Posted Jan 6th 2009 3:02PM by Jessica Barnes
Filed under: Horror, Lionsgate Films, Remakes and Sequels, Images
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No matter what I say, I think most of us out there are never going to believe that the follow-up to
Neil Marshall's
The Descent could ever live up to the original. But, these latest stills from
the sequel certainly make me feel a little better about the whole idea -- well, that and the fact that Marshall acted as a 'hands-on' producer for the flick. Still photographer
Ollie Upton recently released a whole whack of still photographs from the flick on his website (check them out below) and it looks like things certainly haven't gotten any better for our heroine since we last saw her.
James Watkins' (
My Little Eye) script centers on Sarah Carter (
Shauna Macdonald), who has emerged from the Appalachian cave covered in her friend's blood, and borderline catatonic. When she is forced to go back down in the caves to help locate her missing companions, she is haunted by visions of what had happened, and as the rescue party ventures further into the caves, Sarah starts to lose her grip on reality. Of course, you can count on the 'Crawlers' making another appearance, and from then on you know things are going to go bad ... very, very, bad.
The Descent: Part 2 will be released in the UK on May 15th, but so far there have been no dates announced for North America. Stay tuned to
Cinematical for any updates on a US release, otherwise, those of us on this side of the pond might have to wait for the DVD.
Posted Dec 30th 2008 8:32PM by William Goss
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Foreign Language, Horror, Independent, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Mystery & Suspense, Disney, Lionsgate Films, Magnolia, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Brothers, Fandom, Focus Features, 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight, Family Films, Dreamworks, Cinematical Seven, Comic/Superhero/Geek
When we were kicking around ideas for
year-end superlative Cinematical Sevens, I was proudly tasked with chronicling the year's finest in big-screen mayhem, violence, destruction and other such shenanigans. When I was kicking around ideas for said feature between me, myself, and I, there were too many titles to leave off the list, so instead of highlighting only a mere couple of movies, I've opted to sort these puppies out by specific manner of cinematic excess.
So there.
1. Most pervasive destruction - The Joker may have terrorized Gotham to the tune of a destroyed hospital, a wrecked helicopter, a sunken SWAT truck, a toasty fire engine, and a golden district attorney, but even he can't top the
Cloverfield monster's swath of destruction across the real-life Gotham. Statue of Liberty? Gone. Brooklyn Bridge? History. Central Park? Adios. And that's not including all the Hollister stores that our protagonists might've fled to. (On a smaller scale, though,
Inside's lady in black terrorizes a pregnant woman on Christmas Eve to the point of all but painting every last wall in her house with the blood of her victims. Gotta love the French!)
Continue reading Cinematical Seven: Best Mayhem of 2008
Posted Dec 26th 2008 5:03PM by Scott Weinberg
Filed under: Action, Drama, Noir, Lionsgate Films, Theatrical Reviews, Comic/Superhero/Geek
With all due respect to the monumentally talented
Frank Miller, I'm just going to lay it out clear: I don't think the man is cut out to direct movies. At all. I've always suspected that Mr. Miller earned a co-director credit on
Sin City because A) it's his baby, B) having Miller involved helps the film come release time, and C) Robert Rodriguez is a classy dude. But have you ever wondered what
Sin City would look like if Rodriguez was out of the picture? Wonder no more, comic fans: Frank Miller has directed a film all by himself ... and it really isn't good.
Looking for slick-looking white-on-black panorama shots of a square-jawed hero as he leaps across the city rooftops? Anxious to get a lot of hot young actresses into sexy outfits? Into highly-stylized pulp dialog that sounds like outtakes from a Dick Tracy comic? Then apparently Frank Miller is your man. Taken as a series of unrelated sequences that sure LOOK cool,
The Spirit might just float your boat. If, however, you like your films to include stuff like good sense, character development, internal logic, and a smooth-flowing story ... well, all I can say is that someone should have gotten Robert Rodriguez on the phone.
Continue reading Review: The Spirit
Posted Dec 16th 2008 1:45PM by William Goss
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Awards, Mystery & Suspense, Disney, Lionsgate Films, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Remakes and Sequels, War
As the season marches on, 'for your consideration' ads litter the trades and various awards analysis websites. However, there aren't nearly enough campaigns for the year's worst performances.
