that we've all come to know and despise. The film is loaded with them, although I was honestly surprised that the PS3 wasn't a major plot point. There may be hope for Sony yet.

Harry Potter:OOTP One-Sheet Revealed!

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 13:27:00 -0800

It's been a while since we had a Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix update... but Warner Bros. has released the teaser poster for the upcoming fifth film in the film franchise based on J.K. Rowling's wizarding hero.

The poster features Ralph Fiennes as none other than the insidious Lord Voldemort warning us that "you will lose everything."

Hoping to entice people to go see the animated penguin 2D 3D film, Warner Bros. will debut the OOTP trailer before Happy Feet tomorrow (Nov. 17).

King Kong: Bling, Long

Mon, 13 Nov 2006 08:27:43 -0800

The 3-disc Deluxe, Extended Edition of Peter Jackson's King Kong hits the DVD streets tomorrow, featuring a commentary track with director Peter Jackson and co-writer Philippa Boyens, 13 minutes of additional, completed footage, 38 minutes of deleted scenes, the 8-part documentary "Re-Creating the Eighth Wonder: The Making of King Kong", "A Night in Vaudeville" featurette, pre-viz animatics, electronic versions of the 1996 and 2005 versions of the script, bloopers, design galleries, and more (including a cool Kong statue depending on which version you buy).

You may remember my original review of the film, which I enjoyed, despite its flaws. I'll be the first to admit, it's very hard for me to be completely objective about a Kong film. Remember, I'm the kind of girl who can sit at home and watch a double-feature of King Kong vs. Godzilla and King Kong Escapes in all their man-in-suit glory and actually enjoy them.

But I'm curious to know how many of you are planning on buying the new double-dip. Jackson's film was overly long, by most accounts, so do we really need 13 more minutes of additional footage (plus over a half-hour of deleted scenes)?

Put me in the "Yes" column, I guess. I've been dying to see the "raft" sequence ever since it was cut out of the original release, only to find its way back onto the new DVD. Plus, as complete as the Production Diaries were, they weren't nearly as complete as the behind-the-scenes features on the Lord of the Rings extended editions. THIS is the edition I've been waiting for.

I can't help it. I am weak.

EXCLUSIVE: Animated Hellboy Triple Play?

Sun, 12 Nov 2006 16:35:30 -0800

A couple of weeks ago, Nina and I were fortunate enough to interview director Tad Stones just before the world-premiere of his Hellboy: The Sword of Storms on the Cartoon Network. Hopefully you were one of the lucky ones to see the film, which offered up a totally new take on Hellboy and his trippy cohorts, fish-man Abe Sapien and fire-starter Liz Sherman. Personally, I'm looking forward to the DVD release, which will arrive soon enough, commercial-free and chock full of extras.

I had an opportunity to chat with Tad after the premiere about The Sword of Storm's reception by the fans, the upcoming DVD, and the second animated Hellboy feature, Hellboy: Blood and Iron. Imagine my surprise when Tad dropped a little scoop right into my lap about a third animated Hellboy film... and more! Read on...

Movie MILF: Hello Tad! It's so nice of you to take time out of your busy schedule to chat with us again. I take it your family survived the premiere?

Tad Stones: Nice to talk to you again. Family’s fine except for the fact our water heater decided to break at 2am and spill forty gallons of hot water on the floor. Luckily my wife was up working on a writing project. Much sponging and mopping followed but the wood floor will never be the same. The repairman turned out to be a Darkwing Duck fan but we didn’t get a break on the bill (I will avoid any puns). Sooner or later that has to pay off for me.

MM: About Hellboy: The Sword of Storms... I did think it was strange that the Cartoon Network didn't really promote the film. That's a shame, as I know a lot of people (judging from internet forums) didn't even know it would be on. We DID tried to do our part by getting the word out!

TS: And I appreciate that, the bribe is in the mail. As to promotion on Cartoon Network, they're in a weird spot. They've bought some older skewing movies like Hellboy and the Ultimate Avengers but the rest of their line up is much younger. So from the programmers point of view, advertising a red demon who says, “Screw you,” during Pokemon or My Gym Partner is a Monkey is inviting trouble. So they only advertise where it fits the audience... which turned out to be not very many places.

MM: Hopefully response to the DVD will be good and CN will be encouraged to beef up promotion for the 2nd film.

