• Judge Dredd Makes a Return

    Timothy

    Comic book character created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra, Judge Dredd, will be making a return; DNA Films spent over two years negotiating for it.

    Garland, Macdonald, and Allon Reich are set to produce; with Pete Travis directing, and the script by Alex Garland. The budget for the film is $45 million and will be filmed in Johannesburg, South Africa.

    I was a fan of Sylvester Stallone’s version of Judge Dredd despite it being campy, but this current project looks to stick close to the source material; with Wagner as a creative consultant, and the owners of the publishing company Rebellion/2000AD, Jason and Chris Kingsley as co-producers.

    Judge Dredd already seems to be shaping up to be a proper adaption for the comic book; with another co-producer in Michael S. Murphey, who had a hand in District 9. A smaller budget might work just fine, considering the people involved who are no strangers to it.

    Source: (Hollywood Reporter)

  • Michael Bay Ditches the Twins from “Transformers 2”

    Timothy

    Director Michael Bay posted on his forum, “The Twins are not back in T3.” Maybe all the ridicule on the blatant racism of the characterizations of Skids and Mudflap finally convinced him what a bad idea they were. Well, that or he’s making room for Asian stereotyped transformers.

    Source: (Superhero Hype)

  • “Super 8” Produced by Steven Spielberg and Directed by J.J. Abrams

    Timothy

    Supposedly Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams had a conversation about their youth playing with Super 8 cameras which realized their current film project together. Produced by Spielberg, J.J. Abrams penned the screenplay that pays homage to Spielberg’s 70s films, which he will also direct.

    Reportedly, the budget for Super 8 is roughly $50 million, but it’s confirmed that it will be shot traditionally instead of hand-held like Cloverfield.

    J.J. Abrams is notorious for keeping things hushed, and this project is no different. The only concrete thing known about the plot is the line in the teaser: “In 1979, the U.S. Air Force closed a section of Area 51”. Anything else at this point is speculation.

    Like J.J. Abrams’ Lost and Cloverfield, Super 8 has viral marketing, which is already underway. According to the website discovered by fans, something will be revealed on May 15h. The site can be found here.

    Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams collaborating together on a film is very exciting, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with. I just hope George Lucas stays away from this movie. I mean . . . what?

    Sources: (Vulture) (Variety)

  • Jerome Bixby’s “The Man from Earth”

    Timothy

    The Man from Earth was the last work of the late writer Jerome Bixby, directed by Richard Schenkman, and stars David Lee Smith as Professor John Oldman.

    The film begins with John Oldman packing all his things into his truck when colleagues suddenly come over against his wishes. They confront him for leaving so abruptly, and ask his reasons for moving away. Barely addressing their questions, he acts skittish while continuing to pack before they convince him to elaborate on his reasons.

    Inviting them in his home, he offers them conversation for the modest farewell party. John asks them,”What if a man from the Upper Paleolithic had survived until the present day?” which piques the interest of his friends. John nonchalantly mentions that he’s the caveman that he was implying. He then starts sharing stories throughout his life which raises more questions from his colleagues. The debate gradually becomes more heated; his friends using their expertise in each of their respective fields to try to disprove John.

    The production for this film is more along the lines of a theatre rather than a traditional movie; it takes place entirely on one location. A lot of the focus are on John’s monologues on his past life and interactions with his colleagues instead of flashback scenes. The acting and the strong writing really shows, immersing the viewer into each of John’s stories.

    There’s absolutely no reliance on special effects or action. There’s the emotionally and intellectually charged debate between friends that completely engrosses the viewers, and it works beautifully. Any fan of science fiction and theatre should watch this endearing film.

    (Movie on Amazon)

  • “Iron Man 2” Easter Eggs

    Timothy

    Iron Man 2 came out only days ago, and someone has already put together all the easter eggs in the movie. Do not click the link if you don’t want to be spoiled on Marvel’s movie projects.

    Easter Egg Spoilers

  • Vin Diesel’s “Riddick” Continues

    Timothy

    Vin Diesel is bringing the Chronicles of Riddick back on the big screen with the help of writer/director David Twohy.

    Here’s the official synopsis:

    Betrayed by his own kind and left for dead on a desolate planet, Riddick (Diesel) fights for survival against alien predators and becomes more powerful and dangerous than ever before. Soon bounty hunters from throughout the galaxy descend on Riddick only to find themselves pawns in his greater scheme for revenge. With his enemies right where he wants them, Riddick unleashes a vicious attack of vengeance before returning to his home planet of Furya to save it from destruction.

    In the director’s cut the ending of the Chronicles of Riddick, he killed the antagonist and became the new leader of the Necromonger army due to their, “You keep what you kill,” adage. In the theatrical cut after defeating the antagonist, the Necromonger fleet leaves the planet Helium Prime, sparing it.

    So by ‘betrayed by his own kind’, does the synopsis imply the Furyan survivors, or the Necromonger army that he now commands in the director’s cut?

    I always found the Riddick films ridiculous, and this looks to be the same — but nevertheless, they’re highly entertaining. I entirely look forward to the next installment.

    Source

  • “Predators” Produced by Robert Rodriguez

    Timothy

    Usually I’m not a fan of remakes or reboots, but 20th Century Fox’s Predators (produced by Robert Rodriguez) is showing incredible promise. Instead of focusing on the predators themselves like in AVP, Rodriguez insisted on building strong characters to be the focal point of the film. He wanted a cast that would be comparable to the memorable characters of the original movie.

    Playing a combination of mercenaries and convicts are; Adrien Brody, Danny Trejo, Alice Braga, Topher Grace, and Walter Goggins — who are transported to another planet to be hunted by the predators. On the planet they meet a scavenger played by Laurence Fishburne, completing the main cast.

    This alone is a great step towards rejuvenating the Predator franchise. The problem with the AVP movies was that the cast weren’t built up; they weren’t likable; they just weren’t memorable. The audience only wanted to see the aliens and predators kill off the cast in a brutal fashion. There was no story with substance or a character arc to captivate the audience; to get them emotionally invested in the film.

    Howard Berger, who worked with Stan Winston on the original Predator states that they’re going back to the original designs for the new movie; they want to remain faithful to it. New alien designs have also been done to compliment Winston’s on the world where the group are dropped off on. There’s going to be a more focus on building suits rather than a reliance on CG, which I’m glad to hear.

    The film is due for release on July 9, 2010. 

  • Police Engage Robbery Scene

    Timothy

    A robbery scene for a low-budget film was being shot in a Long Island convenience store when police intervened with their guns drawn. Earlier, a witness outside the store saw the actors with guns and called the police who were quick to react.

    Luckily there were no casualties, but quite a few mistakes could have made things a lot worse. A policeman with his gun drawn ordered the actor to drop the gun several times; the actor’s reaction was to hold his hands up with the gun while insisting it’s just a movie, forcing the officer to disarm the man. The cop showed a lot of restraint from harming the actor, despite what the pseudo-robber was saying.

    I have nothing against guerrilla filmmaking; I’ve done it myself; it does have its advantages, but under the right circumstances. Filming a scene guerrilla-style which involves guns is an entirely stupid idea; the aforementioned incident being an excellent example of why.

    What the filmmakers should have done is get the permit to film in the store; inform the police station about the scene taking place, and that weapons will be involved. Usually a policeman will be on location to assure that there isn’t any misconceptions for any bystanders. It keeps everyone safe.

    Hopefully other low-budget, independent productions pay attention to this incident and learn from it. If you’re going to shoot scenes involving weapons, approach it properly so you won’t endanger any lives.

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