You have your obnoxious kids (Jaden Smith in
The Day The Earth Stood Still, Logan Lerman in
Meet Bill). You have your touched individuals who straddle the line between functional and, ahem, '
full retard' (Sophie Okonedo in
The Secret Life of Bees, Omar Benson Miller in
Miracle at St. Anna, David Morse in
Hounddog). You've got your guys that give 'insane' a bad name (Jason Butler Harner in
Changeling, Donny Osmond in
College Road Trip), and you've got your girls that give English a bad name (Ahney Her in
Gran Torino, Natalya Rudakova in
Transporter 3).
Oh, and then there's just about the entire cast of
The Happening. (If I had to pick just one person, though, I'd go with the gardener who babbles on about hot dogs. The man's priceless.)
So, unless we're about to let
Witless Protection sweep
the Razzies, what were some of your least favorite performances of the year?
Posted Dec 15th 2008 9:02PM by Scott Weinberg
Filed under: Action, Animation, Classics, Comedy, Drama, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Mystery & Suspense, Disney, IFC, Lionsgate Films, Universal, Warner Brothers, Festival Reports, Fandom, Focus Features, Family Films, Brad Pitt, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, War
I don't need much of an excuse to visit Austin, Texas. Find me an event that A) strings more than four movies together, and B) takes place at one of the
Alamo Drafthouse movie theaters, and there's a good chance I'm checking my bank account, desperately scrambling for flight money. But despite the fact that I've done five
SXSW visits, three
Fantastic Fest trips, and a few more Austin journeys just for the heck of it ... I'd never attended a BNAT shindig. But I made it to the tenth annual
Butt-Numb-a-Thon, and of course I had a damn good time once it got rolling.
Let's just do a quick run-through, chronologically speaking, and I'm listing just the FULL movies here. At the end I'll go over the various clips we were treated to...
Continue reading Tales of a BNAT Newbie
Posted Dec 15th 2008 7:02PM by William Goss
Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Lionsgate Films, Trailers and Clips, Posters
So very often, we here at
Cinematical field comments that are directed specifically to whoever a post was about -- as if Star X or Director Y were reporting about themselves, or as if we hoard e-mail information for any given celebrity and pass word on with great frequency. Having written just
one review, though, of a
Tyler Perry movie, none of my other posts have yet to have so many remarks addressed directly to the writer-director-producer-star-caterer than that one.
Still, so long as Tyler Perry and his filmed plays are around, we'll have posters and trailers that demonstrate just how ungainly his blend of broad slapstick and gospel-laced melodrama is over the course of a mere two minutes, let alone two hours. Case in point: next February's
Madea Goes to Jail. On the one hand, we have the poster (click below to enlarge), with the risible imagery of a dove made out of smoke framing the face of Madea (Perry in drag), a character known primarily for being racuous, shrill, anything but saintly. On the other, we have
this trailer by way of Yahoo! Movies, which runs the gamut from Madea bickering with Dr. Phil and sticking it to noxious honkies to straight-up preaching to prostitutes in prison.
For some people, it's everything that they hope for out of a Tyler Perry offering. For others, it's everything that they dread.
Madea Goes to Jail on Feburary 20th, and I just wanted you to know, Mr. Perry, that I'll try to find my own "Get Out of
Jail Free" card by then.
Posted Dec 7th 2008 4:33PM by Peter Martin
Filed under: Action, Lionsgate Films, Fandom
Who do you prefer: Frank Martin (Jason Statham in Transporter 3) or Frank Castle (Ray Stevenson in Punisher: War Zone)? While munching popcorn at my local multiplex on Friday night, I realized that both movies I was watching featured lead characters named Frank! Since both flicks were disappointing to various degrees (as explained at length by William Goss and Eric D. Snider), my mind wandered and I began imagining a movie in which the two battled to the death. Call it Frank vs. Frank.
If that calls to mind the horror movie stand-off Freddy vs. Jason, you're not far off from my idle imaginings. In fact, the extreme body count and ultra-violence inflicted by Frank Castle -- I can't remember when I've seen so many blown-apart faces and shotgunned heads -- means that Punisher: War Zone closely resembles an 80s slasher movie. Of course, Transporter Frank would rather avoid violence altogether, but he too manages to lay waste to dozens of bad guys.