TS: Well, the same restrictions will apply but I’m really encouraged that so many people who were talking about it online and mentioned they wanted to buy the DVD. We’re trying to pack it with extras. We’re hobbled by not having had cameras shooting the work as we were in productions but there are lots of interviews. If you’re a fan, it’s a place to find lots of Mike Mignola talking about Hellboy in all his forms.

MM: You mention in your online production diary that Mike is on the commentary track as well.

TS: Yes, Mike, Phil Weistein and I recorded it weeks ago. Mostly me saying "What I should have done is..." Mike had only seen part of the movie when he did the commentary so you get some of his first reactions to the final film. I trust Starz will put enough promotion bucks into the marketing so no fan will miss hearing about the DVD.

MM: So what's happening with the second animated Hellboy film then?

TS: We’re editing Hellboy: Blood and Iron right now. I’m working on getting permission to make the movie a couple of minutes shorter. That may sound like you’re getting less value for your money but it’s the opposite. We don’t have the extra camera coverage that a live action film has so if I want to trim frames from a scene or cut a scene completely to improve the action I’m hard pressed to replace the footage. My goal is to get the longest film possible, but I don’t want it flabby.

This movie is soooooooooo different from the first it makes me nervous.

MM: Can't wait! I really enjoyed Hellboy: Sword of Storms. What do you have planned after Blood and Iron? Taking a much-deserved rest I assume...

TS: I’ve been approved to work on the script of the next Hellboy movie. Mike and I know the villain story which is chock full of cool stuff and evil plans. There will be many characters from the comics and you’ll see the animated version of Hellboy’s origin. We still have to work out how we will tell the story and the emotional elements that will affect our heroes. We know Hellboy, Kate and Broom will be in it, we’re not sure who else. But there’s no green light on the actual production. I’m assuming that will have to wait for the reports of DVD sales.

In the meantime, I’ve been approached to guide the animated adventures of another comic book hero, one of the biggest in comics in fact. But no deals have been signed yet.

MM: "Biggest" as in popular, or as in size? I mean, are we talking "Wolverine" big or "Galactus" big? And a third Hellboy film? Hmm... I think I just figured out the angle for our next chat! Until then, thanks for the scoops!

TS: Always fun talking to the Flixens! Say “Hi” to Nina for me.

MM: Hey, she can get her OWN interview... this is so MY moment! Toodles!

Lohan Lines Up Next Production to Cause Problems In

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 03:16:31 -0800

Lindsay Lohan, fresh off a media scolding for her behavior on the set of Georgia Rule, has already lined up her next project where she can act like a child and delay production and be threatened by the producers and then have her mother complain that she's being "singled out".

The Hollywood Reporter says that Lohan has agreed to star in I Know Who Killed Me, a suspense thriller about a woman who is rescued after being abducted and tortured by a serial killer. Upon returning home, she claims to be someone else, leading to questions about whether she is suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or whether something more insidious is happening to her.

Lohan is reportedly preparing for her role by binge-drinking and staying out late partying every night.

Producers expect her to arrive late to the set starting next month.

Dunst's "Jealous Ghost" Sees Green

Tue, 07 Nov 2006 04:01:15 -0800

Kirsten Dunst will star in and produce the supernatural thriller A Jealous Ghost, a story about a woman studying in London who begins dating one of her professors, after which she begins seeing demons, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The film is based on a book by author A. N. Wilson, but is expected to deviate from the book with the adaptation consciously dropping some characters and plot points in favor of some created specifically for the film.

Dunst was reportedly interested in starring in a supernatural suspenseful film like The Shining or Repulsion, probably after seeing how films like that have kept Sarah Michelle Gellar in business, most likely thinking about life AFTER Spider-Man.

Considering that the last thriller she starred in was Interview With a Vampire, which launched her career (and rightfully so), I'd say it's about time she went back to her "roots."

The only thing is, with that plot synopsis and the title of the book/movie, don't we already know everything we need to know about the film? It's a bit like calling The Shining "Haunted Hotel," isn't it?

De Niro's Career Officially Over

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 06:20:58 -0800

We've all witnessed the long, slow slide to mediocrity that is Robert De Niro's post-Goodfellas career. What was once the finest actor of his generation has now become a parody of his former self, most recently slumming in movies like Analyze This/That and Meet the Parents/Fokkers, and Shark Tale.

