So here’s a trailer for a film that premiered at TIFF in 2006, then in 2008 was released to theaters in the UK, and subsequently released on DVD in the UK the same year. That means almost seven years to the date of its premiere, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane is finally getting a US release. Jonathan Levine directed this horror flick and has since moved on to bigger and more critically praised projects such as The Wackness, the incredibly sad and funny at the same time film 50/50, and the comedic zombie tale Warm Bodies. Starring in the titular role of Mandy Lane is Amber Heard (Never Back Down, Paranoia). The story is as follows: a group of teenagers invite a shy but popular girl, Mandy, to spend the weekend at a secluded ranch with them, and are soon terrorized by a stalker of hers. Sounds interesting with just enough originality in the ‘cabin in the woods-type’ trope to peak my attention. Check out the trailer below:
Honestly, the trailer doesn’t impress me too much, but the fact that they’re getting it out to theaters 7 years after it premiered, when it can already can be bought on DVD outside the United States, has to say something of the quality. That said, reviews have been very divided with some praising it, and others saying it diverges from what could be a clever story. Also, others who have reviewed it recently have said the hype of this long awaited release is too big for what the film deserves. But, while not horror flicks, The Wackness and 50/50 were two of my favorite movies the years they came out, so anything Levine makes is a must-see to me. Joining Heard is Whitney Able from the under appreciated sci-fi flick, Monsters (sequel’s coming out), and Anson Mount from the TV series Hell on Wheels.
The film is already out on VOD, and is set for a theatrical release October 11.
Director Guillermo del Toro ran into a bit of a snag recently with his upcoming thriller Crimson Peak. His leading man dropped out of the film to take the lead in another project. This in itself seems like a huge setback – but when you realize that leading man was Benedict Cumberbatch, it becomes an enormous setback. Cumberbatch, who left Crimson Peak in order to take the lead role in James Gray’s Lost City of Z adaptation, is still fresh on everyone’s mind thanks to his portrayal of John Harrison/Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness. How do you top the in-demand Cumberbatch? You replace him with a god: Tom Hiddleston, Loki himself.
According to Screen Crush, The Avengers actor will join Charlie Hunnam, Jessica Chastain, and Mia Wasikowska in del Toro’s gothic film. Other details about Crimson Peak, which is scheduled to begin filming in early 2014, have been trickling out. The story will center around young author Edith Cushing as she discovers that her new husband isn’t the charming man he appeared to be. Del Toro has described the thriller, which takes place at the turn of the century, as a “gothic romance with ghosts” and “dark and stormy and wind-swept.”
Seeing Hiddleston in a film with a darker tone will be an interesting departure from his recent family-friendly Marvel Universe appearances (including reprising his role as Loki in Thor: The Dark World). His upcoming roles also seem to have him sticking to his sweet and charming side. Before we see him in Crimson Peak, we will hear Hiddleston as the voice behind Captain Hook in Disney’s animated Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy and he will appear in Muppets Most Wanted, both set to be released in 2014. On the opposite side of the spectrum, del Toro has promised that Crimson Peak will include “very visceral, physical violence.” Let’s see how Loki can handle it.
When news that a remake to Robocop was coming out, the internet almost imploded with the sheer volume of venom and bile that was unleashed. The original Robocop has always had a warm place in the hearts of fans. The clever mix of ultra violence, angst and social commentary meshed well to give us a truly stunning piece of ’80s cinema. So it’s understandable that there may be a certain amount of tension when a new version is released. Even this reviewer was slightly nonplussed by the news, and when shots of the new suit came out face palms were felt all around the world. It looked pretty dire and people could hardly believe they were thinking of using this version over the classic silver suit Peter Weller wore. It did not really exude confidence in the new film. Well now it is time to put up or shut up because the new trailer is out. See what you think below.
So there you go. Now I do not know how this trailer went down with everyone else, but personally, I liked it. The tone still seems to be dark, but not as gritty as the original. The darkness is still there hidden under all the shiny metal and techno heavy visuals. Hopefully it will not suffer the same fate as the TotalRecall remake, where the futuristic look over shadowed the fact that the film somehow managed to take all the fun out of the movie and made it a dreadful bore. This trailer is anything but that, with the action coming at you thick and fast and for once you can actually see the events as they take place, rather than say the Transformers franchise where the gleaming metal battles all gel into a CGI mess.
Let’s not forget about the cast, and boy what a cast. Samuel Jackson, Michael Keaton, and Gary Oldman are just a few of the names involved, and they certainly seem to be enjoying themselves. Unlike the OCP from the original where most of the people working for the company were dicks (and we loved them for it, who can forget Dick Jones, Bob Morton and Clarence J.Boddicker), here it seems Oldman is to be the scientist with a heart, while Keaton is chewing up the scenery in a more corporate way than his predecessors.
Giving Alex Murphy and his family more screen time seems to be a good call as it adds a nice dynamic to the tale. How do decide if your husband should be given a new lease on life but lose some of his humanity? These clips with the family should make for some touching scenes in the movie if the trailer is to go by.