Both Franks live by their own set of rules: Transporter Frank insists on no names, no opening the package, and no changing the deal, while Punisher Frank only kills criminals who deserve to die -- which is all of them, but still, it's a rule. Both men prefer to work alone. And both men enforce their own dress code: Transporter Frank wears a black suit, white shirt, and black tie, while Punisher Frank wears a skull on his full-length costume (admittedly, not so prominent in the latest version).
I know who'd win in my movie version, but I thought I'd throw it out there to my fellow action movie junkies. Who would win: the more cerebral, 'let me alone, I want to retire' Transporter Frank? Or the merciless, 'forever hell bent on vengeance' Punisher Frank?
Posted Dec 5th 2008 12:45PM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Noir, Lionsgate Films, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger, Fandom, Scripts, The Weinstein Co., Newsstand, Dreamworks, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels
- Thanks to the Valkyrie junkets, Bryan Singer is having to talk about the Superman reboot. UGO pinned him down, and the answers were noncommittal to say the least. At this point, he is not "officially involved" but is not divorced from Superman. "You know, I have relationships with Warner Brothers and with the character and, and, and, and it's just the way things work out. " Doesn't sound hopeful, does it?
- If Punisher: War Zone does well, you'll see a return of Ray Stevenson in the title role -- and Stevenson, who was unfamiliar with Frank Castle and comics in general, already has his favorite stories picked out. "I'm signed up. We'll have to see if this works, but we'd all love to see the franchise continue, and there's certainly stories to tell. There's a storyline about white slavers and prostitution that I loved. There was also a series where he gets out of the States and goes to Afghanistan. The Man of Stone sequence in connection with the SAS guy. There's a great character who's a law enforcement agent, the wife of a double agent. She's a fantastic character --very in your face -- and I'd love to do something with her. We'll see what happens with this one." [Mania.com]
- Speaking of sequels, both Frank Miller and Mickey Rourke are, like most of the world, ready for Sin City 2. Miller told IGN.uk that the script is finished, that it's a matter of working out production details -- but they could start shooting as early as April. Rourke merely told MTV that he was ready. Way back in July, Robert Rodriguez smiled coyly and said he was "reassessing," being focused on a fall project that never was revealed. Anyone else think Sin City is as finished as our Thanksgiving turkey? Then again, with Miller having director cred now, he might just take it over altogether.
Continue reading Geek Daily: Bryan Singer & Superman, Punisher's Future, and More
Posted Dec 5th 2008 9:03AM by Eric D. Snider
Filed under: Action, New Releases, Lionsgate Films, Theatrical Reviews, Comic/Superhero/Geek
Punisher: War Zone is proof of just how tenacious the people at Marvel Comics are. They're going to keep remaking and rebooting their characters' franchises
whether anyone likes it or not!This is the third time they've taken a stab at Frank Castle, aka the Punisher, the sourpuss vigilante who's been murdering villains in comic books for over 30 years. The
first film, in 1989, starred Dolph Lundgren. It turned out as well as could be expected, considering it starred Dolph Lundgren. The
reboot, in 2004, starred Thomas Jane and was ridiculed by critics and ignored by audiences.
But hey, third time's the charm, right?
Punisher: War Zone, which is as laughably campy and violent as ever, follows the same procedure as this summer's
Incredible Hulk in that it's not another origin story, but it's not really a sequel to the last entry, either. 2004's
Punisher had Castle's entire extended family being murdered; here, it was only his wife and children. Maybe they realized it's hard to relate to a guy being upset that his mother-in-law was killed.
Castle, now played personality-free by
Ray Stevenson (HBO's
Rome), has been living in the shadows of New York City and killing bad guys for either four years or five years, depending on which character in the movie you ask. He has an endless stockpile of weapons and some military training. He also has a serious grudge against organized crime -- not just the specific Mafiosi who murdered his family (he dispatched them long ago), but all Italian-named thugs, gangsters, and racketeers.