Well, the decline has finally hit rock bottom I think, with news from the Hollywood Reporter about De Niro's latest project, New Orleans, with a plot right out of The Simpsons' fictional "McBain" series of cop films.

De Niro will play a veteran cop whose partner was not lost in Hurricane Katrina, but gunned down, and he gets teamed up with a new partner, played by 50 Cent, to find the real killer, ultimately leading him to the world of... wait for it.... police corruption!

You can just hear McBain shouting "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" or "Mendooooooooooooozaaaaaa!" already, can't you?

And hasn't the old white guy/hip black dude buddy cop formula pretty much been beaten into the ground?

Across the Pond, November 2, 2006

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 06:04:38 -0800

Hello everyone... Nina here to present another installment of "Across the Pond," Dominique Taylor's semi-regular column focusing on the UK entertainment scene. This week, Dominique has a seasonal rant about the lack of quality Halloween programming, a subject near and dear to my heart...

Like Halloween Never Happened

By Dominique Taylor

Halloween may have come and gone, but that does not remove the bitter taste in my mouth left from the sad excuse that was Halloween TV in the UK. Does anyone else remember the days of an entire weekend dedicated to witches, vampires and anything that went bump in the night? Does it not create a warm glow in your stomach when you think back to afternoons at home with your pumpkin watching family-friendly films like Hocus Pocus? Do you not fondly remember the fear as a child that you might just watch the telly a little too late on October the 31st and be traumatised for life by the image of a blood-drenched creature of the night?

It’s not that the films have to be good, they just need to be there. You know things aren’t right when no one is even showing Halloween! My idea is simply show the first instalment of any horror franchise and you cannot go wrong, just with Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Poltergeist and the aforementioned, you’ve made up around 8 hours. Throw in some classics: Beetlejuice, Witches of Eastwick; mix in some kiddies films: Harry Potter, The Curse of the Were Rabbit; and then season with chillers like Psycho and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? and you’ve got a gorgeous goo of bottled terror. And even then I know I’ve missed loads!

So just for fun, or maybe even to post to some TV execs for next year, I’d love to hear everyone’s most beloved Horror movies if you had control of the Halloween schedule from midday till 2. I know it’s gone, but I’m way too angry to let this go.

Dougie Digs "Pan's Labryinth"

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 12:52:03 -0800

Hi everyone, Nina here with a quick review from our favorite UK-er Dougie, who was kind enough to send us a review of Guillermo del Toro's latest film, Pan's Labryinth. We've all been looking forward to this one, and Dougie says it does not disappoint. Too bad, considering that it would have been cute to say "Dougie Pans Labryinth!" if he didn't like it. Oh well. Read on!

Remember when you were young, and because your parents were no good at remembering bedtime stories, they'd make one up, to try and get you to sleep. Remember how they always had huge plot holes, no real flow to the plot, and unimaginative characters. After watching Pan's Labyrinth, I kind of wish Guillermo del Toro was my dad.

It's Spain, 1944. a young girl (Ivana Baquero), her pregnant mother and strict stepfather move to the countryside. Captain Vidal (Sergi López), the stepfather, has been posted there to rid the area of rebels. Upon exploring her new home, young Ofelia discovers an ancient labyrinth guarded by a faun (Doug Jones), who sends the girl on a life-changing quest.

How good a story is that? And, as an added bonus, none of my relatives or friends play badger versions of themselves, like the made-up bedtime stories I was once told.

I've been looking forward to this film for some time now, and was not disappointed. Scene after scene, the movie is simultaneously mercilessly cold, and strikingly beautiful. Even during the darkest parts, del Toro's love for his project warms the screen.

And let me assure you, its a dark, dark film. There's extreme violence in Ofelia's real world, and when she attempts to enter the magical land through the labyrinth, she is constantly confronted by gruesome creatures that would be better suited in a trip to Narnia fuelled by the type of nightmares experienced by eating a lot of cheese right before bedtime.

Doug Jones is back as del Toro's bitch, excellently playing both the faun (Pan, himself), and The Pale Man (who you should never trick into a hi-5). With Jones returning for the Hellboy sequel, he really becoming the Serkis to Guillermo's Peter Jackson. I wonder who would win in a fight between the two. I reckon Serkis, if only because he seems like a biter.