The new designs look great. ED 209 has been slightly revamped, and as much as I love the old clunky model I am interested to see how this new, more streamlined version will fare on-screen. The new suit after all the moaning does look good in action. The visor sliding up and down adds a nice element, and again helps to keep the human side of Robocop visible more. The scene with numerous Robocop models taking on the Alex Murphy Robocop certainly interested me and the voice is spot on. The main downside to this is there is no police presence in the trailer that I could see. So the dynamic that Murphy and Anne Lewis had in the original seems to have been removed to focus more on Alex Murphy’s family issues. I can see the point, but it does not mean that I a tinge of remorse we are going to lose that side of the movie. But that’s what happens with change.
Let’s just get one thing clear in our minds. This is never going to be Paul Verhoeven Robocop. That movie is irreparable. But much liked other remakes that have worked (Dawnof theDead, The TexasChainsaw Massacre, Star Trek) it has taken the core idea and given it a different spin. Do we forget about the original Texas Chainsaw movies now that the remake has been made? Of cause not. Both live together in cinematic harmony and both have their own fan bases. Could we have room for two Robocop’s? I believe so, but only if the film is good. The last thing we need is another shitty remake. Fingers crossed this will be the former rather than the later, and if it lives up to the promise of the trailer we could be in for a treat. No matter what, Peter Weller’s iconic turn in the role of Robocop will never be forgotten, but maybe we can find a space for Joel Kinnaman portrayal too? I would like to think so, we’ll just have to look past that PG-13 rating first…
Eli Roth has always promoted the use of a bit of claret in his movies; this is the guy that introduced splatter porn to the world after all. So it comes as no real surprise to find out through Dread Central that his new movie GreenInferno has received an R rating from the MPAA
“For aberrant violence and torture, grisly disturbing images, brief graphic nudity, sexual content, language and some drug use.“
So it looks like Eli hasn’t lost any of his bite with his new film. Roth’s films are usually an extension of the Slasher genre stuff of the ’80s where the stars of the show were actually the kills. But this time around he goes all the way back to the ’60s with the Splatter movies Hershell Gordon Lewis was making.
It seems a few weeks cannot go by with out a new Star Wars related whisper spreading across the internet (like these ones here and here). It is hardly surprising when such a beloved series has a whole new creative team behind it and the possibility of countless new movies ahead of it. The Star Wars fans have a right to be excited. So when the website Film Chronicles puts up an article with the title “Benedict Cumberbatch is inStar Wars VII”, even the most hard core fanboy and fan girls heads are likely to explode.
But this does appear to be the case. Benedict was previously scheduled to be working with Guillermo Del Toro on his new film Crimson Peak but dropped out and strangely no answer was given. As the shooting schedules would have been roughly the same it is hard not to draw a comparison between the two events. Though no information on his role in the franchise is available, we do know he is a huge fan of Star Wars. Look at the extract below from Collider (via Total Film) to see him gush about the franchise.
“I’ve already asked him if I can be a lightsaber and we’re in talks – about whirring sounds and the rates for the lights and everything [laughs].
“I thought, ‘Yeah, I grew up with them,’ and I just looked recently at when they were released and now I’m like, ‘No, I didn’t grow up with them, I was born with them.’ They were a huge part of my background, and my upbringing.
“I was much more connected to [Star Wars] as a kid, in the way that a lot of kids are because it’s immediate storytelling, very simple – a beautifully, outrageously simple narrative in a way – and a wonderful three-act melodrama, opera. And I loved them. I really, really loved those films and I always wanted to be Han Solo. Everything Harrison Ford did I just thought was the coolest thing ever.”
Is there any role this man cannot pull off? In his epic rise to stardom he has already played Frankenstein and his monster, an iconic Star Trek character, given vocal life to Smaug in the upcoming Hobbit movies and brought Sherlock Holmes to life again for a new generation. This guy is incredible so hearing he is in the new Star Wars movies is a definite thumbs up. Working with JJ Abrams again has got to be a dream combination after seeing their great work on Star Trek Into Darkness. Hopefully Disney will not keep us out the loop to long and we will get an insight into his character soon. If not, be safe in the knowledge that it looks like he could be set to wield a lightsaber very soon.
As 2014 approaches, more and more trailers for the beginning of the year are dropping in hopes of engaging the audience early, and that’s the case with this surely R-rated comedy, Neighbors. Director Nicholas Stoller, whose most recent credit is the underrated The Five Year Engagement, but whom most know as the man behind Forgetting Sarah Marshall and the spin off, Get Him to the Greek, is at the helm of this Adults vs Frat Bros comedy.
The story goes as follows, a couple with a newborn baby are faced with troubles when a fraternity moves in next door. The story seems pretty simple, but it’s definitely prime for some raunchy comedy with its stellar cast. Seth Rogen (This is the End) and Rose Byrne (Bridesmaids) star as the older couple, while Zac Efron (High School Musical), Dave Franco (21 Jump Street), and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad) play the frat boys. Check out the hilarious, albeit short, red band trailer below:
As I said above, the set up seems prime for some R-rated comedy, and while we’ve seen the whole adults trying to fit in with the younger crowd before, this seems to be more of insane hijinks between the two groups than them trying to fit in with one another. I mean that ending bit with the airbag was freaking hilarious, and the Robert De Niro costume is a funny idea too. While it’s still a ways off, I’m sure come time next year people will be talking about this comedy. In addition to the cast listed above, some notable TV comedic talents star as well; Jake Johnson (New Girl), Carla Gallo (Undeclared), and Lisa Kudrow (Friends) each have a part in this 2014 flick.
Neighbors, formerly titled Townies, is due out May 9 next year.
Grizzly Bomb 