His primary opponent this time is Billy "the Beaut" Russoti (
Dominic West), who renames himself Jigsaw after suffering a Punisher-related accident that tears up his face. An undercover FBI agent is killed during the same scuffle, which Castle feels incredibly guilty about. That guy had a wife and kid, after all! Of course, so did many of the hundreds of criminals Castle has murdered over the last four/five years, but never mind.
Continue reading Review: Punisher: War Zone
Posted Dec 4th 2008 11:03AM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Thrillers, Lionsgate Films, Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels
Finally, someone at the
Punisher: War Zone premiere asked
Lexi Alexander the big question -- what the hell was all that "taking your name off the film" talk? Give a hand to
SciFi Wire for doing so.
Alexander's answer managed to confirm and deny the post-ComicCon drama that surrounded
Punisher: War Zone. "No, no, I never was going to take my name off the film. Let me say this. Harry Knowles [of Ain't It Cool News] is one of the greatest people I know. He's a great supporter of mine. I'm his biggest fan, not because he supports filmmakers, [but] because I think he fights for film ... I think in this case, what happened is when the first trailers came out, I think he knew and he's been told there was kind of trouble. So he wrote, "F--k, they should have just let her do it, and she was pushed aside." [That is] true. He did write the right thing, and he stood up for me and for this film. I think that each Internet site that took it on brought it to a new level ... [What Knowles wrote] really is the correct thing. I was never fired, and I never wanted to take my name off. "
What Knowles wrote (if I have the right piece) was this: "Lexi Alexander has been kicked to the curb -- part of that treatment was her "honeymoon" from Comic Con. However, there's more totally awesome wedding gifts that Lionsgate has given the blushing bride. She's off the movie and wrapped up in a non-disclosure clause - so we won't be hearing from her anytime soon, UNLESS THINGS CHANGE RADICALLY." That explains the deafening silence -- though I'm curious how one can be "pushed aside," yet remain unfired. However that works, it's clear Alexander kicked ass, made the
Punisher she wanted, and is getting rave reviews from the film geeks for her trouble. There's nothing like a happy ending.
Posted Dec 3rd 2008 10:03AM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, Lionsgate Films, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger, Scripts, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Religious, Western
There are some great things to discuss, today, so let's just jump right in. But take a moment to admire the art , because I couldn't let
Scott Weinberg outshine me anymore!
- Rendering my Tuesday column somewhat obsolete, George Miller has informed the world that he is still attached to Justice League Mortal, and that the film is still very much alive. Apparently, he was never even on the Australian television show to make such fatal statements. Oh well. We can still talk about whether or not you can ever make a Justice League movie, right? [via SuperheroHype]
- Kevin McKidd told IGN that he is in the running for Thor -- and not for a secondary character, as he previously said, but as the god himself. Nothing is definite, there's just a lot of talk back and forth, but he's very excited that Kenneth Branagh is on board. It's a deal I'd like to see done, as the combo of McKidd and Branagh seems like a winner to me. (I particularly like that IGN caught McKidd at the Punisher: War Zone premiere -- Titus Pollo and Lucius Vorenus, together again!)
- Lexi Alexander might replace Neveldine and Taylor as the director of Jonah Hex. She told Latino Review that she had been sent the script, and really liked it. "I like it even more that Mr. Josh Brolin is still attached. Who knows if he'll stay, but it's more exciting than I thought. You get a story like this you think, 'Oh God, I'm going to be doing the same thing over and over again.' but it's really, really interesting." I haven't seen Punisher: War Zone yet, but all the reviews are positive, and indicate she'd have a similar take to Neveldine and Taylor. Go for it, Alexander!
- Also wanted -- one director for Magdalena. Gale Anne Hurd is looking. She has her cast lined up, and now she just needs a director. They'll have a very prepared star in Jenna Dewan, who Hurd says has "steeped herself" in the character. [via ShockTillYouDrop]
- The running time for Watchmen currently clocks at 2 hours, 35 minutes. Zack Snyder envisions the director's cut to be 3 hours and 10 minutes. And he's putting Tales of the Black Freighter together as you read this. [SciFi Wire]
Posted Nov 26th 2008 9:02PM by William Goss
Filed under: Action, Lionsgate Films, Theatrical Reviews, Remakes and Sequels
One would like to think that they're only asking for so much when they opt to see a flick titled
Transporter 3, and that fulfills our end of the bargain. We, the audience, provide the expectations, however modest, and they, the filmmakers, provide the execution. Frank Martin knows when he has to deliver; after all, it's his job.