My one real problem with the film is that I don't speak Spanish that well. I have to rely on the subtitles (under no circumstances should this film be dubbed), but my eyes kept drifting from the text, to the on-screen action, meaning I often missed out on what could be an important piece of dialogue.

If only I had a babelfish....

Just as great a movie as I had hoped for, everyone go see! Five fauns out of five for Del Toro and his wonderfully twisted, dark little bedtime story.

"Moon Knight" Shines on TV

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 10:58:01 -0700

Way back in April, Jenny From Canada reviewed the debut issue of Marvel's Moon Knight reboot. She liked it, so she'll probably like this news...

Marvel Entertainment Inc. has announced that it will be bringing the adventures of Moon Knight to television with a live-action series, in conjunction with Larry Sugar of Vancouver-based No Equal Entertainment.

Moon Knight tells the story of Marc Spector, a soldier-of-fortune turned superhero after an encounter with the Egyptian God of Venegance and the moon god Konshu. His first appearance was in the original Werewolf By Night series where his silver weapons inflicted their anti-lycanthropic effects on Jack Russell's lupine alter-ego. In his new series, Moon Knight is sort of a cross between Batman, Fox Mulder, and Karl Kolchak.

"'Moon Knight' has all the elements for an engaging television series. No Equal Entertainment has a real passion for the project and an amazing vision of how to bring the character and storyline to life that will appeal to action and sci-fi enthusiasts," said Marvel's David Maisel.

Sugar added, "We are delighted to be in business with Marvel Entertainment and believe that 'Moon Knight' will make a compelling and long-lasting television series."

Let's hope it does better than Blade.

Walden Media Conjures Up Houdini's Spirit

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 04:12:31 -0700

What a novel idea... a major studio has actually come up with an original idea, not a remake, not a book adaptation, etc.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Walden Media has attached director Mark Waters (Mean Girls, Spiderwick Chronicles, Freaky Friday) to helm a project conceived at the studio about a 14-year-old boy who discovers he is the descendant of the great turn-of-the-century illusionist and escape artist Harry Houdini. He then embarks on a quest to uncover the many secrets that Houdini was trying to protect.

Okay, so it's a little bit like The DaVinci Code. But still, I just love the idea that it will bring Houdini back into the public consciousness. He's always held a certain fascination for me.

"Beowulf" Cleaves 3D Release Records

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 07:35:22 -0700

Beowulf, Robert Zemeckis' digital adaptation of the classic 9th-century Anglo-Saxon poem is set to hit theaters November 16, 2007, debuting day-and-date in over 1000 Real D theaters as well as other large-format 3D screens (i.e. IMAX), making it the largest 3D release ever, says the Hollywood Reporter.

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty excited for this film. To be honest, I haven't been a big fan of Zemeckis since his Back to the Future days, but I do like his "damn the torpedoes" approach to digital filmmaking. Plus, it will give me a chance to actually see what I should have read in high school, but didn't. I expect that Zemeckis' motion capture technique, will really be able to bring this story to life in a way that the Cliff's Notes never could. I mean, I know the basic gist... Beowulf, the great hero, chops off a monster's arm and then kills the mother. It SOUNDS exciting, but reading Old English just isn't my cup of tea. Wasn't that what the Canterbury Tales was written in? Although I remember some of the boys in my class laughing that Chaucer talked about farting. Who knew?

The script is from Roger Avary and Neil Gaman, so how can you go wrong there? Plus, there will be NO digital Tom Hanks, with his dead, soulless eyes, like in Zemeckis' CGI Polar Express. In fact, apparently this film will use a technique called "electrooculography," or EOG, where the performance capture involves placing tiny sensors around the actor's eyes to catch tiny eye movements.

AND I'm excited to see Angelina Jolie show off her monstrous and vicious motherly instincts as well. You just KNOW she has them...

Oh, and if you're curious to know if you live near a Real D theater, check the map.

"Factor X" Gets Bana and Howard

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 06:38:06 -0700

Terrence Howard is Hollywood's latest rising star, it would seem. After earning an Academy Award nomination for his performance in Hustle & Flow, he recently signed on to play Tony Stark's buddy Jim Rhodes in Jon Favreau's Iron Man. Now he's turning his eyes towards America's Heartland for Factor X, based on the Kansas serial killer Dennis Rader, a.k.a. "BTK", according to the Hollywood Reporter.