Olivier Megaton, on the other hand... not so much.
Megaton has taken on the job after serving as second-unit director on
Hitman. Given that both stories are about stoic bald dudes kicking butt across Europe with a native femme in tow, I'd guess that's as good a qualifier as any, though not good enough in hindsight. Our stoic bald dude is Frank Martin, natch, and he's once again played by
Jason Statham with all the steely glares and ab crunches that come with the territory (and seemingly every role he takes).
Continue reading Review: Transporter 3
Posted Nov 24th 2008 7:32PM by William Goss
Filed under: Horror, Independent, Music & Musicals, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Lionsgate Films, Fandom, Distribution, Exhibition, Fantastic Fest
Back in September, standing outside of Austin's Paramount Theatre, myself and a couple of others listened to
Darren Lynn Bousman as he talked about the challenges he was facing in getting Lionsgate to properly release his
Repo! The Genetic Opera. The studio had taken down rave after rave after a select screening several months before, and now the next night's Fantastic Fest screenings were as good a chance as any to prove the film's worth.
Well, I saw the film the following night amidst an impressive turn-out of die-hard fans, so while I may have already made
my own thoughts clear, I cannot deny its growing (and all but inevitable) cult following, and it seems that neither can Lionsgate. Following a limited release and successful road tour,
Bloody Disgusting reports that each will be expanded in the weeks to come to include the likes of Phoenix, New Orleans, Boston, Philadelphia, and Houston.
As for everyone else, you can either keep your fingers crossed for a third tour (though Bousman and co-creator Terrance Zdunich may want to see their families for the holidays, who knows) or just wait for the DVD, which will apparently still hits stores in January.
Posted Nov 20th 2008 10:20AM by William Goss
Filed under: Action, Thrillers, Deals, Lionsgate Films, RumorMonger, Fandom, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, Western
With only two features to their credit -- they co-wrote and co-directed 2006's
Crank, and together scripted this past spring's
Pathology -- maybe it's a bit premature to declare myself a fan of the duo known as Neveldine/Taylor. (Even if that's the case, Eugene's
got my back.) Yes, I'm the guy psyched for
Crank 2: High Voltage, and I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for other upcoming projects, such as the Gerard Butler actioner
Game and the comic book adaptation
Jonah Hex...
Well, now, the latter's lost maybe only a fraction of what precious little interest it had, as Neveldine/Taylor has reportedly walked away from directing the project, citing (and say it with me now) "creative differences." However, the implication from
this Variety brief is that their script is already done and will be the same one that
Josh Brolin is still tapped to star in (to Thomas Jane's
probable dismay).
Something tells me that a film that's gathered this much attention to date won't go unmade, but it's now a matter of who will helm it. 2009 will remain the year of N/T regardless, with
Crank 2 scheduled to open in April and
Game in September.
Posted Nov 19th 2008 8:03PM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Thrillers, Lionsgate Films, Newsstand, Movie Marketing, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, Trailers and Clips
It's the middle of the work week, and I think you need some violence to carry you through the rest.
Yahoo! Movies has a new behind-the-scenes clip from
Punisher: War Zone, which you can access by clicking the link or the scope of Frank Castle's gun. It's short, but sweet, with some peeks at the glorious violence that will make this a real Christmas treat, at least in my warped out world. There's not much new footage, but you get to hear from Ray Stevenson, Dominic West, Julie Benz, the controversy magnet Lexi Alexander, and producer Gale Anne Hurd.
The best part? Hearing Stevenson's real Northern accent. I wish we had gotten a few more videos like these, Zack Snyder style, showing off the Punisher's hardware or something. My fondness for Stevenson has been
well documented here, so you will sneer at that wish, but they
really needed to sell their new Frank Castle. I'm convinced he's the perfect guy for the part, I just hope the film lets him prove it. If nothing else, at least we get to see someone killed by chair leg. I know that scene alone is going to be responsible for 95% of the tickets sold.
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