BTK, which stood for "Bind, Torture, Kill," was the M.O. for Rader, an animal control officer and church official, who stalked the Wichita, KS area between 1974 and 1991, killing at least 10 people that he confessed to. He taunted the media at the time with various twisted communications indicating that "Factor X" was what was causing him to commit such heinous crimes. He resurfaced in 2004, possibly due to a desire to be caught or due to a lack of attention, restarting a series of communications with the media again. This ultimately led to his capture in 2005, and his ultimate sentencing to serve out ten consecutive life terms, not being eligible for parole until after 175 years, because Kansas has no death penalty.

Factor X, from New Line Cinema, will tell the story of real-life counter-terrorism expert Stanley Campbell, and how he developed a mathematical data reduction model to weed out possible suspects. Howard will play the part of Campbell, while ex-Hulkster Eric Bana will play a Wichita police detective who teams up with Campbell to try and solve the case.

Campbell apparently was reluctant to sell his story, but eventually gave in to writer Gregory Allen Howard after Howard assured him he would not write an exploitative script.

I always thought Rader got off easy, based on his crimes and his description of them at his trial. Too bad Kansas didn't have a death penalty.

From "Deadwood" to "Die Hard"

Fri, 20 Oct 2006 05:51:09 -0700

Timothy Olyphant, who so awesomely played Seth Bullock on HBO's Deadwood, has lined up his next gig, according to the Hollywood Reporter. He'll play Bruce Willis' nemesis in the upcoming Live Free or Die Hard, the fourth installment of the popular adventures of John McClane.

The plot for this outing sounds like it was written on the back of a napkin, but then again, the Die Hard films have never really been about plot. This time around, a mysterious computer virus attack begins to shut down the entire United States' infrastructure. But while the villain has taken into account the digital side of things, he didn't count on a good, ol'-fashioned analag ass-whoopin' by ex-cop John McClane.

I was only about 9 when the first Die Hard came out, so it wasn't until a few years later that I actually saw it uncut, and I have to say I really enjoyed it. I wasn't too crazy about the other two, especially the one that took place in the airport, which was ludicrous. And while Bruce is getting pretty "long in the tooth" to play the action hero, I do love Tim Olyphant.

Oh and the story also says something about Mary Elizabeth Winstead being cast as McClane's daughter.

Did I mention Timothy Olyphant was in this one?

Across the Pond, October 19, 2006

Thu, 19 Oct 2006 10:05:40 -0700

Hello everyone... Nina here to present another installment of "Across the Pond," Dominique Taylor's semi-regular column focusing on the UK entertainment scene. This week, Dominique is fresh from the preview of The History Boys, where she had a chance to meet the director and the titular "boys".

"Red Road" to London Film Festival

By Dominique Taylor

This week sees the opening of the 50th London Film Festival. The event is organised by the British Film Institute and will showcase over 500 films from more than 50 countries over the next two weeks. However, it is not the festival as a whole I want to focus on this week, but more one of the films that it will be screening: Andrea Arnold’s Red Road, a film set in Glasgow which tells the story of a CCTV operator who is forced to confront her past when a figure from it appears on camera.

Andrea has already won an Academy Award for her short film Wasp, and her latest offering is seemingly as popular, winning the Prix Du Jury at Cannes. But this film is not entirely Andrea’s. Instead it is part of ‘Advance Party’, a project thought up by Lars von Trier, which has challenged three directors to come up with three different films using the same group of characters. Andrea’s is the first and she told a local paper, Bexley Express: “I wrote three treatments and asked everyone involved to pick the treatment they liked most. They all picked the darker one. This became Red Road.”

Sigma Films in Glasgow and Zentropa in Denmark, who have a long-running relationship of co-production, are fronting the project and BAFTA winner Morag McKinnon and Danish director Mikkel Norgaard will direct the next two films. They are both to be set in Scotland and there are strict rules that the project must be finished in six weeks (an element that caused major problems for Andrea who was shooting in winter).

Red Road will be released across the UK by Verve Pictures on 27 October, or, of course it can be caught at the London Film Festival. Watch this space for information on the next two instalments or visit www.sigmafilms.co.uk. I’m confident good things happen in threes.

You can also check out news from the London Film Festival at www.bfi.org.uk.

Thanks Dominique! After reading this, I did some poking around and found a very nice interview with Andrea Arnold over at Guardian Unlimited.